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

[86TOYO2k17]

Originally Posted by bfrank1972

Yep! Rear seats are quite usable. When my kids were younger the whole family (me, wife, 2 kids, cross legged) would fit. We are not small people either, I'm 6'2" wife is 5'10. Now kids won't really fit all that well but I can still take them without the wife if I move the passenger seat up. Subaru did an excellent job figuring out usable space in this tiny car (we used to affectionately call it "clown car"). Put the seats down and you have a ton of storage. Sorry, hands down more flexible and practical than any Miata. I think the 86 looks a bit better too but just a matter of preference - I liked the older NB and NC models better than the ND.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Don’t think OP has kids. I’d never want to put a kid in a car seat in the rear seats. Did it once, never again. Maybe a forward facing seat when they are about 2. Then I imagine by about 6-8 they’ll stop fitting. I hope if someone has kids they have a more practical car and this is a 2nd or 3rd car. And no grown adult should ever even attempt getting back there.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Originally Posted by 86TOYO2k17

So useless rear seats that many people delete there so useless.

A bigger trunk but it’s not big enough to do anything special with compared to the Mx-5s, mx-5 is smaller but isn’t too small to not be usable. In my 86 I never even used the trunk once. Groceries always on passenger seat.

Interior storage is slightly more practical on the brz
But the mx-5 has a center rear locking glove box, and a storage cubby behind each seat, also enough space behind each seat to store a laptop bag / man bag.

Not a lot more the brz can do from a practical storage standpoint vs the mx-5 if you really break it down. On paper it is but in practice not as much.

Plus the mx-5 physically being smaller makes it easier to fit in tight parking spots, not worry as much about door dings having more space between vehicles, maneuvering around tight turns and roads. In that regard it’s more practical.

You can't fit your groceries in the trunk? Do you only go once a month?

In the FR-S, I've fit a 21 gal air compressor, 27" tool chest, 8 ft fence posts and dozens of pickets, engine hoist & engine stand, insulation batts, and I'm sure many other things.

The trunk is plenty big for 4 people's worth of groceries (weekly).
Although I know other people tend to buy multiple large cases of bottled water or other drinks, which I don't do. That I can understand take up space.

Originally Posted by 86TOYO2k17

Don’t think OP has kids. I’d never want to put a kid in a car seat in the rear seats. Did it once, never again. Maybe a forward facing seat when they are about 2. Then I imagine by about 6-8 they’ll stop fitting. I hope if someone has kids they have a more practical car and this is a 2nd or 3rd car. And no grown adult should ever even attempt getting back there.

Originally Posted by bfrank1972

Yep! Rear seats are quite usable. When my kids were younger the whole family (me, wife, 2 kids, cross legged) would fit. We are not small people either, I'm 6'2" wife is 5'10. Now kids won't really fit all that well but I can still take them without the wife if I move the passenger seat up. Subaru did an excellent job figuring out usable space in this tiny car (we used to affectionately call it "clown car"). Put the seats down and you have a ton of storage. Sorry, hands down more flexible and practical than any Miata.

exactly.
While I don't normally transport people in the back seat, there's always flexibility to do so in a car with any type of back seats. It's comfortable enough for most every day car rides which are less than 30 minutes. I've also had someone back there on a 15hr car ride.
You can't even have the option to in a Miata

Originally Posted by Goingnowherefast

Yeah not sure I agree with this. I see you have a 2013 which may explain some of this, but realistically the 2015+ cars are really reliable all things considered. If you keep it NA that is...

Yep! My 2016 is 75K miles and strong

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

BRZ and add snow tires.

Light affordable RWD coupes are a rare breed and won't be around forever. Meanwhile, FWD economy cars will always exist.

THIS.

Originally Posted by MeepSecurity

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

I'm guessing you mean the next gen Si? I believe they temporarily stopped making Si right now since they stopped the coupe.
Since you mention reliability, the thing you have to consider is the Si is turbo now. I know K engines are some of the best but the most recent Si had an L15 Turbo I believe. I'm not too familiar with this since I have not been looking at Hondas lately. You should check out some of the Honda forums and see what Si owners are saying about it.


I like the Miata a lot actually, but I'm not sure I would consider it. If I was gonna get another 2 seater car and a convertible, I'd get a used S2000 over the Miata. Since a car like this to me would be more fun than practical, I'd want to get one with better potential from the factory engine.

If I was in the market right now, from your choices, I would say 1)Next gen 86/BRZ 2)Next gen Si 3) Miata.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Originally Posted by LancePower

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.

I ordered my FR-S with All Seasons. I'm on Toyota's site right now and you can get All Season tires. Depends on region though.
Not sure why Subaru only offers with Summer tires.

[86TOYO2k17]

Originally Posted by NARFALICIOUS

You can't fit your groceries in the trunk? Do you only go once a month?

In the FR-S, I've fit a 21 gal air compressor, 27" tool chest, 8 ft fence posts and dozens of pickets, engine hoist & engine stand, insulation batts, and I'm sure many other things.

The trunk is plenty big for 4 people's worth of groceries (weekly).
Although I know other people tend to buy multiple large cases of bottled water or other drinks, which I don't do. That I can understand take up space.


exactly.
While I don't normally transport people in the back seat, there's always flexibility to do so in a car with any type of back seats. It's comfortable enough for most every day car rides which are less than 30 minutes. I've also had someone back there on a 15hr car ride.
You can't even have the option to in a Miata

Go once a week typically in my mazda cx-5 which transports kids, people, and random things.

Typically weekly grocery trip for my week of food is 8+ bags. Which fit easily in passenger seat (if i actually took the 86) I can seatbelt 4-5 bags put heavy stuff wedged in footwell and use my hand to insure nothing is flying around. I could put in trunk but risk everything flying around, and its easy to put in passenger seat. Something you could do the same for the miata. (Mommy gets her and kids groceries herself usually costco trips in the cx-5)

Maybe I’m just a nice person, I would never subject a grown adult into fitting in the rear for any amount of time. At least with the miata it isn’t even an option so you don’t need to come off as a **** trying to explain how no one over 4ft tall should ever attempt to get in the rear unless they are masochist, you could avoid that discussion all together with a miata.

As far as everything you’ve fit in the trunk. Assuming based on this being his first car he is younger probably 16-20, no kids, and the need to transport all that stuff mentioned is probably rare to non existent. Several grocery bags and a few random gym bags, backpacks, laptop bags fit just fine in the miata (what most younger, none kid having people probably transport) and if you have kids and the 86/brz is your only car your priorities are probably not in line.

A lot of good adjectives I’d describe the 86/brz, practical is not one.

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by 86TOYO2k17

So useless rear seats that many people delete there so useless.

who's all these people deleting the rear seats? i've seen/talked to a number of 86 owners in my area, and none of them have deleted the rear seats...

i think you're confusing a california thing with the rest of the world.

[why?]

I hate convertibles and would never buy a honda. So I would say a brz. Summer tires for 3 seasons and winter tires for the winter and it is awesome. Perfect car for a single guy.

Originally Posted by soundman98

who's all these people deleting the rear seats? i've seen/talked to a number of 86 owners in my area, and none of them have deleted the rear seats...

i think you're confusing a california thing with the rest of the world.

lots of people have removed the rear seats. Although 2 reasonable sized people can fit one if front of the other just fine, I think I have used the back seats twice in 3 years. So I took them out. There is a ton more storage space now.

[86TOYO2k17]

Originally Posted by soundman98

who's all these people deleting the rear seats? i've seen/talked to a number of 86 owners in my area, and none of them have deleted the rear seats...

i think you're confusing a california thing with the rest of the world.

Me.
If you don’t delete the rear seat you may as well drive a civic.

[86TOYO2k17]

Originally Posted by why?

I hate convertibles and would never buy a honda. So I would say a brz. Summer tires for 3 seasons and winter tires for the winter and it is awesome. Perfect car for a single guy.



lots of people have removed the rear seats. Although 2 reasonable sized people can fit one if front of the other just fine, I think I have used the back seats twice in 3 years. So I took them out. There is a ton more storage space now.

I hate convertibles as well. But miata can hardtop.

The 2 times you used the back seat was it the only option avalanches?
Or was it something like people just wanting to check out the car and go for a ride, or other people drove to lunch the last 370 times so you said F it get in the back I’ll drive?

[DarkSideFRS]

Only reason why I bought the FRS was because of the backseats... I was able to put car seats in them for my kids... Would have preferred the ND Miata any day, but I had to settle for the lesser car due to my kids... The FRS was also cheaper

[DarkSideFRS]

Originally Posted by soundman98

who's all these people deleting the rear seats? i've seen/talked to a number of 86 owners in my area, and none of them have deleted the rear seats...

i think you're confusing a california thing with the rest of the world.

It's not a California thing. It's a ricer thing cos u know... Weight reduction!

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by 86TOYO2k17

Me.
If you don’t delete the rear seat you may as well drive a civic.

dead serious, if honda built a rwd stickshift 2 door civic, i would have bought it as long as it met my other requirement--that i could drive the vehicle for 1 week without the radio installed, and still have full usability of the hvac system and other vehicle functions.

but they didn't make the civic rwd, and last i checked, the civics radio is integral to other vehicle functionalities, so it's been nuked entirely off my possibility list.

i wanted a rwd stickshift 2 door car with a back seat. the back works great for groceries, emergencies, and holding my hat, sunglasses, and peppermint candies.

i don't see what the big deal is.

[86TOYO2k17]

Originally Posted by DarkSideFRS

Only reason why I bought the FRS was because of the backseats... I was able to put car seats in them for my kids... Would have preferred the ND Miata any day, but I had to settle for the lesser car due to my kids... The FRS was also cheaper

Sounds like if one has no kids. A miata is the way to go.

[86TOYO2k17]

Originally Posted by DarkSideFRS

It's not a California thing. It's a ricer thing cos u know... Weight reduction!

Losing something completely useless to drop 25lbs and reduce cabin noise, all while no one being the wiser unless they are familiar with the 86 and know it should have rear seats. That’s ricer?

Combined with 175lbs of other weight reduction that no one not familiar with the 86 would have any idea was done besides 24lbs from bucket seats since that’s obvious. got me 200lbs of weight reduction with almost zero sacrifice besides money and my time, But losing rear seats only cost me about $50 and one weekend well worth it. Is that still ricer?

A 2900lbs car at 340 crank = 8.5lbs per hp
A 2700lbs car at 340 crank = 7.9lbs per hp

2900lbs divided by 7.9lbs per = 367 crank hp
So 200lbs weight reduction keeps my power to weight the same as
If instead I gained 27 hp.
Still ricer?

[86TOYO2k17]

Originally Posted by soundman98

dead serious, if honda built a rwd stickshift 2 door civic, i would have bought it as long as it met my other requirement--that i could drive the vehicle for 1 week without the radio installed, and still have full usability of the hvac system and other vehicle functions.

but they didn't make the civic rwd, and last i checked, the civics radio is integral to other vehicle functionalities, so it's been nuked entirely off my possibility list.

i wanted a rwd stickshift 2 door car with a back seat. the back works great for groceries, emergencies, and holding my hat, sunglasses, and peppermint candies.

i don't see what the big deal is.

Point was miata’s storage space is adequate enough 99% of the time a brz would be. I aint moving or picking up a big screen Tv with a brz. I think and would hope most people have access to a more practical truck or suv when needing to haul stuff whether their own or someone they know. Most of the time the necessary cargo space is a random gym bag, school bag, groceries, hat sunglasses etc... in which a miata can do no problem.

So a brz really only gains rear seats which again are almost useless and most people I would hope have another option to not need to use the rear seats.