raptor5244
Active Member
FWIW, if you can afford it I would keep the MX-5. The MP3 is awesome and the instant torque is intoxicating and it does indeed entertain in other ways but just like anything in life you get used to it. If you are like me you will miss some of the exhaust note, vibration, lightness and winding out the gears top down. I own both now. The M3P is the silent rocket daily driver and the Miata is for those nice days when you want to drop the top and row you own gears. While I am a huge fan of Tesla EVs a part of me is sad to say goodbye to some of the older cars.I'm trading in my lowered MX5 ND for a M3P - hadn't expected to be doing that when I went for a test drive at Tesla - had recently test driven a Hyundai i30n and ultimately passed on it as it wasn't as much fun as the Mazda. I've always been a fan of the slow car fast philosophy (loved driving the basic Elise and Caterham 7) and loved every one of the 80000 miles I've put on the MX5 over the last 5 years with my 90 mile daily commute including the top down motoring in the winter - - and had sworn I would never get an automatic car - but the Tesla M3 offers lots of aspects that you can enjoy as a car guy even though you'll miss some things - sure it's heavy and the steering's not the most communicative (like a lot of modern cars), but it's fun to drive - it feels planted and the instant torque is great and the whole EV experience is a whole new world to explore, something I'm really looking forward to. As others have mentioned, the lack of noise allows you to tune in to other aspects of the driving experience.
I still can’t believe there is no more manual option in the C8 Corvette...