project car: e30 or NA miata?
 

i've been itching to buy a cheap used car to work on during my spare time. basically, i'll be using this car as a DD part of the time, and use it for autocrossing every so often. i've narrowed it down to either a 89-91 e30 or an NA miata. which do you guys think will make a better project car?? how hard is it to find replacement parts for e30s since they are so old, and will parts for the e30 cost significantly more than those for the NA miata?? my budget is $4000 or less for the car itself. are there any other cars you guys would recommend around that price range that will make better project cars?? basically my only requirements are that the car needs to be RWD and needs to be fun to drive.

NA miata... and watch the posts below

http://i27.tinypic.com/ehf07.jpg

E30's are sooo cool. Here's a picture of my friends.

both great. go with miata if you want a track rat, go with the E30 if you want a great looking classic, with an engine bay that will swallow any BMW motor and any LSx motor.

i dont fit in a maita so well so id have to vote for E30.

Miata parts are much cheaper! ;)

Love the E30s, but if you used the word cheap I'd go with miata.

NA for sure. A $4000 budget will get you a lot of car. Plus parts for the NA are dirt cheap and the car is a breeze to work on. Check for the short nose crank problem on all early year NA's I think it is 90-91 but I am not sure.

You will need a good roll bar if you want to track it. I say go with Hard dog for the bar which should run up to maybe $1000 depending on the bar.

The NA has a lot going for it, I really do not know much about the E30's however.

go with the miata, a lot more fun to drive imo

e30, just to be different. just make sure its at least a 325i, or even a 325is if you can find it. i see a lot of beat down e30s, but when i see a clean one with a few upgrades, it makes me smile....

yeah, i'm having a hard time deciding. i've always wanted an NA project car, but i'm 6'3" so i don't know how much i will be able to tolerate driving something that small. the main thing that makes me hesitant with the e30 is that i fear parts will be expensive and hard to find. also, it seems like for the same money i can get an NA that's newer and has less miles.