I've had a base '90 Miata and a '94 Miata R (both with manual steering), own an '84 911, and test drove a couple of 914s before I bought my Porsche.
If you want an antique to fiddle with and take care of, buy the 914.
If you want something to drive, buy the Miata.
I drove both my Miatas brutally, in all weather, and didn't care much about maintenance. They never missed a beat. They always came back for more. Huge fun to drive on public roads, as stated above. I would wind out the first two gears to redline and be going, what, 35mph? Oh, and the shifter and tranny is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I taught myself how to heel-and-toe in a Miata, which I still can't do in the 911.
At the end of the day, though, the reason I don't have them any more is because they had just a tiny amount of soul. My 911? Tons!
