[sjd]

Originally Posted by celer

I love my Miata, but I've always wished it was a coupe instead of a convertible, it seems like they really got it right with the FT86. Light, adequate power, low complexity, practicable, reasonable price, and a coupe.

I do about 20+ track days in my Miata a year, for the past 5 years, and it was used for auto-X for the 11 years prior to that.

For me the Miata vs FT86 comparison would come down to:
- Driver engagement (how engaging is it to drive?)
- Cost of consumables for motor-sports (tires, pads, gas, etc)
- Overall reliability on a race track, i.e. will it hold up
- Availability of after-market parts

I do have to say the vast amount of after-market stuff for the Miata is a huge plus in its favor, economies of scale have really brought down the cost of most consumables for the Miata. (My Miata has 140k miles and has been used for motorsports since the start, it is totally reliable)

I would take a wait and see approach, see how the FT86 does with motor-sports before I'd consider one. (That plus I've had mixed reliability of the 3 Subarus I've owned...)

You're asking the same questions I am. But I'm looking for a daily driver to supplement my MX-5 and 2000 Civic SiR.

Here's my MX-5. It's modified and sees Solo2 and Time Attack use. The best part is being faster than cars with a lot more power.