Back in a Miata

Ross6860

Ross6860

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Well, I found a 2001 SE with 40k miles and the factory hard top.

So I'm back in go kart heaven. I had a 1999 for a couple years and regretted selling it, so I had to have another one.

This one's tastefully done already. 2" drop Ohlins, new Potenzas, CAI, SS header and exhaust, lightweight flywheel and new clutch, Hawk pads, drilled and slotted rotors, SS braided brake hoses, etc. Saves me the trouble of all the mods.

Best of all, the owner was in his 60's and this was his baby. He had it for 10 years and just can't get in and out of it any longer (he's 6'2") He switched to a VW GTI

Trailering it home tomorrow. I'll post some photos.

Go slow, quickly ;)
 
that is tastefully modded, miata is a great car, I don't think you can find a car with better handling per dollar
 
6'2 former NA owner. First off, congrats! Secondly, I have no idea how somebody else who is also 6'2 could have lived with an NB for ten years. When your my size it literally feels like theres no room to exist inside, and you can't get your right leg under the steering wheel.
 
RamblinE said:
6'2 former NA owner. First off, congrats! Secondly, I have no idea how somebody else who is also 6'2 could have lived with an NB for ten years. When your my size it literally feels like theres no room to exist inside, and you can't get your right leg under the steering wheel.
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You just need some custom work done. :)

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Congrats on the new ride--sounds great. I had one of the first generation Miatas when they first came out--really fun cars (and mine wasn't even modded)--yours sounds like a LOT MORE FUN. Unfortunately, it was a little too "claustrophobic" for me (unless the top was down)--and I am not a big guy in either dimension (vertical or horizontal), so I traded it off a year later. Went through a series of new Vettes and then 70's musclecars, and now have a Challenger Hellcat--that car is a "boat", but man is it fun.
 
RamblinE said:
6'2 former NA owner. First off, congrats! Secondly, I have no idea how somebody else who is also 6'2 could have lived with an NB for ten years. When your my size it literally feels like theres no room to exist inside, and you can't get your right leg under the steering wheel.
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Wasn't his daily driver. Just Sunday cruises.
 
I'm 6'4" (or 5'16", as I like to say) and love small cars. The Miata's on my To-Own list. I've been a passenger in one, and I think it will work. For now I'm stuck with a Corolla (boring, but ultra-reliable.)
I read long ago that Shaq had the rear seats removed in his cars, and the seat tracks moved aft so he could fit.
 
Farmhand said:
I'm 6'4" (or 5'16", as I like to say) and love small cars. The Miata's on my To-Own list. I've been a passenger in one, and I think it will work. For now I'm stuck with a Corolla (boring, but ultra-reliable.)
I read long ago that Shaq had the rear seats removed in his cars, and the seat tracks moved aft so he could fit.
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He installed a wind deflector that mounted above the windshield to reduce the wind blast on his forehead and removed the sun visors (lots of folks do this).
 
FWIW the Ohlins coil-overs will not be for everyone. The ride is very harsh on bad roads and "whacks" you pretty good on highway tar-strips and expansion joints. On a nice country road though it reminds you why they were installed.

The Alpine stereo in it is one of the worst I've heard in years, and it was supposed to be an improvement on the factory Bose unit? This will have to go... Good tunes in a convertible are a real challenge. Too bad headphones are illegal:dunno:
 
I tried wearing earphones in my car once.

Not being able to hear what was going on outside the earphones scared me! :yikes: :biggrin:
 
Ross6860 said:
FWIW the Ohlins coil-overs will not be for everyone. The ride is very harsh on bad roads and "whacks" you pretty good on highway tar-strips and expansion joints. On a nice country road though it reminds you why they were installed.

The Alpine stereo in it is one of the worst I've heard in years, and it was supposed to be an improvement on the factory Bose unit? This will have to go... Good tunes in a convertible are a real challenge. Too bad headphones are illegal:dunno:
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I'd have to disagree, one of my buddies has the same car as me (2004 mazdaspeed miata), riding on Ohlins DFV coilovers. The ride is stiff, but it's very controlled over bumps and joints, I wouldn't call it harsh at all. The Spring Rate are as follows Front 392 lbs/in (7kg), Rear 224 (4kg), which is around half of what people run for serious track work (700/400). I personally run custom built AST coilovers with 550/350 rates, and it still feels a bit too soft at the limits.
 
bigx5murf said:
I'd have to disagree, one of my buddies has the same car as me (2004 mazdaspeed miata), riding on Ohlins DFV coilovers. The ride is stiff, but it's very controlled over bumps and joints, I wouldn't call it harsh at all. The Spring Rate are as follows Front 392 lbs/in (7kg), Rear 224 (4kg), which is around half of what people run for serious track work (700/400). I personally run custom built AST coilovers with 550/350 rates, and it still feels a bit too soft at the limits.
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IDK, I've owned Corvettes, A Boxster S, another Miata, and a few HD trucks and driven old MGs, Datzun 240/260/280, and this is the harshest ride of them all.

Now I didn't say I didn't like it. I said they would not be for everyone. I love the little beastie. Now if I had the extra 30-ish Hp the Mazdaspeed version had it would really be fun.

Ohlins made/makes several coilovers for the Miata. I don't know which model are installed on mine. They are adjustable and may have the spring pre-load cranked up. It's so low I need to get a low-profile jack to get under it and take a good look.
 
I wonder if by harshness you're referring to the floppy, rattly, nature of the miata chassis. A hardtop and chassis bracing goes a long way in alleviating that feeling.
 
bigx5murf said:
I wonder if by harshness you're referring to the floppy, rattly, nature of the miata chassis. A hardtop and chassis bracing goes a long way in alleviating that feeling.
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No sir. As far as convertibles go, only the Boxter had a better chassis. AT least of the cars I've owned. Both were built from the ground up to be convertibles. The Porsche is 3x the cost, so I would expect it to be "better".

Harshness (my definition) is the lack of compliance to the point of being unpleasant. The suspension is stiffly sprung and the poly bushings have about zero deformation. Great for performance, bad for comfort.

I would not want to spend a couple hours on an expressway in my Miata. Honestly, the Boxter S, although better, was still not something I wanted to spend hours in on the expressway.

The backroads of SE Ohio is a different story. That's what these cars were made for. third gear, WOT sweepers, second gear switchbacks, etc. Short of a motorcycle, a nice handling convertible gives me a great big smile. The Miata gives the most smiles per gallon:) Go slow, quickly...
 
I drove my MSM on the suspension I mentioned from NYC to Las Vegas in 5 days LOL. It really wasn't that bad.Did stop to stretch a few times a day.
 
bigx5murf said:
I drove my MSM on the suspension I mentioned from NYC to Las Vegas in 5 days LOL. It really wasn't that bad.Did stop to stretch a few times a day.
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Maybe because I'm pushing 60-years old...

I used to ride 400+ miles a day on a 400 lb. street bike (2-strokes, at that). Not sure I would want to try that now, along with a bunch of other things.

Like the guy said, "We were soldiers once, and young...".
 
They make great roadsters if you are careful with them. Then the overall cost of modding the first generation is great due to the interchangeablity through out all the generations all the through the MX5. You can take a 1994 later Miata that needs everything and go to an import auto wrecking yard and the majority out side of body parts will fit any of the early generation Miata's. Then, it doesn't take much effort or cost to put a late model MX5 4-cyl or V-6 engine and tranny into a '94 or newer Miata. Fact is it's a direct bolt in modification, with the change of the engine wiring harness, CPU, intake and exhaust. Then if you find everything at an auto wrecking yard to include an almost new pair of MX-5 bucket seats and you have saved a bucket load of cash. I put a Chrysler 273 V-8 (235hp) with the console floor shift automatic trans out of a '67 Dodge Dart GT with ease into a 94 Miata because of the lack necessary electronics in today's cars. Plus, the 273 weighed only a hundred and fifty pounds more than the original engine so all I had to do is install Brembo brakes and high tension sport springs to lower and stop the car......and a roll bar !

I use to chase down Porsches on the backroads between San Jose and Salinas....
 
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If money weren't an issue, I'd be back in a Porsche. I no longer work on my own cars as much as I used to, and the cost of ownership, not the cost of the car, is what caused me to sell it.

Oh, and the desire to preserve my own life. Pushing 100 mph in 3rd gear is a little more than I need.

My LS1 WS6 T/A was even quicker, if it would hook up. Selling it was a very bad decision on my part.:mad: Dumb, dumb, dumb. Fastest car I've ever owned and it is becoming a "collector item".

Oh, well. I'll just enjoy the Miata on nice summer evenings and in the fall when the grapes are ripe (what a smell in an open car). Maybe even play around in the autocross thing...
 
Definitely give the autocross thing a try! Bring lots of water and sunblock.

Cost of ownership is probably the main reason the miata is so popular in club racing. You can get a full set of race tires mounted, balanced, and a set of brake pads/rotors for less than the cost of tires for most sports cars.
 
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