What type of cage should I get?

[Nefilim]

So I'm in the market for a cage and I'm trying to decide what I should go with since my FZ6 will still be my primary ride whenever possible.

The last cage was a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, but it was pretty obsolete once I bought my bike since there was no way I was going to be driving a CAR on sunny days, so the entire convertible thing was pretty pointless.

So I'm looking at the following:

1. An older make of a Mazda MX-5 Miata: I've seen them for sale as low as $3500 in good working condition with manual transmissions. It's a convertible, yes, but it's hard to find a car more fun to drive than the Miata. A lot of guys fault it for being a 'chick car' but let's be honest here: most men don't have the balls to even sit on a motorcycle so I think my masculinity is pretty safe. I would rather have a car that puts a smile on my face like the FZ6 does than some compensationmobile like a Mustang.

2. A new Honda Fit: these go for around $15k, but they'll be pretty hard to beat when it comes to reliability and features. I like to think of the Fit as the FZ6 of cars - can do everything, very cheap, and very well equipped. They're supposedly fun to drive as well, but not nearly as so with the Miata.

3. A 95-03 Toyota Forerunner: I can find one of these fairly cheap as well, but to be frank I HATE trucks. I hate the way they drive, hate the look, and hate their MPG. On the other hand, they're reliable and I can possibly haul my bike in it. I don't have anywhere to store a hitch trailer, though, so I could only use the truck bed for storage.

4. A Ford Focus Coupe - about the same price as the Fit, but the coupe has very nice styling and will be more comfortable for passengers. I hear they're also pretty flickable as well and have pretty good MPG.


So what would you guys choose to complement your bike?

 

[xgrafcorex]

I guess I would say the Miata or the Fit. I'm not a big fan of either, but Miatas are supposed to make decent track cars...so you could have something to work with there. I guess as a daily driver you won't be looking to modify it?

 

[CZAR357]

Im not a big fan of any of those but I would go with the Focus. Why would you need flickability in a car? Isnt that what the bike is for?! The Focus is decent looking and sounds like the best choice for getting you from point a to point b.

 

[PowellB]

You could split the difference between the Miata and the Fit and get a Mazda3 or Protege5. Not rwd, but they handle quite amazing for a front wheel drive car and have plenty of room inside.

 

[Nefilim]

Im not a big fan of any of those but I would go with the Focus. Why would you need flickability in a car? Isnt that what the bike is for?! The Focus is decent looking and sounds like the best choice for getting you from point a to point b.

What would your choice be of any cage available for 15k or less?

Flickability in a car is the same reason we buy FZ6's as daily commuter bikes. I don't enjoy going to work, but if I can take the winding route on the way in, my day is that much better if I can thrash around in something nimble.

 

[Nefilim]

I guess I would say the Miata or the Fit. I'm not a big fan of either, but Miatas are supposed to make decent track cars...so you could have something to work with there. I guess as a daily driver you won't be looking to modify it?

I was thinking something along those lines, but if I were to buy the $3,500 Miata for sale here, I probably wouldn't want to sink a lot of cash into it. I can't really justify decking out a car that's 13 years old with 100k miles on it. How expensive is it to get turbochargers for first-gen Miatas?

 

[Hellgate]

Fourunner?

Room for four, good in poor weather, haul a trailer with the bike.

Er...is the 4 Runner the truck or the SUV? Can't remember.....

 

[cv_rider]

My cage is a quasi-sports car, and it was good fun for a while, but once I started riding, I'm pretty uninterested in cars. No matter the performance, no car can touch a motorcycle for fun while moving around. Even the Porsches slog through traffic along with the rest of the cages. Were I to get a car today to complement my motocycle, I'd get one that was roomy, reliable, and economical. Fit or Focus fall into that category. No sense getting a Miata since you're still limited to two people with little cargo space. You'll pay through the nose on gas with a truck.

 

[PowellB]

How expensive is it to get turbochargers for first-gen Miatas?

All you ever wanted to know -and more.

www.flyinmiata.com

 

[pooty]

ford's are good now. company is strong. have driven a focus, good and quick with decent mpg. i have a toyota and the 30,000 mile service is a rip off--money wise. good luck---

 

[ozzieboy]

Dodge Stealth or Mitsubishi GTO or GT3000 are the most common names. I have absolutley no idea how much these go for anywhere else in the world, but here they are pretty cheap for what you get.

What you get. Twin turbo 3.0 litre V6 AWD AWS with in car suspension adjustment etc.

My Brother has one and it's an awesome car to drive.

This is it here in this video. EDIT....around the 1:50 mark

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxC7akXnrf8]YouTube - Dashing Gteeo[/ame]

Best of luck with the car hunting:thumbup:

Cheers
Mike

 

[bcityroller]

I guess I'd have to say 4runner out of your list since I just bought a Pathfinder which is basically the same thing (although mine was a little newer than what you were talking on the 4runner). For me this ended up as what's the most functional thing I was willing to tolerate type of decision.

I've had a Miata and while great fun (and maybe the only car out of the 7 I've had in ten years I'd want to own again) I don't see that as a great cage option unless your situation involves wanting to take someone the kind same places you go on the bike without actually being on the bike.

All that said some other ideas with no criteria besides being able to find a used one under $15k.
- WRX - either sedan or wagon form. Pros - Fun, turbo rush, lots of available mods. - Lows - turbo-lag, Subaru shifting, hard to find one that hasn't been tastelessly modded
- GTO - Pros - RWD, V8 muscle, sleeper. Lows - gas mileage, bland looks IMO
- Mazdaspeed3 - Pros - very quick, very good handling for FWD, 5-door, nice front seats Cons - torque-steer, clutch that takes a little getting used to
- Car based SUVs - CRV, RAV4, CX7, Outlander (new one), etc. Out of this class of vehicle I'm kind of partial to the looks of the CX7 and it handles very well for what it is.

Thoughts for now - more will come. For reference on my perspective I've owned a 626V6, Protege ES, modded Miata, Passat W8 wagon, Mazdaspeeed6, 300C SRT8, now Pathfinder and the wife has had a Sentra, CR-V and now A4 wagon in the last ten years. Yes, I know I'm crazy.

 

[afpreppie04]

Only the VR4 model of 3000GT is AWD/turbo, at least in the states. From your list I would pick the Miata, but then again that is what I picked for myself! I had a 95 for a couple years, and its true they are very fun to drive. They aren't that bad to turbo; Flyin Miata as linked has kits but you can put together a budget setup by yourself for far less. They only have 9:1 CR and the internals are decent so you can do a basic turbo setup without having to replace everything. Also Megasquirt makes a plug and play ECU for it a lot of people have great success with. I would still have my Miata to this day if I hadn't found my RX7 (took me years to find but it was the car I wanted since I was a kid).

 

[wrightme43]

RX8, Subaru Outback, Any Toyota

 

[macem29]

bike for fun, pickup for work/utility/basic transportation.....
I'm working in Afghanistan and they have the best little trucks here,
crew cab, 4WD, manual trans. 4 cyl. turbo diesel...Toyotas, Fords and
Nissans mostly, wish they would bring some to NA, would sell like crazy

 

[bcityroller]

Others I've considered in that price range (although some would have high mileage to meet the price depending on what counts as high for you)

Mini Cooper S
Focus SVT
Neon SRT-4
Acure RSX Type-S
Acura TSX
Older Audi TT
Scion tC
Acura TL
Altima SE-R
G35 Coupe
RX-8

 

[rjo3491]

I guess I would say the Miata or the Fit. I'm not a big fan of either, but Miatas are supposed to make decent track cars...so you could have something to work with there. I guess as a daily driver you won't be looking to modify it?

How tall are you? I'm only 6'1" and have to squeeze into the Mazda. The convertible model will give you even less headroom. Great car otherwise.

 

[Fred]

Honda Civic. 37 miles per gallon or more. It can haul a bike on a trailer. It's as reliable as gravity.

Yes, it's boring. But it's a car. They're always boring.

Except for the Arial Atom.

Fred

 

[afpreppie04]

Others I've considered in that price range (although some would have high mileage to meet the price depending on what counts as high for you)

Mini Cooper S (newer turbo model)
Neon SRT-4 (older neon model)
Acure RSX Type-S
Acura TSX
G35 Coupe
RX-8 (manual only, the auto versions have 20 hp less)

If you're looking at sporty cars you can get a 3rd gen RX7 for the same price as a used RX8 and they're faster. I also narrowed the list down on my preferences, which may or may not coincide with what you are looking for.

 

[The Toecutter]

Have you considered a Toyota Tundra?? I have an 03 TRD version,and it is a medium sized truck that handles like a car,and deffinitly work's harder than a big truck!! I found one near you with high mileage that look's like it would be a good buy...these truck's are easily capable of reaching the 300,000 mile mark with minimal matinance.. :rockon: 2004 Toyota Tundra