I know nothing of the NC. Enlighten me please.
I know nothing of the NC. Enlighten me please.
Aren't these the ones that the front bumper support section of the chassis sort of falls off because Mazda filled the hollow sections with cardboard?
I'm on my second NC, both of them being '06 in GT trim, both being 6spds and both even being the same grey color with tan interior. I'm not the worlds' foremost mechanical expert, so others will hopefully chime in, but AFAIK the NC mechanically doesn't have any major Achilles heel to watch out for specifically. They're pretty bullet proof.
As far as the car goes, I think it was Keith who I first read using the phrase that "the NC is the best car of all the Miatas made, but the NA is the best Miata" (current ND excluded from this conversation). I've had 4 NAs, so I know them well too. The NC is a far, far better DD. More room inside, less nervous on the highway, more compliant ride, just a nicer place to spend time. It's still got one of the slickest shifting manuals I've ever driven. The engine is much more day to day useful than the 1.6 or 1.8, as it's less peaky. I still knock back 30mpg in mixed driving. Frankly, it crashes less over speed bumps and potholes than my DD Elantra does. It's much more solid feeling than the NA is. The top is stupid easy to put down, I can literally do it in 3 seconds, from the drivers' seat. Steering, though a bit more numb than the NA, is still razor sharp. The chassis is very predictable and very stable feeling. On the negative side, it feels bigger than the NA, so it's less go-kart like. The suspension is softer, so it has more noticeable body roll, if that bothers you. It's still a buzzy ride (near 4k rpm at 80mph). It honestly has some of the worst seats I've ever had, in any car. They're horrid. You get used to them after a while, but never grow to actually like them. There's another saying that I've heard Keith use a lot..."The NA feels faster than it is, and the NC is faster than it feels". I wholeheartedly agree with that, but even still the NC is barely adequate for me, I really wish it had 30-50 more hp.
Overall, for what you can buy them for now, they're fantastic bargains. I bought my current one just over 2 months ago. Bought it with 120k miles, was a one owner car, no wrecks reported to Carfax, history of regular oil changes, in very clean condition (only rust is passenger rocker, and interior is very clean) for $4850. Hard to go wrong.
09+ has forged internals, 06-08 cars are more likely to have issues with rods/bearings giving out for various supplier related reasons but it's still very unlikely. I think it's one of those things where it either gives out before 50k or it runs forever. I wouldn't worry that much either way the Duratec 2.5s are cheap, plentiful, and not that difficult to swap.
I'll agree whole heartedly with what Klayfish says in general. My NC is my DD and comfortable enough for roadtrips when the weather is nice. I like the seats, they're worlds better than the 08+ seats IMO.
The stock suspension is pretty bad. I went with FM springs/konis and it's vastly better everywhere, even commuting on a rough road. I've had issues with my rocker molding not wanting to stay on the car thanks to autocross cones but everything else has just been regular maintenance for the 4 years/50k miles I've had it. Can't comment on rust since it's mine is an FL car and that has seen salt once for maybe a week. Haven't heard about any specific trouble spots though.
They respond reasonably well to bolt-ons (ST Autocross trim cars are ~160whp) and are pretty easy and forgiving when they're near/at the limit. 9" wheels and 255 tires fit with a fender roll, brakes are good stock, cooling is good stock, getting a SCCA/NASA legal roll bar with the soft top in place is tricky but FM and GWR both have options now. 2.5 swapped cars can get into ~200 range whp with cams, a tune, and bolt ons. FI on a 2.5 can get into the upper 300s but I think the rest of the drivetrain kinda becomes an issue at that point.
Klayfish wrote: $4850.
Holy E36 M3 these are getting cheap. Real nice looking NC there too.
Only the manual transmission cars got the forged internals, FYI.
Definitely go for an extended drive in one before you decide to buy. Make sure the seats fit you and the steering feel is to your liking. Ignore the suspension, it's probably crap unless it's been well upgraded and that can be fixed. If you like NA/NB Miatas you may or may not like the NC, and vice versa.
Does the '06 have the improved shift forks? If not, that's a fun end to a track day. Fairly straightforward repair though when they do break.
Nope, that's when they were discovered. I don't know when the forks were improved, I'd check the Mazda part fiches.
I didn't realized these had become so inexpensive. That's a lot of car for under $5K.
Joe Gearin wrote: I didn't realized these had become so inexpensive. That's a lot of car for under $5K.
I am sure we can thank the ND for the price drop. I only paid $8,000 for my 2008 Sport with 62k miles. Just needed a stouter suspension, found everything on ebay (Bilstein sports, Mazdaspeed springs and RX8 swaybars. Did it all for under $800 and now have a really fun DD/Commuter toy! A lot of car for the money indeed!
Joe Gearin wrote: I didn't realized these had become so inexpensive. That's a lot of car for under $5K.
Part of it was being in the right place at the right time. I'd been shopping for a 'vert for months. I saw this one on Autotrader, and it was something like $6800. I traded e-mails off and on with them, but never seriously considered it. They were in IL and it had been on their lot since June. Well, by mid-winter their chances of selling it were pretty slim, and they were ready to send it to auction. So I got it for just a few hundred more than they probably would have gotten at an IL auction in February.
I daily'd an 06 GT for 2 years. Liked the car, but never connected with it like I did with my NA. People ask me if I'll own another Miata and I always say yes, but it will be a first gen.
Everything else in this thread is right on the money though.
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