Is that the new Miata?

[Kram71]

So I'm washing my car today and a lady comes up excitedly asking, "OMG is that the new Miata"? Later followed with, "oh its a BMW is that the new BMW?"

I was telling my neighbor. He said I bet you did not like that. I said at first I didn't (even though I have had 3 Miatas), but then I thought well that lady just thought my 21 year old car was a new car so it is actually a compliment.

[Vinci]

I had something similar at work around 12 years ago. Some co-workers were giving me some disapproving looks in the parking lot one day and I found out afterward that they didn't think much of some "young guy" having a new flashy BMW. I got a kick out of it.

[magnetchief]

Yep had that before and ‘You retired people and all your money’

I’m neither retired or have money lol


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[rf900rkw]

I had something similar at work around 12 years ago. Some co-workers were giving me some disapproving looks in the parking lot one day and I found out afterward that they didn't think much of some "young guy" having a new flashy BMW. I got a kick out of it.

Yeah, I bet you have to deal with clowns like that all of the time.

[BladeRunner919]

I had a comment of 'how the other half live' from a neighbour recently when I bought a 2005 E53 for £2800! Lots of people can't tell the difference between new and relatively new (not classic) cars and see the BMW badge and think it cost a fortune.

[CoconutPete]

The "BMW's are expensive" myth will never die.

I bought my first 3-series when I was in college. $19,300. I CONSTANTLY got crap for it, and nothing in life brought me more satisfaction than pointing out that the guy giving me sh!t paid more for his Camry...

I have learned to care less as I have aged....

I had an electrician over a few months ago and he pointed to the Z and said "is that a Miata" and at this point all i could muster was "BMW Z3 - same size"

[Schreier]

I've never had a person mistake my green Z3 for a miata (to my face). But last time I pulled into a Cars and Coffee meet, I did have a group of young Miata owners mistake it for "some kind of Jag" at a distance.

[tiMASTER]

My ti was mistaken for a VW Corrado once. Once.

[Dakar Ole]

A few years ago a middle aged woman, from a distance in a parking lot, asked "Is that an MG?" I politely Corrected that Whip.

[pine1000]

This car brings some weird interactions with people for sure. I have the following experiences:

An older couple asked me if it was from the 60s or 70s
Many older gentlemen have assumed it was very old and are shocked to learn it is a 2000
Many people have assumed it is a new car/model
Neighbors/relatives have assumed it was very expensive
A young woman asked me recently if it was a Corvette
A young man followed me around a parking lot while carrying a baby to wait for me to park and ask if it was an M. This was the only time anyone has expressed that they know what it is outside of cars and coffee.

[nevan]

Well...

A few years back at a Target parking lot, a young child got out of his mom's SUV (or minivan, I honestly don't recall) and pointed at my z3m and said "wow that is a very old car (in a demeaning tone)!" Shortly after saying that, he realized that I was in the car; then he quietly walked away...

But other times, there are those who live through 90's youngster ages (myself included who had affection but couldn't be had over school loans and first home mortgage), also know the history of this car giving thumbs up...

Didn't mean to throw a wrench in the works, but I guess I just did.

[Kram71]

I like older cars but in reality the only thing that dates these cars significantly are chrome grills in my opinion. Black out the grills and they still look amazing to me.

[ixlr08]

I have had a few people comment on how nice my "new" car looks, they are surprised when they learn it is a 2001.

[s8ilver]

I went to get my emissions tested yesterday. Due to COVID, the current Colorado rule allows a rapid screen (readiness monitors) for vehicles 2000 and newer. The tech tried to wave me through, but instead I got out an informed him that he needed to run a full test. He said "that's only for old cars" as he scanned the VIN tag and was like, "oh, that's a '99?!"

I was slightly perturbed (I could understand if the cutoff was OBDII) as about 20 cars came and went during my test. To make matters worse, I failed NOx (13% over) and get to go in for a retest. We add ethanol in CO in the winter to reduce NOx and I was still on half a tank of summer gas. Changed the 162.5k mile original fuel filter, added some Techron and went for long high speed rip last night. Wish me luck!

[Vintage42]

... I had an electrician over a few months ago and he pointed to the Z and said "is that a Miata" and at this point all i could muster was "BMW Z3 - same size"

An old friend has a 1st Gen Miata. I took her for a ride in my Z3 and she remarked on how much larger the Z3 was, outside and inside.

[Vinci]

Yeah, I bet you have to deal with clowns like that all of the time.

Word must have gotten out later that I had the cheapest car in the lot because I never had it happen again.

I did come across a couple of students sitting on the pavement sketching my Z one day as I was about to head home. They got really embarrassed when the lights flashed and realized they had been noticed. I kinda wanted to see how the drawings were going, but they took off before I could ask.

[CoconutPete]

In life - I really try not to generalize.

But .... in general ... Americans (I am talking about the majority of Americans, not the ones who belong to a forum) have no idea about cars.

When I moved here, one of the first things I noticed was how generic car talk is here among non-car people.

The first phrase I took notice of was "it died" - it was a phrase I had just never heard relating to a car before. Someone would ask what happened to a person's old car and the answer would be "oh - it died, I had to get a new one".
I had grown up with phrases like "it had to go to the shop again and it's just starting to cost me too much money so I got rid of it".

The other one is color being the only way to describe a car.

Again ... I had grown up with "Did you get a new car?" and the answer being "yeah, picked up a new Corolla again since I liked the old one so much, this one is a 1.3L so a little peppier"

And all of a sudden it was "Did you get a new car" - "yeah" - "what Kind?" - "a red one".

So yeah ... I'm not surprised people think the Z's are "Very old".

[Hoyt Clagwell]

So far, after one summer of ownership, I haven't had any comments that I took offense at. The most common misconception is that it is very expensive. My wife and I have taken advantage of that by cruising through multi million dollar neighborhoods. We're thinking of attending open houses just for the free wine and cheese!

[gfish]

One day after we bought our first Z3, a lady parked next to me at a convenience store. I was absolutely thrilled with our new ride and I'm sure it showed on my face. As she was getting out of her car, she said something to the effect of "I'm sure you worked a lot of years to deserve a car like that". Little did she know that we paid $7K for a high mileage roadster.

I do find it amazing that we can buy a low mileage Z3 with 20 to 40 thousand miles for under $10K. The sticker price on the 2000 models was around $36 to $40K with all the extra fees.

[Z3nki]

People don't really know about the z3. I get mine called a miata often if they dont see the bavarian insignia right away, or a z4 if they recognize its a bimmer. I don't take offense and call it a german miata myself. meh.

[rasmuw]

I’m always disappointed at a cars and coffee if a car shows up worth less than my M with 138K miles.

Word must have gotten out later that I had the cheapest car in the lot because I never had it happen again.

[Vintage42]

For my Z3 I entered 50K miles and excellent condition into KBB.com. It is a pristine garage queen with new suspension, cooling system and top. In the past eight years everything else has been done for it that I can think of, and it has not been driven in rain or even washed since I detailed the undercarriage back then. KBB gave the low value for a private party sale as $5,000.

[cyberman]

Off topic, but have you seen the new electric MGB?

Grill is not right. But otherwise faithful.

RBW-Roadster-Rear-1.jpg

Bimmerbreaker, you can always put the sound of a real engine through the stereo...

[BimmerBreaker]

In life - I really try not to generalize.

But .... in general ... Americans (I am talking about the majority of Americans, not the ones who belong to a forum) have no idea about cars.

When I moved here, one of the first things I noticed was how generic car talk is here among non-car people.

The first phrase I took notice of was "it died" - it was a phrase I had just never heard relating to a car before. Someone would ask what happened to a person's old car and the answer would be "oh - it died, I had to get a new one".
I had grown up with phrases like "it had to go to the shop again and it's just starting to cost me too much money so I got rid of it".

The other one is color being the only way to describe a car.

Again ... I had grown up with "Did you get a new car?" and the answer being "yeah, picked up a new Corolla again since I liked the old one so much, this one is a 1.3L so a little peppier"

And all of a sudden it was "Did you get a new car" - "yeah" - "what Kind?" - "a red one".

So yeah ... I'm not surprised people think the Z's are "Very old".

Not sure if I should be happy that in most of the world general car knowledge seems commonplace or depressed that this is seemingly totally lacking in the US lol

[yinzerinmass]

This is a great thread and it seems pretty common the response these cars get. I could be in the minority here and it seems weird to say it but I got into BMWs out of frugality about 6 years ago. 2003 325i sport package with standard trans 150k on the clock for 5 grand. 5 thousand dollar car that gave me more enjoyment than any other car in 25 years of driving history.

Enter the m roadster about 2 years ago, nice example, much better today than I bought it. 7 thousand dollar car. Everyone here can appreciate the fun factor, coupe or roadster, 1.9 or s54

When the “must be nice” comment comes out at work I cant help thinking this person drives a brand new Honda Odyssey that cost 45k.