Trying to decide between an ND Miata, upcoming BRZ, or Civic si
 

Hello, I'm looking into getting one of these as a first car. I'd say the Miata is my overall favorite but my main concern with it is practicality and usability in the winter since I prefer the soft top. I'm located in New York so there will be snow and it will be cold in the winter, so I'm not sure if the soft top is enough. I don't plan on carrying too much stuff but I'm not sure if space is enough as well. The upcoming brz and si are also 2 contenders that may be more practical than the Miata. With the BRZ, my concern is reliability and availability. With the upcoming si, I don't know enough but I'm going to consider it a safe option for now. Depending on availability or reviews, I may also consider getting one from this year. I'm not really looking for speed in a straight line, more along the lines of a light and quick car coming out of turns that's fun. I guess my top priorities go Fun>Reliable>Practical. I also plan to do some light mods such as a tune, cold air intake, exhaust, etc. My budget is somewhere around 30k but it's flexible. If you guys could give any suggestions or advice it would be greatly appreciated

Honda imo is the best daily driver of the 4.

first car? new york? if you're young, i would check insurance rates against any/all vehicles you consider. a brand new '14 brz was cheaper insurance-wise than a used '08 infiniti g35 when i was looking...

as far as recommendations,

Honda Fit.

can be a riot if you get a manual, it'll be super cheap to insure, plenty of ways to mod if you want, and you could street park it where door dings don't matter as much.

BRZ and reliability don't belong in the same sentence. Absolutely love the ND but not practical as the primary car. The SI is not bad. Lots of mods out there, very reliable and FWD for easy winter driving

Honda if you don't mind FWD. The BRZ isn't a great car to get if you're not sure you want RWD, especially when you're driving in the snow

If you're ok with the ND then it's my favorite. I've never tried but i dont THINK i'd want one as my primary car. I have a hard time accidentally hitting the gas/brakes when i don't want to with my size 14 flippers and it's just so, so small.

What are you people doing to them? I tracked the shit out of mine on r-spec tyres and it didn't even use oil. Worst thing was one of the steering rack bolts came a bit loose, so I tightened them up.

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For what it's worth, I think these cars are incredibly reliable, until you start modifying the internals of the engine. Not quite sure where he's coming from. I pounded the hell out of my car for about 35k miles in all conditions (even at negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit) with no issue at all until I had the recall done.

I saw one of these the other day. Looks pretty nice. (For a FWD).
https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/vehicles/veloster-n

You just have to go drive each of them (when possible) and check out the features and space in person.

Avoid the 2016 ND as they have transmission issues. Haven't had a single issue with my 2015 BRZ yet and I beat the snot out of it on the daily. Honda is always a safe bet but are boring.

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Since it's your first car, you should really get something FWD and practical like the Civic SI.

But honestly putting myself in your shoes, I can't in good faith say I'd get it over a light RWD sports car like the BRZ or ND2. So get one of those two and drive responsibly, knowing that you are incredibly blessed getting one for your first car. Whatever money you were planning to use for mods, save that for gas, snow tires, and insurance. I'd say a BRZ is probably the best balance of fun, reliability and practicality if it's going to be your only car.

I voted Si based on your stipulations.

The Miata and BRZ (depending) will come with summer rubber, so you'd have to swap those out right off the bat.

Si is most practical and the best "first car" of the lot.

If it's just you and one other passenger (so no need for 2+2 layout), I'd go ND2 RF so you get the best of both worlds: convertible life in the summer (you won't realize how amazing this is until you try it) and hard-top security wherever you park (plus protection from the elements in the winter).

With winter tires (which you should buy regardless of what car you choose) RWD is absolutely fine (if not desirable for the fun factor) in winter climates and snow (I drove my BRZ for 3 years in Toronto, including bi-weekly 250km commutes in the snowbelt).

The higher redline and improved power of the ND2 seal it for me - in stock form, it would outperform my S2000 while also having a better interior.