Ok, we have solid axles and solid roofs, but really, I'm seeing a great many similarities. The Miata is more the evolution of our cars than the FD. If you can't see it, I'm open to counterpoint. But if you can see it, then let me know I'm not the only one.

 

no its true.

 

It probably is true, but I have one of each and when I drive the Miata I just don't get the feeling that it is in any way the final reiteration of my SA. Worlds apart. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy both, but I prefer the SA.

 

The first RX-7 was Mazda's affordable, fun car. The Miata filled that role when it came out, which is why they went all out and made the RX a premium high tech performance car.

 

I'm really pleased to be building this '83 RX-7, I need to show off my abilities, but it seems I should have just found a blue Miata instead. As in, it would have accomplished the same effective end result for similar money ( $5,000) and less labor. To me the Miata feels less spacious to sit in, but this has the advantage of turning heads.

 

yeah and its still boils down to sports coupe vs vert, too. Both are distinct driving experiences, both with pluses. vive la difference!

stu aull
80GS
Alaska

 

I like Miata's, don't get me wrong, I hope to own one someday, fresh off the dealer's lot. With a hard top.

But a Miata is no 1st gen RX-7, even when you go to the trouble of popping a 12A in there.

The 1st gen is a manly car, the guy behind the wheel is likely to have grease under his fingernails.

Miatas? Let's just say girls like to drive them and paint them pink. And get their boy friends to change the oil.

These are gross sexist generalizations, of course, there are plenty of girls who drive RX-7s and have grease under their fingernails. And lots of guys race Miata's.

But since your question is about gross generalizations, I thought I'd offer my observations.

 

Back in my autocrossing days in the early and mid nineties, I'd swap cars in the afternoon with a Miata fellow for fun runs. He never beat me in either car, but I always beat my csp rx7 time in his Miata.

That said, I agree with the op's premise.

 

My wife just got a Miata. I love driving it.

Real similar to the first gen, but assless. Kinda makes me want to get out and push to see if it can go faster.

MX-5s are great for road trips about 30mpg on the highway is killer.

The heater is WAY more effective, but I think that's mostly due to the small cabin.

It is just as simple to work on as the 7. Not much to the car. I like that.

As for styling... I like it. Looks like a mini FD without a REDICULOUS price tag. We picked ours up for $1200 where I think $1200 will buy an FD hood. We have an NB.

The interior feels just as snazzy as the SA. (sorry S3 boys Miata's got class :P )

Handling is real familiar. The IRS takes bumps and uneven pavement that would cause axle hop in our cars. But even for being a few hundred pounds heavier (and a vert) it still corners pretty good.



Bottom line... I like it. I'm happy to have it in the parking space next to my 7's. I'll drive the hell out of it, but I still love my 7 more.

 

I had a convertible once, it taught me that they aren't for me. But that was a car offered both ways. I know Miatas can get removable hardtops, but I think they never offered a fixed top. Maybe a Miata is like if the FB had continued but evolved to topless-only? Dunno.
If I could get a '95 Corvette conv in factory purple with the removable hardtop, I'd take that in a trillionth of a trillisecond. Just for the looks. Well, the '95 'vette part for being the last year worth having, and the first year the big front brakes were mandatory.

 

Yeah, all Miatas look girly. I wouldn't have a new one. Mazda claims they deliberately ensured the cars never got grippier. But the Solstice GXP can fit truly wide tires. That's where the fun begins. Turbocharged LSx V8s are where it ends.

 

It is interesting that the ashtray of the SA can be replaced with a cup holder
for a 1st gen Miata. Tells you somethng about how much the car probably
borrowed from the early 7s.

Think about it a second and it makes a lot of sense. The development time
for a car back then was on the order 5+ years. The Miata showed up in 1990, so
it had to start its development around 1995 or earlier. It would make sense to
repurposed existing model parts to build the Miata. This is why there are so
many similiar things from the 1st gens in the Miatas.

 

I know at least one girl who would likely make you eat those words, Ray. She had her Miata up to Laguna Seca just recently. & wrenches on it. Races an FC of her own, too.

I'm more than a tad interested in the upcoming "new" Miata. Especially with word floating around that the much-ballyhooed next-gen rotary sports car rumors have again been squashed by Mazda top mgt.

The Z's getting long in the tooth; gonna be needing a replacement in a couple years most likely.

 

bingo! the miata, in the traditional sports car tradition took most of its parts from Mazda's parts bin, the engine and brakes are from the 323, the transmission and diff are from the Rx7, the HVAC is Rx7, some of the little interior gubbins, like the ashtray and arm rests are also Rx7.

logical choices, if you were building a sports car, wouldn't you use parts from the sports car you already make?

 

I love both of my rx7's and they are setup for different types of driving , the rx7 that I setup for autox runs in FP and has a ton of grip and is quite light, and simple. but its a lot harder to drive than my 99 Miata sport package. there both great cars its just that the Miata is more modern.

 

I test drove the miata after putting a rebuilt engine in the rx-7. It made me feel really great about keeping the 7!! Miata handled better, the 7 was faster.

 

The 12a typically feels faster than the Miata, but a warmed over 1.8 Miata feels -really- similar. As far as handling, the Miata is superior, but the first gen has quirks that make it entertaining to drive. I really feel that the Miata is the spiritual successor to the first gen. My FB weighs 2100-ish, the SA 2300 and some change. The Miata is the same weight as the FB. The FC got a lot heavier, and bigger, then the FD went upscale, and got expensive.

When the first gen came out, it was cheaper and lighter than most all the competition. It wasnt the fastest around, but it won many comparisons due to being incredibly easy, and fun to drive. It wasnt the grippiest thing around, but thats part of what made it fun.

When the Miata came out, it was cheap, and light, and had almost no direct competition. It wasnt the fastest, or grippiest thing on the road. But it was fun to drive, you could take it and beat on it. And the car loved it, magazines heaped praise on the car. It was like the first gen Rx-7 all over again.

I drive my Miata year round, I treat my first gens like expensive toys. Im building one to take to a track day and beat up some of my Miata buddies. In the summer months its hard to decide what to drive. I truely feel like the Miata is a topless interpretation of a first gen. Is it a little underpowered? Yes. Does it get better fuel economy than a first gen without sacrificing fun factor? Heck yeah! It may not be a rotary, but the ability to remove the roof is really not overrated. It makes track days, or twisty roads so much more involving for me. I have to have both, they are in their own ways great cars.

I hope Mazda keeps building fun cars, Id really like to see them put a rotary engine back in something. But at least with the Miata, they havent turned into a boring brand! (Im looking at you Toyota!!)

 

I just test drove a miata a few days ago and man it felt like I was driving a first gen but with slightly less cockpit room but it was a blast more so since it was supercharged

 

I think there's just something special about rotary engines that can't be found in any other engine. The way it loves to rev out and it's sound makes anyone smile.
I believe that the BRZ, FRS, and GT-86 are the successors of the fb. Their both cheap, fun, and both aren't very fast but still are more fun then faster cars.

 

That trio is a failure of a Supra at the correct price. Just needed 315-width tires at all 4 corners on 11.5"-wide wheels, a quartet of 12.8" x 1.26" 4-piston Brembos, and the Tundra's 381-HP 5.7L i-force V8 backed by a T56. That I would have bought.