Club NC vs Sport ND for daily use.

Could use a bit of the hivemind. Got a friend hooked on Miata's and he has been waffling back between the NC Club and a new ND in the base spec.

We have looked at a 2013 club for about 17.5K with 20K miles that was in drop dead perfect shape. A 2012 Grand touring with the hardtop for about 17.5K as well same miles. New base NC we have been told that 23.7K is the number OTD if he takes one off the lot.

Is the new ND that much better that its worth say 6K give or take. Figure this thing will be used as a Daily driver with a good number of mountain runs in between.

I say buy the 2013 club and just drive the wheels off it 100% OEM stock.

My parents traded in their NC for an ND Sport. The new car doesn't have a limited-slip, but as my dad noted, is he really going to miss it? They got a nice deal on it, too, so after trade-in the difference was about $10k out of pocket. They have had the ND since October and love it.

I believe I read an article comparing an STS prepped NC against a new ND.

The ND was still faster.

The NC had a tendency to understeer, even with STS levels of prep, tires and alignment. The driving style had to adjust to compensate.

At least the Club will have the better shocks the early NCs should have had.

I'd vote ND, personally, but if one is not particular about the styling and want something to modify, etc. then perhaps the NC might be a better choice due to the slightly larger aftermarket and lower value.

I'd go for the ND, unless the size of the NC is a plus. The ND is just plain more fun to drive and is a much more modern car than the NC. The 2013-15 Clubs were the best of the NCs, though.

The ND aftermarket is more active than the NC ever was.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

No kidding, already?

In reply to toconn:

The NC really struggled in the aftermarket and in the market in general. The styling and general feel of the car wasn't quite fitting with the Miata ethos it seems and tended to skew older in their ownership due to their softer and more plush nature.

Aside from 2.5L and V8 swaps, a supercharger kit and some suspension bits, its mostly been cosmetic stuff in the aftermarket.

The upside is that those have all been proven out and you might have luck finding some in the enthusiasts forums, etc. So its an interesting choice to look at if you're pinching pennies, but then the NB is a better deal overall for that.

The NC market didn't respond well to parts, either. We'd introduce a part for the NC platform and it would sit there like a dead dog. Introduce the same part for the NA or NB and they'd fly off the shelves. For example, Fox suspension. We've sold three times as many for the NA/NB as for the NC, and the ND units might pass the NC before the end of the year. Honestly, I'm surprised the ratio of NA/NB to NC is that low.

We've got a good range of parts for it - supercharger, two levels of good suspension, a couple of exhausts, two types of roll protection, brakes, etc. So there are good parts available. The Fox suspension for the NC is superlative.

We also offer most of those for the ND already. Not the big power adder, but a full range of chassis and handling parts along with some exhaust and safety bits.

Apparently the NC had an older demographic than any other Mazda product, and that's something they wanted to address with the ND. So they booked Duran Duran for the intro...

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Ever time I look at your web site I kick myself for not just buying one myself and just sending it to you for a good package of parts. Stuff is so cheap for the quality of parts you get, I could do a complete supercharger/suspension/cage package for what I just spent on suspension.

Turns out there is close enough to 0% at the local dealer on the ND that is the direction he decide to go. Warranty plus some free service will save him most of the difference in the long run anyway.

Is the NC really built on top of the RX8 chassis like the dealer was telling me.

In reply to wearymicrobe:

Yep The NC and RX8 share subframe mounting points and I'm sure a few other items are interchangeable.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

The Fox suspension is tempting... The body roll is my only real qualm with my NC GT. What's the ride like? I like cars to feel like they came from the factory, meaning, driving like the parts were meant to belong together.

Sorry, the ride of the Fox is far superior to the factory NC suspension Seriously, it's fantastic. It's the first time I've had a suspension take full advantage of the improved NC platform over the earlier cars. The turn-in and mid-corner stability is eye-opening. It does not feel like a collection of unrelated aftermarket parts at all.

Is it FOX racing like the offroad guys, logo looks the same. How did that come about, did you spec it out and have them build it for you.

There are two FOX companies, Fox "head" and Fox "tail". Fox "head" is clothing and protective gear. That's the logo you see on the back window of pickup trucks. Fox "tail" is suspension, that's the logo you see on bike shocks and Raptor shocks and UTV shocks and everything else.

And yes, this is Fox "tail". They approached us. The company doesn't just do offroad, they also make the shocks for Ridetech (pro touring) and even have Indy 500 trophies. We knew one of their engineers and he thought it would be a great match. They sent out two engineers and a 48' trailer full of parts, and we spent two days at the track with three cars and multiple drivers to get the suspension dialed. It is 100% custom built and valved for Flyin' Miata.

Then we did it again for the NA/NB. For the ND, we had enough of a baseline that I was doing the revalving in-house which sped things up.

If the Fox miata suspension is half as good as the Fox suspension on my bike then I can believe it's awesome. Fox makes a seriously great product in every application that I've ever used it in. I can't wait to put the fox gear on my Xterra.

To the OP's question---- The ND is a more entertaining, lighter feeling car. It's better dynamically in every way to the NC.

That said--- the PRHT Club version of the NC is an awfully nice car. The NC also has a useable trunk, where the ND has a tiny little cubbyhole. (a set of golf clubs will fit in an NC--- no chance in an ND) The PRHT NC "Club" would be a more practical daily, with better theft and weather protection. You'd give away a bit of driving fun---- but the NC is hardly a penalty box. I also find the interior of the NC more user friendly--- with less ergonomic weirdness. (giant TV screen I'm looking at you----although I really don't want to)

Both are great cars. ND=more fun, PRHT NC=more practical

I drove a $12k, 28k mile '08 NC and a new ND Club back to back last weekend.

The NC has an annyoing lack of passenger leg room. It also, exasperatingly, has cup holders on the door panels that are just crying out for a sawzall. They stick out into the area the drivers leg needs to be. WTF Mazda? The ND has an annyoing hump in the middle of the passenger floor.

On stock suspension, the ND rides a bit better. But it's not hugely better.

I liked the NC a lot. but for us, the lack of passenger legroom makes the NC a non-starter. The NC was nice, but the ND made me smile just because it was so much fun to drive.

If my wife was shorter and money was tight, NC + sawzall. Otherwise, ND all the way.

Mazda just cannot figure out how to put cupholders in the Miata. They've never been good at it. The ND, if you're alone, has the best solution. But put a passenger in there and you might as well ask them to hold your drink.

I think the hump in the ND floor is for the Fiat drivetrain. There's nothing under there on a Miata. We'll find out soon enough.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

I love those movable ND cupholders. The front passenger one is perfect for my long arms.

I also noticed that NA, NB, and ND drivers wave. NC drivers do not.

God damn it now I want a ND Miata. Man do they lease crappy or I would have gotten one. Could totally replace the i3 with it, can almost justify it on the gas savings over the truck with a cheap lease.

wearymicrobe wrote: God damn it now I want a ND Miata. Man do they lease crappy or I would have gotten one. Could totally replace the i3 with it, can almost justify it on the gas savings over the truck with a cheap lease.

I put 2,300 km on one, got about 6.1 L/100 km. And that was on some seriously hilly roads, driving enthusiastically. That's a hair under 40 mpg. I'm not helping, am I?

Problem is for about what they want you can get say a 228i convertible with the track package for the same monthly. The Miata is a toy the 228i is still a car at the end of the day.

you are comparing a 39k car, to a 24k car. Maybe same monthly, with an extra 18 months of payments attached to it...

also, the 39k car is hideous in convertible form.

bigev007 wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: I love those movable ND cupholders. The front passenger one is perfect for my long arms. I also noticed that NA, NB, and ND drivers wave. NC drivers do not.

I love it when I'm alone, but the rear option is awkward. Still, it's nice to have the choice. And those little sockets seem to be begging for some sort of plug-in accessory. What that accessory would be, I'm not sure yet. But a mount for a phone so you could run Harry's Lap Timer, maybe?

LuxInterior wrote: I drove a $12k, 28k mile '08 NC and a new ND Club back to back last weekend. The NC has an annyoing lack of passenger leg room. It also, exasperatingly, has cup holders on the door panels that are just crying out for a sawzall. They stick out into the area the drivers leg needs to be. WTF Mazda? The ND has an annyoing hump in the middle of the passenger floor. On stock suspension, the ND rides a bit better. But it's not hugely better. I liked the NC a lot. but for us, the lack of passenger legroom makes the NC a non-starter. The NC was nice, but the ND made me smile just because it was so much fun to drive. If my wife was shorter and money was tight, NC + sawzall. Otherwise, ND all the way.

FWIW, Mazda updated the door cards in the NC2 MX-5s to better integrate the cupholders.

In reply to wearymicrobe:

It's even worse if you're on the Flying Miata mailing list and get a catalog once a year... every time I get one I go searching for Miatas... just so I can order pretty candy from FM...

I do like the ND a lot, but I still think the NB looks better. For a daily driver, I want a NC with the PRHT. I am disappointed with the ND targa...