If You're Going To Do A Midlife Crisis, Do It Right Dammit!

"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty) 02/17/2014 at 17:11 • Filed to: rant, miata

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It was a couple of years ago when my father bought a cream-colored 50K-mile 2008 NC Miata from a desperate dealer at the end of the year for a fair $13,000. Desperate, you ask? Yes, desperate. As if dealerships struggle to keep NCs on the lot, this one was especially hard to sell because of what it had in between the two seats: a PRNDL with a +/- below it. Yes, an automatic Miata.

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to bitch about what my father does with his money. The message of this story is at the bottom. Despite what this rant may lead you to believe, I am, in fact, a separate entity.

Had my dad not been a car guy or tested some other comparable cars, this would have been a decent decision—the value was deflated because of the auto 'box, it has a good reliability track record, and it is a good deal more fun to drive than the Chrysler Sebring it is parked next to. However, it's the nature of the purchase that determines whether the car is the right one. And as a midlife crisis car on a budget, an automatic NC Miata is a tragically bad decision. To relive days with a long-lost Spitfire, the Miata is the wrong choice.

We live in a fantastic era for car guys; while I feel that new cars are really unappealing, you can get what was once a stylish and fun yuppie-mobile online in nice condition for next to nothing. An FC convertible, Turbo targa-top 5MT MkIII Supra, E36 328i M-sport, 5.0 manual Foxbody convertible, 3rd-gen V8-powered F-body, NA '95 M-Edition Miata, manual transmission-equipped C4 convertible, or Z32 300ZX can be easily found for half the price of that Miata in great shape. Hell, a 240Z (a car the typical midlife crisis buyer longs for) or N/A MkIV Supra (one of his favorite cars of all time) in decent condition can be found easily for $13,000. So, why NC AT Miata (err... MX-5)? I guess you can be happy with anything decent when you haven't tried an alternative.

Now, the cars I have been able to get are worth around sixth of what that automatic MX5 is—but, they are still heaps more enjoyable. Unless mommy and/or daddy have money to buy you a new, sort of fun car, take the time to figure out what you can get for the same price. A MS3, Focus ST, or similar hot hatch may be a "performance bargain," but those words are in quotation marks because anyone putting those two words together for a new car have never heard of an SW20 MR-2, NA Miata, or old GTI.

THE MESSAGE OF THIS RANT:

Don't end up buying that car because you usually couldn't. Buy it because it's the best you can buy with what you want to spend and you know it is. Drive some damned cars of years past. They're more fun and have character, even if da ladies or your bro dudes don't think as highly of them.

Also, watch Miami Vice as part of the midlife regiment. Don Johnson approves of this message.

oldirtybootz > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 02/17/2014 at 17:18

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My dad got his midlife crisis car when I was in the 6th grade, so right around 2002, and sold it maybe 2 years later. It was a 1969 Camaro with a 350 from a 2nd gen hooked up to the original 2-speed Powerglide. Repainted white with dark green(black in most lights) racing stripes, it still had its original dark green interior in mostly mint condition, and it wore incorrect Z/28 badges.

The plan was to restore it visually to factory specs(it'd look like the one pictured) but instead of replacing the 350 with the proper 327 he wanted to puy a 383 in it. Alas, life took over and he sold it but we both miss that car very much. This was before the market for muscle cars exploded thanks to Barret-Jackson and we bought and sold it for around $10k.

MtrRider > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 02/17/2014 at 17:20

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I guess if your midlife crises means turning 30, getting married, or maybe graduating college the Miata is a good choice. Otherwise, there is only one budget MLC car.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > MtrRider 02/17/2014 at 17:27

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Agreed—not quite budget, but far from the most expensive option. An LT1 5MT C4 is definitely a good budget one. By midlife I mean 50-60, and by budget I mean sub-$15k (my dad's pretty frugal). Hell, they engineer 'Vettes for the specific purpose of satisfying the performance needs of older men!

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > oldirtybootz 02/17/2014 at 17:28

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Damn, now that is the way to do it! That's a great color. I always wondered what a 2-speed auto would be like...

DarrenMR > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 02/17/2014 at 17:36

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Strange, I bought my miata when I was 23.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > DarrenMR 02/17/2014 at 17:42

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I am not saying an NA Miata is a necessarily good midlife crisis car. I'm saying it's an incredible value proposition and better than even a later, much more expensive version.

crowmolly > oldirtybootz 02/17/2014 at 17:46

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Frost Green!

I had a Camaro that color with a dark green interior and a dark green vinyl top. Rare combination? Yes. Ugly as hell? Also yes.

Axial > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 02/17/2014 at 20:51

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6MT*

=ž

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Axial 02/17/2014 at 20:54

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Damn, I hadn't realized I typed 5MT.

Axial > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 02/17/2014 at 20:56

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It's actually kind of odd that Corvette skipped the whole 5MT thing and went straight from four gears to six. There was that intermittent 4+3, but that was still essentially a 4-speed box.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Axial 02/17/2014 at 21:45

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The 4+3 was really an interesting gearbox. Perhaps they wanted to use the gearboxes as a point of superiority, since they were able to market the Doug Nash unit as being unique and innovative, and at the time were able to tout a 6spd as being a step ahead of the competition. It's hard to say, although on such an aged platform there had to be some modern and redeeming, new trait to help sales.

Axial > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 02/17/2014 at 21:58

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CAFE standards, man. The 4+3 has some advantages over a standard five- or six-speed, namely being able to comfortably cruise at low velocities, saving fuel, and then becoming responsive again at the push of a button to disengage the OD unit.

Even more interesting, the ZF6 6-speed gearbox that replaced the 4+3 in 1989 was one of the earlier 6-speed manual transmissions to show up on the market. Most performance cars then were still rocking a 5-speed.

I don't honestly understand why the 4+3 caught so much flak. It's not at all unpleasant to use after 1984 (the OD toggle switch is mounted in an inconvenient location on 1984 cars), and if you swap the OD fluids and seals every 10,000 to 20,000 miles it will last you forever.

oldirtybootz > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 02/18/2014 at 10:22

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I was just getting into cars, so at the time I had no idea how that trany worked. It was definitely inteeresting.

If we still had it I would push him to return it to stock. Even with the 327 I'd be a fun cruiser.

oldirtybootz > crowmolly 02/18/2014 at 10:23

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Like this?

crowmolly > oldirtybootz 02/18/2014 at 10:25

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Yup!

Was a November build base V8 car, so an LF7 327/210 with a PG and a 2.73 Open. Woof.

Sese > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 02/21/2014 at 12:53

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This bike is my answer to my mid life crises....(wife's opinion btw). So I figure, if I'm having one, might as well enjoy it.