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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » I think I'm being converted....

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July 12, 2011 10:34 p.m. BAMF Reader

Matt B wrote:

Sports cars aside, bonus points are awarded for any company making a 5sp "minivan" with an athletic suspension. To all other companies - that's how you parts-bin engineer something.

It helps to have good parts in your bin.

My first 2 cars were Italian (Fiat & Lancia respectively). My 3s hatch reminds me of the better qualities of both cars. My boss's Mazdaspeed Miata is what my 124 Spider dreamed of being. The RX-8 I drove still haunts me, and if something happened to my car, one would be high on my list. My commute is short enough that the atrocious gas mileage wouldn't kill me.

I've had other cars between the Italians and my current Mazda, including a Nissan 200sx SE-R, but none of those in between cars have been as enjoyable as the Mazdas I've driven.
July 12, 2011 11:15 p.m. Keith SuperDork

AquaHusky wrote:

I've had ONE Mazduh....

1982 626. 4 dr, 5 spd, and gotten for just fixing the choke on a '82 Camaro. She wanted to pay in other ways, but I saw a RWD "small" car with a manual trans, wanted that more. I was 20 when this went down, BTW.

Edit to add:

I want another RWD 626. Only a 2 door this time.

I learned to drive stick on a RWD 626 while I was living in Australia. Great little car, especially when it has new tyres on the front and bald ones on the back. On the rare occasions when it rained, the roundabout near our house was oversteer city.

I want one. Nobody I know will understand. But I want one.
July 12, 2011 11:28 p.m. Wonkothesane Reader

Keith wrote:

I want one. Nobody I know will understand. But I want one.

I'm sorry Keith but you seem to think you're somewhere else. What forum did you think you posted this on?
July 12, 2011 11:56 p.m. trailbrake2088 New Reader

I had been a Nissan guy for a long time but I have had nothing but problems with the ones I have owned and yes I maintain them perfectly. I recently converted to Mazda myself So far I love it. I always saw these 5spd 4 cyl 626's come in the shop I work at with 250,000 plus miles and I always asked if they had the original motor and trans, they did. So I bought one a 2000 to be exact the handling is nice in comparison to an Accord or Maxima.
July 13, 2011 7:24 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork

BAMF wrote:

It helps to have good parts in your bin.

My first 2 cars were Italian (Fiat & Lancia respectively). My 3s hatch reminds me of the better qualities of both cars. My boss's Mazdaspeed Miata is what my 124 Spider dreamed of being.

I agree with you there.. but I am not ready to give up on my spider just yet
July 13, 2011 7:49 a.m. monsterbronco New Reader

My family has very much enjoyed mazdas as well.

Me: '91 rx7- race car, '88 rx7 spare parts for race car, '08 3 Mom: '07 3 Dad: '02 Special Edition Miata, '09 speed3 Sister: '10 6

good thing we dont all live in the same houese anymore we might get mistaken for a Mazda car dealer
July 13, 2011 8:06 a.m. RossD SuperDork

The first car I remember riding in is my mom's GLC. It might have been a 1979 or so. The car is buried in an undisclosed location. I wish it wasn't. Now, I own a Miata! RWD Mazdas for the win!
July 13, 2011 8:19 a.m. 92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork

Keith wrote:

AquaHusky wrote:

I've had ONE Mazduh....

1982 626. 4 dr, 5 spd, and gotten for just fixing the choke on a '82 Camaro. She wanted to pay in other ways, but I saw a RWD "small" car with a manual trans, wanted that more. I was 20 when this went down, BTW.

Edit to add:

I want another RWD 626. Only a 2 door this time.

I learned to drive stick on a RWD 626 while I was living in Australia. Great little car, especially when it has new tyres on the front and bald ones on the back. On the rare occasions when it rained, the roundabout near our house was oversteer city.

I want one. Nobody I know will understand. But I want one.

I want one, too. And a GC chassis 626 GT Coupe. MMMMMMMMMMM the delicious 80s-ness!
July 13, 2011 5:32 p.m. dollraves Reader

Keith wrote:

I learned to drive stick on a RWD 626 while I was living in Australia. Great little car, especially when it has new tyres on the front and bald ones on the back. On the rare occasions when it rained, the roundabout near our house was oversteer city.

I want one. Nobody I know will understand. But I want one.

I grew up with a '78 GLC...I cried the day my mother sold it. Completely inconsolable. She thought I had lost my mind. I've been looking for one ever since, which is how I came across the GTX. Joyous, but still want my GLC!

So...I understand. Trust me, I understand.
July 13, 2011 7:47 p.m. Brett_Murphy HalfDork

I was converted the first time I heard a loud RX-7 taken up to reline. That was in 1980.

I've owned more than a few since then; seven RX-7s and two Mazda3 hatches.

Edit to add: We'll probably wind up selling the Jeep Liberty that is my wife's current hauler and getting a Mazda5 or another Mazda3 to replace it, too. That is, unless Ford comes out with a slick Green for the new Focus.
July 13, 2011 7:59 p.m. Feedyurhed HalfDork

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:

Oh, and further warning... if you buy a Miata, you WILL end up with a Jeep Cherokee shortly after.

And vice versa. The two just go together.

Funny.......the very same thing happened to me. Especially true in the northern climes. One is for summer the other is for winter although I find myself driving both year round.

We need to start a thread just for pics from people that have both.
July 13, 2011 8:02 p.m. Curmudgeon SuperDork

First time I drove a rotary I was hooked. It was like riding a piston port 125 motocrosser; pipey and the RPMS wound up for dammit ever.
July 13, 2011 10:32 p.m. BAMF Reader

mad_machine wrote:

BAMF wrote:

It helps to have good parts in your bin.

My first 2 cars were Italian (Fiat & Lancia respectively). My 3s hatch reminds me of the better qualities of both cars. My boss's Mazdaspeed Miata is what my 124 Spider dreamed of being.

I agree with you there.. but I am not ready to give up on my spider just yet

I often think about how great a Fiat Spider would be with a 16V head and turbo, with a 6 speed Miata transmission and IRS backing it up.
July 14, 2011 8:41 a.m. CanadianTercel Reader

This forum has forced my hand a little bit also, but mostly my Miata loving friend did so.. first with that 4WD 90 Protege (which sadly was too rotted for me to keep, sold to a mazda-friend) and now this FB RX-7. These have both been ways around not dropping lots of coin on a NA miata.

I was sad i didn't own a mazda when the Mitty came around, i would have been. :(
July 21, 2011 7:40 p.m. trailbrake2088 New Reader

My favorite car I have driven in my life so far is an rx8 the motor sounded so good and was so smooth. I have driven zo6's sti's mustang's and similar cars but the rx8 was another dimension as far as cars go.
July 21, 2011 7:54 p.m. byron12 Reader

I have been loving mazdas since the miata came out in 1990. I was wierd kid but I have always love small zippy cars. I recently aquired an 81 rx7 it has already been autocrossed once and its next is in august. I love the damn thing and will never sell it. Their motorsports centric advertising is right up my alley. I do love lots of other kinds of cars though but for the money you sure do get alot of soul and sportiness...
July 21, 2011 9:07 p.m. Rustspecs13 Reader

I love my nissans, and Ive worked around a lot of rotaries.

I will put a 13B-T in an s13 one day soon. You know to kinda make up for all the ones taken out of rx7's.

Whos going to put a rotary in one of those USDM RWD non-rx7's you guys have been talking about?

~Alex
July 21, 2011 9:11 p.m. JtspellS Reader

Its kinda odd, parents up graded in the early 90's to mazda's (protege and 2200 respectively) and kinda built up from there with the 93or4 miata, late 90s protege older sister had a 626 wagon than they got on the subaru kick like almost everyone in new england did in the 00's

But i have not left them yet with the sedan 3 and then the MS3 as well as helping a friend build an FB i do not think it is a car company that will leave me for too long.

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