[airansun]

Rather than intrude on the S2000 thread, I thought I'd start one for Miatas.

Two days ago, I picked up a new Alpine White M240i. It joins a 2003 Miata SE that I bought in 2009 with only 40,000 miles; it now has over 120k. I also owned a 1990 Miata from new to about 150,000 miles, when I gave it to my son (who totaled it one rainy night, without any serious injury).

This is not my first BMW: in 1995, I bought an E36 M3, also alpine white, on impulse. Put about 125k on it before all its 'little problems' overwhelmed me. That was the irony: I bought the M3 to REPLACE the '90 Miata, because it already had nearly 100k on it, but sold the M3 in 2003, BEFORE I sold that Miata. The '90 Miata may have been a hard car to drive long distance (I drove it across country one time), but it was a 'better car' than the M3 because it never stranded me and always put a smile on my face. Don't get me wrong, I loved that M3 and was sorry to see it go, but strandings are not easily forgiven (fuel sending unit in tank failed on I-5 on a 100+ degree day). The underside air dam also blew off the car two separate times at about 80mph on I-5, which were real Wow!s but not strandings; I finally had my local body shop put on a regular 3-series partial belly pan instead. It burned thru at least five tail lights. The speed sensor stopped working on a long trip, leading all the electronic systems to throw codes, lights and warnings/threats. My local dealer misassembled the double vanos after a major service, resulting in bent valves that they and BMW would only pay part of the repair for. I could go on. But doing a 25mph cloverleaf at 60, like you were on rails, is an experience few cars can so simply provide.

I've never had a Miata strand me. Once, the headlight motor failed in the '90, but you just popped the hood and operated it manually. Never replaced more than a single light bulb, other than one headlight, in each car. The really major service, at 60k, is maybe $2,000.00, all totaled. When the BMW salesperson reviewed all the service costs for my new M240i (trying to get me to buy one of 'the plans'), I realized I was back in BMW territory again. Sigh.

In 2000, I started riding motorcycles, mostly old BMWs: '64 R60/2, '76 R90/6, '81 R100CS LE, '92 K75RT, '02 K1200RS, '05 R1200GS, '06 HP2, in addition to a '62 Norton 88SS, 1933 Rudge Ulster and an Aprilia Mille RSVR. By 2005, I stopped driving cars entirely and rode everywhere, regardless of weather. In ten years, I rode a total of 200,000 miles.

(I should admit at this point that I work as a consultant. During the last twenty years, I've had to travel all over California to work with clients. All those California motorcycle rides, with very few exceptions, were on back roads. I can't tell you how much those backroad miles reinforced my love for this State.)

Anyway, in 2009, yet another 'minor' motorcycle accident caused me to question what I was doing. While waiting for X-rays in urgent care, I decided I'd rather be walking at 80 than riding at sixty (I was 59 at the time). I sold the bikes I had and started looking for a car.

By 2009, new E92 M3s were: too expensive for me, had lost the wonderful straight six engine and were too big. So I started looking for used E46 M3s. But after a client stiffed me on a bill, I found myself looking at used NB Miatas instead; they were $15,000 to $20,000 less and wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg to maintain. I found the '03 Miata on Craigslist.

I have been known to sit in my garage, contemplating the lines of the Miata just after it's been washed and waxed. I never did that with the M3. I don't think I'll ever do that with the M240i. I've always been proud to tell people I drive a Miata and have always hesitated to tell them I drive a BMW.

Some recent back issues caused me to rethink driving the Miata long distance everywhere. The April edition of consumers reports had just arrived and, lying on an ice pack, I discovered how highly rated the M235i/M240i was. More research in other forums convinced me that I wanted an M240i. I found this site that day and read many threads.

After playing with build your own, I figured out what I wanted and used the Consumers Reports referral service. Two dealers contacted me right away. I told them, option by option, what I wanted. The dealer I went with got an April production slot (I see how much harder they seem to be getting to find).

So, alpine white, oyster leather, navigation, driving assistance, Harmon kardon, Apple car play, with wood trim (goes nicely with the oyster seats).

BMW car manuals are SO much better than Mazda's. I still feel like I'm being talked down to, but at least not by an imbecile.

A lot of what I've read here is quite true. The interior door hands are simply too far forward (and I have a '35 inch sleeve' arm). The sound system is disappointing EXCEPT I can't tell you how much I enjoy being able to hear the music I'm listening too. (I got used to never listening to music when I was driving the Miata unless I was prepared to wear in-ear headphone.)

The M240i will take a fair amount of getting used to, both due to the larger size and greater complication. I'm never going to be able to weave in and out of traffic on 19th Avenue in San Francisco with the M240i like I can with the Miata. It will be interesting to see how the M240i handles highway 17 to Santa Cruz in the rain (twisting, 40mph curves (some blind even below the speed limit), mountain overpass four lane, narrow, easily flooded, rush hour jammed, 18 wheelers in the right lane at 30mph or less); the '03 Miata, once I got the right tires on it, was pretty good. The '90 Miata was never okay in the rain, no matter what tires it wore. Slid sideways into the back of a pick truck in the rain in the '90 Miata. Driver's side door was crushed. A GREAT local Miata shop found a door at a local yard, same color and simply replaced mine. Less than $200.00. Seriously. I'm not going to even try to speculate what would constitute 'an amazing deal' to fix a crushed driver's side door on my M240i, because it hurts too much to even think about it.

The Miata feels light on its feet. The M240i feels planted. The Miata, if you'd like, easily dances with you; the BMW may not dance as easily for you, but it's a better partner in a different way. The M240i is 'there' for you in a deeper way because it cares about you, about your comfort. Honestly, the Miata is for the kid in me, who wants no compromises, and the M240i is for the adult, who knows how silly that is. I drive them VERY differently.

Sorry for length. Got carried away.

I'm generally a reader; I'll rarely post because you're all so much more knowledgeable. But, as a constant reader and a recent beneficiary of the accumulated wisdom of this list, Thank you, all of you.

Bob

[Fugly M3]

Awesome! I'll be the first, but probably not the last...

[overcoil]

You got a manual transmission in the 240 ?

[airansun]

Point well taken. You're right

But I'm still struggling to figure out how to post the pictures I just took. I'll figure it out...

[airansun]

Nope. I remember how stiff the M3 clutch was; rush hour traffic just made me want to kill somebody after more than 30 minutes. And I've started to get leg cramps sometimes in heavy traffic even in the Miata, which has a very light clutch. Getting old only sucks less than getting older still.

Besides, the automatic shifts faster than I could. BUT, I haven't owned an automatic since I gave my brother my '63 Buick Special in 1978.

[airansun]

Photos?

[NewM235Owner]

Airunson - I had a 2003 Miata which I loved and put about $40 into it over the three years I owned it (manual), I have a 2003 E46 330cic with 105k miles (manual) that i feel like I've put $92,000 in repairs into, and I have a 2015 M235 (manual), and I couldn't agree with you more about pretty much every point. And I still (generally) love the E46 but it tests me almost daily with something else going wrong with it. BMW just did not have the reliability thing down in 2003. Hopefully you'll enjoy the M240 as much as I love getting into my M235 and running it up, and hopefully both of our experiences with BMW's reliability in the past won't be repeated.

[Fugly M3]

Looks good!

[caycep]

Great thread...especially as I'm contemplating a ND miata to go with my 228i (assuming I can resist going M2...which may be easy given the availability and greater cost).

Just hope the N26 engine will last the long haul...but so far the 228i has been problem free for the 1st 20k miles. Aside from the dealer getting an extra $150 out of me for new tires (over what a Tire Rack set + install would have cost...)

[3rdcoast228i]

Nice! I love the alpine white on these cars.

Originally Posted by airansun

I have been known to sit in my garage, contemplating the lines of the Miata just after it's been washed and waxed. I never did that with the M3. I don't think I'll ever do that with the M240i. I've always been proud to tell people I drive a Miata and have always hesitated to tell them I drive a BMW.

I will admit I have paused after a good wash and wax to contemplate the curves on my 228i. I love the side profile of the 2 series.

[Maynard]

Congratulations on the new car, and thanks for the post. I cross-shopped Miatas against the 2 series, and decided against them for the same reasons you cited - figured that my body would end up making me quite using it as a DD, and I'd get sick of the cramped noisiness, even if it was a lot more engaging. Glad to see that reinforced, as I occasionally wonder. But I think once you get used to it, you'll find that the 240 is pretty nimble, and it has the '3rd dimension' of being able to rocket forwards into/out of spaces in traffic that I doubt any Miata could have w/o an added supercharger (I'd suggest setting your speed alarm now at something sane, or you may surprise yourself and the local CHPs).

[USA-RET]

I shopped a new Miata as a replacement for a 2015 Corvette. I had a Mini S w/ the JCW tune and loved the way the car handles. I'm not a "Convertible" guy, so the new Miata fast back was on my short list until I saw it wasn't a fast back at all. Corvette has huge storage and didn't want to lose that in the next car.

Miata also wasn't a good fit for me (6'2" 185lbs) W/ driver seat all the way back I felt like I need just about one more notch rearward travel to feel right. Was extremely disappointed in the interior. Very plasticy. Mini seemed so much nicer and put together (lots of BMW influences).

Wound up trading for the M240i and could not be happier. While not quite as nimble as the Mini (which I still have), I find that the more I drive the BMW, the more playful it becomes. The M240i is head and shoulders above the Mini in comfort and performance (course the Dinan Stage 1 I added helped that too).

[airansun]

I was going to get an ND Miata, probably and RF, even though I'm 6'3" and 190 lbs. (The NA and NB Miatas fit me like a glove, so long as I remember to duck down going over speed bumps when the hard tops were on; a couple of times, I hit my head so hard I was sure I'd put a permanent bulge in the hard top, to say nothing of my head). The ND generation is faster than any previous Miatas and looks quite good. Reasons I didn't?

1-my back and the increasing trouble of getting in and out of a low slung car.
2-the noisy cabin, even in the RF
3-the dashboard and controls mostly look exactly like those in my wife's newish Mazda3. Cheap materials, too much 'chrome' and not enough 'sports car'
4-Mazda's version of iDrive sucks hard. It's one of my wife's constant complaints, nearly every time she gets out of the car and I don't blame her.
5-You can't put your elbow on the window sill and hand on the roof anymore with the more recent side impact protection rules.

BTW, I was surprised to discover that the M240i is within an inch or two in external dimensions of the E36 M3; I would have bet the newer car was smaller. The M240i is an inch shorter and an inch narrower than my wife's Mazda3; I like that a lot.

[3.0L]

I went from a Mazda RX-8 to my M235i in 2014. I purchased the RX-8 new in 2004. Nice sporty car, if you kept the RPM's up. Gas mileage truly sucked, particularly for such a small engine (1.3L). It did flood on me once and it took me about 6 hours to get it "unflooded." Road handling was pretty darned good, and there was something about winding up that little Wankel to 9000 RPM every now and then that was quite satisfying.

Anyway, the transition from the RX-8 to the M235i was big. Huge increase in HP and torque. Better handling, better braking, better quality. I've never looked back.

[airansun]

I went from an '84 RX-7 GSL-SE to the '90 Miata. The RX-7 was my first real sports car and was classier than either Miata. But the driver's side door vibrated alarmingly at speeds over 120mph, due to the wind buffeting the window frame. And, it didn't dance as well as either Miata.

I almost bought a last generation RX-7 in the mid '90's cause they looked so beautiful (still think so), but was put off by the cheap interior materials. It's a shame nobody got the Wankel engine metallurgy squared away, because the concept is so much smarter than the hundred plus year old Otto cycle engine concept. No masses have to constantly reverse direction. I always wanted to put one in a Miata.

[3.0L]

I think two things killed the Wankel: poor fuel mileage and eventual difficulties meeting current smog requirements. Seems that the two go hand in hand.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by airansun

Nope. I remember how stiff the M3 clutch was; rush hour traffic just made me want to kill somebody after more than 30 minutes. And I've started to get leg cramps sometimes in heavy traffic even in the Miata, which has a very light clutch. Getting old only sucks less than getting older still.

Hmmmm....too bad you didn't try to find a manual to compare to your old M3. I find the clutch in my M235 to be very very light. Almost too light. The stock clutch in my 2012 WRX was twice as heavy and had better take-up feel. Evne after 1.5 years of ownership, I still find the clutch pedal too light. It's not like a Honda clutch, but it's close. It's lighter than my buddies 2000 Miata's stock clutch as well.

My ONLY gripe about the 6MT in these cars is the quick clutch take-up in 1st. It can make leaving the line slowly and smoothly a chore. If you want to leave the line moderately or quickly, it's perfect. Once underway and during hard driving, the tranny and clutch are money. I've never had a car so easy to rev match downshift. Simply mash the gas to the floor rapidly and release and it's almost always a perfect rev match.

Shift feel is nearly perfect once you add the MP shift knob.

[StarMan]

WECLOME!

I too had an NB Miata -- 2002 Miata SE (with tupperware) and it was a fun little toy. Only thing that i had to replace was the fuel pump..and even that was super easy and cheap to fix.

I also had a 95 2 door e36 M3 in Cosmos Black (with rare Grey Alcantara interior)..... to date it still remains my favorite car i have ever owned! (and i've owned a bunch). It was actually very reliable assuming you did the usual maintenance (Guibo, vanos, cooling over haul, etc), but the interior started to fall apart at 160k. I had a light flywheel on the M3 so it was very easy after leg day .. of course i had the infamous clatter noise, but meh

I have the M235i, but i can imagine the M240i is just as good! It makes a great DD. However, i missed the third pedal and mechanical steering so much that went out and bought a "beater" 2007 NC Miata with LSD to take care of that ...now a days the Bimmer stays in the garage looking pretty while i beat the crap out of the Miata

[bryan_G01]

time to cage and swap an LS into that miata!

[falkdal]

Nice thread. I'm really torn as I want to get a fun convertible and I have the ND 30th anniversary special edition Miata on order (or rather reservation, no idea when they're actually gonna build them). But with 2 kids it means I can only drive it by myself or if I run around with just one kid. Or I could get an M235i/240i convertible and have top down fun every time I drive cause it'll fit all of us. The kids are obviously voting for that one.

I can't justify buying two cars in close succession, but I'm hesitant to give up the reservation on the Miata because this edition is pretty epic with the unique paint, interior, wheels, and option configs (basically a maxed out GT trim + all the chassis upgrades from the Club + Apple CarPlay) and I think it's going to hold it's value well and would be really fun to have in 8 years to teach my kids to drive stick in. It's a one time deal to get one (unless people end up selling theirs down the road) while an M235/240 is available to pickup any time. On the other hand buying a car I can rarely drive doesn't sound awesome, and I did just find my preferred color combo with a manual transmission for a good price.

Argh!

[ledpocket]

My first car was an '80 rx-7. Year round in the north east for 3 years. Fun car! It was a four speed and 1st gear would get you up to 50mph. Lol.

Fast forward 30 years and I picked up an '06 nc. 1st car in a decade that didn't have traction control and I found myself doing donuts unexpectedly. Traded it for a '14 nc prht. Loved the hard top and the car treated me better with traction control, BUT, about five minutes into my first drive, an old lady rear ended me...and it led to the next 6 months of me constantly checking the rear view for a repeat. The car is just so damn small compared to all the SUVs out there. It was fun, but the magic was gone.

I'd take a Miata to the track or auto crossing but to drive in traffic ...I'm out.

Just got my m240 after having a couple 230's and it's def a different experience than the Miata. Fun in a different way. And a whole lot quicker! I think it's quicker than the '10 135ci M-Sport I had.

I miss the vert but not a fan of soft tops. Too bad the 240 vert didn't have a hard top.

[CP911]

New Miata is horrible. You can look up my old posts giving more detail, but in short, it had terrible seating ergonomics, lousy interior quality, and did not offer a thrilling ride in terms of power delivery. I was very disappointed after all the decades of hype over the Miata. One extended test drive with it made my decision easy to go with the M240i instead. No regrets.

On the other hand, I have driven as a passenger in a stock AP1 S2000 and it was sensational! I tried finding a good one to buy, but they had all been modified to no end or were too expensive when found in "time capsule" condition. I am waiting eagerly for Honda to bring back the S2000 in true form.