Why have I heard this before? Lol.
Is this just something car enthusiasts say?

 

My wife's uncle went through the same process and got the same deal. He was happy with his old Taco and he's now happy with his new Taco.

This is what you might hear some S2000 fans say. Some Miata fans would likely say just the opposite. Not surprising considering that sports car purchases are fueled mostly by passion (as opposed to cargo space, number of passengers you can carry, towing capacity, etc., etc.).

I don't doubt the reliability of either Honda or Toyota vehicles based on my own experiences. Toyota trucks have a very good reputation for durability (likely spurred on by things like the Top Gear HiLux episodes) and people seek them out, willing to pay a rather unreasonable amount for them as a result. Back when I owned my '89 Toyota pickup I lost tabs on how many people either left notes for me under the windshield wiper or knocked on the door of our house wondering if I would be interested in selling. Yesterday marked the first time this happened with my '01 Tundra in the 6+ years that I've owned it. The '89 pickup will likely run forever. The jury is still out on the Tundra but I haven't had any issues with it so far.

If you can afford to do so, buy what you like en enjoy it. Not everyone likes the same things but knowing what you like and what makes you happy is important.

 

I think it's something any enthusiasts may say. I say about it other things, too. I have a 2011 BMW motorcycle that uses a design based very directly on a flat twin engine created in 1923 (they made motorcycles years before they made cars... and they made military plane engines before either). I think it has much more character than their four cylinder engines. It also has fewer compromises; much like the S2000. This car has fewer compromises than a Miata and, for me, that matters.

I have other hobbies, some expensive, and never think any of those objects have any kind of soul or particular character... but I sure do about certain (and only certain) vehicles.

 

That's the thing — you'll hear people say this about all sorts of things (including cars and motorcycles). Since everyone likes different things, you'll never see a car, motorcycle or whatever where people reach a unanimous consensus about any particular one having soul because people only say this about things that they themselves happen to like.

 

This surprises me. Maybe I am interpreting things differently as it is hard for me to think of any item that I use in conjunction with any of my hobbies that I wouldn't associate with character of some sort (not necessarily soul mind you). From guitars to fly rods to cameras and lenses to my hifi gear, each item was chosen in particular because of the character associated with them. That's certainly the case when it comes to the cars and motorcycles I've owned as well.

 

Ive only achieved a bond through a car by fixing it myself. Kicking the tires one day and calling it a piece of shit, Having it sit for a week, only to fix it myself for a fraction of the price is the formula. Spending my savings from doing it myself on other parts that need attention has been the formula thats made mine reliable, then again that's just good ol' preventative maintenance.

A car like a BMW z3 that's much harder to repair myself, would be difficult for me to get attached to, and find it's "soul" since I'd likely find myself calling it a piece of shit more often than not since I'd be paying cash.

 

My bond is primarily created through driving the car and the kind of experience it provides. Add to that things like traveling to various destinations, the things and places you see by way of the car and meeting other people also drawn to the same car. I would be lying if I said that the car’s physical appeal had nothing to do with the bonding process. I work on the car myself because I enjoy this aspect of ownership and it only makes the bond stronger.

I appreciate that the S2000 is straightforward to work on, but if I struggle with other vehicles I tend to question my own mechanical skills rather than the car itself. For that matter I can’t imagine the Miata would be all that hard to work on.

 

When I first started having kids, I foolishly sold all but one of my AE86s. This was during the peak of the drift craze so I got top dollar for them and decided to pick up a Evo8 (I didn't like the STIs cause the '04/05 STIs gearing is off). Cuz, y'know four door family car, lol. Probably the fastest, easiest, most capable car I have ever driven. Built it up to about 350WHP, TONS of stick; so easy to drive at the limit, I was AWD neutral drifting within a week of having the car. No drift tricks, like clutch kicks or flicks; the EVOs active center differential and yaw control is so good at allocating power that you can apply the power all the way to the traction/steering limits.

<- that thing was soul less. Sold it after three years.

It's like my cousin's husband's GTR. VERY fast but soul less. Just a bunch of electronics.

I find the Miata very engaging with tons of character.

 

I don't know anything about the AE86 aside from the memes. just that it's not cheap to own in the slightest anymore. Hard for me to imagine the 86 in its prime since the only ones I've seen are all expensive restored garage queens.

 

lol, I didn't even know they had memes for the thing. hahaha, just saw the "drift tax" also. So true, lol.

It was so weird at the time. It was like overnight the car became this sensation. I remember my buddy called me up one night and was like, "Dude! Your car is the star of an anime!" A year later at an autocross I had like 5 people asking to pop my hood and buy my car.

The ae86 chassis is wonderful. The coupe is probably the better driver's car, but the hatch is so much more versatile (I had multiples of each, still have a hatch chassis for that eventual "one day..."). You can drive it like a hooligan or drive the line and it does fairly well in both scenarios. The 4age was probably fine (maybe even on the fast/exotic side) for the 80's but in the 90's the competition had caught up and it was way under-powered. The suspension being what it was (solid rear axle) meant you didn't have the greatest grip around corners either. You really had to earn your speed with that car which, IMO, made it all the more rewarding and endearing. IIRC, 150whp (about double the OEM output and which was NOT easy to get at the time when there was literally NO stateside aftermarket support aside from pure race applications - think Formula Atlantic applications) was about the right amount of power. More than that and the chassis deficiencies really started to show.

I did watch the anime afterwards and having owned an ae86, Evo8, GC8, I totally get the sentiment that the creator was going after, the whole Takumi/Itsuki relationship, why the Evo and GTRs were the "bad guys", why the dad chose the GC8 as the ae86 replacement.

But bringing this back, a lot of the characteristics I mentioned above are shared by the Miata: FR layout, low weight, engagin chassis, underpowered (well, not the ND2) but willing engine. The Miata does have better suspension but it's still a momentum car like the ae86.