Starlight96

I guess like many, I’ve lusted for a 3rd Gen since they first came out. The looks were always perfect for me. In some ways I’m reminded of the Lotus Elite of the 60’s all done up with real power 30 years later.

I looked at a few cars recently. Each car or step I take I seem to come up with more questions than answers.

My interest has always been road-handling performance. I’ve auto-x’d since I was a kid. I have a 1996 M-Edition Miata that I bought new and brought it up to performance specs…it’s lowered/konis/Jackson Racing from intake to exhaust and it’s always on summer tires. The car is NA and runs well and looks almost like new. I’ve done many track events that don’t require roll bars. My highest performance car to date was a 1985 Carerra Targa that I had a long time ago. My first car was an MGA.

These cars were reliable, well maybe not the MGA but that was easy to fix. When I look at 3rd gens there seems to be issues.

I’ll try to describe what I’m looking for...

What I’d like to get is a ’94-’95 with a clean title. Very straight body and glossy perfect (except for stone chips) paint. I do most normal maintenance but don’t want to have to wrench the car daily. I’d like the original twins with some reliability upgrades. It seems that everywhere I go, I see single turbos replacing the twins. Is it possible to get a clean decent running nearly stock engine or is that no longer possible? Or am I better off with a single turbo?

The car would be registered in NY and would have to pass NYS. A local rotary tuner was telling me the de-tuning they do to modded engines to pass NYS. Would an improved mostly oem engine be able to pass NYS smog regs?

I’m surprised at the amount of cars that have salvage titles. It seems dangerous to put mega $$$ upgrades into a car that the insurance company seems inclined to total out. I’ve spoken to some owners that have salvage titles. One said it was because of minor body-side damage…another a flood in the engine. Does this sound correct? It seems to me the damage would have to approach book value to total the car.

I miss the performance of my ’85 Carerra, judging from a few rides, I think my described car may be close to the acceleration. Am I correct about that?

94-95 R would be nice
Clean title, well cared for car
Mostly OEM with some engine reliability upgrades
Dependable car not requiring excessive wrenching
Clean body, pretty paint & interior
AC to cool things in the summer

I’ve been active on Miata.net since it’s inception. You guys have a great forum!

I know I have a lot of questions… I hope that you don’t mind giving me you thoughts. I need some inside opinions. The people I speak to are either selling their car or want to sell me a built up car still in the building phase. They tend to downplay everything.

The answers here will be more pertinent.

Thanks,
Charlie

adam c

iTrader: (2)

Charlie,

I was in your exact same situation. I was patient, and passed on buying several 3rd gens. After 6 months, I found the one I wanted. It was 94, with about 41K. I didn't want a 93 either. It was bone stock, and in pristine condition. If you are looking for a similar car, it will likely run you in excess of 15K. Your car is out there, but you will probably have to travel a great distance to find it.

I have done a few HP mods to my car, but no suspension mods. Didn't want a stiffer car. The car looks stock, and passes smog, while putting down about 300 rwhp (estimated). I am running 13 psi with the mods in my sig.

Good luck with your search.

Adam

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Yep, they exist and I think that's what you should look for.

Only if that's what you want to end up with. These can pass smog if the emissions stuff is handled wisely. But with modded FDs keep in mind that the mods may have been done wisely, some have not. Fortunately the single turbo setups simplify things enough that troubleshooting them isn't as nuts as some cars with a few bolt-ons.

Yes, it should. Especially if you don't go tearing out all of the emissions equipment.

I would stay away from these. I've been in all corners of my FD, and I'm not sure I'd feel secure evaluating a salvage titled car.

I wish I could speak from experience, but yes FDs have super acceleration. It's not a drag car, but it really can pull.

Sounds reasonable, espeically if you're proactive about your maintenance work, you can keep most wrenching on your terms.

Yep, and with the war stories some people tell there are many FDs for sale that you don't want to buy.

A clean low mileage 94-95 can be hard to find, espeically in this part of the country. Be patient, and talk to any relatives/friends/etc who are sortof car people to help you by watching the classifieds in their local area for FDs for sale. Some of the best deals and quality FDs are never put on a nationally viewed forum or for sale list.

Dave