Miata vs 944, anyone got 1st hand

[masraum]

I'm just curious if anyone has driven both enough to compare the two. I had a 911, sold it and got a miata (for monetary purposes). I've considered once or twice switching, but everytime I do I think "what would it buy me?" Eventually what I come up with is 'Porsche engineering', 'Porsche parts prices' and 'a car that's older and likely slightly less reliable (more miles)'.

So I always decide that it would be silly. My miata, slightly modded is boat loads of fun. I don't see a reason to upgrade (eventually to a 911 of some sort or maybe boxster) to a 944.

But I'm curious about some first hand knowledge. I think the acceleration specs are similar (0-60). I think the 944 is a bit more powerful (bigger engine), but also a bit heavier. I think it more readily accepts bigger tires, and probably has much better brakes (It's a Porsche after all). It's got the weight out at the ends, so it's probably more forgiving, but also a little slower to rotate.

Both cars have a 50/50 weight distro. Both cars handle really well. Both cars are relatively slow.

The only other benefit of a 944 would be more interior space and a hatchback.

I like the looks of the miata and the 944. I think I may slightly prefer the miata (the 944 is sort of generic looking).

[DARISC]

Just my opinion, but the Miata is a great little car, a classic Brit roadster, finally done right by the Japanese.

Never been crazy about 944s - entry level, poor man's Porsche (not that I'm a snob! ) and not generally all that "cool".

The Miata, if you're above the silly "chic car" nonsense, is pure sports car with a really great tranny.

As far as slow, yeah, neither is quick or fast. But remember, it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow!

I'd take a Miata over a 944.

[450knotOffice]

Me too, I think. I've seen Miatas driven insanely fast through the canyons and they just look so light, agile, and (crucially) forgiving. The 944's are probably just as forgiving, but are quite a bit heavier and are therefore probably not nearly as tossable. Miata parts are probably an order of magnitude cheaper too.

[fingpilot]

+1

[Lazarro]

Miata. And I happen to own a 944.

Miata=More smiles per mile.

[porsche4life]

It depends on what you want to do with it. If you want a car that is great for long trips and eating twistys. It's the 944 hands down. Low wind noise, comfort, and tons of luggage cap. But for just going to the track and playing on the weekends it'd be a miata. Perfect choice would be one of each?

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by Lazarro

Miata. And I happen to own a 944.

Miata=More smiles per mile.

Well that oughta cinch it for ya Steve.

[porsche4life]

It depends on what you want to do with it. If you want a car that is great for long trips and eating twistys. It's the 944 hands down. Low wind noise, comfort, and tons of luggage cap. But for just going to the track and playing on the weekends it'd be a miata. Perfect choice would be one of each?

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

...Perfect choice would be one of each?

And a slightly used ol' Z06 for grocery runs...YEAH! THAT'S the ticket!

[J1NX3D]

Originally Posted by DARISC

Never been crazy about 944s - entry level, poor man's Porsche (not that I'm a snob! ) and not generally all that "cool".

The Miata, if you're above the silly "chic car" nonsense, is pure sports car with a really great tranny.

As far as slow, yeah, neither is quick or fast. But remember, it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow!

I'd take a Miata over a 944.

lol.

The 944. if you're above the silly "entry level, poor man's Porsche and not generally all that "cool" nonsense they can be a very rewarding sports car :P

TBH I wouldn't say no to an MX5. I've liked them since inception and they've kept to a winning formula over the years. I probably wouldn't go out and hunt for one especially since I already have a 944 and if i were to upgrade it would preferably be to a 944S2 or a 968 clubsport. But if i got handed one cheap I'd want a hard top.

The problem with 944's is it's too easy to find poor examples. Especially in the US. It's like a graveyard for them!

[DARISC]

Top wrench at my mech.'s shop doesn't race, but he preps his wife's(who does race) 944. Says that, re parts cost, it's much more affordable than doing the same with an old 911.

Another thing he mentioned is that it's not all that easy to run down a 944 for sale that has been really all that well maintained. He attributes this to the fact that when the 944s were introduced they were bought by a lot of young guys who could afford to "buy a Porsche!" but couldn't keep them up as well as they should have been kept up.

Sooo...there might be a hard to nail down difference regarding what it would take to bring up an old 944 to snuff as opposed to bringing an old 911, which most probably was better maintained, up to snuff, regardless of the fact that 944 parts are cheaper. Tough call.

Edit: Just saw your post mAd924: "The problem with 944's is it's too easy to find poor examples. Especially in the US. It's like a graveyard for them!"
- exactly!

[m21sniper]

I've driven both.

My cousin has a supercharged miata, and i've driven several 944 turbos.

I'd rather have a 944 turbo.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

I've driven both.

My cousin has a supercharged miata, and i've driven several 944 turbos.

I'd rather have a 944 turbo.

Yeah, I'm not thinking of changing cars, but my comparison request is actually concentrating on the NA cars. When you through Forced Induction into the mix, things are completely different. I know that the 944 turbo's of the late 80s were nearly as fast as the 911 (I think quicker to 60 and faster on the top end, but ready a magazine article once that said that the 911 had the edge on top end accel or something like that which was surprising to me. And, of course, it probably doesn't take much to get lots of extra oomph out of the 951.

[dd74]

Miata. It will be my next sports car. Hopefully a Miata R.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by masraum

Yeah, I'm not thinking of changing cars, but my comparison request is actually concentrating on the NA cars. When you through Forced Induction into the mix, things are completely different. I know that the 944 turbo's of the late 80s were nearly as fast as the 911 (I think quicker to 60 and faster on the top end, but ready a magazine article once that said that the 911 had the edge on top end accel or something like that which was surprising to me. And, of course, it probably doesn't take much to get lots of extra oomph out of the 951.

I would much rather own a N/A miata than an N/A 944 unless it was an S2 944, and then i'd definitely prefer that over a stock miata.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

I would much rather own a N/A miata than an N/A 944 unless it was an S2 944, and then i'd definitely prefer that over a stock miata.

Right, the S2 or 968 would definitely be prefered, I'm thinking more about the earlier cars. I think they were all 2.5L, right. The S2 was a 3.0 or a 16V ver of the 2.5?

[chapo]

My mech buddy tried to give me his fender covers to a 944, says he wont work on them anymore. When I inquired at another well known so cal shop about the 944 spec class vs the vintage race I do now, their reply was " god don't do that to yourself". i like 944's, think they look burly, but they have been poorly maintained and are a pain to work on. At Buttonwillow i watched a guy drive a prepped miata drive circles around the vintage 9111 crowd, then take his helmet off and drive it home on the same tires.

[masraum]

Honestly, when I got the miata, I was coming from a 911 and based on everything that I'd read, the only thing that would do (re:driving experience) as a replacement was the miata. I was also looking for something reliable, easy to work on, and inexpensive. The miata fits the bill to a T.

When I first got the miata, I noticed that yes it is a great car, but it's got some inadequacies. It comes with 14" wheels. It's just too hard to find good max performance street tires for 14" wheels. I upgraded to a lightweight 15" wheel. That helped a lot. Also, the stock suspension is VERY SOFT. During spirited driving the car exhibited lots of squat on accel, dive on braking and roll on cornering. Also, with 2 people in the car, if you hit a dip or bump in the road at >45mph, the rear suspension would bottom out. Granted, the rear bumpstops are designed to be a progressive rate part of the spring/suspension, but the experience was an unpleasant one when driving. Lots of folks recommended the addition of thicker anti-roll bars, but I didn't think that they would address the squat, roll, and bottoming out of the rear suspension, so I went to Bilstein shocks with height adjustable Ground Control coilover sleeves. (miatas come with coilover shocks from the factory, the GC just added the ability to adjust the height). The GC sleeves come with springs that are about 2.5x stiffer than stock. That made all of the difference in the world. The last problem that I had with the miata was the seats. They looked sporty (lateral bolstering), but they didn't actually provide any lateral support. It's a common procedure to remove foam from a couple of spots in the seat bottoms and backs (called a foamectomy ). After the foamectomy, the driver's seat in my car is much better. It's not as nice as the seats that were in my 911, but hey, it's a miata. Since my mods, driving the miata has a similar experience to driving my old 911. It's not the same, obviously, but it's very nice. The miata steers very nicely with the throttle. Actually, the first time I discovered how well it drove with the throttle reminded me of the 911. Gotta watch out for TTO!

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by masraum

Right, the S2 or 968 would definitely be prefered, I'm thinking more about the earlier cars. I think they were all 2.5L, right. The S2 was a 3.0 or a 16V ver of the 2.5?

The early N/A 944's were dogs, even the 5 spds were dogs.

The S2 N/A 944's are pretty much the performance equal to a stock 944 turbo.

[livi]

I am the kind of car-guy that have very little hands on experience with racing cars. Regrettably and so far. Most information comes from reading - a lot. I know the Miata is a very fun car but I have also read an enormous amount of articles naming the 944 as a superb road car, not least for when the road bends. Magazines praising them for their inherently great balance. Perhaps lacking a bit in the power department compared to weight, but what about stripping it out completely? How much weight would be possible to shed? One of my first cars was a 76 924. 125 bhp. Yes, in terms of speed it was a dog, but I still miss it. I was for some reason a very fun car to drive.