Should the answer be Miata?

"Frosted" (frostedbuns) 05/04/2014 at 16:52 • Filed to: None

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Went car shopping again today. Looked at a lot of cars. Still like the Forte and the Rio and the Elantra. Found a very tidy base model Impreza. Sat in and was impressed with an i-Miev. And the very last car I saw was a 16,900 dollar, 2010 MX-5.

I sat in it and fell in love. Should I hunt for a Miata as my next car?

Some questions to the folks who own them:

My fathers two biggest concerns are A) Safety. Are these things safe in the event of an accident? And B) Insurance. Are they an arm and a leg to insure. I'm 22, no accidents ever. Should I expect my rates to be 2 grand every 6 months or less than that? (I know I'll have to do my own insurance shopping to see).

This is exactly like the car I was looking at:

YSI-what can brown do for you > Frosted 05/04/2014 at 16:56

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If I were you, but something practical like an Impreza than buy a NA Miata and enjoy!

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Frosted 05/04/2014 at 17:00

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It does have side airbags, so that should help somewhat in a crash. I have a friend at school who's dad totaled a 2011, and walked away without any injuries.

Dunnik > Frosted 05/04/2014 at 17:05

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Your father is right, safety and insurance will be concerns.

Unlike older carbios, the MX-5 has a rollbar, at least, but it's still a small car in a world of bro-trucks, big rigs and full-sized SUVs.

In the hands of a skilled and alert driver, however, it's probably much safer than any other small car. The best way to avoid getting hurt in an accident is not to get into one in the first place, and the Miata's handling will help with that.

As for insurance, convertibles are usually more expensive to insure than regular cars, especially ones with canvas roofs. Obviously you will need to get a few insurance quotes to give you an idea. If the quotes are too high for you to stomach, maybe get something else in the interim, and then in 3 yrs when you turn 25 your rates will automatically drop.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Frosted 05/04/2014 at 17:13

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My 03 is pretty good on insurance but its also 10+ years old. They are pretty safe. I have seen some pretty bad crashes with Miatas involved and the drivers turn out fine. You can always add a roll-bar. Lots of aftermarket for them.

Frosted > Dunnik 05/04/2014 at 17:15

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I just got a quote from Geico and it'd be cheaper to insure an MX-5 than a Kia Forte surprisingly. BUT it takes premium fuel. So that ruled it out real fast.

xxstich666xx > Frosted 05/04/2014 at 17:19

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Safe is an understatement with the NC. The NA and NB are deathtraps but I walked away from a 90 year old man rear-ending me at 50mph just fine.

Long Live the Longdoor > Frosted 05/04/2014 at 17:58

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Not sure how much they are to insure, but 2012+ Miata's come with side curtain airbags, so there's that.

wkiernan > Frosted 05/04/2014 at 19:20

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When I went from a Corolla to a Miata my insurance rate went down.

RotaryLover > Frosted 05/05/2014 at 07:47

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I would not worry about accidents in it...unless for a roll over. Insurance is super cheap on them.

quarterlifecrisis > Frosted 05/05/2014 at 14:07

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Care to explain why using premium ruled it out immediately? It's <10% a gallon difference...assuming you're in the US since you mentioned GEICO. I usually pay about $0.30 more a gallon for premium.

Let's say you drive said Miata 20,000 miles in a 12 month period. And let's say the car averages 20 mpg. And then let's say it's a fixed $0.40 increase per gallon. (I'm guessing my miles driven are high, mpg is low, and my increase is high). We're talking about a $400 increase per year in my incredibly conservative measure. Roughly a dollar a day.

If that's the excuse you're going to use, go for it. But I don't think it's a good excuse.

Frosted > quarterlifecrisis 05/05/2014 at 14:10

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It's more my parents rule, they don't like cars that use premium since it costs more. My XC70 uses premium and they hate it. Wouldn't be a big deal if they weren't helping me with gas money while I hunt for a job. I'll have the Miata one day, but for my next daily, it has to be run on regular gas.

quarterlifecrisis > Frosted 05/05/2014 at 14:40

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So, not to sound like a dick, but why are you buying someting new while hunting for a job? Why not offset the purchase until the job has been attained?