Jaynen said:Small gas tank, highway cruising is a misnomer in a miata. It will do the speed but it feels wrong turning 4k+ rpms on the highway in your top gear
People have been complaining about the premature wear on the engine from the gearing since 1990. We're still waiting for that to manifest itself 
Seriously, it's a small inexpensive sportscar with fast reflexes. If you want a highway cruiser, either pony up for a newer model or just get a Panther.
Well, I am now considering the NC. A little newer, fewer miles.
Objective would be a Fun convertible that’s easy in the wallet. Maybe some light mods, but nothing competitive. Never an engine swap. Any performance improvements would be tires and wheels. Maybe suspension. Definite lsd. Other than that, just maintain it. That’s mostly why I ask about the “sonnova...” repairs.
Keith Tanner said:Jaynen said:Small gas tank, highway cruising is a misnomer in a miata. It will do the speed but it feels wrong turning 4k+ rpms on the highway in your top gear
People have been complaining about the premature wear on the engine from the gearing since 1990. We're still waiting for that to manifest itself
Seriously, it's a small inexpensive sportscar with fast reflexes. If you want a highway cruiser, either pony up for a newer model or just get a Panther.
Totally agreed! It's going to spin at the speed it needs to spin at and if that's 4k RPM on a 7K redline tach, so be it. And if it can do that while delivering 30 mpg, then you're probably looking at a feature, not a bug. The 100k motor in mine still has crosshatching and the cams show no signs of any sort of serious wear. That said, I do constantly find myself checking to see if I've neglected to shift.
My longest trip so far has been to a distillery right outside of Frankfort, so about 1.5 hours each way. By the time I was about three exits from home I was getting pretty uncomfortable in the seat. I'm 6'3" and I just can't find any way to really move around so long trips just start to fatigue me. That might also be a side effect of not having cruise control, though.
As an NA ower, the best and worst part is that it's a convertible. It's relatively slow in a straight line compared to, say, the average Camry. NA's have the issues you'd expect of a 20+ year old car: slow power windows, various squeeks and rattles, occasional gauge fritz-outs, steering wheels and certain plastic bits that deteriorate and poorly cared for examples are pretty much guaranteed to have rust issues (or paint peel if they are southwestern cars). Most of the current "for sale" crop will have non-working air. Many have been poorly treated by the "stance crowd". Hard tops are a really nice accessory but current pricing is insane. Oil changes on the NA require three joints in your arm to remove the filter, and not matter how careful you are, the filter contents will get dumped on the control arms. Mazda needs to learn that brake calipers are not a "wear item" for most manufacturers. They really aren't great for people over about 5'10".
That said, coming in here to get talked out of a Miata purchase is as self defeating as holding a weight watcher's meeting at the donut shop.
So here's the counter-points: Makes glorious noises with the right exhaust. With a properly set up suspension, you can tell whether you ran over a nickel or a dime in the road. (This is a double edged sword if you're coming from a lux cruiser) Steering's great, gearbox is great, motors are ALMOST idiot proof. There are numerous sources of replacement parts at prices BMW drivers can only dream about. And then there's the aftermarket . . . you'll be like an accountant in a Harley Davison store when you get your first catalog from Flyin' Miata. Though small, once you work your way in, it feels like the cockpit of a fighter jet, right up until you have to try to get back out of it, at which point it feels like you've fallen in a well.
Drink the Kool-aid man, it's yummy.
Hardtop prices haven't really changed over the decades. They've always been about $1k for a good one.
If you're considering an NC, try to get some extended seat time. I find the seats don't suit me quite perfectly and the steering doesn't feel as good as the earlier cars. They're definitely a better highway cruiser than the earlier cars and they do have a pretty good chassis.
My current elevator pitch: The NA and NB feel faster than they are. The NC is faster than it feels. This is why the NA/NB are great little fun cars, and why the NC is a better highway car.
In reply to Trackmouse :
As odd as it sounds, the Auto-equipped NC I rented for a beach trip was nearly perfect.
6-speeds, steering wheel paddle shifters, blips on the downshift, wife can drive if I've had a couple of beers or if I just feel like crawling along in traffic.
She loved driving it, actually. If we hadn't gotten pregnant, an ND was damned close to being ordered.
Steering is sharp, car feels a little bigger than the NA/NB, various storage cubbies help keep things out of the way, but handy.
The top works well enough to go through a car wash, hard tops are available from Mazda for winter time driving.
Roll bar options are a bit limited, especially on a power top.
I don't think a limited slip is really needed, they just don't have that much power combined with their weight balance and modern tires, traction isn't often an issue. Especially on the street.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Thank you sir!
... it's small and low on power.
For a daily driver, buy the newest, nicest Miata you can afford, as they simply get better through the years. One real plus with the NC is the power hard top. If you want to track the car seriously, it's a liability as it precludes most reasonable roll bar solutions, but for a DD it's perfect, and gives you the best of both worlds.
For a weekend toy, any Miata is a good choice, and again, buy the best example you can. If you like it spartan, buy an NA... again, they just got nicer as cars as the years passed. NBs are probably the best value right now, sitting in the bottom of the depreciation curve.
We've had NA, NB and NC. The NC was the best car, but I still like my NA the best.
Keith Tanner said:Jaynen said:Small gas tank, highway cruising is a misnomer in a miata. It will do the speed but it feels wrong turning 4k+ rpms on the highway in your top gear
People have been complaining about the premature wear on the engine from the gearing since 1990. We're still waiting for that to manifest itself
Seriously, it's a small inexpensive sportscar with fast reflexes. If you want a highway cruiser, either pony up for a newer model or just get a Panther.
Its well worth the price of admission, just if I was to complete the topics sentence those are the only real things I could think of. Not that I thought the miata was a highway cruiser that's what my other car is for.
It’s awesome but I’d like some torque, to fit, and not a buzz box.
Trackmouse said:Well, I am now considering the NC. A little newer, fewer miles.
Make sure you don't drive an NB then.
I was sold on the NC for the same reason, drove a couple of them and everything.
Then I test drove my now NB....
Hmmm. I may have a trade brewing. My Monster Miata that I really don’t like very much for an ecotec swapped NB with all the track stuff pre-installed. Plus a bit of cash. This may well solve some issues for me.
OldGray320i said:Trackmouse said:Well, I am now considering the NC. A little newer, fewer miles.
Make sure you don't drive an NB then.
I was sold on the NC for the same reason, drove a couple of them and everything.
Then I test drove my now NB....
That NA/NB steering is hard to beat. It's been interesting going back and forth between the ND and the early cars, that steering is always a wake-up call.
I've had my 1990 Miata for about 8 years. I think that Mazda did a great job on the design, as it is still a nice looking car almost 30 years later, and still gets compliments. The car has been pretty easy to work on, which saves me money compared to paying someone else to fix things. The car fits me like a glove, but I'm only 5'7". Make sure that you fit comfortably in it. It's not a fast car, but I've never owned a fast car before so I'm not too bothered by it. It's a very fun car to drive, but there are things that bug me about it.
As Keith mentioned, the rear suspension travel is inadequate. Mine is especially bad, since mine is on lowering springs. Also, it kinda sucks having a vehicle where the roof is a wear item. Because of which, I leave my hard top on for quite a bit of the year. The PRHT would be perfect for me, but unfortunately was never offered on the NA Miata, which I like the looks of better than the NC that had that roof option. My car has succumbed to the notorious rocker panel rust, which is very common on the NA Miata. As much as it pains me, I might have to let it go this year to get a 4 seater, as it seems that it would be best if both my car and my wife's car can carry the kids.
In reply to mainlandboy :
When, where, and how much?
KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:Hmmm. I may have a trade brewing. My Monster Miata that I really don’t like very much for an ecotec swapped NB with all the track stuff pre-installed. Plus a bit of cash. This may well solve some issues for me.
That sounds like a great recipe
My only complaint is the small gas tank. Having owned an NA, NB, and now NC the NC is so much better to drive like a car. V8+11 gallon tank=frequent visits to the local Shell station.
If I was going to the track, I'd be all over an NB with a gutted interior and a hard top. Can't live with a hardtop on all of the time for anything other than a track toy though. I get a little claustrophobic.
No ABS in most NAs. And the bias tends to be heavily frontward.
Cargo capacity, counting the passenger seat you're limited to ~3 bags of groceries.
2001 NB.
I was sure wishing for ABS this morning when someone ran a stop sign. Managed to miss her, but flat spotted the tires a bit.
Edit: just reviewed the dash cam. Driver was stopped, let the car in front of me pass, then proceeded. I know that Miatas are small but mine is orange! How do you not see it!
Sitting at face level with everyone else's headlights is pretty annoying at night.
Drove home tonight in the first V8 RF....in the world. Okay, it's still got a small gas tank and it's not for the really big boys inside - but it sure does a lot of stuff right. 
I don't think I'm going to want to give this one back to the customer.
The worst repairs so far:
Rain rail and top replacement. And i had picked up a complete top on a frame.
Clutch slave: the braided hose you dont think that you need? Buy it. Would have saved about 3 hours.
Struts: more of a pain than they should be, but not that bad, really.
Alignments are really fiddly with doing it yourself.
Ive owned only nb miatae, so take that with a shaker of salt.
I love them. For me, and what i do, they are a damn good hammer. Except people don't see you. Even when the car is bright blue.
Trackmouse said:In reply to mainlandboy :
When, where, and how much?
If I sell it, it will likely be late this summer. Located in British Columbia. Price TBD, based on the going rate on Craigslist, adjusted up/down based on condition and modifications.
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