My son needs a new Miata

[Hard-Deck]

My 20yo son used to drive a Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon; fun car. Friday night while cruising down the fwy, it caught fire and burned to the ground. He and his passenger got out unscathed, but are shaken up a little as the car literally burst into flames and they barely got out in time after getting the car stopped. Cause still unknown, but police and FD both say Volvos do this sometimes. Wierd.

He can't afford to purchase and maintain a P-car just yet, so it seems a Miata is a good choice for pre-owned car according to what I've read here on the board.

Any advice about years, what to look for, avoid? Anyone know a good shop to do a PPI in the Edmonds, WA area?

[masraum]

Body style NA
90-93 have a 1.6L, they are a tad lighter and have smaller brakes
94-95 have a 1.8L and bigger brakes and a bigger rear-end. They started adding more body bracing. Pre OBDII
96-97 still 1.8L the most bracing of the early pop-up headlight cars. Also the heaviest. Many/Most of the '96s have LSD

Body Style NB
'99 1.8L, but more power (10hp?). New interior, and I've read, lighter than the '97 models.
blah, blah, blah...

How much are you looking to spend. I love my '97, and my wife has a '99. My '97 has more footroom than my wife's '99.

For lots of info, check out www.miata.net

There's lots of good info in the FAQ, http://www.miata.net/faq/

The forums are also pretty good, and many of the folks there are as smart and as serious about their miata's as we are here. There are some kids, but it's nothing like a civic board.
http://forum.miata.net/vb/

I was originally shooting for a mid NA car, something '94-95, but I test drove everything from '90-97. Lots of folks say that you can find really nice cheap versions of the early cars. You hear about the cars that are mint for $2500. I think that's for folks that have a lot of time on their hands. I'm not that patient. I ended up going newer and newer. The last two cars that I looked at were a '96 and a '97. The '96 had LSD and was a nice dark blue with 56k miles. The '97 was black, in really nice shape, 45k miles, and came with the optional hardtop which is a pricey thing to buy usually running $1000-$1500. I went with the '97 for the lower miles and the hardtop. I eventually pulled the hardtop and put it on my wifes car.

Stock these cars have a really soft suspension. They still handle really well because their camber curve was designed to work with lots of roll. I put stiffer height adjustable springs sleeves on over Bilstein shocks, and I'm much happier with the ride.

The seats aren't very "sporty" after coming from a 911 seat. You can carve some of the foam out of the middle of the seat back and bottom and make them fit snuggly and also get you a bit lower in the car (I'm 6'2" and fit, but fit even better now that I'm 2" lower).

The engines are based on a turbocharged block, so the bottom ends are pretty sturdy. The 4 valve dual cam heads were designed specifically for the miata. The trannies are considered some of the best ever. The early rear ends will break if subjected to punishment. The later rears are bigger and better.

[steve185]

Miata's are for chicks.

[Hard-Deck]

"Miata's are for chicks"

So are XR400's. Real men ride 2-strokes.

[Tim Walsh]

Miata's are great cars, cheap, easy to work on and a lot of fun, just don't have the soul of a porsche. I've got a 94, which is the only 1.8 with a real oil pressure gauge. I don't drive it much really, only to autocrosses, at the autocrosses and back home again but I smile every time I get in it. Don't forget the 1.8L cars have a passenger airbag if that means anything to you(he was driving a volvo after all) I don't think you go go bad with any year, I would look more for condition than anything. One piece to note is the early 1.6L cars had trouble with the timing belt pulley's woodruff keyway ovaling out requiring an engine change, but that's all I can think of.

Any motorsports ambitions? with just a set of good shocks and a set of R-crack.. I mean race tires it can be a potent weapon just about anywhere.

[masraum]

I drive my '97 daily. It's a lot of fun. I used to drive my 911 daily. The miata is like a 911 Jr as far as driving experience (after I upgraded the springs, wheels/tires and did a foamectomy on the seats). It's missing some of the charisma and most of the speed/power.

They are reliable and cheap.

[Hard-Deck]

Awesome feedback, thanks masraum and Tim Walsh. This'll get us started in the search.

[ZOO]

Don't be afraid of the short-nose crank -- it's something to watch for, but not a deal-killer, especially if you are mechanically inclined. Any year is fun, but I'd look for a 94 with an LSD. My '90 is pretty much that now, with a 1.8 swap, and a Torsen rear-end.

Visit Flyin' Miata for lots of excellent go-faster parts. They are the cream of the aftermarket for Miatas, in my opinion. Stellar customer service, and incredibly supportive technical help.

[Noah Holcomb]

I had a very early production 1990 Miata and sure enough I had the short nose crank and it failed. Other than that great car. If I was to buy another I would want a 1st gen 1.8 liter car with a manual and limited slip rear. The second gen cars are good as well, much nicer interiors in my opinion, but the cars weigh more. If you don't mind the extra weight any year second gen is a good car as well.


They are great little cars. Fun to drive, good on gas, reliable, etc... If you want a fun small car with low operating cost the Miata is a good direction to look. They are extremely reliable, and the sheer number of miatas you seen at any SCCA auto-cross is a testament to the car's handling ability. I see more miatas than any other car every time I go.

[masraum]

I'm dying to swap the LSD out of my wife's car into mine.

[m21sniper]

My cousin has a supercharged 94 Miata. It's not as fast as my 928, but it's definitely quick. You can get early S/C'd cars in the $5k and up range on Ebay.

[Dantilla]

I have a '93, last of the 1.6 cars.

Many will say that the 1.8 is a better car, but the 1.6 is a better Miata. I bought the '93 because I found a good deal on this car. Hard top, soft top, leather, power everything, limited slip, yada yada... for $4500. Over 30 mpg on the highway.

People who say a Miata is just a chick car have never driven one. Three of my friends have bought one after driving mine- One of them after selling his 911 cabriolet.

Last year, we put more miles on the Miata than any of the other cars. Between my wife and I, one of us drives it almost every day.

Just be aware of the 1990-91 short-nose crank issue if he wants an early car. Not a deal breaker, but the price should be lower.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

My cousin has a supercharged 94 Miata. It's not as fast as my 928, but it's definitely quick. You can get early S/C'd cars in the $5k and up range on Ebay.

+1. They're a great value, and good little (little) track cars. They seem to do fine on larger tracks as well. I've seen an S/C'd Miata at Willow Springs Raceway just tear it up at around the same speed as most Porsches.

Ebay's a good place to look. So is...
http://www.miata.net/cgi-bin/isc/classifieds.cgi?action=showsub&CategoryID=106&Session=4884e63c70115f0a
I'd go with miata.net only because these guys seem to know their cars quite well.

[Hard-Deck]

Well, we may be buying a '97 STO. I'm having a PPI done tonight. I like it so much, I may be jealous of my son having it.

[masraum]

Cool!

[Hard-Deck]

Bought the STO yesterday after a PPI. Paid high book, but it's a near-perfect car. Son's happy, I'm a bit jealous.....wait.....o/k, just looked out the window at my 911; not jealous anymore.

[Jim Richards]

STO = ?

[Hard-Deck]

http://www.ajfoley.com/miata/stoedit.html

Link tells about STO.

[TerryBPP]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

STO = ?

Seeking Transsexual Offerings? It is a miata after all.

[Hard-Deck]

I had to turn Terry's offer down to find me a Miata since he's in FL. Now he wants to talk trash.