Everything about owning a Miata is awesome except ...

Everything is fun but the slow. Luckily it's easily correctable for about 4k. And then there's no except. 

No one has mentioned the ridiculously intense heat from the transmission tunnel? Or was there a problem with the car I didn't know about?

10 hours each way from sac to Vegas, aside from how utterly uncomfortable the 21 year old(at the time) seats were, the oven beside my right leg was my biggest complaint. And needing to dip into 3rd to maintain 55 going over the mountains.

Everyone else seems to have covered the hair dresser comments and the might as well be on a silent motorcycle for all people notice you while driving aspects. 

Oh yea, the headrest speakers. Great idea, not so great execution in my opinion. The forums aren't the most fun places on the internet either, but that seems to apply for all model specific forums. 

In reply to RevRico :

Sounds like a partially plugged cat.

Yeah it didn't seem unusually warm from my experience with an NB.

Headroom with the top up is limited for people over 6 feet tall in an NA. Leg room can be limited as well. I have a 34 inch inseam and my knees hit the back of the steering wheel if I try to put them in a normal position.  I am going to sell mine because I really don't fit in it. I have been jamming 12 pounds of flour in a 10 sack since I bought it.  As I get older my hips, legs, back and neck are less tolerant of how I have to position myself to drive it.   

NA/NB: Leaky soft tops. I'm sure there is some adjustment that can be done, but that's really the main annoyance for me. I haven't seen that issue as much with the NCs and NDs. 

RevRico said:

No one has mentioned the ridiculously intense heat from the transmission tunnel? Or was there a problem with the car I didn't know about?

10 hours each way from sac to Vegas, aside from how utterly uncomfortable the 21 year old(at the time) seats were, the oven beside my right leg was my biggest complaint. And needing to dip into 3rd to maintain 55 going over the mountains.

Everyone else seems to have covered the hair dresser comments and the might as well be on a silent motorcycle for all people notice you while driving aspects. 

Oh yea, the headrest speakers. Great idea, not so great execution in my opinion. The forums aren't the most fun places on the internet either, but that seems to apply for all model specific forums. 

Probably your shift boot actually. The rubber boot that seals the tunnel disintegrates quickly and that allows a lot of heat to enter as odd as it sounds. 

The headlights of oncoming traffic issue is easily silved. 55% tint on the windshield cured it for me.

Shifter boot changes and shifter rebuilds are pretty much standard maintenance on at least the NAs.

Leaky tops and transmission heat are not inherent characteristics of heathy NAs or NBs. 

Yeah the leaky top got annoying. My rain rail looked good but it somehow wasn't working. Had I kept the car, I would have tried replacing it. I once opened my trunk and found about two inches of water. 

And yet, I still want another one! 

Regarding tall guy stuff: I'm 6'3" and I found the NA a bit easier to fit into than the NC and ND I got in. That said, one NA I test drove, my head hit the "roof" and another one, the 97 I bought I had about a half inch of clearance. So it can vary based on the top and the seat. 

Keith Tanner said:

Leaky tops and transmission heat are not inherent characteristics of heathy NAs or NBs. 

Someone above mentioned cat issues?

I get a fair amount of heat off the tunnel as well. 

Car runs well, but sometimes runs a little smoother, better than others.  Given that, I wouldn't think a partial clogged cat,  though, that would be consistently "eh" from the motor, right?

Or, what issues to look for if the tunnel is warm?

The ND feels a bit more spacious, but I think that's because (IIRC) it is wider.

In reply to OldGray320i :

Check your rubber shift boot. 

If you have transmission heat complaints, start with the large rubber shift boot. It will be torn. They're always torn. That helps a lot. The lower rubber shift boot and the fluid inside on a 5-speed has a lot to do with shift quality. You can R&R both of these from inside the car in about 10 minutes with a Phillips screwdriver and a 10mm socket.

Then start looking for unusual heat sources like a clogged cat, a V8 engine or missing heatshields.

I had a white '90 club model that I kick myself for selling but all the paint was falling off in sheets.  I  got pissed and didn't feel like dealing with it at the time.   

I've seen many older Miatas missing paint like that.

I discovered something the Miata isn't good at: car washes.  The zip in window is designed to have water come down on it not straight at it.

Keith Tanner said:

Then start looking for unusual heat sources like a clogged cat, a V8 engine or missing heatshields.

I like your order of unusual heat sources .

jharry3 said:

I had a white '90 club model that I kick myself for selling but all the paint was falling off in sheets.  I  got pissed and didn't feel like dealing with it at the time.   

I've seen many older Miatas missing paint like that.

That's a very common problem with white Mazdas of that period, not only Miatas.

BoxheadTim said:

Keith Tanner said:

Then start looking for unusual heat sources like a clogged cat, a V8 engine or missing heatshields.

I like your order of unusual heat sources .

jharry3 said:

I had a white '90 club model that I kick myself for selling but all the paint was falling off in sheets.  I  got pissed and didn't feel like dealing with it at the time.   

I've seen many older Miatas missing paint like that.

 

That's a very common problem with white Mazdas of that period, not only Miatas.

Edit to that, it was white/light cars of every manufacturer in those few years.  If I recall, the VOC emission rules went into effect in major industrialized countries in late 80s/early 90s, which meant that for US, Canada & Europe, they had to switch to non-lacquer based primers & top coats.  That resulted in a few years of chemical mismatch between the base & primers, and it took a few years to sort out.  See also, Chevy Cavaliers, Dodge Neons, Ford Escorts, etc. of the era.

I think it was only the 1990-91 cars that had the white paint problem. It was certainly sorted out by 1994.

Getting my hand stuck while changing the oil filter.  Got it in there, took off the filter, couldn't get hand or filter out for about 15 minutes.  Almost used up all of my cuss words.,

Biggest issue with the Miata for me is that I haven't owned one for 3 years. Off to craigslist I go, thanks. 

telling your dad you're gay.*

(stolen from another board, only think its a funny joke does not represent my actual opinion)

Miata is hard for other drivers to see, especially when it is painted invisible colored, like mine.

car39 said:

Getting my hand stuck while changing the oil filter.  Got it in there, took off the filter, couldn't get hand or filter out for about 15 minutes.  Almost used up all of my cuss words.,

Oil changes get way easier once you pull the intake manifold brace.