Thinking about selling or trading down

[bhmkv]

Thinking about selling to trade down into a club Miata. Want to do some more auto cross and track days and know the Miata would be cheaper to run. Have too many toys to add another car.
Who has traded down and did you regret it.

Current car is an 82SC. This is my only Pcar.

Thanks

[NYNick]

Looks like you've been down this road before a few years ago but never pulled the trigger.

Miatas are cool and a lot of fun. Also a lot less expensive to run and fix. They are a far cry from an air cooled 911, but you already know that.

I'm reminded of my father telling a story of his friends who sold their house in metro NY and moved to Florida, to a much less expensive neighborhood and life style. A year or two later they regretted their decision but the market had moved on, and they couldn't afford to move back.

Your 911 is a moving target that requires constant attention and money. I would completely understand your decision. It's a big responsibility.

These cars are not for the faint of heart or pocketbook.

Good luck,

Nick

[mrdeezy]

Not the worst idea. How much for the SC? Cash buyer willing to wire today for the right deal!
J/k lol ��

[bhmkv]

I go back and forth all the time. Recently moved into a new house and the list of projects keeps growing. Thinking the newer Miata would be cheaper to run and better on longer weekend trips. I'm sure if I sold i would regret it.

[pmax]

Not gonna help with the labor costs, assuming you're going to a mechanic. How much are track costs, towing, gas, lodging ?

[juanbenae]

it sounds like you've pretty much got yourself talked into a miata, so there's that. otherwise I think there are way better cars to downgrade to from the SC than an M5 or whet ever the new miatas are called to do what you'd like your hobby car to do.

ive considered moving on from my 911 after relocating up into the foothills recently. I suppose I could find another sports car at half the cost with AC, more room, and AWD possibly to drive more year around. the 911 is really a spring and fall car due to high summer temps and snow/sanded roads in the winter up here.

im would not be considering a miata though, so there's that.

[Unobtanium-inc]

I usually recommend for people to trade down if they have a project car that is overwhelming them but it's worth money. They can sell it and buy something they can actually enjoy. But it sounds like your SC is up and running so unless you need the money I wouldn't sell. It will continue to appreciate while the Miata will eventually be a throw away car. You might not throw it away but if you ever go to sell it, say 10 years from now, you will be throwing it away.
I had a guy one time who inherited his Grandfather's 356, but it had been in a barn for decades. He didn't have the skills or the money to restore it, so he sold it to me for good money and went and bought the nicest 944 I've ever seen, I think he got it from NYNick. Bottom line, he is now out enjoying the car, instead of staring at the 356.

In your case, if you like the SC and enjoy it, don't sell it, you will probably find the Miata underwhelming in the long run, and you won't be able to buy the SC back.

---Adam

[NYNick]

Originally Posted by Unobtanium-inc

I usually recommend for people to trade down if they have a project car that is overwhelming them but it's worth money. They can sell it and buy something they can actually enjoy. But it sounds like your SC is up and running so unless you need the money I wouldn't sell. It will continue to appreciate while the Miata will eventually be a throw away car. You might not throw it away but if you ever go to sell it, say 10 years from now, you will be throwing it away.
I had a guy one time who inherited his Grandfather's 356, but it had been in a barn for decades. He didn't have the skills or the money to restore it, so he sold it to me for good money and went and bought the nicest 944 I've ever seen, I think he got it from NYNick. Bottom line, he is now out enjoying the car, instead of staring at the 356.

In your case, if you like the SC and enjoy it, don't sell it, you will probably find the Miata underwhelming in the long run, and you won't be able to buy the SC back.

---Adam

You are correct Adam. That was my son's Red 944S. He was meticulous with that car and still communicates with that guy from time to time.

But we found him an 88 911 that needed work and he's pretty handy. What a car that has turned out to be!

[Matt Monson]

Do it. Take the SC money and buy a Miata track rat and a decent little driver 914-4.

[MrBonus]

I sold my '89 because I wanted something that was less original and I wouldn't worry so much about driving it. I also thought my Lotus was more fun to drive. I'm 1.5 years into ownership and the car has been driven maybe 50 miles? I am $15,000 into a refurbishment and I had a thermostat failure that put it back into the shop where I'm also taking care of a handful of other remaining items. I'm reaching my wits end and am strongly considering selling. I'd like to buy another air-cooled Porsche, likely a 356.

I'm sure a Miata would be far, far more reliable than my Lotus but I am not sure the grass is always greener. The tired cliches about how balanced, enjoyable, and accessible the older Porsches are definitely true. I felt comfortable doing most minor mechanical jobs on my 911 whereas every maintenance or repair item for the Lotus has some weird procedure that if you don't follow to a T, something leaks.

Edit: Also you really appreciate the vault-like quality of a Porsche when you drive a cobbled together British sports car.

[Mixed76]

It kind of depends what you like about your sc. My daily, when I'm not driving the 993, is an mr2 Spyder, which is pretty similar to a Miata.

For me and the driving I do, the mr2 is an excellent substitute. It's light, the steering is quick, it rotates, it has adequate power. It's reliable as a Corolla, which is about as reliable as gravity, and hence super cheap to keep up with. It also meets 2003 crash standards, has airbags and working ac. I sometimes call it a 2003 914.

I bought the Spyder before I bought any Porsche, and while they are cheap to buy and run, it's so much fun that I don't consider it a disposable car.

Differences for me between the cars:
993 (and 912) are much more solid feeling, mr2 is a flexible flyer with very quick steering, busy on the highway
993 is faster, mr2 and stock sc are probably similar quickness
Porsches have that Porsche smell
Mr2 has a lot more road and wind noise
Mr2 handling is rear-biased, more like 993 than 911 but not as extreme as either
Of course the mr2 is uglier
No rear seats
Mr2 shifter is light years better than sc 915
Seats are similar, driving positions different but comparable, plenty of space in both

I would drive both and maybe buy a Miata/ mr2 before selling the sc to see if that would be acceptable.



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[ryans65]

Miatas and Porsches, I've owned both. To say any Miata is underwhelming or going to be a "throw away car" is just plain dumb. If you want a rewarding track experience with little maintenance go for it. Perhaps talk to your local SCCA folks who run SM or SSM and see what their thoughts are. Around here WDCR SCCA runs a massive field of SM and SSM, something like 35+ cars and its the only class that really entertains, door to door, nut to butt! Real racing. The porsche guys are smug, self serving ex frat boys, dentists, trust fund babies and start up CEOs that seem more concerned with the cleanliness of their toterhome than actual racing. This is of course a generalization, but I digress.

[Mixed76]

Oh, and an inline 4 vibrates more, in all conditions, than a flat six. Sounds different too.

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[MrBonus]

Originally Posted by ryans65

Miatas and Porsches, I've owned both. To say any Miata is underwhelming or going to be a "throw away car" is just plain dumb. If you want a rewarding track experience with little maintenance go for it. Perhaps talk to your local SCCA folks who run SM or SSM and see what their thoughts are. Around here WDCR SCCA runs a massive field of SM and SSM, something like 35+ cars and its the only class that really entertains, door to door, nut to butt! Real racing. The porsche guys are smug, self serving ex frat boys, dentists, trust fund babies and start up CEOs that seem more concerned with the cleanliness of their toterhome than actual racing. This is of course a generalization, but I digress.

Porsche people are THE WORST.

But the cars are nice.

[ryans65]

:d:d

Originally Posted by mrbonus

porsche people are the worst.

But the cars are nice.

[metzger]

It sounds like the Miata may be a good option for you. I'll even offer you a straight trade for mine.

About 6 years ago I bought a '99 Civic to drive back and forth to work as I had a ~150 mile round trip commute at the time. I had a Nissan 300ZX at the time also that I greatly enjoyed. The Civic had some kind of engine swap and didn't get nearly the fuel economy that I expected and a friend wanted to trade me for his Miata. The Miata got the same fuel economy, was RWD and convertible, so it ticked a few more boxes than the Civic and I went for it.

Tons of fun to drive. I didn't touch my 300ZX for about 2 weeks and thought, "this Miata does everything the Z can do and better, might as well just sell the Z." Then I got back in the Z and remembered what torque is. The Miata immediately felt gutless by comparison.

Not here to knock the Miata, but just know there will of course be trade offs. For complicated reasons I no longer have the Z and I miss it constantly. Some cars have a unique character that just can't be replaced. The Miata is easily replaceable in my book, though, again, it is a VERY fun car.

If you truly want an easy car to run at track days and autox, Miata is a no-brainer.

[Mixed76]

Ha ha that's funny. My go to car before I bought the 993 is/was a 300zx. I didn't want to bring that car up; great car and so charismatic but so wide, so different from a Miata.

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[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by bhmkv

Thinking about selling to trade down into a club Miata. Want to do some more auto cross and track days and know the Miata would be cheaper to run. Have too many toys to add another car.
Who has traded down and did you regret it.

Current car is an 82SC. This is my only Pcar.

Thanks

bhmkv,

It's 100% time to sell your SC.

You've been talking about selling it for at least 4 years.
It's apparent that you've barely driven your SC the entire time you've owned it.
That same money could have doubled in the stock market.

Why would you regret it? You barely even drove your SC.
What exactly will you regret? Having a giant paperweight in your garage?
I can promise you your only regret after selling will be not selling it sooner.

The 911 does not match your personality.
It never became an old comfortable sneaker for you.
The reasons we tried to explore no longer even matter.
(Can't afford it, too untrusting about old cars, etc)

Sell it, move on, and time to become a car guy again,
and not someone with a "garage treadmill"
whose only reason to own is due to FOMO

DO NOT get a 944, 912, Boxster, or any kind of Porsche.
You will have the same fear of costly repairs.

A Miata may be the perfect car for you.
Sky is the limit
They kick ass on the track and AX.
You can Spec race a Miata.
Very active DIY forum.
Tons of great examples for sale (but many are modded turds as they've gotten cheap)
Miata owners are some of the most legit and authentic car guys I know.

There are also other cars you can get like Mustang, BRZ, S2000, BMW, etc
Bottom line, yes, it's 100% time to sell your SC. Figure out the replacement later.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-marketplace-discussion/898136-thinking-about-selling-my-911sc.html

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-marketplace-discussion/923722-market-ch.html

Which led to this thread
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/898302-has-your-911-become-garage-trophy-you-never-drive.html

[bhmkv]

Don't get me wrong. I do love the car. I've put about 8,000 miles on the car in the past 5 years. Having 4 cars keeps the miles down on all my cars. Pretty sure I would regret selling it. Maybe I should just do a few PCA track days and see how it goes. Guess I just feel better crashing a newer cheaper car if something was to happen.

[Matt Monson]

Oh god. Suga’s back...