Here’s a 2008 Bentley with the old V8 that one can buy for ‘Camry money’:
At $38,500, Could This 2008 2008 Bentley Arnage Mulliner Fit You To A T?
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Sweet! You can tell how I voted. No, I’m not going to buy it, but it’s fun to think about. My real dream Bentley is a Brooklands Coupe, even less practical than the Arnage in the ad.
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I looked at the article, and voted “nice price”, even though it’s not something I would want. Although I realize $38k is ridiculously cheap for a car which probably cost $200k new, the fact remains that I wouldn’t even pay $30k for a new vehicle, and I wouldn’t even pay $10k for a used vehicle. Comparing this to a Toyota Camry is a no-brainer. I’d get the Toyota Camry.
If you won’t even pay $30k for a new car, then you can forget buying even the base model new Camry
A Corolla costs a little less, though
This guy’s wealthy enough to repair his Turbo R when something went wrong. Ended up getting top dollar at auction because of the documentation and service history. Even independent services weren’t cheap but parts were available. This was a 1 owner well maintained cat that sat after the owner died and Matt and his wife saw the car in the neighborhood. Paid $20k and put as much into the car.
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Sellers are asking $6000 for Miata MX-5 in very good condition. Take caution before spending “Rolls Royce” money on restoration of this car before selling.
Owning and driving a Miata isn’t a financial decision. People buy them because they think they’re fun and a little unique. They’re not practical daily transportation. So the value of the car and the money and effort people put into them is highly subjective. Me, I’m a little too big for those cars. I look like a stuffed sausage roll when I’m sitting in (wearing?) one.
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Replace the battery and see if it starts. Some people will disable the ignition and crank it to get oil pressure first.
Yeah, I never understood the allure of this model. A Toyota Tercel would be more useful for transportation (it has a back seat and a larger trunk), and a Ford Probe or Saturn SC would be a much better sports car (as well as offering a back seat and larger trunk). A Mazda Miata only has two seats, a minuscule trunk, and it’s not such a great sports car. Even a Dodge Shadow or Pontiac Sunfire offers better performance,
How can you compare a roadster to a Toyota Tercel, Ford Probe, Saturn SC, Dodge Shadow or Pontiac Sunfire . . . ?!
They’re totally different cars
The Miata was never even in the same segment
It wasn’t competing with those cars
I think I Miata might be fun . . .
But it would be IN ADDITION to a regular car
I think it’s safe to say almost nobody . . . except you . . . buys a Miata thinking about trunk space
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+1
A neighbor owned a Miata, in addition to an Audi Sedan and an Audi SUV. He loved the Miata, and only used it occasionally–for fun.
A couple of years ago, he traded the Miata for a new Corvette, which is also his “fun” car. Both the Miata and the Corvette were/are driven less than 3k miles annually.
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More practical? Yes. Better sports car? No way.
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The Mazda Miata is also a RWD (NOT a FWD), so another reason they are in a different playing field and can NOT (properly) be compared to the Tercel, Probe, Saturn, Shadow or Sunfire etc etc, they are apples to oranges comparisons, in totally different category’s, they don’t even handle the same on a track…
The Miata has an almost cult following also, they even have bolt in aftermarket Lift Kits for off roading them…
Me? I am not a big Miata fan, just not my cup of Tea, so no dog in this fight…
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Well, you can get creative and put in some struts from a 4-Runner…
Exactly, so it has much better road manners than a Probe or Shadow.
For the interested crowd, those are plusses and not minuses. 
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Why not just go all the way for off-roading, and buy a lifted version of the world’s only subcompact convertible AWD vehicle, the Suzuki X90?
Believe it or not, lots of subcompact vehicles like the Suzuki’s etc run a Gear Reduction Hubs (Portal Gear Lift) to not only raise the vehicle 4,6,8" or whatever by lowering the wheel mount for running very tall tires and the gear reduction offsets the low power of the tiny engines… Think of them as mini monster trucks…
Here is the/a guy from the R4T shop talking about gear portal lifts and how they help with ground clearance for like rock crawlers and jokingly Mall Crawling… lol
The oscillation of some of these off road rigs are insane…
Yes, lots of them are setup for off the grid camping for weeks at a time, with solar panels installed, roof top tents etc, the wiring is crazy on some of these trucks…
Much shorter video of a Suzuki (Jimmy)…
Back to reality, my check list has been:
- Does it start and runs “cleanly”?
- Does it drive w/o any obvious problems?
- Do all the electrics work?
- Is there rust or corrosion?
- And on Modern Cars, what is the condition of the “plastics”? If the part ( door latches, cyclops lights, head;amps, etcs) is seriously degraded can you actually get a replacement part?
From the view point of an Informed Buyer these are the important questions and the offering price will vary accorantly.
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I know I’m late to post, but please which one of these is still in production? Might as well include the Geo Metro.
