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Old 10-08-2020, 12:53 PM   #11
JST
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Driving a Miata as a winter beater doesn't make much sense. I'd get rid of that in favor of something more...winter like. A Golf or GTI makes sense. That also clears the way for a Boxster at some future point.
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Old 10-08-2020, 12:58 PM   #12
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I would just drive the m3. As other say 11k a year is a not a lot and they are easy highway miles.


Edit1:As for the GTI , I wouldn't buy another German car to not drive another.

Edit2: with that said been driving my GTI around a lot shuttle my kids and it is a great car. All that I need.
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Old 10-08-2020, 01:02 PM   #13
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Agree with the others' general direction...

Drive your cars, enjoy them, don't worry about the miles.

If/when maintenance becomes a headache, do something then.

Beyond that, I get the internal dialog/debate.

But, only you can answer the question of where you'd rather spend your routine commuting time and what it's worth to you in extra depreciation/maint/repairs vs noise/discomfort/annoyance/other-maint/other-repairs.

I spent a few years doing a short commute in a beater NA Miata (that I guarantee was not nearly as nice, comfortable, or livable as your NC) because I couldn't justify spending coin on something nicer because it worked just fine and made a few moments enjoyable along the way.

If the commute had been 25 one way miles of anything other than fun two laners, I don't think I would have lasted more than a month.
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Old 10-08-2020, 01:20 PM   #14
John V
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Miatas are great winter cars, assuming LSD and good snow tires. Way more fun to drive in snow than a GTI or other FWD appliance.
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Old 10-08-2020, 01:33 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JST View Post
Driving a Miata as a winter beater doesn't make much sense. I'd get rid of that in favor of something more...winter like. A Golf or GTI makes sense. That also clears the way for a Boxster at some future point.
Well, this is kind of where I was headed.

To John's point, I like driving the Miata in the winter just fine. It does have an LSD and good winter tires. It's more of an NVH thing with that car.

No need to rush into anything yet.
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Old 10-08-2020, 01:35 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clyde View Post
Agree with the others' general direction...

Drive your cars, enjoy them, don't worry about the miles.

If/when maintenance becomes a headache, do something then.

Beyond that, I get the internal dialog/debate.

But, only you can answer the question of where you'd rather spend your routine commuting time and what it's worth to you in extra depreciation/maint/repairs vs noise/discomfort/annoyance/other-maint/other-repairs.

I spent a few years doing a short commute in a beater NA Miata (that I guarantee was not nearly as nice, comfortable, or livable as your NC) because I couldn't justify spending coin on something nicer because it worked just fine and made a few moments enjoyable along the way.

If the commute had been 25 one way miles of anything other than fun two laners, I don't think I would have lasted more than a month.
Right. That's what I'll find out in time. If traffic keeps the commute at <30 minutes, I may be ok with the Miata 2X/week. But if COVID subsides and traffic is 45+ minutes of annoying hwy driving, that could get old fast.
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Old 10-08-2020, 02:18 PM   #17
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Do what I do:

Drive a sedan one day, then a Spyder the next day, then a half-ton pickup the next, then a Harley, then finally a minivan.

Or something to that effect. You know, "spread the wealth".

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Old 10-08-2020, 02:21 PM   #18
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But seriously, it's not like you own rare, one-of-a-kind cars.

They're MEANT to be driven. And honestly, Life is too short to worry about such trivial things.

Short commutes of less than 5 miles that doesn't let the engine thoroughly warm up are detrimental to the overall health of a vehicle, imho.
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Old 10-08-2020, 02:22 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by 3LOU5 View Post
Do what I do:

Drive a sedan one day, then a Spyder the next day, then a half-ton pickup the next, then a Harley, then finally a minivan.

Or something to that effect. You know, "spread the wealth".

Damn, that's a lot of very different vehicles.
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Old 10-08-2020, 02:36 PM   #20
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Well, this is kind of where I was headed.

To John's point, I like driving the Miata in the winter just fine. It does have an LSD and good winter tires. It's more of an NVH thing with that car.

No need to rush into anything yet.
My concern would be your vulnerability in a Miata on the highway every day. If I were your wife I would spend a lot of time trying to convince you to drive the safer car. Your kids have only one father.
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