I've got a line on a couple of promising Miatae to replace my '90. Both are about an 8 hour drive way. I've been looking for 3 weeks and just can't find anything near Michigan that has jumped out.
First one is a '97 with 86K on it. It has a full FCM coil over suspension and is pretty much stock otherwise. Super clean, nice black paint, up to date on its maintenance. Non-torsen car. $6K.
Second one is a '91 (non-SNC car) with 115K on it. Again, super clean and silver. FM butterfly brace, FM springs, Tokico shocks, FM sway bars, brake proportioning valve. NB brakes. Top just started leaking but it comes with a robbins glass window top. Also appears well maintained, though the AC does not work. $4K.
The car will see about 5K miles, ~3 track days and a couple of autocrosses each year.
Compelling reason to go with one car over the other? Is that $2K price difference better spent elsewhere? FWIW, I'm not interested in forced induction. Reliability and simplicity is the point here.
They both sound good to me. Even 115k is just getting broken in - I wouldn't worry about mileage. Personally, I'd go for the cheaper one with more mods. But there's also the question of do you prefer the 1.6 or 1.8. Seeing as how you have a 90 now, I doubt the 1.6 is an issue.
In reply to White_and_Nerdy:
I'll be honest, I've never driven a 1.8l NA, just an NB. I've got no problem with the 1.6 and really like the fact that the car has to be worked to get it to move. A touch more straight line speed wouldn't hurt, though...
$2K buys a couple sets of tires and a hard top. Plus, since the new robbins top won't work with my roll bar, I'll have that to sell. And it's got 16" borbet wheels to sell. So it pretty quickly becomes more like a $3500 car.
Still, 6 years newer, nicer suspension, probably been pampered a bit more....
Josh
Dork
5/31/11 8:50 a.m.
I'd rather have the '91, a hardtop, and a set of 15x9 TRMotorsports wheels with 225/45-15 Hankook RS3s than the '97 for the same money. If you don't care about power, the only compelling reason to buy a 1.8 car is the better diff, and that one doesn't have it. If it's going to be mostly a track slut, you could just ditch the soft top entirely and go hardtop only. Use the money you get selling the top and wheels on entry fees.
So I just test drove a stock '95 C-package w/ Torsen with 45K on it I could get for $5750ish. That one is local and doesn't involve 8 hours in the car and $300 in airfare....
Feels like kind of a slug compared to my 1.6l, or at least less willing to rev. Is that a result of the gearing?
I think its a result of the 1.8. I had a 1.6 and borrowed a friends 1.8 for a day once. The 1.6 definately wakes up above 3k, but the low end grunt (and overall power advantage) of the 1.8 is also nice.
when I get another I would be more than happy with either but I do like the feel and sound of the 1.6 a little more.
The cams on the 1.6 are a little more biased to the top end.
