There are lots of things to like about the miata. It's a great car. I recently sold my supercharged R-package and I miss it. The miata was a great daily driver, that was up for anything at any time. The Elise feels like you are quite restrained on public roads. It's a bit frustrating at times, because you know what it is capable of and you're only using a fraction of its potential. I'm not complaining though, the Elise puts a smile on my face every time I push the start button. If I hadn't run out of garage spaces I would have kept the miata. If you have enough garage space hold onto her, you may miss her when she's long gone.


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I had a 300hp Turbo Miata and it was much quicker straight line then the Lotus. That said it did feel "fat" in comparison. Much of what you stated minus the the slow part was exactly my feeling

 

I have a Miata and and Elise to drive when I am home, and I can honestly say that I still enjoy driving the Miata. It does feel a lot softer, but that makes me drive it more aggressively and I find the limits of the car to be higher than when I was driving it before the Elise. I feel like its softness helps me take it to the limits easier and I find that its limits are better suited to the street than the Elise. That being said, I still wouldn't trade the Elise for anything and to me the cars have discrete characteristics which allow me to enjoy driving both.

 

The one thing I for sure missed about the Miata was the I can drive her anywhere and park without worry..and the ridiculously cheap to fix aspect. Not to mention it was sooo easy to work on!

 

You said Miata?

 

 

Oh, ok I'll bite!

Peer pressure!


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C'mon, don't turn this into a Miata pic thread... I can't find any pics of mine.

 

I suppose it's all relative isn't it. The Elise feels small and precise and accurate when compared to a Miata...........and if you compare the Elise to a Seven (Lotus, Caterham, Birkin) it feels big and fat and slow witted.

I've owned a Seven and currently own an Elise and I wouldn't trade it for anything as it's the complete package but there is always something more extreme isn't there?

dave

 

+1

There is ALWAYS something more extreme.

 

I was generally disappointed with my NC2 suspension, but after FM stage 2 it feels great. The Elise is still better but the Miata was half the price and is 85% of the fun.....now

 

I've got an FD rx7, miata, and now as of last week the Elise. Now that I've had some time to settle in with the Elise, switching back over to my Miata feels like switching from a nimble sports car to a sedan. It's interesting, now that my driving style has adjusted more towards the Elise it no longer feels quite as exciting as when I forst started playing with it (of course) but it's simply made the miata a hundred times worse in retrospect . The lotus is like a sharp pairing knife where the miata now feels like a butter knife trying to cut a tomato haha. The best way I can describe the Elise is a cross between a miata and a gokart.

Now I have to say that on less than perfect roads the miata wins hands down... It's forgiving and much less jarring (and I've got damn stiff springs and the dampeners cranked all the way up). I can drive the miata much longer without feeling fatigued, and I can drive it much faster on so so roads. Long story short I thought I'd be selling the miata as I initially thought the lotus would render it obsolete, but that may not be the case after all. A turbo on the miata would help, but in that same vein the Elise feels vastly underpowered as well (which is what the ol FD is for I guess).

That's my 2 cents
-Heath

 

the Miata is a toy, the Lotus is a tool. But i miss my Miata too. Sniffle sniffle...

 

Hi I'm Aaron and I a miataholic, I've had 8 and am now on a 93 LE (not without a blower of course) with 40k miles and a 92 black and tan one owner 59k miles. I like the miata because I can practice my mechanic skills on them.

 

Did you say Miata? Still one of my favorite cars I've owned.

 

Love my Miata as well as my Lotus. They're each special in their own way. After getting the Lotus I gave serious consideration to selling the Miata. Then I went to another autocross and remembered how much of a blast it is.

 

Considering getting a race ready spec Miata now and giving up motorcycle racing to do car racing.

 

Mannnnn....I miss my miata.

 

I own both cars as well; each has their purpose. But then, the Miata is rock stock, the Lotus is not.

 

Funny. Mine's the opposite. Lotus is pretty close to stock, other than a splitter and the BWR bar about to go on the front, but the Miata has a few more goodies.