Mazda Miata or Honda Del Sol

Hey,

Thinking of picking up a fun car to use for the summer months. I've been
driving Civics and Preludes for years so I was looking at the Del Sol as a
sporty little 2 seater. The Mazda is also another favourite in the field.

Does anyone here have experience with the Del Sol...positive or negative?

Thanks,

Jeff

 

Only experience I've got with the Del Sol is from working as a lot assistant
(detailer) in a Honda dealership back in HS.....fun little cars, but I don't
fit into them very well (6'1", 250 lbs at the time....)

From what I've seen, the Del Sol will outlast the Miata by years.......if
that helps any...

Jeremy

 

We've had 3 Del Sol's - a 93 S, a 93 Si and a 94 VTEC. We tested a few
Miata's and they didn't make the grade. They are both quality vehicles
with good design and assembly workmanship, but in our case and for our
purposes, the Honda was better. There is more interior room and trunkspace
in the Del Sol, and the VTEC model far outperforms the Miata at about the
same price. The Si model Del Sol which is essentially equal to the Miata
performance is much cheaper. Maintenance on the Del Sol is easy, most of
the engineering details had been well thought out to accomodate this. I
can't say about the Miata, having never had to the routine maintenamce on
one of them.

 

If you want to sample a sports car, it's the Miata. No question. Zip. Nada.

The Del Sol is a nice sporty economy car, but it is FWD and NO true sports
car is front wheel drive. Not comparable to the Miata for a driver seeking a
sports car experience. Honda knows that. Both its sports cars (S2000 and
NSX) are rear-wheel drive.



--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist,
Visual Basic programmer)

 

Well, I would have to say that a car that has an anemic little 4 cyl. 125 HP
engine doesn't make the grade as a true 'sports' car either, RWD or FWD.
The Miata is designed for those who think they know what a sports car is and
pretend all the time when they are driving it. Sad.

 

The Miata follows in the footsteps of many GREAT sports cars with modest
power and very good handling and a kick to drive. A handful come to mind:
Lotus Elan, Triumph Spitfire, Triumph TR series, MGA, MGB, MGC, the
4-cylinder Sunbeams, Porsche 356, Porsche 912, Porsche 914, Mazda RX7, etc.
etc. I suppose you don't consider those as sports cars because they were not
very powerful. Naturally, you would be utterly wrong and clueless about them
as you are wrong and clueless about the Miata. You don't have to like or
admire the Miata, but to claim it's not a sports car is just silly.


- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist,
Visual Basic programmer)

 

Hi,

I've had 2 Honda Del Sols now and would recommend them. They are fun
little cars and very economical on the gas! (Mine averages 350
miles/tank). The only problem is in the winter since they are low to
the ground, but I've seen SUVs stuck in the snow too go figure. :|

Just a note that the 93 models are larger than the later models. I
found that by accident when I had first a 95 model and then a 93
model. I would get the SI model too since they are more powerful.

Marlies

 

My vote is for Miata! It is a blast to drive. The Del Sol just didn't "do"
it for me. The front wheel drive just wasn't as much fun. I also liked the
true convertible feel of the Miata with the top down. In the Del Sol, I
felt like I was driving something with T-tops...just didn't feel like a
convertible.

The aftermarket for the Miata is awesome! True, there is a market for the
Del Sol, but when you add a few ponies (horsepower) to the Miata, it drives
incredible!

 

Let's see -- as I recall my British sports cars of the 60s:
TR3 and TR4 I4 100 hp
MGB 1800cc I 4 96 hp
AH Sprite -- I 4 approx 50 hp
AH 3000 -- from around 135 to 150
Sunbeam Tiger V8 164 hp

I guess they aren't sports cars by your definition. I guess I wasted my
money and time back then fooling myself