I've had an adult ask if it was a Miata, admittedly not the demographic I was even expecting to get a compliment from.

 

I can see somebody mixing up an FD with a Ford Probe, for example, but it's a bit far removed from a Miata.

 

Or Ford Taurus. :P

 

Ford F150

 

Dis FD has sum sic mods, yo:

 

Depends on which Miata you are comparing to.

 

Curious... What demographic were you expecting a compliment from? I ask because I have gotten compliments from all across the board. Male or female, white/black/asian/hispanic, young or old - FDs just make people happy

 

Just my exp.
Have fd, then bought anf fixed my friends rx8 that i daily now.
Getting an rx8 would get you to see if you really want to get an FD. Rx8 is really easy to work on compared to the fd. 30yr old car vs possible 9 year old car depending on year.
the moderness of the car(obd2) is the best when something goes wrong compared to decoding blinking lights.
good luck.

 

Right. I have received compliments from people of all backgrounds.

 

My neighbour's dog seems to bark a lot when I drive by.

I assume he is happy to see the FD, but it hard to tell.

 

Just not an older farm guy in a beat up pick-up. That said, I've had that very demographic talk to me at a red light about being on the right hand side of the car.
I've definitely gotten appreciation from all demos...and every time I drive it. But, I'm used to the attention as I wear bow ties daily. :P

 

Is it good to get a 1st gen miata as first car (no dailying)?

 

Haha. Is it good that the sky is blue? Is it good that the grass as green?

Trying doing research, test driving some cars, and then thinking for yourself.

 

Miata is always the answer (except when it's not). A later model Miata might be a bit better with some driver's aids for a new driver. Be prepared to be invisible to other drivers...
Mine is great fun, supercharged, but always a substitute for the FD. It does admittedly feel lighter and more eager than my FD, which could get me in trouble quick if I listen to it push me to play harder.

 

in general yes, its great fun. in fact its such great fun that Mazda Japan has started restoring them for people.

the pluses are that its simple. the engine and transmission came out of cars that made more power, so they last until you do something dumb to them. also its really small, so there is just less car...

the bad are that its old, and its from a time where normal servicing took a lot of parts, so even a normal service seems kind of crazy today. it is a Japanese car though, so between services you don't need to do much.
rust is a problem too (they copied the British sports cars too well sometimes).

ive had a 1992 as a DD for ~5 years or so, and its 2100lbs with a full tank of gas and no driver, 100% stock. i got the full service records, and its had 18 smogs, 4 tops, 3 timing belts, 3 water pumps, 4 calipers, two sets of wheels, a clutch, a radiator, all the water hoses. (i have no pear tree, and no partridge....)

 

In Canada, and in Quebec possibly as well, you may be able to get "collector plates" on a 25 year old Miata and enjoy much lower insurance costs (almost free). Get your dad to buy one as a second car, as it has to be a second car to qualify for the low insurance.

That would be a good car to learn stickshift. ESPECIALLY without any drivers aids (haha). zoom zoom.

 

Thanks a lot! I'll think about it!

 

Hey man , I bought my FD for only 16k NZD 2 years ago. Was running perfectly, just had a secondary turbo issue. Then the exhaust sleeve cracked, went through the engine and held the wastegate open, Yup 16k is cheap, But then i spent another 9-10k on a rebuild and rebuilt turbos, and now im spending another 8-10k on going single turbo, because twin turbos are a hassle. Just because its cheap doesnt mean you should ****** it up, Make sure you know what you are looking for , make sure engine history is recorded, and reciepts are all there! Lots of young people message me , linking a bunch of rx7s for cheap and they say nothing about engine history with tons of KS on it.

id say in a few years time, FDs would be easily $65k + at the rate they are going now. Good luck, work hard play hard

 

Pick up an MX6 Mystere for $1000 and put an rx7 logo on it.

Who is going to know the difference?