I have both. Nb8b and a mechanically restored Jdm Trueno. The Miata is better in most ways. It's stiffer chassis. It has double wishbone front and rear (compared to macpherson and live axel). Miata parts are everywhere. And cheap.
The ae86 parts are very expensive. So even though the running costs might be cheap if anything goes wrong or if you want to do ang mods you will be paying a lot more.
In the end, I always enjoy driving my ae86 more. Not sure if it's nostalgia or due to the looks.
So if it's a car on a budget for daily and occasional track then get a Miata. If your happy to improve your ae86 slowly. And spend a lot of your time and money to improve it. Then get the ae86
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