No questions here, just thought I’d share my car buying story from March of this year. This cars was basically planned to be my 60th birthday present and my plans started with a very clear end in mind.

I fully intended to purchase a brand new 2021 Miata Club. So when they finally started arriving earlier this year I took my wife out with me for a test drive. She absolutely wanted to love the car and indeed did except for one simple matter... The passenger side footwell is so small that she legitimately could not fit both her feet/legs and her purse in there. As she knew this was a car that I had wanted for a very long time, I’m sure she would have said yes if I pushed it, however not pushing things like this is part of the reason why we have been happily married for 32 years!

Fortunately I am a big planner when it comes to car purchases and part of this included comparisons with many other sporty cars. So I reviewed my extensive spreadsheet and ultimately my list helped my narrow my search down to three cars that I would test drive.

#3 - 2021 Kia Stinger GT V6:
Given that practicality (as well as bells & whistles) are what my wife looks for, the Stinger would of have been her first choice and I fully admit it really is a very nice car and goes like hell. Would it last as long as a Toyota, no, but then I probably won’t put 4K miles/year on this car. Additionally, neither of my “Toyota” options were true Toyotas. Ultimately the Stinger was just way bigger than what I really wanted and given that we already have a Honda Pilot, we didn’t need the extra size and space.

#2 - 2021 Toyota Supra 2.0L:
This was certainly a nicer car than the 86 and had way more power. But frankly it was nowhere near as engaging to drive. I have been tracking my previous car, purely for enjoyment, for the past 5 years. So this was something that really stuck in my craw. I could not get past the idea of spending $20K+ more for a car that was not as enjoyable to drive. The other simple factor was that I know that I would have regretted getting the 2.0 over the 3.0. I most certainly could afford it, but I simply wasn’t willing to spend that much money.

#1 - 2020 Toyota GT86:
After deciding to pass on the Miata I started to get stuck into thinking I needed more power. But eventually I came back to the thought that I would have been happy with the lower horsepower of the Miata, so that really should not be a factor. Like the Miata, the 86 had both the advantage and disadvantage of being naturally aspirated. The advantage of the simplicity and reliability, but the disadvantage of me being at an elevation of over 5K feet above sea level which meant a 15% loss in horsepower on an already low HP vehicle. But as I said, I had made my peace with the lower power. Still it was every bit as fun to drive as the Miata and far more so than the other two cars. It also have the benefit of being the least expensive of the three options and frankly I am a cheapskate at heart. Ultimately it was an easy decision.

So here I am 8 months after purchasing the car and I am completely content with my decision. I’ve taken the car to the track twice where I hang out with a large group of BRZ/86 guys that run in the 86 Cup group. I’ve taken a couple of nice mountain drives (a benefit of Colorado) and have a car that I was easily able to pay cash for.

So there it is, I’m not looking for validation from anyone, but still if you have any thoughts or comments I’d love to hear them!