I want a miata. I have questions.

Well, I want a Miata. No way around it, and I think I have it worked out where I could be looking into getting one in the fall. Would it work for me though? I have some questions.

A) The foamectomy. I would need one without a doubt-I'm 5'11" with a 28' or 29' inseam. Headroom is a problem in every car. Is it easy to screw this up?
B) The trunk. Could I fit a hockey bag in it?
C) The other trunk. I mean the passenger seat. Could a hockey stick fit in there? I assume it would, but its been a close call in other cars before.

No other concerns right now, but this is obviously my go to place so I'll come here with more if I get them.

Well, as an almost-Miata owner and recent shopper, here's my take:

A: I'm 5'10" + and ~230Lbs with a TALL torso. I have to autocross my FB RX-7 with the moonroof out so my head can bobble around. I absolutely do not fit in any RX-8 with a helmet on. BUT, there's tons of room for me in an NA Miata with a hardtop. The interior is a lot more spacious then any car this size has a right to be.

B: No. Unless it was really small and you tossed the spare. Even then I doubt it. It's very shallow and oddly shaped.

C: Yes, easily.

A foamectomy is really hard to screw up. You would have to go out of your way to make it not be totally reversible.

A) The foamectomy. I would need one without a doubt-I'm 5'11" with a 28' or 29' inseam. Headroom is a problem in every car. Is it easy to screw this up?
Really? Have you test driven?
I am 6'1" with 32 inseam with weight varying from 175 to 235 over the 16 years that I have owned it. Never a foamectomy

B) The trunk. Could I fit a hockey bag in it?
NO! Actually, the efficient way to pack the trunk of a Miata is to not use luggage but rather think of the trunk itself as the luggage. Shirts over on one side, pants on another, shoes in the middle.

C) The other trunk. I mean the passenger seat. Could a hockey stick fit in there? I assume it would, but its been a close call in other cars before.
Yes, I think so. I would place the blade on the back shelf, laying to the side with the handle coming through between the seats and heading to the floor. If needed, open top to easily get the stick in.
I assume that you want your things in with the top up.

Use the open passenger seat as hockey bag space. You may not need the single supersize bag. Can you use a few smaller bags?

jrw1621 wrote: Really? Have you test driven? I am 6'1" with 32 inseam with weight varying from 175 to 235 over the 16 years that I have owned it.

Never driven one, but sat and ridden in one. NO chance with a helmet and the top up, and then otherwise I have to duck my head. With the top up, I have to scrunch up, and even then my hair grazes it. With a buzz cut. This one I know I have to do.

jrw1621 wrote: NO! Actually, the efficient way to pack the trunk of a Miata is to not use luggage but rather think of the trunk itself as the luggage. Shirt over on one side, pants on another, shoes in the middle.

That could work. What about giant rubbermade plastic boxes? I saw a guy at an autocross with those.

jrw1621 wrote: Yes, I think so. I would place the blade on the back shelf, laying to the side with the handle coming through between the seats and heading to the floor. If needed, open top to easily get the stick in. I assume that you want your things in with the top up.

Thats good. If worst comes to worst, I can suck it up and cut my stick down a little bit... Just have to get over my old-school defenseman ways.

jrw1621 wrote: Use the open passenger seat as hockey bag space. You may not need the single supersize bag. Can you use a few smaller bags?

Smaller bags might work. I'd have to look into that. Otherwise, its the passenger seat. I actually expected this from the start. I could also wear equipment too and from the rink, but that owuld get uncomfortable.

The fact is, my dad moved into college with full hockey gear and all his clothes in an MG... A miata is big in comparison, so I could do it... just looking for real-world responses.

These are actually sort of reasonably priced. I think I might want a set. The rear shelf bag is particularly intriguing, given the way it hooks in to the tonneau snaps.

http://www.roadtripluggage.com/servlet/the-Mazda-MX5-Miata/Categories

Skip the rubbermaid. Again, like the luggage, you are thinking of placing a container into the trunk. Just let the trunk be the container.
What would you put in the rubbermaid?
Take those same items and just place them right into the trunk, skipping the container.

mtn wrote:

jrw1621 wrote: NO! Actually, the efficient way to pack the trunk of a Miata is to not use luggage but rather think of the trunk itself as the luggage. Shirt over on one side, pants on another, shoes in the middle.

That could work. What about giant rubbermade plastic boxes? I saw a guy at an autocross with those.

I have yet to find large plastic bins that fit easily into a Miata. The trunk floor not being flat is a problem in this regard. I have a small plastic hanging file box that I fill up with my autocross crap, but I don't know if I could hold more than one, and it wouldn't be anywhere near useful for serious traveling.

This is an interesting topic though, I'd really love to hear if anyone has a good solution that I can make a trip to Target and duplicate :).

jrw1621 wrote: Skip the rubbermaid. Again, like the luggage, you are thinking of placing a container into the trunk. Just let the trunk be the container. What would you put in the rubbermaid? Take those same items and just place them right into the trunk, skipping the container.

That solution SUCKS if some of your trips involve doing fun things with said miata that require it to be free of loose items. I have a feeling that includes, well, pretty much all of us.

The fitted luggage is nice but it still seems to me the equivalent of packing a box to then place that box into a similar sized box.

I do have some shelf bags which are larger; of course my '90 Miata does not have the brace across the deck like the later years did.

In the first year I owned the car a girlfriend and I took the Miata on a 10 day vacation.

I used to use smaller soft duffle bags for clothes in my Miata. With the spare removed the trunk wasn't soooo small, and the soft bags allowed me to cram them into the trunk however was needed. Then again, if I was solo I could fit all the stuff from a warehouse club trip into the car, especially top-down.

I used to carry my fire gear in a hockey bag until I bought my first Miata. Then I bought one of these LA Rescue bags:

"StepTech Turnout Gear Bag"

"Getting into your turnouts has never been this easy, especially for people who keep their bunker pants attached to their boots. Large clam shell opening offers quick and easy donning right out of your personal vehicle. Shoulder strap included.

Dimensions: 21"H x 17"W x 15"D Price $ 47.95 ea

Available Colors : LA877B - Black LA877N - Navy LA877R - Red"

It fits in the trunk with the spare tire in place, but there's NO room to spare.

Also, I'm about 6'1" and I fit inside without a foamectomy. I put one inch spacers between the front bolts of the seat and the rail, which helped with legroom a bit. I don't even slide the seat all the way back, but it is reclined a bit.

A roll bar requires a foamectomy for me.

Sorry to thread jack, but will an NB make a better DD than an NA?

neon4891 wrote: Sorry to thread jack, but will an NB make a better DD than an NA?

Probably, but they're ugly.

Josh wrote: That solution SUCKS if some of your trips involve doing fun things with said miata that require it to be free of loose items. I have a feeling that includes, well, pretty much all of us.

Bring a black, plastic, weatherproof, garbage bag or bags if grouping your items is important to you.
I have autocrossed my Miata many times and often carried 4 tires, floor jack, helmet, tool box, torque wrench, cooler,air tank, foldding camp chair and a jacket. The need for a rubber-box for these items never crossed my mind.

neon4891 wrote: Sorry to thread jack, but will an NB make a better DD than an NA?

The standard answer here is that the NB is a better car; the NA is a better Miata.

In reply to jrw1621:

Not that what you're saying doesn't technically work, but I do this every weekend when the weather allows. It's absolutely worth a few bucks to me not to have to shove my junk in a garbage bag or worry about everything getting scattered about at the event site. ESPECIALLY when I have extra clothes when I am at a multi-day event.

I drive a Miata for my daily driver, and I don't even like it.

There. I said it.

I know you will all now draw and quarter me.

But to me it is a beater. Great fuel economy, reasonably peppy, quite maneuverable. But I drive hunched over, and I don't enjoy getting in and out of the vehicle. I'm 5'11 with a 32" inseam 175 lbs. But the old knees and back really don't care for getting in and out.

Drive one for a week. If you are like most, you will love it. But for some people (like me), the answer is not necessarily Miata. It might be Subaru.

I guess since I have added only 55k miles to my Miata over the 16 years I have owned it; I can say that it is not the perfect daily driver for me as well.
It is however the best funday driver!

My '88 MR2 SC was a fun summertime daily driver.
The MR2 did have AC were as my Miata never has. The AC is much needed for a summertime DD.

Ive owned and DD'd an NA and an NB. 6' tall 220lbs. Fit in both fine but the NA was an easier fit. No foamectomy required.

The NB is a better DD, more refined more like a real car.

The NA is more fun.

If/when I buy another it will be an NA, no doubt.

I will agree with the dissenting opinion of SVreX. I love the car, but not so much as a DD. I DD a smart car now and for that particular duty it is better in every respect.

In reply to jrw1621:

The problem with using the trunk as the luggage is that sometimes you need to take ALL the luggage out at once... Not an easy thing to do if there isn't a bag to carry it. Actually, it sounds like a ginourmous duffle would work well here.

Pretty easy solution to the luggage issue:

^^Also a nice throwback to the roadsters of old.

And a good way to eliminate any sort of rear visibility, too .

mtn - I'm sure I'll have my 96 in town this summer, you're welcome to check it out/drive it, even try to pack your hockey gear in it if you want. For that matter, if summer is too long to wait, you're welcome to make the hour drive west to see how it fits you & your gear - though it won't be moving out of the garage anytime soon with the snow/salt on the ground.