I like the GT interior more than the Club interior personally. Looks less plasticky and drab. Miata leather is more like vinyl than actual leather, but I don't mind the seats. Just be aware that the leather on the bolsters will wear fairly quickly if you drag yourself over them on ingress/egress. This has been a Miata feature since leather first got added to Miatas in 1991.
maschinenbau said:Just waiting on Carvana's Fiat Removal Service now...
hahahahaha
Fiat Removal Service? 
Carvana sale is approved and Fiat Removal is scheduled next week. I will happily share the final numbers after the fat lady sings, but it looks like I will get paid a few grand to drive this Fiat for the past 6 months. Well, technically I couldn't drive it the whole 6 months, but you get the point.
So you basically got the Saturn as a reward for holding the Fiat for a while.
Keith Tanner said:So you basically got the Saturn as a reward for holding the Fiat for a while.
Only on GRM is this a sentence that makes sense 
.
In reply to maschinenbau :
I believe you will find a genuinely better(and usually top notch) ownership experience with Mazda as well... now that Fiat has set the bar so low that you might have to go call 411 to have them mark your property to dig for it..
BoxheadTim said:Keith Tanner said:So you basically got the Saturn as a reward for holding the Fiat for a while.
Only on GRM is this a sentence that makes sense
And sound like the positive outcome it is.
The sale is complete! Last night a Carvana rep showed up to check out the car and they dispatched a tow truck. That person also had me sign all the paperwork. I went out for dinner, during which the tow truck driver called to tell me the deed is done. When I got home, my driveway was Fiat-less! The direct deposit already hit this morning. The whole process was pretty easy, though they did need a little nudging during the document collection and approval process. They seemed very busy.
Last known image of my Fiat, stickered-up and ready for removal.
This being GRM, I thought it would be fun to tally up the budget for this car. Since I traded my old Saturn to the dealer, I included an estimated private-party value and the $1000 difference I probably left on the table. I saw my old car listed on FB for $3500 the following month, so $3000 was probably a fair value for it.
In sum, I made a few thousand dollars by investing in a FIAT 124 Spider and timing the historic 2021 used car price frenzy. Another way to view it is I got paid $0.76/mile to drive a Fiat. 6 months of ownership, 6 weeks at the dealership getting warranty work done. At least I got to autocross it a couple times. First time buying form a dealership. First time selling a car with a startup tech company. Though it was my 11th car, it was my 1st convertible and 1st turbocharged car. I started with a Saturn and ended up in a different, older Saturn with double the miles. I think I still want an ND2, but now I'm absolutely sure I can live with it as a daily driver. What a strange experience.
Congrats! You're free of it!
In reply to maschinenbau :
Glad it all worked out! You've definitely had a strange experience indeed.
Congrats! How do you feel?
In reply to Snrub :
I'm not sure. Disappointed I guess? But also grateful. I wanted this car to be a slightly quirkier Miata, a fun and engaging daily driver, and reliable gas-and-oil car that I never have to touch since I have so many crazy projects. I'm just happy it didn't cost me anything but time and effort. But I really wanted this car to be the one.
I think I still want an ND2, but now I'm absolutely sure I can live with it as a daily driver.
It seems there must be easier ways to come to this conclusion :)
Seriously, thanks for sharing.
What a wild ride. Glad you came out above water. The new, older Saturn may be more worn, but it has way more character.
If car prices start to mellow, do you have plans to try something else on?
In reply to barefootskater (Shaun) :
I'm already looking for a '21 ND2 RF in blue. I can use my SCCA membership to get Mazda's employee S-plan pricing. Ironically the dealer I bought my Fiat from is a Mazda dealer, and my original salesperson is game for S-plan pricing. They just have to find me one in blue now.
Of course, when I price a new Miata RF in the new blue color, which bumps you up into the GT trim, my lizard brain immediately starts lusting after all the beater E36 M3boxes I can buy for $35k. Dangerous thoughts.
Glad the Fiat worked out for you. I wouldnt hesitate to get another ND. I bought one 2 years old and drove it for a few years. I beat on it relentlessly. It routinely made 14 or 15 passes a night with 3 or 4 back to back in 100 degrees at the track. Mine was an early car with trans issues, but I never experienced them. I launched it on a prepped surface and sticky tires with everything from a 6K rpm clutch dump to slipping the clutch. She never let me down. About 60% of my ownership was on an E85 tune. It was also autocrossed but unfortunately never driven on a road course.
I had some AC problems which are common on the early ones but it was covered under warranty, and outside of that it was reliable as gravity.
Towards the end, I didnt drive it unless I was going for a drive for fun, so for the last year of my ownership it was pretty much just drove hard, and it didnt care one bit.
Sold it because it was too slow, did run 14s with the E85 in bad weather though, so they arent terribly slow, and im sure the ND2s are much better.
I will say an E85 tune completely transformed the car, I cant recommend it enough. I went stock, 93 tune, then E85 and each was noticeable, but when I went back to the stock tune was when I realized just how big a difference it made.
In reply to Opti :
The ND2 engine takes the ND1 engine and wakes it up above 6000. It's fun if you drive on track.
In reply to maschinenbau :
Dangerous thoughts indeed. Just get the Mazda. It'll be so good.
$35k buys you a lot of depreciated BMW or Benz....
Tom Suddard said:$35k buys you a lot of depreciated BMW or Benz....
With some money left over and most/all of the depreciation out of the way:
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/e1efbadc-5c42-44cc-9a5e-725b68456f36/
It's even semi-local and has some good options aside from being a boring color.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
Way to double down on the Fiat experience! An 8 year old high end BMW, what could go wrong?
In reply to Tom Suddard :
LOL none of that appeals to me. This is supposed to get me to work, remember?
maschinenbau said:In reply to barefootskater (Shaun) :
I'm already looking for a '21 ND2 RF in blue. I can use my SCCA membership to get Mazda's employee S-plan pricing. Ironically the dealer I bought my Fiat from is a Mazda dealer, and my original salesperson is game for S-plan pricing. They just have to find me one in blue now.
I will say that using S-Plan was the single greatest car buying experience of my life.. There was literally no negotiation or BS games. I simply said "I have S-Plan, and my credit union is offering me X.xx interest rate. If you can beat that, I'll finance with you." It was the way that everyone wants it to be.
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