my friend bought a miata and it looks nice to me
i was wondering if any1 of you guys owned 1 in past and what year was it?
i am still browsing through the market and trying to gather as much info i can?
so let me know what you guys think

 

There was one for sale not too long ago. Search in the for sale thread.

I personally think they are a chicks car but that's just me

Get your 7 sorted out, don't worry a bout the miata.

 

What year are you looking at?
Are you looking for NA, NB or NC?

I picked up an NC PRHT in 08. It's basically a reliable sports car. You don't have to worry about it at all. Do the basic maintenance, and the car is trouble free.
It's essentially a scaled down version of the FD.
I couldn't be happier.

 

Miatas do look like a girls car but they drive nice. First gens were good handling, simple, but they felt cramped when you drove them. When you were in them you knew you were in a small car. Second gen was far better. That car just simply hugs you when you sit in it. The interior feels comfy and roomy as well. Much more refined. I haven't drove one of the new ones though so I can't give you an opinion on them. Neo owns one of the new ones. Ask him what they are like. Mechanically I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. The only problem I've ever encountered with them is carbon build up due to owners that don't actually DRIVE them like they need to be. After all it is a Mazda...

 

Never mind, Neo already beat me to the punch...

 

If I wanted a small 2 seater car. I'd look at something a bit less common. Something like an 88 Fiero GT, or a MR2. While those are old cars I'd still pick one of them before a miata. Also you said you liked RHD vehicles. You can find MR2s with RHD.

 

I think of any car I've driven Miatas have the best gearbox. Doesn't matter what year, they all feel so crisp going through the gears. That, and the you only have to move the shifter half an inch between gears.
I don't think you'll enjoy the Miata 'community' as much as Rx-7's because there is definitely an abundance of STRANGE miata owners out there.
I think they get a bad rep. as a chick's car but f- it, they are really fun to drive fast.
The latest model '05+ has the best roof design with the single latch in the middle as opposed to the two on either side; it makes it really easy to flip it down. Even bringing the top up, you can sit in the car and press the release for the roof and it pops up just enough to grab and lift it - you'll have to try it to understand what I mean, but basically you never have to lift your *** off the seat.
The later the year, the more power, but if you plan on modding yours this won't be an issue because they have reasonably priced supercharger kits for every year I'm pretty sure. That, and there seem to be almost as many aftermarket Miata vendors as there are Civic vendors.

 

NA Miatas are great, reliable, easy to make quick, easy to work on.. Only problem is if your above 6 Foot good luck fitting comfortably...for me I'm about 6 foot and with the seat all the way back im comfy. NBs are even better, more comfy, great sound system stock, still reliable, more options as far as parts go, also easy to upgrade.

The NCs, now they are indeed reliable cars..I haven't looked at the GVWR but I would imagine they're heavier than the rest though still quite light..No more Mazdaspeed. But you do have the 2011 Superlight coming out. You do have Mazdaspeed parts options I believe from the Mazdaspeed catalog. They do come with the 2.0L it has been a fairly good engine so far...I believe its a newer design not sure if its an upgraded version of the FS family engines. Which means it should be reliable for quite some time..though most Miata owners dont have massive mileage on them. I tend to see them in the 100,000 to 200,000 range though I haven't seen any NCs that high yet.

 

Good point, I forgot about the Mazdaspeed models.

There are Mazdaspeed accessories for the 05+ but they are EXTREMELY expensive. They are also limited to basic bolt-ons like CAI's and Axle-back mufflers due to warranty limitations so you're better to look at the actual aftermarket stuff. I've dealt with customers who spend over 4 grand on MS accessories and they end up looking like mix and match CF accessory crap.

 

I just helped my buddy turbo his 90 rhd miata even with the turbo it is still a slow car, but it handles amazingly well

Personally i really like them they need to get a proper set of wheels and lowered to look better imo

He also had a previous 90 with the full mazdaspeed miata drivetrain it was pretty nice with the 6 speed

If you do plan to turbo the car don't plan on making more than 220hp on a stock block the rods are known to fail

As far as mazdaspeed parts go do 2 autox events and got to http://www.mazdamotorsports.com/ sign up and get your parts at a good discount

 

I test drive a few miatas many years ago, they are very good in handling, and i think they are reliable as well.... I rate Miata better than Honda Del Sol...

 

yeah i drove ma friends and it handles nice... plus it looks a lot like an fd to me .. the pop up lights
i think its a mini fd

 

I miss my Miata so much that I've been thinking about getting another one.

I sold my '01 about two years ago...

 

'04 '05 mazdaspeed miata's are the ****.

really fun car

 

A neighbour (that I never spoke to) is actually selling his older model miata. 4bolts/flip up lights model.
He's an older gentleman, so I don't think he beats the car much.

 

Wow, I didn't know you felt that way, Chris!

 

Good old Johnny at work...

 

I have an NC (2006) and although it's a lease and is going back in 5 weeks, I'll be buying another one this fall. With simple mods, intake/header/exhaust/coilovers/sway bars/tires I was quicker than a lot of "faster" cars at both Solo2 and Time Attack. Plus the 06+ don't have the girly car rap.

 

The old saying goes
"People that think Miatas are girl cars have never been on a road course"

It's kinda tough to think that the guy who just passed you on the outside with 140hp is a ***.

 

It's alright guys... Evilrotor is always saying that about the Miata. It's probably because he can't fit in it. 6ft2inches and German. I'm surprised he can fit in the FD. Let alone the Miata.

The mazdaspeed NB's were very sought after. They're very reliable despite having a turbo system. Must be the iron block.

For the NC's, the engine is all aluminum. 2lt in displacement. Plenty of pep for a car of this size and weight. Even ordering the PRHT, you won't notice a difference between it and a rag top version.

In stock form, the car rolls drastically. They had to compromise for the overall audience. But any enthusiast can order some sway bars and springs from the Mazdaspeed catalogue and the car will behave much more neutral. Plus it won't look like a 4x4.

The newest NC's have solved a bit of that problem. But they still roll and sit quite high. Many have done the same upgrades to the first NC's to bring the overall handling back to neutral.

It's a great little car. I daily drive mine. Been through 2 Toronto winters. As long as you have a good set of winter rubber, you won't have a problem.

Better make sure you Krown the sucker if you're getting a brand new one. If you're getting a used one, make sure it was never driven in winter and if it has, it better have been Krowned.
I know the NA's have a tendency of rusting out.

 

The reason I fit in an FD is because I'm all legs!
Also the reason why Miata drivers are always after me.

 

^

 

so wat are the prices i should be looking at and does high mileage matter on these cars?

 

high mileage does not matter... The motor is basically from the turbo 323..meaning its an iron block meant to handle boost. (hence why they are slow, NO TURBO, LOL!)

quite a few owners have seen 300k on their motor...200k is not far away either, A LOT of people have 200k on their motor.. Miata people like to boast about mileage they have.


89-93 were the 1.6 liter... Not really my first pick.
94+ had the 1.8... BUT! the 94-95 was the only 1.8 to be OBD1....THESE ARE MY CHOICES. (OBD1 is just easier to turbo and mod, I feel.)

99+(NB miatas) engines are not as stout as the previous miatas (NA miatas)... they typically max out at about 9-10psi for safety... the NA miatas could go up to about 16psi safely (but that was DEFIANTLY the breaking point too.)


Almost no miata came with an LSD... hard to find. some basic models came with a viscoss? (clutch type) LSD... Special editions came with a Torsen stock. ( I cant remember how to tell if it has a LSD, best way is to lift up and spin wheels, see what happens.... But if its a clutch type, they could be worn out and not work)

Trannys are good for the most part. they hold power well, but DAMN do they feel good using.

Suspension... they get FINICKY when put under their limit. slammed might look good, but BOY will that car talk back to you.

Prices..... Im sorry, I dont know how to best help you with that... my experience was a few years back, prices change. Im sure 3-4k is close to max now a days for a 94-95 with 100k miles.

 

Miata cost breakdown since apparently everyone wants to be spoonfed and autotrader.ca and autocatch.com and carpages.ca don't work right????

-buying a clean shell: 5k
-complete suspension mods: 3k
-wheels/tires 2 sets: 2k
-boost/rotary swap + drivetrain: 5k

15k for a fast, fun, amazing car, you could obviously do it for less then half of this, but yah, I think you should do it. miatas rock