Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and quick info. You guys are quick!
I'll try to post pics that fit the forum's required size restrictions. For now, there's a link at the bottom of my first post with all the pics.
Also, is there any hidden dangers in posting one's car's vin? I don't mind if people want to look it up. Might even be helpful. But, wasn't sure if it is appropriate or might cause me to walk out to a missing car in the morning.
@JimVonBaden:
when the new mats come, I'll make sure to Velcro them on. This car has Coco mats, which upon reviewing their website and seeing Jay Leno's video on their website, still has me saying, PASS.
@edwardmagichands:
is the water pump something I need to do immediately? Or in addition to a tune up? Anything else to look into? I'll check the sticky, but maybe you have some other tips for me to know.
@rowsdower:
Just to let you know, I wasn't even looking for a convertible. It just ended up having a rag-top, and I'm already used to having one. Just leave nothing visible in the car worth stealing, and you likely won't have anyone breaking a window or cutting your top. One of the many joys of living in the SF Bay Area. Especially SF.
The early comparison:
The Miata (1.8L engine) has been great, aside from a few things like a bad O2 sensor that stalled the car on 680 south, near Walnut Creek. I picked up a hard top (and 2x TopLoc so the hard top is harder to steal), bc I thought that'd be easier than installing a roll bar (it is) and I didn't want to get T-boned and then have my car crush me when it flipped over. Thankfully, never happened. Installed Double Hoop Boss Frog roll bars. Took over 8 hours and w/ a friend's help. But it's a lot better looking IMHO than the roll bars that have a horizontal bar and a diagonal or two support bar. Plus, I could more easily put stuff next to the rear window if I kept the soft top up or had the hard top on.
Speaking of hard tops, you can get them stolen if you don't have locks on them. All you need is a coat hanger to unlock the car (older NA and NB models) and then release 4 latches and someone has a new hard top to sell on craigslist for anywhere from $500-$1k. The Toplocs are insurance.
Let's see, starting w/ the '01s, the engines also run on 91 octane. So filling up the BMW didn't feel any different at the pump, other than losing a few mpgs. But boy, this 1er can drink gas like it's free. And it's not cheap here. Oh well, I knew it when I bought it.
The Miata's a good car bc you learn to be a very defensive driver, as you always have to be imagining what other people are seeing (or aren't). Stay out of blind spots, pass them quickly, or at least have your nose sticking out past their car... It's peppy and light. And the smaller engine w/ lighter flywheel allows me to not have to blip the throttle as much when I move from stand still. I've stalled the 1 so many times... But I'm getting better. Plus, the 1 is larger and thus, more visible to other drivers.
What I slightly miss is the mechanical feel. The clutch feels "real" in the Miata. As does the stick. The clutch and stick on the BMW just feels, disengaged. I feel like I'm stepping on a plastic toy clutch and something magical happens. The stick doesn't feel connected to the engine bc I don't feel any vibrations coming from the engine through the stick like I do the Miata.
That said, the Miata's grunt is like the pitch of a boy band, while the 1 sounds and feels like one of the 3 tenors. And, when I start the engine in the garage, I feel like I have to quickly get out, bc the 1's exhaust reverb is so loud it echos throughout the entire garage.
w.r.t. POWER, even w/ just the 128i engine, the feeling is that when I'm in 1-3 gear and I want to reach a certain speed, I will get there quickly if I put my foot down. What I don't miss in the Miata is the wait, even when I floor it.
Do I miss the LSD? Not yet. In the Miata, I only went to Thunderhill once. Sadly, it was a wet day and I did spin out once. Other than that, it was still fun.
I like the tech, from mpgs to in-dash nav and even the hard drive to copy cds. I currently have a scangauge attached to the steering column of the Miata, hooked up to the OBD2 port. Although, the scangauge allowed me to select the values I wanted to see, like the air temp going into the intake.
I will say, if anyone picks up a Miata, make sure to have ABS if you're in the Bay Area and going on a BAMD (Bay Area Miata Drivers) drive. These guys (and the lead driver is a woman w/ an aftermarket turbo in her Miata) like to drive their cars. They got tired of the Miata groups that just show up, oggle their cars (not that much to oggle, even after you've mod it) and then eat. The lead driver will gently but firmly remind other drivers to pull to the side for faster cars (Miatas) and we just keep driving on our merry way. (We usually give the car that pulled over a quick wave or hang-loose.) Oh yes, ABS. One driver went into the trees when the road crested, came down, and made a turn. The rest of us (Group A) got to the final destination (a restaurant) and wondered what happened to group B. He was ok. But his car was 20-30 feet down the embankment.
My Miata (aka. NB for '99-05) also has a transponder in the key, so no one can steal it unless they tow it. Older NAs ('89-98) may or may not have ABS as an option and often get stolen bc they don't have a transponder in the key. I would guess the BMW can't be stolen and driven away w/o the key, too?
Visibility isn't as good in the E88. The 1's sideview mirrors are smaller than the Miatas, and the rear window looks to be the same size, but I'm further away from both C pillars and the top is larger, so there's more to check when doing a head-check when changing lanes. And reversing into spots is harder, but my 1 came w/ PDC, so that's helpful. Also, the mirror dips down in reverse, which helps to curb the curb-rash.
The 1 is HEAVY. Coming out of a right turn pretty quickly onto the Great Highway today, I did feel the shocks compress to what I felt was their limit on the left side. I'll have to try a few more hard turns (where it's safe) to see if I was just imagining things.
Lastly, I don't fit in the tight spots in SF as well anymore (not that I've had much opportunity to yet) compared to the Miata. That's one of the reasons I aimed for the Miata in the first place, and now the 1. Now, I'm about the same length as a Corolla, but a whole lot more satisfying to drive.
Parking tip: a Miata is 4 1/4 sidewalk squares in length. The 1 is 4 3/4 sidewalk squares. That 1/2 a square can mean minutes in driving around and looking for parking. And with the 1, I'm definitely not going to try to squeeze into a spot just to get bumper rash.
