Who'd want to haul all the way to Muskoka in the middle of the summer, real80sman? I couldn't possibly impose on everyone that way . . . tee hee! The only real problem is the actual weight the dock can hold! When you get a crowd jumping up and down in unison to their favourite rawkin' tune . . . 'shiver me timbers'!

Kcarlisle, sorry about the off-off-topicness!

How far from Mississauga are you? Our IMAX offices are up there. I could make it a "business" trip.

Which car should I get???

Okay, given that our oldest daughter is now 16 and driving (she stole our aging yet still beloved BMW 325i), we need a third car. Luckily, my wife has agreed that I deserve a toy car to face my middle-age crisis. After two weeks of market research, dealer visits and test driving, I narrowed it down to the following two models:

Honda S2000 -- ~$32K


Mazda Miata -- ~$24K


I know I am kind of comparing an apple vs. an orange with respect to the absolute performance and price range. But still cannot decide between these. All I know is that our budget cannot go much beyond the price of the Honda.

Any opinions/recommendations?


[I am NOT talking about the car audio, but the car itself! -- Incidentally, the Miata has an option of the Bose sound system, but to my ears it was no better than their non-Bose counterpart. Anyway, who cares about the audio on these 8000-rpm roadsters? LOL]

Sushi, is this a real question?!?!?!

The S2000 my man! Its faster, better handling, faster, smoother, faster, better handling, faster, better looking, faster, cooler, and faster!

Besides, the Miata is quite a bit smaller on the inside, not as comfortable. If I were to drive one, I would need to remove the drivers seat and put a fixed Recaro 1 inch off the floor.

The S2000 is an EXCELLENT car but, bear with me a moment, speed isn't always everything...

The Miata is about 400 lbs (180 kgs) lighter than the S2000. This perceptable difference in weight, coupled with the Miata's excellent nimble handling gives it an early British (or Italian) roadster feel--not necessarily superfast, but all-around fun car to drive.

I think the Miata is best experienced in a place where there are roads with alot of hills and twisties (preferably tree lined in the fall). I'm currently an isolated flat-lander which is why, two years ago, I went with the BMW z3 coupe -- I really liked the style of the coupe (also, I don't think the flatlands aren't particularly great for convertables either) and it had good handling and acceleration. Besides, the S2000 at the time was still commanding a $3-5k above sticker for "market conditions" at the time and I just couldn't bring myself to give the dealers the satisfaction. (Note that I also test drove the Audi TT and Porsche Boxter but in comparison to the Miata, Z3 and S2000, these things felt like tanks).

If I were buying today, still stuck in the flat-lands, and wanted a convertable, I would probably go with the S2000.
If I were in New England, I think I would lean toward the Miata (or maybe an old Triumph TR4A).

Of course, to each his own...

If you want a toy car, definitely get the S2000. Everyone doesn't have one of them, as opposed to the Miata.

I was lucky enough to drive my father-in-law's new S2000 last weekend in LA. A great car, but if you want great bursts of speed, you have to learn to keep the revs above 4000. (The thing redlines at 9,000+ rpm!)

I just barely fit behind the wheel of the Honda, but it was still quite comfortable.

Am I the only one who thinks a 16 year old girl learning to drive on a BMW 325i is crazy? Get the girl a used Civic and you keep driving that Beemer!

If you must have a new car for yourself trade-in the 325i and get yourself the Z4!

There are two kinds of drivers that scare the hell out of me - the very old and the very young. My oldest son just turned 16 so I'm giving him my 1994 Diamante wagon and I bought a new Diamante sedan for myself. If he trashes the wagon it won't be that big of a deal.

I agree with spiffnme about the Z4. I drool everytime I see one on the road. If you must have either the Honda or the Mazda, the Honda is by far the better looking of the two.

This is what my late 50 something silver haired dad is driving right now in black and full leathers.

http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/details/mercedesbenz03cclass/c230kompressorsportscoupe/trim_overview.html

i never drove either one,but from looks alone and some specs ive seen,i would say go for the honda.by the way have you seen the nissan 350z?.....ron p.s. if you cant make up your mind,a buddy of mine has a 79 caprice with a fresh coat of rust on it for under a grand.a real head turner