What Fun Car Should I Buy? Old vs New!

( www.alltfl.com/ ) Check out our new spot to find ALL our content, from news to videos and our podcasts! Welcome back to TFL Car Chat! In this live, mid-week bonus episode, Tommy and Roman talk about which is better for the ultimate fun car! A new Mazda Miata or an old BMW i8?
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#podcast #miata #bmw

[@bryaninnc5511]

Between the two of these, the Miata all day long, but it should be the rag top. I had an ND and I regret selling it. I will definitely be getting another. BTW, I'm a "tech pro" and I avoid overly-tech'd cars.

[@jasper_of_puppets]

tech bro*

[@bryaninnc5511]

@@jasper_of_puppets I’m a tech professional, not someone who just likes technology 🙂

[@jasper_of_puppets]

@@bryaninnc5511 exactly what a tech bro would say

[@bryaninnc5511]

@@jasper_of_puppets😂

[@ctbryant09]

Good healthy debate, i8 is still beautiful, I say buck the maintenance cost if you decided to go with. Enjoy it until it's annoying and don't lose much money on it. Miatas will always Miata 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@CoolTatts]

Yep, I bought a 2012 Mini Cooper S Hardtop (R56) with the N18 engine. Mint condition with only 10K miles. 12 years old and was the previous owner's toy before he got bored. It's our family's fun car, and the kids can use it to get around. To me, that's the best type of fun car 😊

[@spcneary]

Read up on horror stories of BMWs support on this car. I think it was rich rebuilds that detailed i8 ownership really well a while back.

[@jamesstephen5694]

Miata RF, Have a wonderful evening from Florida.

[@nobatteriesincluded3968]

6 cylinder Camaro with a performance package for 45k is a fun option don’t shoot the messenger 😅

[@michaelc2254]

I don’t understand the entry/exit complaints. I will be 73 next month and have no trouble at all getting in and out and I am 6 feet tall - neither does my wife and she is 70. I have a 2015 i8 that I have had for 6.5 years and the battery has hardly degraded at all, though I expect it will eventually. And this car is quicker than people think as Tommy found out racing the Mustang. There will always be quicker cars, heck Hyundais and Kias are beating supercars to 60 - the whole 0-60 paradigm has shifted. Plus I am getting 50 mpg. I love the car.

[@dondon-tn1xs]

C7 Corvette

[@StardustADV]

Im not a tech bro, but I would love the i8, yes I would daily it lol. Not the most practical, but it speaks to me! Happy to hear they are not known for problems. Also, came here after the drag race, very happy to see this thing is faster then people say! my current 30 year old BMW 740iL is still running strong at 226,000 miles. Though that likely is because it is a driver.

[@grayhawkjl947]

Congrats Roman, I remember you tried to buy one of these during covid (I think) from an on line service and it was a mess. Great looking car and a what a great drive home that must have been!

[@sternumboy1]

I remember that, and it was almost twice the price back then

[@r23w]

Vroom I think right?

[@vtsean5840]

I would love to see Paul do a track test of your I8. And I do think it will be a classic. I also think it is one of TFL’s best buy choices. I love the powertrain. And how many fast exotic looking cars get 36 mpg? I hope you keep it.

[@directorjustin]

The i8 would have been super cool as a full EV.

[@AdAstra78]

No EV can be 'super cool'...

[@zoomnpa9905]

I had really good snow tires on my Miata and DAILY drove it all winter in the ice and snow with zero problems in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It’s obviously not a 4x4, but it’s a surprisingly capable car as long as you know how to adjust your driving to winter style :-)

[@hereigoagain5050]

Mazda Miata all the way. Much more fun to drive than the i8. At some point in the near future the i8 will not be repairable if the electronics fail.

[@fritty9927]

All you’ll get with that BMW are empty pockets.

[@Boobtube.]

10-4 BMW = money pit

[@jamesbeaman6337]

Until you sell it in 10 years

[@BR549_o7]

@@jamesbeaman6337 what good does that do, if for 10 years you spent all the "appreciation value" on repairing it. At that point, when you sell, your just getting money back you already spent.

[@jamesbeaman6337]

@@BR549_o7because you pockets aren’t empty and you’ve had the use of the car for 10 years? Just as you assume one might spend as much as the car is worth over 10 years for upkeep, I could just as easily assume spending $20k and selling it for $10 or $20k more 10 yrs down the road than I paid for it.

[@BR549_o7]

@@jamesbeaman6337 Everybody has opinions. BMW is not known to be rock solid as far as repairs go. I would rather stay away from something that has a bad history than "take a chance" and find out. You do you and I will do me.

[@williammodlin2621]

The sad thing is that for the cost of the BMW, which in my mind is a truly lustworthy car, you could have a brilliant used C6 Corvette or newer with money left over.

[@davidcarey4803]

I wish they’d build a “Grand Miata” for us bigger guys…

[@williamhadley1580]

That's actually a lot roomier than the OG Miata. I'm a bigger guy and I fit no problem.

[@dalilyons9746]

Whether you like it or not the i8 will beat the Mustang from a standing start. Rolling is another matter. My wife has the 2019 Mini Hybrid with the exact same powertrain and it get off the line rather quick.

[@kirkwagner461]

Are you made of money, and have an interest in unusual exotic cars? Consider the i8. And brace for insane repair bills. Otherwise, Miata, preferably the ragtop imo. Re: Miata's in Winter. I owned an NB, bought new, for 17 years. It was my 4 season daily driver. I had a set of snow tires for it on their own wheels, so I'd switch to snows around xmas time, then back to Summers in early Spring, by just changing 4 tires. Worked fine for me. Driving that i8 in winter should be a crime. The Miata? It was a blast in snow.

[@sail72]

I agree with Roman on both, BMW is the drag race winner and the car to buy (even if it looses the race).

[@AdAstra78]

I had an Alfa Romeo Brera, so i appreciate crap cars that look amazing. It's just not worth it. Reolaced it with one of these Mazdas and, whilst i dont gawp at it in the same way, it's a bettrer car on every other level.

[@greggesaman535]

I love the i8 in every way - except the power train. The complexity and maintenance with BMW repair costs - can’t do it.

[@mattlimberg5763]

Between the 2, Miata. Simple and they really use the same amount of fuel. Since the I8 is used, it means I could introduce another used vehicle for the price, and that has to be a Vette, Z, or Boxster and I would choose the Vette as it is the best value and everything you want out of a performance vehicle, the I8 just gets the GT aspect added to it.

[@falcon64z8]

Im with Tommy on this one

[@carperdiem8754]

I remember your i8 vroom nightmare. I was i8 shopping, but went with a gen 3 viper for reliability. Plus a manual v10 is bonkers

[@markcoopers1930]

I try to drive my ND2 exclusively on twisty mountain/valley roads in a "spirited" manner AND I have to drive through a city to get anywhere. My lifetime fuel efficiency is still 33.6 mpg. For being on sale since 2016 and not rare, every now and then I'll go to a C&C or cruise night, be the only one, and get people who've never seen one and ask about it. Even if I'm parked next to a Lotus 😅. And we just installed a hard dog tow hitch/bike rack on my buddies' ND because he drives his year round and takes it up to trail heads.

[@kjounblat]

I don’t like the looks of the i8, though striking, it looks like a concept car

[@stevekniess3665]

Either one would be a cool weekend car but i would get a used vette or Camaro just because the V8. Just my preference

[@CopCat34]

We had an early 1980s ies Miata convertible. They are a blast to drive and so much fun. Buy the Miata.

[@stevekniess3665]

Came out in 1989

[@AJourneyOfYourSoul]

I would say Miata, but you won’t fit in it. Get a new corvette.

[@Dhej-ig3xf]

Should be on a Thumbnail: Target Audience... 60y/o Above 50k for fun...

[@shellstud34]

Nsx would be better

[@edwined82]

Love watching your videos

[@Hiluxtaco]

The BMW i8 would be a far more valuable used car if it had a Non-Hybrid/Electric powertrain.. If only they had slapped one of their inline six cylinders, or a V8 in this thing. Yeah, then it would be an instant classic. As it is now? As a 10+ year old hyrbrid with that stupid 3-cylinder engine in the back? I doubt it will be anywhere near as collectible as Roman thinks that it's going to be...

[@dannyphamous]

Miata ND! Would like the i8 for less

[@mikemcallister3138]

Why compare ?

[@user-jz2qi8st2m]

Better you compare a Yaris GR and a Miata

[@porcelainthunder2213]

The BMW will make the choice for you. It WILL break and be unrepairsble. That BMW 3 cyl is a junk motor and a maintenance nightmare. Dealers won’t even touch them. The Miata will go 20 years easily, with minimal maintenance. The Miata will also hold its value better.

what a Tesla model3 performance is not a fun car.. especially the new one..ridiculous

[@elizabethhopkins3826]

Premium sports cars are not the greatest in snow. Those cars are for warm weather season driving.

[@jrp1981ful]

Someone need to do a engine swap in the bmw i8 im thinking gr Corolla

[@rosswallace2969]

Could get a old viper though

buy a bmw I8

[@Stuka87]

I remember running across several i8's back before they were announced in full camo doing high altitude testing where I am. At the time I did not know what they were, other than likely a BMW as all the support vehicles were BMW X5s. The car has really aged well from a looks perspective. But it was a bummer it didn't have the performance to match the high end manufacturing and construction process.

[@jasper_of_puppets]

Miata .Is Always The Answer

[@AdAstra78]

Such an annoying saying. Almost put me off buying one. What if I'm six and a half feet tall with six kids. Still the answer..(?)

[@jasper_of_puppets]

@@AdAstra78 I think you already know the answer...

[@AdAstra78]

@@jasper_of_puppets Damn you...that made me chuckle.

[@jasper_of_puppets]

@@AdAstra78 😜

[@mikel2887]

who has money to spend?

[@luisbarraza9709]

I’m with Roman. I8 not only one of the best looking BMWs ever it also a flex if their engineering muscle. I think it will be a classic, kinda like the E39 M5.

[@philipbanks6542]

BMW is the ultimate driving machine when you are driving it and it's not in the shop being repaired. BMW BROKEN MOTOR WORLD

I think you over paid for it at $49k.. it will depreciate more as its still a used car.. I like the BMW I3 better as a future collector car..

[@mcnuggetapple]

Think that would be far worse when it comes to being a future classic. there’s a lot more of them and they are fully electric

[@LetMeCook86]

Geez just milking that Miata for videos…

[@Stuka87]

You cannot put track tires into a Miata. Tommy is thinking of the GR86/BRZ, which you can (and I have) put four track tires into with the back seats folded down.

[@PrincessTS01]

BUY A JEEP