Anybody else notice how cheap miatas are these days?
 

I guess it's just a function of age but miatas are sooooo easy to find in the $2500 range that it's getting tough to ignore them.

REALLY looking forward to autocrossing my 911 again this season but the idea of having a beater for the track that i don't have to worry about is just kinda tempting.

Money is not in great supply here and I just don't have a $10k/yr track budget for the 911 particularly when a major motor malfunction would cost more than i paid for the car.

That's a fine idea Ms. Barettafan :). Just pickin'...I'm tempted too, but just don't need another vehicle of any sort right now. I saw one the other day that appeared to be a "track car"...got to be a hoot to drive.

They're great cars, my cousin has had a couple. You can also supercharge them cheap, for well under $2k. SC'ed with a typical street kit they run about a 14 flat in the quarter mile.

Make sure you go newer than 94.

I've also considered many times picking up a Miata for a track-only car. But then I keep thinking that boxsters are dropping in price really quickly, and with more stock power, a mid engine, and put on a major diet, would Miatas for breakfast on the track.

I'm assuming parts would be significantly cheaper for a Miata than a boxster, but is a miata any more DIY friendly? Either way, this would be a car I'd push to 9.5/10, so maintenance would be an issue for sure.

I did crush my cousins SC'ed Miata in my (non stock) 928 pretty badly. Both in a drag race and on some local windy roads. However, when you consider that a Miata originally cost about 1/5th what a 928 did(year for year), it's hard to fault the Miata for that.

Why newer than 94? like 911's condition is what you're looking for, not age. There are some great 89-90's out there and some dogged out 99's

I have a 94 A package as my autocross beater and love every minute of it. I've got about 5-6K into mine, and that is with an engine rebuild(after 205K) and a nationally competitive ES suspension setup and Rcrack tires for the last 2-3 years.

I'm expecting to Steve to chime in here...

snipe why newer than '94? engine size?

c. i'd think any front engine car would be more DIY friendly than a mid engine...at least for motor work. i seem to recal reading that miata motors can be had for around $2k. can't imagine getting anything with more than 4 or 5 parts from Porsche for $2k.

of course both ragtops have a 'girly car' stigma to them but i got no problem being called a girly man as i'm trailering a car to the track.

Tim you got a link to the suspension goodies?

Great fun, but on track only with other miata's or maybe 944's.

The 1.8 is a better engine, worth the price from my experience.

Generally they are very easy to work on, cheap parts too.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?dept=12

If you need it they have it

Not newer than a 94, a 94+. So 94 is OK too.

They went to a bigger motor in 1994 and made some other changes(lots of safety stuff i think). According to my cousin who is totally into these, you definitely want a 94 up.

That all makes sense, but let me rephrase: would the added benefit of the mid-engine layout, better performance of a boxster outweigh the PITA factor of accessing the engine and the added costs? I'm thinking not, but if someone said 'oh yeah, the boxster would be 10x the car at 3x the cost' then it would be something to consider. I'm guessing it would be more like 125% of the car for 250% of the cost.

And no, I don't care about the stigma of either (despite the 'caption this pic' thread I posted a while back!). Owning a wrenching on an early 911 already gives me far more "cool factor" than I could ever handle :D

I hate to dissappoint. :)

Yes, miata parts are much cheaper. One of the great things about a miata is that it's very DIY friendly. Little engine in a decent sized engine bay in the front. A fair amount of room compared to most modern cars, probably because it's not an engine and transaxle in the engine bay. I've done brakes, slave cylinder, and timing belt/water pump. It was all really easy to do. The hardest part is that like a 911, everything is very low so a lot of the work is done on your knees.

All miata are good cars. Up to '93 they had a rev happy 1.6L. The down side is smaller brakes, less stiff chassis. The upside is that they were pretty light, down around 2200-2400#s. From '94-97 they had a torquier 1.8L that's still pretty rev happy 7k. The 1.8L cars got bigger brakes, and as the years progressed they added chassis stiffening. Most of the stiffening is bolt on so it can be added to older cars. Starting in '96 they got OBDII. Most of the later models had more stuff (PW, AC, etc...) so they weighed a bit more, 2400-2500#s. You can put them on a diet.

A miata would be a great track car, but without forced induction might be less exciting if your local track is a fast track. Stock (relatively low powered) they would be good at teaching you to conserve momentum.

The stock suspension is very soft. I added stiffer springs and Bilsteins. The stock seats aren't very supportive. If you're tall then it'll be hard to go with aftermarket seats because the bottom of the stock seats actually is lower than the sliders. There are a few aftermarket seats that are similar. Also, width can be an issue with aftermarket seats, but lots of folks have added aftermarket seats successfully. It's just not a bolt in 99% of the time. I carved a bunch of foam out of the stock seats and that made a huge difference.

I sold my 911 for financial reasons, but after driving the 911, I couldn't go back to a regular FWD econobox. The miata is to me a 911 Jr. I made the suspension stiffer, went from 14" wheels to 15x6.5" to get better tires, and fixed the driver's seat by carving the foam. I love the car this way. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if it was faster, but it's zippy enough.

I've got a 1.6 powered 1993 Miata. Great little car.

-Double wishbone suspension on all four corners
-50/50 weight distribution
-The best short-throw shifter I've ever used
-Spins freely to 7000 rpm
-Bullet-proof reliability
-30 mpg

Mine has both hard and soft tops, limited slip, full leather, speakers and subwoofers mounted within the seats, A/C that will make 911 drivers cry, all for $4500 a few years ago.

Mine still has stock suspension, so there is exessive body roll, but when it takes a set around a corner, it grips out the wazzoo. Upgrading from 14x6 to 15x7 wheels helped out quite a bit.

What is fun about the Miata is that I can drive it pretty hard on public roads without attracting attention. I'd rather drive the Miata at 90% than putz around town at 15% in a Corvette.

Even with all that well-deserved praise, however, right now the Miata is sitting in storage for the winter while I'm driving an even older 944.

This is a point I've made here many times. The French are a fine example. They drive their little Peugeots and Renaults at 90% on public roads all of the time. Every day is track day.

There a lot of cars here you could never drive at 90%. Maybe not even on the track.

I had a 1992 1.6 liter Miata once. Drove it for two years until some teenage malcontent stole it and drove it into a restaurant - through the plate glass window.

Wonderful car. Best shifter I've ever known.

The bottom end of the engine comes from a turbo motor, so the bottom end is plenty beefy. The head was made specifically for the Miata.

The suspension is fully adjustable for caster, camber and toe front and rear (well, no caster in the rear).

The stock suspension is a coilover arrangement (not struts, coilover shocks). You can get Bilsteins for $400. You can then add threaded sleeves to the Bilsteins for another $400 and use whatever rate springs you can imagine. You've then got a height adjustable suspension.

There are several adjustable coilover kits for the miata around $1000.

I've heard that a lot of Miata owners do a lot of things on their knees...

:D

hahaha