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Some things I've been wanting to ask regarding that program is "Do we Americans have access to said parts if Mazda USA isn't going to do anything for us? Or is there someone that could put in orders for us? Are they making LHD parts?"
its kind of murky, but so far when Mazda Japan reprints a part, they make a bunch, and Mazda USA gets some. The Miata part were in conjunction with a restoration program of the actual cars, but they are only restoring 1991-1993 Japan market cars, so like they have plans to reprint the USA airbag modules, the Japanese cars don't have airbags (in 1990-1993)
for the Rx7's they aren't restoring the cars, so its hard to say where the list is coming from. most of the stuff on it is for the engine/chassis anyways.
FE is a bit too heavy though, and it can't quite corner at the speeds the FD can.
Actually, I remember reading at one point the RX8 had the highest cornering speed of ANY production car tested by the magazine in question- so, this likely would have been 2004-ish.
its kind of murky, but so far when Mazda Japan reprints a part, they make a bunch, and Mazda USA gets some. The Miata part were in conjunction with a restoration program of the actual cars, but they are only restoring 1991-1993 Japan market cars, so like they have plans to reprint the USA airbag modules, the Japanese cars don't have airbags (in 1990-1993)
for the Rx7's they aren't restoring the cars, so its hard to say where the list is coming from. most of the stuff on it is for the engine/chassis anyways.
From that link, there is an explanation in Japanese of where the list came from:
At the start of the service, we have reprinted about 90 FC / FD repair parts with the cooperation of everyone, such as answering customer questionnaires at various events and receiving opinions from RE shops .
This kind of explains why there are a lot of vacuum hoses, TPS, brake parts etc in the list. Hard to get service items. While there are some crazy tuning houses in Japan, the vast majority of Japanese RX-7 owners keep their cars mostly standard engine-wise, with the exception of perhaps a catback and intake. There are very few single turbo conversions.
I suspect that the reprint list will focus almost entirely on the late version 5/6 cars and I doubt they will produce any LHD specific parts at all. That said, there are a few parts in the list already which are specific to version 1-3 cars and not for the later cars (eg fuel hoses).
Mazda USA has enough clout that if it decided to place an order for LHD specific FD parts, Mazda Japan would reactivate those part numbers and make them. In fact, Mazda Japan will reactivate any part number if they get their target minimum order quantity. All that's lacking is will on the part of Mazda USA. It's the same deal in Australia. A whole bunch of Australian-specific parts were discontinued only because Mazda Australia wasn't ordering them. But the demand is absolutely there. The problem is every time a person rings up the parts department of the local Mazda dealer, the person answers that part is NLA but never actually logs the fact someone wanted it. I reckon they would have looked up 1st gen rear tallight part numbers 100s of times in the past year and just said "NLA", whereas if they put them on backorder, they would probably have enough to place an order from Mazda Japan.
All that's lacking is will on the part of Mazda USA
i have a graph for that, and as you can see the problem is huge.
actually its really weird, quite often something like an oil filter for the new cars will be on back order for weeks, but they will have ~80 rotor housings for a GSL-SE. (currently 54, which means they sold ~40 in about 3 months)
What exactly is driving up the weight of newer cars? For reference, a 2008 Jaguar XJ Super v8, a serious land yacht at over 17 FEET long weighs 4,006 lbs.
What exactly is driving up the weight of newer cars? For reference, a 2008 Jaguar XJ Super v8, a serious land yacht at over 17 FEET long weighs 4,006 lbs.
for a lot of them its just physical size, new cars are HUGE. new cars are also pretty dense, they have gotten the weight of each part pretty light, but 12 airbags, 2 turbos, plus all the modules and computers to run things...
if you want an example, the ND miata is ~2300lbs, and is about the same size as an NA miata, which was 100-150lbs lighter. (my super base 1992 is 2100lbs with a full tank of gas, but its got no AC, no PS, and 67 less horsepowers)
the other example is the 60's Ferrari GTO, its the same physical size as an FD (2400mm wheel base), and if you look at a later car, same hp, around 280. size size brakes (300mm). but the Ferrari is 2300lbs, and the FD is 2700.... but the FD has AC, PS, air bags and a radio....
Man I'd buy a ND Miata since I'm looking for an everyday driver but can't over the fact that I'm going to get roasted as driving a miata, and feel like an idiot trying to explain to them exactly why the Miata is an amazing car because most people are very dumb. That aside, I can deal with it, but buying another 2 door car as a daily doesn't seem like the smartest option.
Been considering it the past couple weeks but don't think it's it.
Man I'd buy a ND Miata since I'm looking for an everyday driver but can't over the fact that I'm going to get roasted as driving a miata, and feel like an idiot trying to explain to them exactly why the Miata is an amazing car because most people are very dumb. That aside, I can deal with it, but buying another 2 door car as a daily doesn't seem like the smartest option.
Been considering it the past couple weeks but don't think it's it.
Life is too short to be worrying what other people think. Especially when it comes to something as personal as your ride.
I’ve had my NC for over 10yrs before getting the 8. Which is an ever so slightly bigger NC.
If I were to get a new fun daily now, I’m sorry guys but I would definitely go with the new BRZ. I couldn’t live with paying 52g’s cdn for a miata rf. Up here having the soft top is out of the question. Especially if you plan to daily drive it. You can get a new BRZ for a little over 40g’s out the door.
Personally though, you can go hunting for a slightly older used NC PRHT for 24-26g’s (with about 40-50k km’s) on the clock!
Also, I know a few of us would probably want something a little more practical for a daily. Especially if you’re in a certain demographic . I know it’s not a sports car, but it would definitely serve well as a daily. You can get a low km BMW 3 series. I stress the low km’s. Direct injection engines don’t really last too long if the previous owner didn’t maintain. Since the vast majority of these are leased, and if you plan to keep it around for awhile, you might want to look into getting the intake and valves cleaned. At least you’ll be alright for the next 120-160k km’s without worrying too much.
Life is too short to be worrying what other people think. Especially when it comes to something as personal as your ride.
I’ve had my NC for over 10yrs before getting the 8. Which is an ever so slightly bigger NC.
If I were to get a new fun daily now, I’m sorry guys but I would definitely go with the new BRZ. I couldn’t live with paying 52g’s cdn for a miata rf. Up here having the soft top is out of the question. Especially if you plan to daily drive it. You can get a new BRZ for a little over 40g’s out the door.
Personally though, you can go hunting for a slightly older used NC PRHT for 24-26g’s (with about 40-50k km’s) on the clock!
Also, I know a few of us would probably want something a little more practical for a daily. Especially if you’re in a certain demographic . I know it’s not a sports car, but it would definitely serve well as a daily. You can get a low km BMW 3 series. I stress the low km’s. Direct injection engines don’t really last too long if the previous owner didn’t maintain. Since the vast majority of these are leased, and if you plan to keep it around for awhile, you might want to look into getting the intake and valves cleaned. At least you’ll be alright for the next 120-160k km’s without worrying too much.
I completely agree bro. I don't care what others think even though I mentioned it. Funny you mention the BRZ and 3 series though, I have seriously been considering a BRZ or a M2 (or M2 competition) with low mileage. Leaning heavier towards the BRZ, but feel like it'd just be a less fun FD, and not sure how it'd be to daily. Just need to get out there and drive it. I emailed local dealerships but none in stock right now.
Man I'd buy a ND Miata since I'm looking for an everyday driver but can't over the fact that I'm going to get roasted as driving a miata, and feel like an idiot trying to explain to them exactly why the Miata is an amazing car because most people are very dumb. That aside, I can deal with it, but buying another 2 door car as a daily doesn't seem like the smartest option.
Been considering it the past couple weeks but don't think it's it.
The days of roasting Miata drivers are far behind us, and if there's still a few cockroaches climbing from under their rocks roasting Miata drivers, I strongly encourage them to drive one...that within itself is one of the biggest reasons I ended up with my 7 and my 8. I will agree though, the ND has just climbed out of the reasonably priced category.
As for a daily driver, I was looking for something significantly more comfortable, so I bought a Chevy Silverado (before my 8). I feel that's an extreme example but having something more luxurious and comfortable as opposed to the 7 is sort of like a ying and yang; I appreciate the nimble handling, stability, and speed of my 7 when I drive it, then when I hop in the truck I appreciate luxury and comfort of driving it. Driving one also makes me appreciate the other, so it's a win-win. The 8 was just too cheap and too great of a car to pass up, but it fits nicely between the Chevy and the 7. The BRZ is a boring 7 and a slower 8, but it is still a fun car to drive. I believe the 8 is an all-around better car (other than the updated creature comforts) ...but you'll have to drive both to compare.
Last edited by Manny_Apex; Feb 20, 2022 at 04:07 AM.
Re: Neo's comment on direct injection engines (I don't own any), I did a little research on Toyota's D-4S (dual injection) engines last night... they're used in mostly boring Toyota cars, unsurprisingly. The Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 have D-4S in their boxer engines.
Toyota went for high thermal efficiency, etc. with their Dynamic Force Engines (I4 and V6), but car nuts mostly missed that memo because Toyota cars are reliable appliances with automatic transmissions... some of them even clean themselves(!)
The Lexus LC 500's V8 also uses dual injection and it makes nearly 500 hp.
The Mazda SkyActiv engines don't seem to have a major carbon buildup issue – I remember Mazda saying something about the high temperatures reducing the probability of a carbon problem:
Life is too short to be worrying what other people think. Especially when it comes to something as personal as your ride.
I’ve had my NC for over 10yrs before getting the 8. Which is an ever so slightly bigger NC.
If I were to get a new fun daily now, I’m sorry guys but I would definitely go with the new BRZ. I couldn’t live with paying 52g’s cdn for a miata rf. Up here having the soft top is out of the question. Especially if you plan to daily drive it. You can get a new BRZ for a little over 40g’s out the door.
Personally though, you can go hunting for a slightly older used NC PRHT for 24-26g’s (with about 40-50k km’s) on the clock!
Also, I know a few of us would probably want something a little more practical for a daily. Especially if you’re in a certain demographic . I know it’s not a sports car, but it would definitely serve well as a daily. You can get a low km BMW 3 series. I stress the low km’s. Direct injection engines don’t really last too long if the previous owner didn’t maintain. Since the vast majority of these are leased, and if you plan to keep it around for awhile, you might want to look into getting the intake and valves cleaned. At least you’ll be alright for the next 120-160k km’s without worrying too much.
I fell you. I have also been thinking of an NC Miata for the past couple of months but the price of a new one is too much. They're almost $60k after our 15% sales tax up here ($60k for the RF and $50-55k for the soft-top). The prices of used ones are also staying high due to the recent insanity. I have seen a few basic, early model, soft-top NC1 in the $25-$30k range.
I fell you. I have also been thinking of an NC Miata for the past couple of months but the price of a new one is too much. They're almost $60k after our 15% sales tax up here ($60k for the RF and $50-55k for the soft-top). The prices of used ones are also staying high due to the recent insanity. I have seen a few basic, early model, soft-top NC1 in the $25-$30k range.
That's insanity. Even $25-30k for a NC is outrageous. My friend sold his a couple years ago for $7k with less than 100k miles on the clock. Have you considered a RX-8? If you can find a S2 (2009-2011), it might be cheaper than both options.
I fell you. I have also been thinking of an NC Miata for the past couple of months but the price of a new one is too much. They're almost $60k after our 15% sales tax up here ($60k for the RF and $50-55k for the soft-top). The prices of used ones are also staying high due to the recent insanity. I have seen a few basic, early model, soft-top NC1 in the $25-$30k range.
Yep, tell me about it. I’ve seen a few NC’s in the 24-27g’s cdn. It’s a fair amount but as you said, with the recent craziness happening, I’m not surprised. Still, if you want to get an NC, prep for a 32g price..
Manny,
keep in mind, the prices and range we’re discussing is all in km’s and our money. So 7g’s US for a vehicle with just under 100k miles (which is probably still about 100-110k km’s for us) sounds about right.
I noticed as long as the car hovers in the 40-70k km range, expect to pay about 22-26g’s Cdn for vehicles nowadays. Prior it would be around 17-22g’s Cdn.
I tried to wait out the inflated exotic car market but no indications a 720s, Huracan or 488 are coming back down to pre 2021 numbers anytime soon. I found a good deal on a new 21 Campagna T-Rex RR in a color I couldn’t pass up. I’ve only put about 40 miles on it since it was delivered Saturday but I’m very pleased. It’s loads faster than my 05 T-Rex. It’s 200lbs lighter, fuel injected and an extra 30hp over my old one. It’s extreme, impractical and not for everyone, but for $70k I doubt there are many things that deliver the same thrill factor and performance.
If you're into T-Rex, maybe it's time to start looking at bikes? $70k is a stable full of Superbikes. It might even get you a very special Ducati Superleggera..
Does the T-Rex feel like a car? Or is there strange feedback with only the front providing roll control?
If you're into T-Rex, maybe it's time to start looking at bikes? $70k is a stable full of Superbikes. It might even get you a very special Ducati Superleggera..
Does the T-Rex feel like a car? Or is there strange feedback with only the front providing roll control?
I've had bikes and the experience is nothing like a bike whatsoever. Its definitely more of a car with a motorcycle engine. Its a high speed go-kart on steroids with the power to overturn the rear tire at any speed under 70mph. Its straight adrenaline with incredible handling. Factory power to weight ratio is the equivalent of a 630 HP FD but with instant throttle response at all times. Once again, its not for most people and any non car person will think it is a $20k slingshot at first glance. If you ever get the chance I recommend you drive or ride in one, that's what got me hooked back around 2004ish.
We bought a new MX-5 Club for our daughter and I daily drive a '19 Golf R. I've been kinda tripping since we got the Miata, Here's why.
The Miata isn't a fast car, but it's so much fun to drive. Can a car have personality? I'll be rowing through the gears winding it out, leaning into corners when..."Oh **** there's a cop. ..Wait, no worries I'm only doing 40". With the Golf, I'll be driving along on the freeway and then realize I'm silently doing 90+MPH.
I've been saying that the Miata is like a playful cat, slinking down the street, quick on it's feet with a nice little purr and growl too. The Golf R seems more like a really quick toaster or something. A road going appliance. It's fast, comfortable and has all the tech I want, but the...soul isn't there like the Mazda's.
Long story a little less long, Miatas are some of the funnest cars on the road if you ask me.
I'm super happy with my 2021 Grand Touring manual trans ND Miata I bought in December. It's really fun, has a warranty, gets 30mpg when you thrash it, and has modern conveniences. In normal street driving it is every bit as good of a handler as a near stock FD, with about as much straight line as a stock FC Turbo II had.
Also, waiting for the bottom to drop out on the car market is like waiting for housing prices to go down. I mean yeah it could happen, but will it actually be more affordable than it is now, especially with interest rates rising? Probably not. Get what you want soon.
I agree, Miata Is Always The Answer. Rated mileage is 26/30/35 mpg.
Nothing else has the magical qualities of being affordable, fun to drive, easy to repair, and economical to fill (relatively) right now, other than the GR86 / BRZ (which have the fixed top and rear seats some people require). Much worse mileage at 20/22/27.
