Quote:
Originally Posted by NCtoBRZ
That’s a pretty vague and subjective question. Are we including both used and new cars? If we are including used... the sky is the limit, you could buy a fairly low mileage Porsche Boxster or Cayman for the price of a new BRZ (just be prepared for higher repair and maintenance costs). If we are only talking about new cars and the criteria is lightweight, RWD and under $30k then the Miata is the only comparable choice. If we are talking about pure performance numbers, there are a number of cars in the price range of the twins that will beat it on paper.
A 91 Miata costs less to maintain and a BMW is far cheaper to own than a new twin?! Miatas are pretty reliable in general... but a nearly 30 year old Miata is not going to cost less to maintain than a brand new twin with a factory warranty. If you think a German sports car will be cheaper to own/maintain than a twin... keep dreaming.
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I've owned several of both
I agree, in warranty there's no way. I suppose to restructure what I meant, is in consumables and cost to purchase. You can run junk oil through both, you can run lower octane gas through both, and the cost to repair whatever goes wrong, dollar for dollar, will be far cheaper on the older cars. I auto crossed both of the mentioned cars for years. Only maintenance that went into both was fuel, oil, and tires. And maybe a couple window regulators for the e36
I don't buy into the brainwashing that newer cars are inherently more reliable. I'm so phobic of newer car problems after working in a garage, it's a miracle I considered the frs. So far, the frs has been good for 2 years (aside an exhaust leak, and serpentine belt) and I'm hopeful it'll keep on chugging. But I have a hard time believing it'll outlast my Miata with 194,000 miles on original engine, and the key with nearly 300,000 of thrashing. Only real problem I had with the BMW engine was a coil pack. The Miata engine didn't miss a beat.
I don't mean to say the BRZ/frs don't have a much better chance at staying reliable, but in regards to the OPs question, I believe if he wants to save money, he can best do so by not buying a brand new BRZ/frs.
I'm not against this platform, I am an owner and love my car
but there are other vehicles in the world
EDIT:: I forgot, I replaced the driveshaft guibo on the e36 and the transmission rubber heatshield thing on the Miata. And I know he said excluding initial cost, but I had a rough day at work and need a reason to argue