Going from a Miata to a Sky?

[Corrado]

Don't kill me if this has been asked before, but anyone here gone from a Miata to a Sky/Solstice? (or vice versa)

The reason I ask is because my girlfriend LOVES the Sky, (and I do too!) but her current car is a Mazda 3, being leased, still one year left. The Mazda salesman of course recommended the Miata over the Sky. Now if you ask me, looks wise, the Sky is light years ahead of the Miata. No question. I would love to drive my girlfriends new Sky, but I'll take a pass on the Miata! Yes, I know they are decent cars, and handle great, but it just feels like I'd have to turn in my man card to drive one.

The Mazda person claimed the Sky was TERRIBLE on gas, costed ALOT more, not reliable,ect ect. obviously he is biased but that still bothers me.
Really tired of the whole "Japanese cars are better than American Cars" rhetoric. I will give the Miata some benefits of the hard top convertible, and a bigger trunk, but thats it.

Anyways, just curious to anyone who has experience owning both.

[RMFNSKY]

Yea the Skys have their problems BUT, Get the Sky you'll never look back!!

[Midnight Sky]

I looked at the Miata when I was shopping for a car. The Miata has a bigger trunk. The Miata has an option for a very cool power operated top. The Miata and the base Sky have virtually the same gas mileage (22/27 for Miata and 21/27 for Sky) but the Redline has slightly better gas mileage at 21/30. Of course, some people have seen beeter mileage than the factory claims and others have seen worse. The Sky looks (IMHO) waaaaay cooler than the Miata. And the finally, a base Sky is comparably priced to a base model Miata; while I ordered my Redline for about $1500 less than a fully loaded Miata at a local dealership here.

For me it was a no-brainer........get the SKY!!!

Hope this helps.

[RedSkyMan]

A suspect a lot of us have looked at the Miata, but you have to ask yourself, do you want a one night stand or a life long love affair.

[jus2shy]

I know in the Solstice Forum, 24mpg combined is about the average for a Base Solstice. In my Sky Redline, I've averaged over 30 mpg on long distance freeway trips. My daily trips are usually around 26 to 27 mpg combined. My last tank was a little over 28 mpg combined cycle, I have 4000 miles on my Sky. My old 2003 Sentra SE-R Spec_V had the same gas mileage. I just get 100 more HP with my sky . I can't wait to get summer octane and see how my MPG improves! I usually get 1 to 2 mpg better with my old Sentra.

[GaryH]

With the problems I've had with my Sky (covered under warranty and fixed), my guess is that the Miata quality is better than the Sky. Maybe after building Skys for 20 years, like Mazda has been doing with the Miata, all the bugs will be worked out of the Sky. I never had any desire to own or drive a Miata. The first time I saw a picture of a Sky on an internet web site, I had to have one. Would I trade even up for a Miata? NO! NEVER!

[Celt03]

I get about 26mpg around town with my RedLine &
surprisingly I got 30mpg the other day on the run even with doing all that shifting as I slowed and sped around all those twisties.
I have not done a long trip with it yet, that would be none that are not doing a twistie type run .

[Blue Sky Redline]

miata ? M I A T A ?
rotflmbfao !!!!

[blackredline]

Originally Posted by Corrado

anyone here gone from a Miata to a Sky/Solstice? (or vice versa)

Mazda salesman of course recommended the Miata over the Sky. The Mazda person claimed the Sky was TERRIBLE on gas, costed ALOT more, not reliable,ect ect. obviously he is biased but that still bothers me.
Really tired of the whole "Japanese cars are better than American Cars" rhetoric. I will give the Miata some benefits of the hard top convertible, and a bigger trunk, but thats it.

Anyways, just curious to anyone who has experience owning both.

Sorry you haven't gotten any response from someone who has had both. I wonder how many people have had both. Even though they are both about the same size and market segment, I believe they cater to two different demographics.

Without trying to generalize too much, I would bet Miata owners are more typically women and/or previous/current owners of Japanese cars. It seems Sky buyers are somewhat more typically male and/or American car buyers.

Am I saying that only traitors and women should buy Miatas and real manly patriots buy Skies? No, I have merely observed that Miatas tend to be driven by women and Japanese car owners. Many women own Skies but the appeal seems to be a little different.

I was on a Christmas booze cruise and this guy asked another guy "Did you get that Miata you were talking about?" His response was "After I did months of research, my buddy said I would be gay if I got it so I gave up on the Miata." I didn't say anything because I didn't want to put him on the spot but I felt like saying "Get what you want and don't care what people think."

The Miata is a great car and most people are very happy with them. The electric top and bigger trunk would be nice to have. Some salespeople are professional BSers. They want the sale. They want to convince you to spend your money with them so they get the commission. They will emphasize their vehicle's strengths and omit their disadvantages. Some may even regurgitate every potential flaw they have heard or seen on the internet. We all know how reliable every tidbit of info on the net is. I would ask the salesman specifically what is unreliable about the Sky and what kind of mileage the two cars get?

I never considered the Miata but did look at the BMW and Mercedes offerings before selecting what works best for me. My wife and I have been extremely happy with this car. On the freeway at 80mph my car gets 31 mpg. Around town, it is difficult to not get on the gas because it is so fun. Combined mpg has been about 24 because of the fun factor. When gas gets to $4/gal, we will have to ease off the fun a bit but NOT get rid of the car. There have been a few minor warranty issues but they have been taken care of quickly. One service manager tried to pull a fast one on us just as your sales guy is trying to pull a fast one on you.

Sky owners are biased and Miata salesmen are biased. With further research, you will find what is best for you and your GF! Good luck!!

[JohnD]

Price-wise the Miata and the base SKY are pretty close. They are also pretty close on performance. The Red Line, for a couple of grand more, blows away the Miata.

Both the Solstice and SKY are kicking the Miata's butt on the track. The Miata has been around for a long time, and sales have been pretty much on a steady decline since they were first introduced in North America.

In short, the Miata is "yesterday's news." If you want something old and boring, and made in Japan as well, then the Miata is probably a safe way to go.

If you want something different and better then I would opt for a SKY. The SKY still turns heads. The Miata never does.

As for me personally, I could never drive a Miata. First of all I don't do Japanese cars. Secondly, both of my sisters have Miatas (note "sisters") and when I got to drive one the top of the windshield is directly in front of my eyes, and the seat cannot go far enough back for me to get my knees off of the dashboard. It seems to me that the car is engineered for the smaller-framed amongs us, like women and Japanese, and not six-foot-one American men.

I have had two Porsches, two Opel GTs and a Triumph Spitfire. The SKY is by far the most fun and best handling of all of them... The Miata isn't as fun as any of them.

But that's just me.

[reedred]

My mother has been driving Miatas for the last fifteen years. They're great cars, and she's loved each one dearly. She's spent some time driving my Sky and while she did enjoy it and readily admits it's far more attractive, it's just not right for her. The trunk and lack of a hardtop are dealbreakers for her, and she really loves that Miata 'feel.' I on the other hand was totally smitten by the Sky's looks before I ever saw it in person, so I probably still would've bought it if it drove like a Buick Century.

I'd tend to agree with blackredline- check them both out thoroughly and let her decide what works best for her.

BTW, jayman went from a Sky to a Mazdaspeed 3 last year. He was back in about 4 months.

[1812]

The accounting supervisor where I work bought a miata and I do not feel safe at all in that thing. Much smaller cabin. More peeps look at my Sol over his um, miata.

[Corrado]

hey thanks all!

I agree 200% the Sky would be a better choice, and its WAY better looking too. I also know that if she did go with the Miata, she would regret it especially when she sees a Sky on the road. She's on this forum too, much more than me in fact, but she's more of a lurker, a 'lil shy. She's reading all your posts, and she admits the sky is nicer, and more exclusive too.

maybe she'll chime in herself...

[reedred]

Sweet! We've been looking for a newbie!

[Celt03]

Originally Posted by Corrado

hey thanks all!

I agree 200% the Sky would be a better choice, and its WAY better looking too. I also know that if she did go with the Miata, she would regret it especially when she sees a Sky on the road. She's on this forum too, much more than me in fact, but she's more of a lurker, a 'lil shy. She's reading all your posts, and she admits the sky is nicer, and more exclusive too.

maybe she'll chime in herself...

And MOST of the people are nicer ... though there are a few exceptions though...

[reedred]

[xmicro_Redline]

Performance, looks, and cool factor....no comparison........ the SKY is the only way to go.

But the SKY has the long hood and sits very low, and for some people that have a hard time parking, etc, these make it scary to drive.

As far as the Miata'a looks, I have only ever seen the front of the car ...... IN MY REAR VIEW MIRROR!!!

[cerberus]

No surprises here. 'Course a Sky forum may have a preference.

Either way, I quote my favorite line from KappaMan, "Just buy the car you fell in love with..."

[ousoonersgirl]

Originally Posted by Corrado

Don't kill me if this has been asked before, but anyone here gone from a Miata to a Sky/Solstice? (or vice versa)

The reason I ask is because my girlfriend LOVES the Sky, (and I do too!) but her current car is a Mazda 3, being leased, still one year left. The Mazda salesman of course recommended the Miata over the Sky. Now if you ask me, looks wise, the Sky is light years ahead of the Miata. No question. I would love to drive my girlfriends new Sky, but I'll take a pass on the Miata! Yes, I know they are decent cars, and handle great, but it just feels like I'd have to turn in my man card to drive one.

The Mazda person claimed the Sky was TERRIBLE on gas, costed ALOT more, not reliable,ect ect. obviously he is biased but that still bothers me.
Really tired of the whole "Japanese cars are better than American Cars" rhetoric. I will give the Miata some benefits of the hard top convertible, and a bigger trunk, but thats it.

Anyways, just curious to anyone who has experience owning both.

I didn't own a Miata but that was the 2nd car I looked at when I was car shopping. It sure seems like a tiny car even smaller than the Sky. When I sat in the drivers side I felt cramped (and I'm a skinny ole thing). My poor hubby sat in the passenger side and huffed and puffed his way out of it.

Its a cute car but in my opinion I think the Sky is by far better looking. The decision was Superman fast for me. I chose the SKY!!

[SKYMRK]

Warning... This is a no Miata zone! Miatas have their advantages, but skys rule.