Should I sell my Miata?

[ashtray]

Thought I would bring this to a non-Miata board for less biased opinions. Here's the situation:

I have an '03 WRX wagon I bought new, minor mods. 100k miles. Up to date maintenance. No issues.

I also have a '97 NA Miata I bought 4 years ago. Has 65k miles, excellent shape but needs some maintenance items (tires, timing belt, etc - about $1,500 should keep her running smooth another 3-4 years).

I ordered a BRZ limited. Oops.

I live in southern California, so no need for awd - but the wagon is so practical and perfect for my hobbies (which require some space to haul things) and it's also a great family car (I have a 3 year old). There's really no case for getting rid of the wagon.

The Miata on the other hand... Uh oh. If the BRZ delivers driving grins on par with the NA, that only leaves the top down feature left as a benefit. That said, it's Socal - I've been driving top down daily since last month (and most of 2008, 2009, 2010) and it's great pretty much year round. (I have a hardtop as well, which I admit to using for the past year, bc I wanted a more coupe-like driving experience. But now I'm back to sun tanning.)

The easy thing would be to keep the Miata, but is that fair to me, the car, or my family? Would I drive it enough to justify owning it? Will the BRZ sweep me away and not have me looking back?

One thing is for sure - one car gets parked in the street once the BRZ arrives, and it's not the new car or the vert.

[ichitaka05]

Hm... Hard choices. I would do is test drive BRZ & if you like how BRZ drives then use Miata as a down payment. Realistically speaking, you don't need 3 cars. Like you said, you like in SoCal, so no reason for seasonal cars.

So keep Miata or sell Miata to get BRZ

[S2kphile]

Good luck trying to get a test drive. Might be a year or more before you get a chance to especially in SoCal as there will be alotta individuals who'd pay for the car without test driving it.

To OP: IMO, I'd get rid of the Miata if you get a BRZ as the WRX is more practical. Logic dictates that having two similar cars are impractical unless you can afford three cars.

[SUB-FT86]

Nice! You would have a Subaru family of sports sedan and coupe in your garage if you did it.

[ashtray]

I put a deposit down on a BRZ - first on the list at my dealer, so I expect to buy it May/June. The Miata is not without value, but I don't need to sell it for financial reasons. And the insurance and upkeep are minimal. I just don't want to be in the situation where I "have" to drive the Miata once a week to keep things charged/lubricated/etc. If it becomes a chore, there's no sense in keeping it.

That said - I've gotten used to driving a convertible and would probably miss that open air driving - something I can take advantage of most days of the year here, unlike other places where it would be more of a novelty to put the top down.

[Ryephile]

If you love open-air motoring, then you can't deny yourself the pleasure the Miata brings. You won't get that with the BRZ....unless you wait a few years for the BRZ 'vert [if it happens]

[tranzformer]

If you love the Miata that much keep it. The one benefit the BRZ will allow is taking the wife and your 3 y/o with you in the BRZ. For me, I would probably sell the Miata to make room for the BRZ but understand you like the open air driving experience as well.

[ichitaka05]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

If you love open-air motoring, then you can't deny yourself the pleasure the Miata brings. You won't get that with the BRZ....unless you wait a few years for the BRZ 'vert [if it happens]

LOL that's all depends on how well first model sells. It's sells well, I'm pretty sure they have something line up for Zx6 fans

[Starscream15]

I feel your pain, Ash as I am in the exact same situation though I don't have a wife to yell at me for collecting cars like you do. I would say keep it if there is no financial need to get rid of it. At least try out the BRZ for a season and then decide.

Just my 2 cents.

[powertrip]

Analyze what the opportunity cost of selling it is. By this also factor in the value of trading it in against the BRZ (value of sales tax reduction, tag transfer, etc). Also, if you were to do the maintenance would it add back that value to the cost of the car? Seeing as how the BRZ is a ways off now would be a good time to evaluate your strategy for offloading the asset if you plan to do it that way. Dont forget to consider donating to a charity if the market value doesnt bear out to what you hope.

Could always keep it as well. Especially if you wouldnt get much for it on resale.

[Capt Canuck]

Originally Posted by S2kphile

Good luck trying to get a test drive. Might be a year or more before you get a chance to especially in SoCal as there will be alotta individuals who'd pay for the car without test driving it.

To OP: IMO, I'd get rid of the Miata if you get a BRZ as the WRX is more practical. Logic dictates that having two similar cars are impractical unless you can afford three cars.

C'mon :-s
The forum world is not the real world. You'll have no problem whatsoever getting a test drive within the next 12 months.

[ashtray]

Originally Posted by powertrip

Analyze what the opportunity cost of selling it is. By this also factor in the value of trading it in against the BRZ (value of sales tax reduction, tag transfer, etc). Also, if you were to do the maintenance would it add back that value to the cost of the car? Seeing as how the BRZ is a ways off now would be a good time to evaluate your strategy for offloading the asset if you plan to do it that way. Dont forget to consider donating to a charity if the market value doesnt bear out to what you hope.

Could always keep it as well. Especially if you wouldnt get much for it on resale.

In the state of California, I don't think you get a sales tax reduction with a trade in. And the plates don't transfer either. (if you just renewed the registration, the new owner benefits from that!)

Right now, let's say in excellent condition I can get $7k private party for my car. But it needs $1,500 of work/parts to get it there. I think it's a wash, as any buyer would notice these things and haggle the price down by at least $1k.

Opportunity costs (recollecting my Econ 101 class... cute redhead girl sitting next to me, focus ashtray, focus! Wait, what was he saying about op costs?) - the Miata will only cost a minimal amount to insure ($20/mo), and once I do the needed maintenance, does not have any foreseen future running costs for the next few years. Interest rates on CDs are super low, so investing the money instead would only net me a small amount. And the car is "fully depreciated" for it's mileage/condition, so if those don't change, the car will hold value.

The car does take up space in the garage, forcing my WRX to sit outside. Ironically the WRX would be the rainy day car - the one day where you probably want to park in the garage so you don't get wet.

I can see my wife complaining about it. Why do I have it, etc. And I could also see the temptation of turning it into a track car. ($$$) At least it would have a purpose, albeit for only a few days out of the year.

My brother expressed interest in the car. In the end he might get it if I decide not to keep it. If he didn't live 3,000 miles away it would be better though!

I've sold cars in the past that I later regretted. Too damned attached to them! :p

[merlin2111]

I am planning on keeping my Miata. I just love it too much and as you said upkeep cost is so low that the only reason I can see to sell it would be to make room in the garage. If you feel that driving a car that you love once a week is a chore then I want your life.

BTW I had three people compliment me on my car today alone. A woman in a minivan with kids, a middle aged man in a brand new cayman, and a teen in his nicely modded civic hatch. If you get half the attention I get and decide/need to sell your car it can be done in a heart beat so don't rush into anything you regret. I say get the BRZ and see how it goes. If you can keep it great, if you sell it just remember they made over a 100k of these things so you can buy another and have the pleasure of modding it all over again.

[Allch Chcar]

I wouldn't have an easy answer in this situation. So I'm curious how you will solve it.