[girarcat]

Mimicking Erik van Rijn's thread (don't want to meddle in his thread), I'd like to open a new one to read your insights and opinions regarding my current garage situation.

I live together with my GF. We are young, have no kids and don't intend to have them anytime soon.

6 years ago I got myself my first new car, a Mazda MX5 Miata. It was my only car, which I used both to commute to my workplace (140 miles on the motorway, several days a week) plus weekend drives, which amounts to around 20.000 miles/year. I was thrilled with the car, so despite not being the most approppriate vehicle for long motorway trips, it didn't bother me at all.

2 years ago, I added to the fleet a 718 Cayman. Initially it was meant to replace the MX5 and use it daily. I quickly realized I didn't feel comfortable daily driving such a car due to several reasons, so I decided to keep them both, so I ended basically using the MX5 as a daily for my motorway commute, and keeping the 718 for the weekends and driving it to work on the odd occasion.

During all these years, my GF has been driving an inexpensive, low-powered little hatchback (Opel/Vauxhall Corsa) on her 15-mile commutes.

During the last year I've got a little fed up with my MX5 as a daily driver. It's a noisy car (especially with an aftermarket exhaust...), the seats are quite thin/hard, etc. so not ideal at all for long boring motorway trips. When it was my only car (and I was deep in love with it), I didn't even think about those issues. However, since I got the Cayman, as much as I appreciate the MX5, I'm no longer in love with it, that's why I started noticing how uncomfortable the seats become after 45min, how complicated it is to keep a phone conversation while driving due to the ambient noise, etc. Besides, since I already keep the Cayman for weekend blasts, I almost never drive the MX5 as it was meant to (topless, on a nice mountain road).
Finally, since I don't have kids, I can live with two sportscars, but from a rational perspective it doesn't make much sense, especially considering one of them is only used on the motorway.

Several months ago I started considering selling the MX5, adding several grand to the equation and getting myself a brand-new much more comfortable and useful compact car for my commutes (Mazda 3, Ford Focus, Honda Civic or similar). However, as fuel prices sky-rocketed, nowadays getting an EV seems a much more sensible option. Buying price is significantly higher, but due to the amount of miles I drive per year, in the mid-term and EV would end up being a much cheaper option than a conventional car.
Acording to my calculations, taking into account current fuel and electricity prices, and EV would save me 300-400€ per month, in both fuel and tolls, so it totally makes up for the premium we still have to pay for EVs. However, they are still quite expensive cars. Even though it makes a lot of sense from a financial perspective, I'm not really fond of the idea of spending a relatively significant amount of money on a car I don't even care about (I don't dislike the EV I'm considering, but I still regard it as a very efficient computer on wheels that will take me to work). If I think about all the great cars I could've got just a few years ago for that kind of money in the used market...

Can I afford to keep on daily driving the MX5 (or any other internal combustion engine car)? Yes, of course, but I'm not sure I want to. It feels like a financial bottomless pit I'm quite sick of throwing money into, especially not knowing where this madness will get to. Saving several hundreds per month and knowing that future fuel prices will have no impact on my daily commutes sounds like quite an interesting prospect, more so if I get into the equation the fact that I probably need a more comfortable and useful vehicle.

To spice things up a little bit, this month my gf's Opel Corsa has started to develop some reliability issues which the mechanic has been unable to solve yet, so i don't know what's gonna happen with this car either.


Well, I'm quite torn about what to do. It seems quite rational to dispose of the MX5. It's not an approppriate car for motorway runs, I seldom enjoy it on proper roads, I no longer feel as attached to the car as I used to be and, besides, it's already 6 years old and shows 80.000 miles on the clock. It seems like quite a wise moment to get rid of it, before it reaches a milage that would make it unappealing for most potential buyers (taking advantage from the crazy used market we have right now), and also before it starts to develop old car typical issues. If I keep on daily driving the MX5, I will have to eventually replace it all the same in a few years.

On the other had, I know in the long term I will probably regret selling it, when all cars become boring computers on wheels. Of course I still have the Cayman as a proper internal combustion sports car, but I think that in the future the MX5 might be a better candidate to scratch the itch for an old-school driving experience. It kinda sounds like blasphemy to replace such a purist's car with an EV. My 20-year-old self would have felt ashamed to even consider this option.


Buying the EV while keeping all other cars is not an option. I want to simplify things and turn our fleet into something more rational. 2 Sports cars + 1 hatchback + 1 EV + 1 motorbike which is already collecting dust for just 2 people doesn't sound rational at all 🤣

 

[jimmuller]

Why not give the mx5 to GF to replace her Opel? (I really don't understand the reasons for not using your 718 for your commute, but that's your decision.)

Had an electric sports car been available when I bought my Cayman I would have considered it. The Taycan didn't fit the bill.

Moo of course.

 

[Goblin59]

Mimicking Erik van Rijn's thread (don't want to meddle in his thread), I'd like to open a new one to read your insights and opinions regarding my current garage situation.

I live together with my GF. We are young, have no kids and don't intend to have them anytime soon.

6 years ago I got myself my first new car, a Mazda MX5 Miata. It was my only car, which I used both to commute to my workplace (140 miles on the motorway, several days a week) plus weekend drives, which amounts to around 20.000 miles/year. I was thrilled with the car, so despite not being the most approppriate vehicle for long motorway trips, it didn't bother me at all.

2 years ago, I added to the fleet a 718 Cayman. Initially it was meant to replace the MX5 and use it daily. I quickly realized I didn't feel comfortable daily driving such a car due to several reasons, so I decided to keep them both, so I ended basically using the MX5 as a daily for my motorway commute, and keeping the 718 for the weekends and driving it to work on the odd occasion.

During all these years, my GF has been driving an inexpensive, low-powered little hatchback (Opel/Vauxhall Corsa) on her 15-mile commutes.

During the last year I've got a little fed up with my MX5 as a daily driver. It's a noisy car (especially with an aftermarket exhaust...), the seats are quite thin/hard, etc. so not ideal at all for long boring motorway trips. When it was my only car (and I was deep in love with it), I didn't even think about those issues. However, since I got the Cayman, as much as I appreciate the MX5, I'm no longer in love with it, that's why I started noticing how uncomfortable the seats become after 45min, how complicated it is to keep a phone conversation while driving due to the ambient noise, etc. Besides, since I already keep the Cayman for weekend blasts, I almost never drive the MX5 as it was meant to (topless, on a nice mountain road).
Finally, since I don't have kids, I can live with two sportscars, but from a rational perspective it doesn't make much sense, especially considering one of them is only used on the motorway.

Several months ago I started considering selling the MX5, adding several grand to the equation and getting myself a brand-new much more comfortable and useful compact car for my commutes (Mazda 3, Ford Focus, Honda Civic or similar). However, as fuel prices sky-rocketed, nowadays getting an EV seems a much more sensible option. Buying price is significantly higher, but due to the amount of miles I drive per year, in the mid-term and EV would end up being a much cheaper option than a conventional car.
Acording to my calculations, taking into account current fuel and electricity prices, and EV would save me 300-400€ per month, in both fuel and tolls, so it totally makes up for the premium we still have to pay for EVs. However, they are still quite expensive cars. Even though it makes a lot of sense from a financial perspective, I'm not really fond of the idea of spending a relatively significant amount of money on a car I don't even care about (I don't dislike the EV I'm considering, but I still regard it as a very efficient computer on wheels that will take me to work). If I think about all the great cars I could've got just a few years ago for that kind of money in the used market...

To spice things up a little bit, this month my gf's Opel Corsa has started to develop some reliability issues which the mechanic has been unable to solve yet, so i don't know what's gonna happen with this car either.


Well, I'm quite torn about what to do. It seems quite rational to dispose of the MX5. It's not an approppriate car for motorway runs, I seldom enjoy it on proper roads, I no longer feel as attached to the car as I used to be and, besides, it's already 6 years old and shows 80.000 miles on the clock. It seems like quite a wise moment to get rid of it, before it reaches a milage that would make it unappealing for most potential buyers (taking advantage from the crazy used market we have right now), and also before it starts to develop old car typical issues.
On the other had, I know in the long term I will probably regret selling it, when all cars become boring computers on wheels. Of course I still have the Cayman as a proper internal combustion sports car, but I think that in the future the MX5 might be a better candidate to scratch the itch for an old-school driving experience. It kinda sounds like blasphemy to replace such a purist's car with an EV. My 20-year-old self would have felt ashamed to even consider this option.


Buying the EV while keeping all other cars is not an option. I want to simplify things and turn our fleet into something more rational. 2 Sports cars + 1 hatchback + 1 EV + 1 motorbike which is already collecting dust for just 2 people doesn't sound rational at all 🤣

Lose the Caymen and the MX5 and get a 718 Boxster to be your only car. Very quiet with the roof up and you get roof down on weekends. Now we are retired but we have 3 cars, MDW has a Corsa 1.4SRi which is 11 years old with 50k miles but has warrenty to 100k miles. I have diesel Leon with 70k miles that was my work car. We can both drive family, elderly parental unit, children and grandchild to be in August and we have Boxsy for our adventures. Perhaps sell the bike as well.. We have found the 1.4 Corsa 2011 to be reliable and only a couple of warrenty faults, abs unit and steering angle sensor although we are aware that coil packs can fail on both the 1. 2 and 1.4 Corsa engines.

 

[gobble]

Wow that's a really long commute.

It's not a full EV, but I've had a Chevy Volt for something like the last 10 years and I love it. I'm on my 4th one right now and deciding what to do as this one has almost 60k miles on it. All of them have been 100% trouble free. For me it's comfortable utility and inexpensive to operate, especially with the tax credits that were available when I purchased them.

In my time of Volt ownership I've churned through 3 Ferraris, a Lamborghini and now the Cayman S. I get to take my fun car to the fun places on the weekend and leave the utility car for dailty boring stuff. For me it's perfect. It's not like I was ever going to take a nice car downtown and park it all day somwhere.

I've considered buying something like a Tesla but the range isn't quite there if I have to drive to Chicago and back, especially with the range decline in the winter. The last thing I want to do is stop and charge it. I don't even like having to stop for gas. The Volt loses a good 25% of it's EV range in the winter. I'm not sure what I'll do when it comes time to replace it. Unfortunately all the new EV's seem to be SUV sized, which I hate.

 

[girarcat]

Why not give the mx5 to GF to replace her Opel? (I really don't understand the reasons for not using your 718 for your commute, but that's your decision.)

Had an electric sports car been available when I bought my Cayman I would have considered it. The Taycan didn't fit the bill.

Moo of course.

Indeed that is something we are also considering. It will depend a little bit on whether or not her Corsa keeps on causing trouble. She could use the MX5 for her short commutes while I use the EV for mine. She could even take the EV to work the days I don't need it. There are some drawbacks to this plan, though.

Firstly, a couple days a week she stops by the grocery store on her way home. The Mx5 is not the best car for shopping. I guess she could manage, though.
Secondly, we can fit 2 cars in our garage, and several others in our front yard. Right now I keep both the Miata and the 718 in the garage, while she keeps her Corsa outdoors. If we end up owning both Miata and 718 and a brand-new EV, one of them will have to live outdoors, which is not an appealing idea for any of them, taking into account the blazing sun we have here in Spain during several months each year. I guess in that case the EV would be the chosen one. We'd probably end up setting up some type of carport or shade sail to protect it from the sun. We would also need to install an outdoors charger, making the installation a bit more complex than if we were to keep the EV in the garage, but it's feasible all the same.
Lastly, she might feel a bit awkward driving a convertible sportscars to her workplace, but she would get used to that after a few days and not be bothered anymore.

So yes, keeping both the Miata and the 718, buying and EV and disposing of her Corsa is another plausible combination. Another issue I have not yet commented is that her Corsa is a diesel, and it will be banned from most cities in the next few years. Politicians are still deciding when to apply those environmental restrictions, but it will happen rather soon (maybe in a year or two), so she will need to replace it all the same. If she were to drive the Miata, being a gasoline powered car (not diesel) and several years more modern, it will still be allowed to get into town without restrictions for several years.

Lose the Caymen and the MX5 and get a 718 Boxster to be your only car. Very quiet with the roof up and you get roof down on weekends. Now we are retired but we have 3 cars, MDW has a Corsa 1.4SRi which is 11 years old with 50k miles but has warrenty to 100k miles. I have diesel Leon with 70k miles that was my work car. We can both drive family, elderly parental unit, children and grandchild to be in August and we have Boxsy for our adventures. Perhaps sell the bike as well.. We have found the 1.4 Corsa 2011 to be reliable and only a couple of warrenty faults, abs unit and steering angle sensor although we are aware that coil packs can fail on both the 1. 2 and 1.4 Corsa engines.

That's another "problem" that will arise if I eventually sell the Miata and get an EV, leaving the Cayman as a clear weekend-only car. A 718 PDK Cayman is not exactly what I have in mind for that purpose. Had I bought it with the idea of using it only as a weekend toy, I would probably have gone for a manual Boxster. So, if we decide to finally sell the Miata and get an EV as a daily, I will probably end up wanting to replace the PDK Cayman with something that provides a rawer experience (be it a manual Boxster, a 911 Cabrio or whatever I see fit at that point). But I'll leave that for the future. No rush in that aspect. First I'd get the EV, sell the Miata, try to enjoy the Cayman a little bit more (I still have the feeling that I haven't got the most of the Cayman yet) and then we'll see.

 

[Erik van Rijn]

I'm never going back to an ICE for a daily driver. Let me try to convince you

My first one was a second gen Nissan Leaf with the 62kWh battery. I got it in the coldest month of winter and I hated every kilometer in that car. The advertised range was 385km. The dealer said it would do at least 250km in all conditions. I had a 120km total commute per day, 3 days a week. On really cold days it didn't even manage that. If I turned off the heater, I would only just make it back home. Not much fun in -10C conditions... What was even worse was the charging time. I would get home around 18.00 in the evening. Plug in the car straight away. And it wasn't even back at 100% the next morning at 8.00. Meaning I could not even drive to work 2 days in a row! What a dreadful car... They sold in massive numbers so I blame the general negative attitude towards EV's on the bloody Leaf!

As soon as the Tesla Model 3 became available in Europe, I tried to get one and succeeded. It was a completely different experience. It actually exceeded its advertised range of 400km for me. On a slow (11kw) public or home charger it charged in 4 hours from 20 to 100%. I was able to make the same commute almost 4 times on one charge while the battery was a little 'smaller' than the Leaf. We took it on our first long trip on family vacation to the south of France. We had to drive 1200km in one day. I must admit that I was nervous as **** that first time. Well it turned out to be the most relaxing long drive I've ever made. Charging 4 times during the day at Tesla's superchargers. They all worked and it only took 1.5 hours longer than if we would have used an ICE car. We usually arrive completely beat and ready for bed after a 1200km ICE car trip. This time, we went out for dinner and drinks after arriving. Quiet driving and auto-pilot do wonders on a long drive.

The Model 3 was a company lease and when that ran out I looked at the options:

• Audi e-tron: too big and inefficient.
• VW ID4: expensive yet the materials felt so cheap, the HUD made me literally sick and it was slow.
• Taycan: too expensive.
• EV6: best all-round EV but it has no soul.
• Polestar 2: little inefficient but very practical and gorgeous design (my opinion of course).

Instead of a lease I went for a straight up private purchase of the Polestar with all options ticked.
So far it has been great. No issues and you don't see them on every street corner, like you see the Model 3.
I charge it home. In spring and summer mostly through excess solar energy.

EV negatives:

• Charging times
• Purchase price
• Weight

EV positives:

• Charging times (it forces you to take a few 20 minute breaks on very long trips).
• Very low maintenance costs (only tires, brakes don't get used a lot and will probably out live the car itself).
• Very cheap to run.
• Bloody fast in a straight line.
• Always a full tank in the morning.
• Very relaxing to drive.

 

[rasetsu]

I was in a somewhat similar situation with a car that I was attached to but it made no logical reason to keep because I no longer enjoyed driving it all that much. I sold it. I'm sad I don't have it anymore but I don't regret selling it and it was an even rarer car that your Miata. It was a 2005 STi which value has been climbing up. I'm not a believer in hoarding and holding onto things just for sake of doing so. Especially not things that require regular use and maintenance. I see a lot of people feeling as if the end of times for ICE is happening in the next few months. It's not. You have a Cayman in your possession already so don't worry about it. Your commute situation sounds ripe for an EV. Sell the Miata and get an EV. I wouldn't factor in what your girlfriend needs or wants really. I've tried selling the idea of sharing cars with my wife so I can have more variety and it doesn't work. My wife always ends up with the car that she wants to drive exclusively. I'll still drive her car occasionally but she's never inclined to drive a different car unless absolutely necessary.

 

[girarcat]

I'm never going back to an ICE for a daily driver. Let me try to convince you

My first one was a second gen Nissan Leaf with the 62kWh battery. I got it in the coldest month of winter and I hated every kilometer in that car. The advertised range was 385km. The dealer said it would do at least 250km in all conditions. I had a 120km total commute per day, 3 days a week. On really cold days it didn't even manage that. If I turned off the heater, I would only just make it back home. Not much fun in -10C conditions... What was even worse was the charging time. I would get home around 18.00 in the evening. Plug in the car straight away. And it wasn't even back at 100% the next morning at 8.00. Meaning I could not even drive to work 2 days in a row! What a dreadful car... They sold in massive numbers so I blame the general negative attitude towards EV's on the bloody Leaf!

As soon as the Tesla Model 3 became available in Europe, I tried to get one and succeeded. It was a completely different experience. It actually exceeded its advertised range of 400km for me. On a slow (11kw) public or home charger it charged in 4 hours from 20 to 100%. I was able to make the same commute almost 4 times on one charge while the battery was a little 'smaller' than the Leaf. We took it on our first long trip on family vacation to the south of France. We had to drive 1200km in one day. I must admit that I was nervous as **** that first time. Well it turned out to be the most relaxing long drive I've ever made. Charging 4 times during the day at Tesla's superchargers. They all worked and it only took 1.5 hours longer than if we would have used an ICE car. We usually arrive completely beat and ready for bed after a 1200km ICE car trip. This time, we went out for dinner and drinks after arriving. Quiet driving and auto-pilot do wonders on a long drive.

The Model 3 was a company lease and when that ran out I looked at the options:

• Audi e-tron: too big and inefficient.
• VW ID4: expensive yet the materials felt so cheap, the HUD made me literally sick and it was slow.
• Taycan: too expensive.
• EV6: best all-round EV but it has no soul.
• Polestar 2: little inefficient but very practical and gorgeous design (my opinion of course).

Instead of a lease I went for a straight up private purchase of the Polestar with all options ticked.
So far it has been great. No issues and you don't see them on every street corner, like you see the Model 3.
I charge it home. In spring and summer mostly through excess solar energy.

EV negatives:

• Charging times
• Purchase price
• Weight

EV positives:

• Charging times (it forces you to take a few 20 minute breaks on very long trips).
• Very low maintenance costs (only tires, brakes don't get used a lot and will probably out live the car itself).
• Very cheap to run.
• Bloody fast in a straight line.
• Always a full tank in the morning.
• Very relaxing to drive.

I really appreciate your insight, thanks!
I was quite convinced the EV to get was the Model 3 Long Range. Unfortunately, its price tag increased significantly last month (at least in Spain), exceeding the maximum price for government grants for EVs. Both things put together make the M3 LR 15000-20000€ more expensive than the 77kwh Cupra Born or VW ID3 (for those unfamiliar with Cupra, it's the same car as the ID3 in a much sportier guise). Besides, the waiting list for the M3 right now is 1 year long. There is a good chance I could get a Born by fall. Since this was all about getting a more rational daily driver, I think the Cupra Born / VW ID3 is a no brainer. Despite the M3 LR being a better car regarding pure performance, I find it really difficult to justify the extra money for a car that will only be used on mig-range motorway trips.

According to the app called A Better Route Planner (sort of Google Maps for EV's), the efficiency of the 77 ID3/Born is very close to that of the M3 Long Range, so I should be able to drive my 215km (133miles) daily trip without issues, even in winter (I'd get it with a heat pump, even though this is Spain, don't think I'll ever drive below 5ºC).

 

[Erik van Rijn]

Maybe a slightly used model 3?
I know the Dutch market flooded with model 3a.

 

[girarcat]

Maybe a slightly used model 3?
I know the Dutch market flooded with model 3a.

That could be another option. However, few units are available in the Spanish market, especially low mileage ones, and they are still more expensive than a brand-new Cupra Born/Vw id3 (and since they are used cars, not eligible for government grants that would reduce their price). If the Born/id3 did not exist, I would probably go for a slightly used Model 3, but being quite worried as I am about battery degradation, I'd rather get a brand-new vehicle for my peace of mind. Besides, I'm not really fond of the idea of owning a daily driver which is way faster than my 718

 

[balucipher]

I've been commuting in a Model 3

not including my home solar, at time of use rates my daily commute is like $0.45 for 60ish miles depending on the route I take
the same in my 981 Boxster S would be around $12

adds up quick

 

[Erik van Rijn]

That could be another option. However, few units are available in the Spanish market, especially low mileage ones, and they are still more expensive than a brand-new Cupra Born/Vw id3 (and since they are used cars, not eligible for government grants that would reduce their price). If the Born/id3 did not exist, I would probably go for a slightly used Model 3, but being quite worried as I am about battery degradation, I'd rather get a brand-new vehicle for my peace of mind. Besides, I'm not really fond of the idea of owning a daily driver which is way faster than my 718

I had 0% degradation in 3 years. And I charged to 100% regularly.

 

[ThreePedalEd]

I'm never going back to an ICE for a daily driver. Let me try to convince you

My first one was a second gen Nissan Leaf with the 62kWh battery. I got it in the coldest month of winter and I hated every kilometer in that car. The advertised range was 385km. The dealer said it would do at least 250km in all conditions. I had a 120km total commute per day, 3 days a week. On really cold days it didn't even manage that. If I turned off the heater, I would only just make it back home. Not much fun in -10C conditions... What was even worse was the charging time. I would get home around 18.00 in the evening. Plug in the car straight away. And it wasn't even back at 100% the next morning at 8.00. Meaning I could not even drive to work 2 days in a row! What a dreadful car... They sold in massive numbers so I blame the general negative attitude towards EV's on the bloody Leaf!

As soon as the Tesla Model 3 became available in Europe, I tried to get one and succeeded. It was a completely different experience. It actually exceeded its advertised range of 400km for me. On a slow (11kw) public or home charger it charged in 4 hours from 20 to 100%. I was able to make the same commute almost 4 times on one charge while the battery was a little 'smaller' than the Leaf. We took it on our first long trip on family vacation to the south of France. We had to drive 1200km in one day. I must admit that I was nervous as **** that first time. Well it turned out to be the most relaxing long drive I've ever made. Charging 4 times during the day at Tesla's superchargers. They all worked and it only took 1.5 hours longer than if we would have used an ICE car. We usually arrive completely beat and ready for bed after a 1200km ICE car trip. This time, we went out for dinner and drinks after arriving. Quiet driving and auto-pilot do wonders on a long drive.

The Model 3 was a company lease and when that ran out I looked at the options:

• Audi e-tron: too big and inefficient.
• VW ID4: expensive yet the materials felt so cheap, the HUD made me literally sick and it was slow.
• Taycan: too expensive.
• EV6: best all-round EV but it has no soul.
• Polestar 2: little inefficient but very practical and gorgeous design (my opinion of course).

Instead of a lease I went for a straight up private purchase of the Polestar with all options ticked.
So far it has been great. No issues and you don't see them on every street corner, like you see the Model 3.
I charge it home. In spring and summer mostly through excess solar energy.

EV negatives:

• Charging times
• Purchase price
• Weight

EV positives:

• Charging times (it forces you to take a few 20 minute breaks on very long trips).
• Very low maintenance costs (only tires, brakes don't get used a lot and will probably out live the car itself).
• Very cheap to run.
• Bloody fast in a straight line.
• Always a full tank in the morning.
• Very relaxing to drive.

Nice write-up.

 

[nova996]

I agree with @Erik van Rijn in that I can’t see the reason now for an ICE as a daily driver or highway or even city car anymore. I work from home or just go to the airport once a month, so I don’t need a practical car today. But when I do need one again, the advantages of EV for me as a normal car are significant.

So, yes, I would find a nice EV.

Btw, as I’ve gotten more time with Boxster with the great weather now, it has taken a little bit of the shine away from the Miata. Not enough to sell it, but I see your point there. It is still better than Spyder in certain ways, but I am choosing the Spyder more often.

 

[makeadeel]

Agreed, @girarcat I have a BMW i3 as my commuter, and I love it (easy to drive, easy in/out, reasonably roomy for store pickups and such). However, its probably not an option since they were discontinued in 2022, and the range is not huge (not to mention it is more of a a city car than a motorway car), esp if your commute is 140 miles each way (wasn't sure if that was correct or not).

 

[girarcat]

Agreed, @girarcat I have a BMW i3 as my commuter, and I love it (easy to drive, easy in/out, reasonably roomy for store pickups and such). However, its probably not an option since they were discontinued in 2022, and the range is not huge (not to mention it is more of a a city car than a motorway car), esp if your commute is 140 miles each way (wasn't sure if that was correct or not).

Just to clarify, my commute is 130-140 miles total, so around 70 miles each way.

 

[AMPRVA]

Mimicking Erik van Rijn's thread (don't want to meddle in his thread), I'd like to open a new one to read your insights and opinions regarding my current garage situation.

I live together with my GF. We are young, have no kids and don't intend to have them anytime soon.

6 years ago I got myself my first new car, a Mazda MX5 Miata. It was my only car, which I used both to commute to my workplace (140 miles on the motorway, several days a week) plus weekend drives, which amounts to around 20.000 miles/year. I was thrilled with the car, so despite not being the most approppriate vehicle for long motorway trips, it didn't bother me at all.

2 years ago, I added to the fleet a 718 Cayman. Initially it was meant to replace the MX5 and use it daily. I quickly realized I didn't feel comfortable daily driving such a car due to several reasons, so I decided to keep them both, so I ended basically using the MX5 as a daily for my motorway commute, and keeping the 718 for the weekends and driving it to work on the odd occasion.

During all these years, my GF has been driving an inexpensive, low-powered little hatchback (Opel/Vauxhall Corsa) on her 15-mile commutes.

During the last year I've got a little fed up with my MX5 as a daily driver. It's a noisy car (especially with an aftermarket exhaust...), the seats are quite thin/hard, etc. so not ideal at all for long boring motorway trips. When it was my only car (and I was deep in love with it), I didn't even think about those issues. However, since I got the Cayman, as much as I appreciate the MX5, I'm no longer in love with it, that's why I started noticing how uncomfortable the seats become after 45min, how complicated it is to keep a phone conversation while driving due to the ambient noise, etc. Besides, since I already keep the Cayman for weekend blasts, I almost never drive the MX5 as it was meant to (topless, on a nice mountain road).
Finally, since I don't have kids, I can live with two sportscars, but from a rational perspective it doesn't make much sense, especially considering one of them is only used on the motorway.

Several months ago I started considering selling the MX5, adding several grand to the equation and getting myself a brand-new much more comfortable and useful compact car for my commutes (Mazda 3, Ford Focus, Honda Civic or similar). However, as fuel prices sky-rocketed, nowadays getting an EV seems a much more sensible option. Buying price is significantly higher, but due to the amount of miles I drive per year, in the mid-term and EV would end up being a much cheaper option than a conventional car.
Acording to my calculations, taking into account current fuel and electricity prices, and EV would save me 300-400€ per month, in both fuel and tolls, so it totally makes up for the premium we still have to pay for EVs. However, they are still quite expensive cars. Even though it makes a lot of sense from a financial perspective, I'm not really fond of the idea of spending a relatively significant amount of money on a car I don't even care about (I don't dislike the EV I'm considering, but I still regard it as a very efficient computer on wheels that will take me to work). If I think about all the great cars I could've got just a few years ago for that kind of money in the used market...

Can I afford to keep on daily driving the MX5 (or any other internal combustion engine car)? Yes, of course, but I'm not sure I want to. It feels like a financial bottomless pit I'm quite sick of throwing money into, especially not knowing where this madness will get to. Saving several hundreds per month and knowing that future fuel prices will have no impact on my daily commutes sounds like quite an interesting prospect, more so if I get into the equation the fact that I probably need a more comfortable and useful vehicle.

To spice things up a little bit, this month my gf's Opel Corsa has started to develop some reliability issues which the mechanic has been unable to solve yet, so i don't know what's gonna happen with this car either.


Well, I'm quite torn about what to do. It seems quite rational to dispose of the MX5. It's not an approppriate car for motorway runs, I seldom enjoy it on proper roads, I no longer feel as attached to the car as I used to be and, besides, it's already 6 years old and shows 80.000 miles on the clock. It seems like quite a wise moment to get rid of it, before it reaches a milage that would make it unappealing for most potential buyers (taking advantage from the crazy used market we have right now), and also before it starts to develop old car typical issues. If I keep on daily driving the MX5, I will have to eventually replace it all the same in a few years.

On the other had, I know in the long term I will probably regret selling it, when all cars become boring computers on wheels. Of course I still have the Cayman as a proper internal combustion sports car, but I think that in the future the MX5 might be a better candidate to scratch the itch for an old-school driving experience. It kinda sounds like blasphemy to replace such a purist's car with an EV. My 20-year-old self would have felt ashamed to even consider this option.


Buying the EV while keeping all other cars is not an option. I want to simplify things and turn our fleet into something more rational. 2 Sports cars + 1 hatchback + 1 EV + 1 motorbike which is already collecting dust for just 2 people doesn't sound rational at all 🤣

Depending on your financial position I would go with a newer EV with at least 250 miles on a full charge. You might enjoy it more than you think. It won't be as engaging as your sports cars, but my 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance handles well and is faster than my 2018 Boxster GTS. If money is an issue I would consider an older EV, assuming it has enough range for your commute. The cost of entry is less, there is very little that goes wrong with EV's and you will save a lot on gas and tolls. That's probably the smartest financial decision...

 

[~el~jefe~]

there is no way a flying-turd EV will be less expensive in the short or long run compared to a MX-5 ND2. They have terrible range. The MX-5 ND2 i own, an RF, gets 38 MPG driving fast, average trip gas use. Hits 40-41 at 65. The EV will die a horrible death early and get no range vs 380 miles of an MX-5. The MX-5 is built IMMENSELY better and should last 220k miles without much issues. The EV will have two batteries replaced for many thousands of dollars. I guess it depends on how expensive gasoline is near you. Still wouldnt bother

 

[Erik van Rijn]

but my 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance handles well

Do you know if there's a difference in suspension between de performance and the normal dual motor version?
I always thought my Model 3 handled subpar. Not bad, but not as it should be. It felt really nervous over small bumps.
And I felt like they give it ultra fast steering to hide the fact that it doesn't handle very well.

 

[Miami718]

Fuel costs will fall sharply long before you get rid of the car. Using current prices to calculate a breakeven point on this is going to really warp your math.