Mott the Hoople
Sweet Jane
The Misses just got promoted with a sizable raise in pay. As a payback she said I could buy a new sports car but my budget is $45k tops. Which can buy a decent sports car but isn’t going to buy a race car. I’m not a mechanic and I’m not wealthy so other financial factors come into play. Like cost to own. I intend to drive this car daily.
With the financial limits I have I can eliminate a European car as their reliability and cost to own suck. Particularly the latter.
So I have limited my choice to three types. They are;
A muscle car
A hot hatch
A roadster
After doing my research I have decided on one car in each category.
Mustang GT, which is at the high end of my budget. A Civic type R which is in the middle of my budget and a Mazda MX-5 Club spec, at the low end of budget.
The Stang is the fastest in straight line speed and though they have improved the handling it doesn’t handle nearly as well as the other two. The Stang would stomp the Civic type R in a drag race, the type R has terrible launching characteristics but the Type R would beat the Stang on a road track. It’s handling is just that much better. It also has the highest cost to own.
The Type R is probably the best compromise. It’s way lighter than the Stang, is more fun to drive and with 300hp, given the weight difference, isn’t much slower. It’s also the most practical daily daily driver. It’s cost to own is significantly lower than the Stang but surprisingly is equal to the MX-5. On the down side the styling sucks. It looks cartoonish and looks like something an 18 yo would drive.
The MX-5 has upgrade its power to 181 Hp and it only weighs 2350lb. It unquestionably has the best handling and though far less power than the other two is extremely rewarding momentum car for those who know how to drive. You can also push the limits of an MX-5 in a manner you can’t do in the other two if you don’t want to wrap yourself around a telephone pole or go to Jail. Its also a convertible. On the down side it’s The slowest and least practical though it’s the most reliable of the three.
So what are my priorities? In order they are;
Fun to drive
Great handling
Speed
Reliability
Cost to own
Practical
Practical is at the bottom of the list as I already have a hatchback that serves that purpose and I intend to keep it.
So the winner is the MX-5. In terms of being fun to drive, particularly with the top down, it walks away from the others. With the hp increase to 181 and the improved aero design it’s top speed is around 145 mph. A significant improvement over the 2018 model that tops out at 125 mph. Certainly slower than the other two but plenty fast for road driving. I’m not going to drive on a track or drag race. It’s also the most reliable of the three based on statistics I’ve reviewed. In the end, for me, being the most fun to drive wins out.
With the financial limits I have I can eliminate a European car as their reliability and cost to own suck. Particularly the latter.
So I have limited my choice to three types. They are;
A muscle car
A hot hatch
A roadster
After doing my research I have decided on one car in each category.
Mustang GT, which is at the high end of my budget. A Civic type R which is in the middle of my budget and a Mazda MX-5 Club spec, at the low end of budget.
The Stang is the fastest in straight line speed and though they have improved the handling it doesn’t handle nearly as well as the other two. The Stang would stomp the Civic type R in a drag race, the type R has terrible launching characteristics but the Type R would beat the Stang on a road track. It’s handling is just that much better. It also has the highest cost to own.
The Type R is probably the best compromise. It’s way lighter than the Stang, is more fun to drive and with 300hp, given the weight difference, isn’t much slower. It’s also the most practical daily daily driver. It’s cost to own is significantly lower than the Stang but surprisingly is equal to the MX-5. On the down side the styling sucks. It looks cartoonish and looks like something an 18 yo would drive.
The MX-5 has upgrade its power to 181 Hp and it only weighs 2350lb. It unquestionably has the best handling and though far less power than the other two is extremely rewarding momentum car for those who know how to drive. You can also push the limits of an MX-5 in a manner you can’t do in the other two if you don’t want to wrap yourself around a telephone pole or go to Jail. Its also a convertible. On the down side it’s The slowest and least practical though it’s the most reliable of the three.
So what are my priorities? In order they are;
Fun to drive
Great handling
Speed
Reliability
Cost to own
Practical
Practical is at the bottom of the list as I already have a hatchback that serves that purpose and I intend to keep it.
So the winner is the MX-5. In terms of being fun to drive, particularly with the top down, it walks away from the others. With the hp increase to 181 and the improved aero design it’s top speed is around 145 mph. A significant improvement over the 2018 model that tops out at 125 mph. Certainly slower than the other two but plenty fast for road driving. I’m not going to drive on a track or drag race. It’s also the most reliable of the three based on statistics I’ve reviewed. In the end, for me, being the most fun to drive wins out.