Back to basics, bought an ND2 RF.
06-04-2021, 05:37 PM
#11
Nice pick up! I've said that the S was just a gap car for me til used ND2s came down in price but these used car prices aren't really cooperating, lol.
I came to the same realization as you about 15 years ago when I sold off my ae86s and picked up a brand new Evo8. Tuned her to about 400whp (doesn't sound much now but that was cookin for a street car back then) and it was just too fast. The chassis was super capable as well so everything came super easy and it didn't feel all that fast so you'd take turns at really-not-safe-speeds-but-look-at-the-speedo-and-you-were-clearly-going-to-jail.
Then premium gas went over $4/gal and I had a job, a family and going back to school. Spent my time just driving to work, home and class, oftentimes just stuck in heavy traffic. Basically, paid $60/week for gas just to let her rip MAYBE 10 seconds a day.
Then the ACD pump went bad cause of all the sliding and drifting I was doing during winter. Fixed it but I became more and more paranoid about future breakdowns.
Sold it and haven't bought a new car since. Bought a lightly boosted Impreza 2.5RS coupe (~160whp) as a fun car which was plenty fast for the streets. People think I was crazy for going from a 400whp Evo to the Impreza but the Impreza was way more fun to drive on the streets. It rolled more so it felt like you were actually pushing the car, it was slower so I could wind it out more, it's limits were way lower so I wasn't going to jail or kill myself or someone else everytime I wanted to drive spiritedly.
Everytime I think I want a more powerful or capable car I just think back about my Evo. There is a liberating sense with not having a car payment, not having to worry about warranties, which makes me enjoy beating on the car more as well.
The S is almost more than I want. Almost. It's grippiness and lack of roll makes it less playful than a Miata. People complain about how much roll there is in a Miata but IMO it just makes it more enjoyable for the 7/10ths driving on the streets.
I came to the same realization as you about 15 years ago when I sold off my ae86s and picked up a brand new Evo8. Tuned her to about 400whp (doesn't sound much now but that was cookin for a street car back then) and it was just too fast. The chassis was super capable as well so everything came super easy and it didn't feel all that fast so you'd take turns at really-not-safe-speeds-but-look-at-the-speedo-and-you-were-clearly-going-to-jail.
Then premium gas went over $4/gal and I had a job, a family and going back to school. Spent my time just driving to work, home and class, oftentimes just stuck in heavy traffic. Basically, paid $60/week for gas just to let her rip MAYBE 10 seconds a day.
Then the ACD pump went bad cause of all the sliding and drifting I was doing during winter. Fixed it but I became more and more paranoid about future breakdowns.
Sold it and haven't bought a new car since. Bought a lightly boosted Impreza 2.5RS coupe (~160whp) as a fun car which was plenty fast for the streets. People think I was crazy for going from a 400whp Evo to the Impreza but the Impreza was way more fun to drive on the streets. It rolled more so it felt like you were actually pushing the car, it was slower so I could wind it out more, it's limits were way lower so I wasn't going to jail or kill myself or someone else everytime I wanted to drive spiritedly.
Everytime I think I want a more powerful or capable car I just think back about my Evo. There is a liberating sense with not having a car payment, not having to worry about warranties, which makes me enjoy beating on the car more as well.
The S is almost more than I want. Almost. It's grippiness and lack of roll makes it less playful than a Miata. People complain about how much roll there is in a Miata but IMO it just makes it more enjoyable for the 7/10ths driving on the streets.
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TheDonEffect (06-04-2021)
06-04-2021, 08:51 PM
#13
Nice pick up! I've said that the S was just a gap car for me til used ND2s came down in price but these used car prices aren't really cooperating, lol.
I came to the same realization as you about 15 years ago when I sold off my ae86s and picked up a brand new Evo8. Tuned her to about 400whp (doesn't sound much now but that was cookin for a street car back then) and it was just too fast. The chassis was super capable as well so everything came super easy and it didn't feel all that fast so you'd take turns at really-not-safe-speeds-but-look-at-the-speedo-and-you-were-clearly-going-to-jail.
Then premium gas went over $4/gal and I had a job, a family and going back to school. Spent my time just driving to work, home and class, oftentimes just stuck in heavy traffic. Basically, paid $60/week for gas just to let her rip MAYBE 10 seconds a day.
Then the ACD pump went bad cause of all the sliding and drifting I was doing during winter. Fixed it but I became more and more paranoid about future breakdowns.
Sold it and haven't bought a new car since. Bought a lightly boosted Impreza 2.5RS coupe (~160whp) as a fun car which was plenty fast for the streets. People think I was crazy for going from a 400whp Evo to the Impreza but the Impreza was way more fun to drive on the streets. It rolled more so it felt like you were actually pushing the car, it was slower so I could wind it out more, it's limits were way lower so I wasn't going to jail or kill myself or someone else everytime I wanted to drive spiritedly.
Everytime I think I want a more powerful or capable car I just think back about my Evo. There is a liberating sense with not having a car payment, not having to worry about warranties, which makes me enjoy beating on the car more as well.
The S is almost more than I want. Almost. It's grippiness and lack of roll makes it less playful than a Miata. People complain about how much roll there is in a Miata but IMO it just makes it more enjoyable for the 7/10ths driving on the streets.
I came to the same realization as you about 15 years ago when I sold off my ae86s and picked up a brand new Evo8. Tuned her to about 400whp (doesn't sound much now but that was cookin for a street car back then) and it was just too fast. The chassis was super capable as well so everything came super easy and it didn't feel all that fast so you'd take turns at really-not-safe-speeds-but-look-at-the-speedo-and-you-were-clearly-going-to-jail.
Then premium gas went over $4/gal and I had a job, a family and going back to school. Spent my time just driving to work, home and class, oftentimes just stuck in heavy traffic. Basically, paid $60/week for gas just to let her rip MAYBE 10 seconds a day.
Then the ACD pump went bad cause of all the sliding and drifting I was doing during winter. Fixed it but I became more and more paranoid about future breakdowns.
Sold it and haven't bought a new car since. Bought a lightly boosted Impreza 2.5RS coupe (~160whp) as a fun car which was plenty fast for the streets. People think I was crazy for going from a 400whp Evo to the Impreza but the Impreza was way more fun to drive on the streets. It rolled more so it felt like you were actually pushing the car, it was slower so I could wind it out more, it's limits were way lower so I wasn't going to jail or kill myself or someone else everytime I wanted to drive spiritedly.
Everytime I think I want a more powerful or capable car I just think back about my Evo. There is a liberating sense with not having a car payment, not having to worry about warranties, which makes me enjoy beating on the car more as well.
The S is almost more than I want. Almost. It's grippiness and lack of roll makes it less playful than a Miata. People complain about how much roll there is in a Miata but IMO it just makes it more enjoyable for the 7/10ths driving on the streets.
100%. And 400whp in that little awd car is still alot these days man. But that's the thing isn't it, the more capable it is, the more numb it becomes at lower speed. So besides the legal and public risk aspect, that power doesn't come without a price, and yes I can pay it, but you can't help but think did I really enjoy those 15 gallons that just seemingly evaporated.
I used to have a company car, so having a thirsty, pricey mistress wasn't a problem, but even then you just think gee these MPSS tires and tanks of gas are just getting used doing things that I can literally feel the car yawning, and then you wonder what if I put this money into other things, would I get more enjoyment out of that dollar. It's just nice to have a car that when I need to replace the tires, I don't have to think twice about should I take that extra international trip.
The only thing different between us is that I do have a car payment, but buying new was something I really wanted to do this time around.
06-07-2021, 04:50 AM
#14
Congrats on the purchase! I hear the driving experience is a blast.
I'm still keeping my eye on the 2nd gen GRZ being a possible replacement for the GTI or AMG. ND just doesn't check the boxes for me.
I'm still keeping my eye on the 2nd gen GRZ being a possible replacement for the GTI or AMG. ND just doesn't check the boxes for me.
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TheDonEffect (06-07-2021)
06-07-2021, 09:57 AM
#15
Congrats on the purchase! I've always liked the Miata, and was very close to getting a NA back when you could get a nice example for pennies. Those days are long gone and I ended up just keeping my S2000, but if I didn't have it still, your example, in that color would be my top choice! I love those buttresses.
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TheDonEffect (06-07-2021)
06-07-2021, 10:34 AM
#16
Registered User
I Turoed an ND2 RF Grand Touring earlier this year and I loved it. I wanted to see if I could actually live with it for an entire day so I took it spirited-empty-backroad driving, grocery shopping, and highway cruising.
I’m 6’3” with a 36” inseam and a short torso and I’ve sat in both Club and Grand Touring RFs–non-Recaro–at a dealership multiple times. Until now, I had to wedge my right knee uncomfortably between the steering wheel and the dash, even with the wheel telescoped all the way out.
Spending an entire day with the car showed me that I will not fit if I adjust the seat as far back and down as it will go while sitting in the driver seat. However, getting down on one knee outside of the car and then cranking the seat down and back revealed an “additional” detent on the seat rail that I didn’t know was there, one that my fat ass was seemingly unable engage while seated. I tried again a few times after and couldn’t engage the most rearward seating position unless I got out of the car.
That extra room made all of the difference and allowed me to sit as comfortably in an ND as I can in an NC.
The ND is a great car with better steering and shorter gearing than the S2000. I don’t like how much the RF’s buttresses interfere with top-down rear visibility so I would have gone soft top instead. The RF makes the Miata easier to treat like an actual car though so I get it.
Congratulations, and hopefully you get out of the break-in period soon so you can start ripping off downshifts like there’s no tomorrow.
I’m 6’3” with a 36” inseam and a short torso and I’ve sat in both Club and Grand Touring RFs–non-Recaro–at a dealership multiple times. Until now, I had to wedge my right knee uncomfortably between the steering wheel and the dash, even with the wheel telescoped all the way out.
Spending an entire day with the car showed me that I will not fit if I adjust the seat as far back and down as it will go while sitting in the driver seat. However, getting down on one knee outside of the car and then cranking the seat down and back revealed an “additional” detent on the seat rail that I didn’t know was there, one that my fat ass was seemingly unable engage while seated. I tried again a few times after and couldn’t engage the most rearward seating position unless I got out of the car.
That extra room made all of the difference and allowed me to sit as comfortably in an ND as I can in an NC.
The ND is a great car with better steering and shorter gearing than the S2000. I don’t like how much the RF’s buttresses interfere with top-down rear visibility so I would have gone soft top instead. The RF makes the Miata easier to treat like an actual car though so I get it.
Congratulations, and hopefully you get out of the break-in period soon so you can start ripping off downshifts like there’s no tomorrow.
Last edited by Viola10; 06-07-2021 at 10:37 AM.
06-07-2021, 11:42 AM
#17
I Turoed an ND2 RF Grand Touring earlier this year and I loved it. I wanted to see if I could actually live with it for an entire day so I took it spirited-empty-backroad driving, grocery shopping, and highway cruising.
I’m 6’3” with a 36” inseam and a short torso and I’ve sat in both Club and Grand Touring RFs–non-Recaro–at a dealership multiple times. Until now, I had to wedge my right knee uncomfortably between the steering wheel and the dash, even with the wheel telescoped all the way out.
Spending an entire day with the car showed me that I will not fit if I adjust the seat as far back and down as it will go while sitting in the driver seat. However, getting down on one knee outside of the car and then cranking the seat down and back revealed an “additional” detent on the seat rail that I didn’t know was there, one that my fat ass was seemingly unable engage while seated. I tried again a few times after and couldn’t engage the most rearward seating position unless I got out of the car.
That extra room made all of the difference and allowed me to sit as comfortably in an ND as I can in an NC.
The ND is a great car with better steering and shorter gearing than the S2000. I don’t like how much the RF’s buttresses interfere with top-down rear visibility so I would have gone soft top instead. The RF makes the Miata easier to treat like an actual car though so I get it.
Congratulations, and hopefully you get out of the break-in period soon so you can start ripping off downshifts like there’s no tomorrow.
I’m 6’3” with a 36” inseam and a short torso and I’ve sat in both Club and Grand Touring RFs–non-Recaro–at a dealership multiple times. Until now, I had to wedge my right knee uncomfortably between the steering wheel and the dash, even with the wheel telescoped all the way out.
Spending an entire day with the car showed me that I will not fit if I adjust the seat as far back and down as it will go while sitting in the driver seat. However, getting down on one knee outside of the car and then cranking the seat down and back revealed an “additional” detent on the seat rail that I didn’t know was there, one that my fat ass was seemingly unable engage while seated. I tried again a few times after and couldn’t engage the most rearward seating position unless I got out of the car.
That extra room made all of the difference and allowed me to sit as comfortably in an ND as I can in an NC.
The ND is a great car with better steering and shorter gearing than the S2000. I don’t like how much the RF’s buttresses interfere with top-down rear visibility so I would have gone soft top instead. The RF makes the Miata easier to treat like an actual car though so I get it.
Congratulations, and hopefully you get out of the break-in period soon so you can start ripping off downshifts like there’s no tomorrow.
Just hit 500 this weekend so it has begun.
I'm amazed you could fit, I'm 5'9 and I have the seat pretty much all the way back and I just fit, fortunately just right. The gearing is shorter but in real world doesn't come off as that much different, but the lightweight and available torque makes it feel that way, and 6th feels longer since the rpms aren't 3500+ at highway speeds. Tbh I'll pay attention more now that I'm outside break in so I can just be talking out my butt.
06-07-2021, 11:57 AM
#18
Good stuff for sure. I drove one about a year ago and thought it was great but couldn't see a good reason to sell the s2k plus write a big check to get one. I test drove a drop top version and at 5'10" was quite surprised to have my head brushing against the top from time to time when I had it closed.
Obviously Mazda doesn't see a market for it but if they made an MX-5 Coupe I'd have a really hard time not buying it.
Obviously Mazda doesn't see a market for it but if they made an MX-5 Coupe I'd have a really hard time not buying it.
06-07-2021, 12:38 PM
#19
Good stuff for sure. I drove one about a year ago and thought it was great but couldn't see a good reason to sell the s2k plus write a big check to get one. I test drove a drop top version and at 5'10" was quite surprised to have my head brushing against the top from time to time when I had it closed.
Obviously Mazda doesn't see a market for it but if they made an MX-5 Coupe I'd have a really hard time not buying it.
Obviously Mazda doesn't see a market for it but if they made an MX-5 Coupe I'd have a really hard time not buying it.
Yeah, for current s2k owners, I can totally see the argument for not wanting to get an ND, if for no other reason the financial proposition alone makes it not worth it. For me, having owned 3 s2ks, just never liked the way they drove unless you were on a backroad pushing it. There is a bit more ambient space, meaning the a pillar is further away from you, the windshield is further away from you, but in terms of actually fitting into the car, I fit as good if not better in the ND, and it's nice to not hear squeaks and rattles.
When I had my s2ks, I bought a hardtop and never took them off, so like you a MX5 coupe would be perfect, which is what the RF sorta is. I really have no intention to ever dropping the top, but it makes for a cool party trick. The buttresses create a huge blind spot, to which I'm still getting used to but man do they look good and just so rare to see something so impractical for the sake of design anymore. Like anything else, I'll get used to, just been too lazy to remove the glass deflector between the seats which will aid visibility. Really, it's no different from driving the s2k with the soft top up.
06-07-2021, 11:48 PM
#20
Congratulations! A close friend of mine picked up a ND2 convertible last month and it really is a fantastic car. He's already put close to 4k miles on it by just finding excuses to drive, and after spending a day with it I can totally understand why.