FR-S vs MX5 hardtop vs MR2 Spider hardtop...
 

Anyone driven all three?
Opinions on handling and day-to-day living?
These were my two likeliest candidates for next daily driver.

well, if you need two extra seats and cargo room the answer is quite clear.....

I didn't need the extra room by any means. My previous cars were, if anything, smaller. :-)

I've driven all three and I currently have a Spyder with a hard top and an FRS. The last model year that Spyders were imported in the US was 2005 and the hard tops are not that easy to find for less than $2400. For a daily driver the FRS is a better choice, IMHO.

Between the MR2 Spider and the MX5, which was your favorite? Which one, in your opinion has the better motor? My previous daily driver was a 2nd gen MR2 and I found that it handled badly when pushed too hard. I've never driven an MR2 Spider...

...And was the hardtop worth the investment?

Handled badly is in oversteer or understeer?

a hardtop isnt really going to change the nature of the mr2 or miata. the miata is going to have the least interior space of all. its also going to be the most playful imo and its by far the easiest of the three to sort out the performance. plus the foolish see them as chick cars so you dont pay the stupid fanboy taxes that you see with other used "sports" cars.

It had a tendency to understeer, then a violent pendulum swing the other direction. I had new 15" 16lb wheels and some kind of Hankook tire. It was the only car I've owned that did that, and also the only mid-rear engine. All my other front-engine cars had a fairly forgiving "sweet spot" where you could drive them on the edge without getting into trouble. My '92 MR2 handled great until you crossed some invisible line, then there was no recovery. After a few close calls I just stopped pushing it, and I had to be especially careful in the wet. The margin for error was just too small to be any fun. :-(

"Snap oversteer" was what came up in my reading, and that pretty well describes it.

I agree with you 100%. I've never owned a Miata but test-drove several. I would have had no problem driving one. They handle SO well. It gripes me too that they are perceived as "chick cars".

The chassis in the MR2 flexes a shitload, and I kind of doubt a hardtop would fix that, but supposedly bracing is supposed to make it a lot better. I'd say practicality is not a huge issue as far as carrying plain old luggage/bags goes, if you want to get giant packs of drinks from Costco or something then it's a problem. If you get a hardtop and then remove the softtop along with all of the plastic, then the opening to the space behind the seats becomes quite nice and usable.

Someone recently posted on Spyderchat that they removed all the plastics in the front and just stuffed suitcases against the frame. I'm planning to add gas struts to the frunk so I don't have to use the stick to hold it up every time, and then remove the lid to the storage compartment and seal it with foam. That gives about 1.5 carryon suitcases worth of easily accessible space. If you get a luggage rack for the back then you can carry as much as a normal sedan.

You could conceivably put in a larger plastic bin and fit some serious luggage but that would take a bit of work. I think if they followed the SW20/AW11 formula for luggage space it would've been much better. I'd buy an SW20 if it weren't so old :/ I recall seeing my first SW20 back in 2002, and I thought it looked old already then.

I have driven two of the three. I just do not fit in the MX-5 comfortably so it is a total no-go for me. I have to agree that as a practical daily driver the FR-S is the hands down winner. As a weekend driver, canyon carver or second car the MR-S is just as good if not better. It is difficult for the FR-S to overcome the 500LB weight penalty it bears even with 60 more HP.

The MR-S handles much better than the heavier MR2 MK II and is not as prone to oversteer. I have owned both.

My dream is to get a Spyder (we finally get to import them in Canada) and start hunting for a 2ZZ-GE (I've always had a soft spot the the Celica GT-S)

Mine is a 2ZZ. There are two 2ZZ Spyders for sale in CA right now. If you are interested then check out Spyderchat.

They fixed that sudden oversteer problem with the next year... made changes the suspension...and wider wheels.