What Fun Car Should I Buy? Old vs New!

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#podcast #miata #bmw

[bryaninnc]

Between the two of these, the Miata all day long, but it should be the rag top. I had an ND and I regret selling it. I will definitely be getting another. BTW, I'm a "tech pro" and I avoid overly-tech'd cars.

[CoolTatts]

Yep, I bought a 2012 Mini Cooper S Hardtop (R56) with the N18 engine. Mint condition with only 10K miles. 12 years old and was the previous owner's toy before he got bored. It's our family's fun car, and the kids can use it to get around. To me, that's the best type of fun car 😊

[spcneary]

Read up on horror stories of BMWs support on this car. I think it was rich rebuilds that detailed i8 ownership really well a while back.

[jamesstephen]

Miata RF, Have a wonderful evening from Florida.

[zoomnpa]

I had really good snow tires on my Miata and DAILY drove it all winter in the ice and snow with zero problems in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It’s obviously not a 4x4, but it’s a surprisingly capable car as long as you know how to adjust your driving to winter style :-)

[grayhawkjl]

Congrats Roman, I remember you tried to buy one of these during covid (I think) from an on line service and it was a mess. Great looking car and a what a great drive home that must have been!

[ctbryant]

Good healthy debate, i8 is still beautiful, I say buck the maintenance cost if you decided to go with. Enjoy it until it's annoying and don't lose much money on it.
Miatas will always Miata 🤷🏾‍♂️

[nobatteriesincluded]

6 cylinder Camaro with a performance package for 45k is a fun option don’t shoot the messenger 😅

[vtsean]

I would love to see Paul do a track test of your I8. And I do think it will be a classic. I also think it is one of TFL’s best buy choices. I love the powertrain. And how many fast exotic looking cars get 36 mpg? I hope you keep it.

[StardustADV]

Im not a tech bro, but I would love the i8, yes I would daily it lol. Not the most practical, but it speaks to me! Happy to hear they are not known for problems. Also, came here after the drag race, very happy to see this thing is faster then people say!

my current 30 year old BMW 740iL is still running strong at 226, 000 miles. Though that likely is because it is a driver.

[carperdiem]

I remember your i8 vroom nightmare. I was i8 shopping, but went with a gen 3 viper for reliability. Plus a manual v10 is bonkers

[michaelc]

I don’t understand the entry/exit complaints. I will be 73 next month and have no trouble at all getting in and out and I am 6 feet tall - neither does my wife and she is 70. I have a 2015 i8 that I have had for 6.5 years and the battery has hardly degraded at all, though I expect it will eventually. And this car is quicker than people think as Tommy found out racing the Mustang. There will always be quicker cars, heck Hyundais and Kias are beating supercars to 60 - the whole 0-60 paradigm has shifted. Plus I am getting 50 mpg. I love the car.

[johnapos]

Also there have been minimal reports of the batteries failing in the i8

[markcoopers]

I try to drive my ND2 exclusively on twisty mountain/valley roads in a "spirited" manner AND I have to drive through a city to get anywhere. My lifetime fuel efficiency is still 33.6 mpg.

For being on sale since 2016 and not rare, every now and then I'll go to a C&C or cruise night, be the only one, and get people who've never seen one and ask about it. Even if I'm parked next to a Lotus 😅.

And we just installed a hard dog tow hitch/bike rack on my buddies' ND because he drives his year round and takes it up to trail heads.

[directorjustin]

The i8 would have been super cool as a full EV.

[sail]

I agree with Roman on both, BMW is the drag race winner and the car to buy (even if it looses the race).

[mattlimberg]

Between the 2, Miata. Simple and they really use the same amount of fuel. Since the I8 is used, it means I could introduce another used vehicle for the price, and that has to be a Vette, Z, or Boxster and I would choose the Vette as it is the best value and everything you want out of a performance vehicle, the I8 just gets the GT aspect added to it.

[williammodlin]

The sad thing is that for the cost of the BMW, which in my mind is a truly lustworthy car, you could have a brilliant used C6 Corvette or newer with money left over.

[stevekniess]

Either one would be a cool weekend car but i would get a used vette or Camaro just because the V8. Just my preference

[hereigoagain]

Mazda Miata all the way. Much more fun to drive than the i8. At some point in the near future the i8 will not be repairable if the electronics fail.