Need help choosing best daily: miata or rx7
 

hey all. ive owned a second and a third gen rx7 so i know a good deal about both cars. im looking at a NA 2nd gen with a rebuild (allll new parts) and other tasteful mods, and trying to decide between that and a m1 miata. i am a huge fan of motorsports, and need a dual purpose competitive car that will get me about 50 miles a day.

The naturally aspirated fc's engine is pretty reliable, especially since it has a rebuild, but i think it's gas milage is a huge factor. for my previous fc i had reinforced subframes built with custom lathed and reinforced control arms. they also had full bearings and rear solid camber adjusters, and a toe link added in. they made the outer pickup point solid (useto control toe with an eccentric bolt). they can be seen at http://awrracing.com/sale/rxSuspension/index.html
(too bad i never got to put them on)

i own another convertable, the s2000. i sold my 3rd gen rx7 because of the motor was going out and i wanted something nicer. i never thought id like convertable until i owned it. now i cant get enough. the miata, to me, would be a lightweight gocart version of my s2000 that i would use for a daily driver, and i would hit the track or autocross with (and possibly the local mountain road i live on).

the s2000 is too modded for daily driving, and i would die instantly in the rain!
so considering gas milage, and the subframes (and catback exhaust) i have sitting in my garage for the rx7, which do you guys think will be a better daily driver, AND perform the best when it comes to cornering (again consider race subframes). i cant stress that i care about handling more than anything! if anyone has driven both and can give an opinon on which handles better, let me know.

ps. 2 of my concerns, the rx7 has more space than the miata, and im worried about the miata's ability to be 'stiff' when it comes to motorsports. ive driven a few and felt cowl shake. but then again the fc isnt ideal when it comes to the pump either. thanks again
russell

Well you said daily driver. I'd hate to say it but the miata is the bette choice just because of the gas.

I personally feel the Miata is too small to be of use if you carry anything with you. Plus, I don't fit terribly well in one, so...

What kind of driving do you do? If it's a lot of highway driving, you'll probably see 18-22mpg with the '7 in good condition, possibly slightly more if you go with a standalone.

-=Russ=-

Everyone told me I'd hate myself for having a Miata as my primary car... that was over three years ago. I only recently bought an RX-7, and I was fine otherwise. I still use the Miata as my daily driver.

As far as stiffness, check out Flyin' Miata for ways to stiffen it up.

As much of a Miata freak as I am, if I was in your position, I'd stick with the RX-7. The S2000 and Miata are very similar cars -- even if they're in drastically different states of tune -- and I like having some variety. My Mazdaspeed Miata is my refined, tight, and easy-to-drive car, while my Turbo II FC has no power steering and is a total beast to handle. I love both of them. :D

A friend of mine is a total Miata nut. In fact, it was through him that I got into '7s... I wanted a RWD, great handling car, but needed more trunk space than a miata offered. Coupe FC fits my needs perfectly. I've been daily driving my '90 GXL for well over a year now, and aside from oil changes and gas, I have not had to do a single thing with the car. Of course, I wanted to, so it got some new wheels and an exhaust, but otherwise it is a stock car that will start up at every turn of the key. I knew when buying the car that the gas mileage would suck, but I was prepared for that going in.

BTW - my friend's miata gets slightly better gas mileage on the track (~18mpg) than I do in daily driving (~16mpg) so if gas is a concern, go miata.

I have had my RX-7 for a few years now, and I have driven a 2001 Miata. My personal opinion is to go with the RX-7 (surprised with the answer given that this post is on an RX-7 forum?). I get a solid 25 mpg on the highway and have really enjoyed the car in autocross and road course events (road course was more fun for me). You can get some nice wet/dry summer tires for the RX-7 and it will have plenty of grip for the road. You could always have a second set of race wheels and tires.

I thought that the Miata was too twitchy, noisy, and small for my tastes. The convertable aspect was a lot of fun, but I enjoy the fun power band of the non-turbo rotary more than the Miata's 4 cylinder. I also like variety in cars, so I doubt I'd own two convertables. I find the RX-7 to be a car that I can drive any day of the week and still take to a track for fun. I have an AWD Subaru for passenger hauling and snow...

Amusingly enough, this is my exact choice for a winter car/parts hauler/people hauler as well - it's part time 4WD, and probably older than yours (1987), but... their wagons rule in the snow. And the back holds a rotary engine just fine :-)

-=Russ=-

well i live in sunny california, so i can put the top down every day, except that little strip outa the year that it rains. gas is a big thing that i dont want to waste money on. i am mostly concerned with handling, and im not sure how those subframes are going to make the fc feel compaired to a modded miata gocart. any ideas? thoughts?

ps exactly how slow are the 1.8 NA's (popups) and how rickity is the chassis. i dont wanna buy a pos because it sounds like a awsome gocart on paper and have a slow ass flex machine. thanks again

Funny... In Ohio it seems like there are only two weeks a year that a vert would be fun (too much humidity)...

Here are some specs on the 1.8 L miata:
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1994/maz...enav..6.Mazda*

Stock 1.8 L Miata Specs:
128 flywheel HP
110 ft-lbs
2305 lbs weight
23 mpg/29 mpg City/Highway

See the FAQ for the FC specs. Good luck. Maybe you can find some cars in your area to drive for a comparison.

l'd love to have a daily miata

i have to worry about too many things on the 7

Miata is a good car for drift personally. I have drove one with a tooth on each side was cut of the steering rack to get more angle. I kind like that its lack of power it still drifts and you get a thrill out of it.

The NA FC is also a great drift car. Reliable not too bad. The ride is nice in an RX-7 and just the sound of the motor is distinct. Running APEX-I exhaust
Suspension- Tein Super Drift Damper
Brakes- Endless Brake Pads

since your not scared of piston motors, pick up an FC and look into an LS1T56 swap... you might end up selling your S2k and building an LS1FC of your own and THEN buy a miata for daily driving. my best friend is doing just that... selling his S2k for an LS1FC buildup... the performance per dollar of an LS1FC is hard to beat.

on another note, if you have a 'vert already with the S2k, maybe find a nice stock FC to have fun around town in, they are great cars.

I'm curious of what youre gonna do!

Hmmmm....let me weigh in with my 2 cents. The Miata, all other things aside, might be a more intelligent choice, but it suffers from a few problems.
1) the fact it is too small if you are 6'3" like me
2) it is underpowered, and
3) it is almost exclusively driven by women. It defines 'chick car'
It is also very similliar in 'style' to your s2000, so you wouldn't have much individuality in your garage.
The rx-7, on the other hand, is sleek and sexy, but certainly a bit more, well, let's say precocious. Yes, precocious. So, if you have a brain, buy the Miata. If you have a heart, buy a 7.

But that's just one man's opinion.

Here are a few things to consider about a first gen Miata as a track day car:

1) You WILL need a rollbar, that means a real one not a style one, so something like the Hard Dog Hard Core. This WILL limit the size of driver the car can accomodate and still be safe (not bumping heads on the bar). My dad has a '92 turboed Miata with the Hard Dog Hard Core and he's about 6'1" and he barely fits under the bar with some seat foam removed to make the seat thinner. I'm 6'3" and I can't fit on anything like a comfortable position.

2) It's a small car. Your leg will likely be wedged in between the steering wheel and the centre console part of the dash, meaning you cannot keep your hands on the wheel in a turn. It's also very claustrophobic with the top up and I look directly at the top of the windshiled frame when trying to see trafic lights. It's also just generally tight inside. You also get the feeling of sitting on the car, not in it like my FC.

3) The shocks WILL be blown. They are getting old and the stockers are only good for about 50,000miles or less and the years aren't kind to them.

4) Anything but a torsen limited slip diff won't be a limited slip anymore, they only last a few years.

5) Miatas oversteer alot more than a 7 at speed. I've had my car on the track for two weekend long driving schools and it's extremely forgiving. The miata won't forgive you as much.

His miata is the faster car, but mine is alot more comfortable and for a daily driver, I'd take a stock 7 over a stock miata any day. For the track a miata is a good choice, but so is the 7, really it comes down to personal preference. Drive a Miata and a RX-7 and see what you like best, or buy the nicest car of the two choices you can find/afford.

MIATA!

However the miata is prone to understeer in high speeds in its neer stock form. I have to say evry mazda I have drove was a understeer car. Where your s2k will glady give you the power to oversteer. Depends on your style of driving. I have not had a well tuned 7 to compare it with but I think its dead close to handling as my rx-8.

Cheers.

it all depends on how tall u are, if ur taller than 5'9'' ull b cramped, but if u can deal with that ull love the miata. it reminds me of the first gen suspension wise. ull save so much more money on gas with the miata. i drove one from san fran to upland and hade to get gas once on the way home, it never got hot, when it warmed up on the 5 we rolled up the windows and turned on the vent and were cool enough to not turn on the a.c.. on long distances the motor runs cooler than a 7s motor, but hey.... ur winning in either car. good luck

uhhhh
not really
the back starts to slide a little when you turn it at high speed with no throttle....
maybe that huge ass wing, pos exhaust, or altezzas is making it drive like shit... and you drive like shit...

and - at high speed, the s2000 will not give you the power to oversteer, stepping on the gas will just straighten the rear out...

well, i am 5'9'' like i said, and i do haveto weigh in that ill be in socal, which is almost always great weather.
i agree that its a heart vs a mind battle. i know the miata is probably the smater daily driver, but that the rx7 appeals to my heart. any more input? expiriences?

My brother, dad and cousin all drive miatas. However they are all nb miatas. I have never driven an na but have driven all three of their miatas('99 and '00 special editions, and slightly modded '00). I would say you should check out miata.net. There are some guys on there who used to have and probably still have rx7's. There is a lot of knowledgeable people on that board and they should be able to help explain some of the pros/cons of a miata vs. fc for daily driving. Besides, who wants to drive an na fc anyways? :D

gregk, what's wrong with NA FC? A NA Fc has more more horsepower than a Miata and is not that much heavier. I had a 2001 Miata and prefer a NA FC over a Miata especially for track use. the Miata has a FC beat on gas mileage but, not on storage space.

Why dont you just get a convertable rx7? Get a roll bar, do what you can to lighten it, and do some suspension mods.

If you are really worried about gas mileage, get an integra or a prelude, both handle well (fwd is much better w/ bad road conditions). The prelude w/ vtec has 200hp and a 94+ integra GSR has around 160hp. Both the prelude and integra get over 30mpg on the highway. Plus, there are a billion and a half aftermarket parts for them. Hondas are perfect for a mildly modded daily driver/tuner car. You can get a VAFC (like SAFC but controls vtec) and new camshafts with stock grind on non-vtec cams, and a high overlap race grind on vtec cams and then have vtec come on at like 4000rpm. You wont fall below 4000rpm when racing or autocrossing and daily driving you will still get stock gas mileage because you wont get into vtec.

The early 90s miata has alot of aftermarket parts for it too, but they are much more expensive. The miata is slow! I have a friend with a miata and a friend with a GS integra (less power than GSR), they are basically equal in all categories. They have the same 1/4 mile time but the integra has a higher trap speed. They handle differently (of course) but one is not really any faster than the other around a curve. Oh, and the integra has a short ram intake and a muffler welded onto stock exhaust and the miata has full stailess header back exhaust and a carbon fiber intake. So miata with mods is still slow!

I don't have anything against NA FCs. I personally own a TII so when I see an opportunity to rip the NA guys I take it. :D Sometimes people on here are so serious...I'm just trying to have a little fun while contributing to the forum.

In response to the FC for the daily, like you said the miata has better mileage. What other factors weigh as heavily as that? I mean there are other cars that get insane mileage, but who wants to drive a geo? (I apologize in advance to any geo fans out there.) If you really want a daily that has good mileage and is a blast to drive, get a motorcycle. :)