Miata information needed.

It's probably been covered before, bit I kinda want to know and want everything here in my own personal thread.

I'm pretty much all done with my Mustang and looking at possibly buying a Miata to replace it. I was hoping for a Mini, but got sacred off, so metallic green Miata is is.

I need to know about the inherent problems with the car, already found out about the crank pulley and not liking it one bit. What should I look out for? What sort of things pop up all of the time and pose problems? How are the repair costs? What years are best to own? What options? Which transmission? Which engine? That sort of thing.

The Mustang ought to bring between seven and ten grand so that's my spend for the Miata. Maybe cuff a little off the top, to help pay for the Austin A35 Resurrection.

Anyway, I can use all of the help that you can give. I'm not good at fixing new cars at all, so I really need to know what's gonna go bad and what years to avoid and all of that kinda stuff. Just like to buy right and enjoy the car, don't want to chase down problems each weekend, you know?

Thanks in advance ! ! !

T

I love my 1994. It has the 1.8 engine, so it has a little more power than the years that preceeded it, and the crank nose pully isn't an issue. It has 285,000 miles, it's 20 years old, and I almost never have to do anything to it to keep it working. It's kind of beat inside, but I mean... 285,000 miles! I didn't expect better with that car.

I think they only got better as the years went on. They're still light, nimble, and good-looking cars. The older ones are super easy to work on too. You can get a great car for a few grand. Mine was exceptionally cheap which is why I didn't care about the mileage.

I've had both early 1.6s - one so early that it ended up being purchased by Mazda UK after I sold it, or so I hear - and later NA ones. I have a slight preference for 1.8s, as confuZion3 suggests, they seem to be getting better over time.

That said, especially if you want an NA, forget about displacement and age, buy the best one you can find so you don't have to catch up on too much deferred maintenance and/or daft previous owners.

Drive an NA and an NB to see which you like better.

If NA, hold out for a 1.8 car. Purists will complain that the 1.8 "lacks soul," but that's only because the low end isn't totally non-existent like a 1.6.

The other advantages make it worth it. The 1.8 comes with better well... everything. And slightly more weight.

NBs are faster. You might still like the NA more. NBs are super cheap right now compared to a same miles/condition NA.

Your budget would buy our built motor turbo 95.

Well, I think late nice NBs are still more expensive than really nice NAs, but not by much.

Also on NAs, pop-up headlights FTW!

You didn't mention the most important factor in buying a Miata. How tall are you and how much do you weigh? Miatas are great cars and your budget should net you a really nice example if you can comfortably fit in it. I'm 6'2" and 200lb(ish). Much taller or, um, "larger" and getting comfortable in the car gets a little tricky. Beyond that, they are great cars. There's a few maintenance items that have to be watched, but everything about these cars is well documented. Parts are as cheap as I've ever seen for any car. The aftermarket is huge. Straight line speed will be a let down after the Mustang, but an occasional trip down a twisty road will cure that issue. As for the "what model?" question, I'd second (third?) the above recommendation that you get whatever 1.8l Miata appeals to you. There's a "what to look for" guide in the garage section at Miata.net, but realistically, the most important thing is to get a completely rust free example. Pretty much everything else can be fixed.

I agree with the others and the common wisdom of to be less concerned with what year to buy and more concerned with overall condition.
As I see it, the real limiting factor you will face is if you insist on getting a green Miata.
According to this production/color guide, you will be limited to:
'91: 3997 British Racing Green Special Editions (1.6L)
'97: 3000 Special Touring Option (STO) (1.8L) (NA)
'01: 3000 British racing Green (NB)
'99-'03: 16,700 Emerald Green (over half in '99) (NB)
The most popular color of all NB's.

The only real problem is that the '99 and '00 models tend to eat coilpacks at a slightly faster rate than the NA's, and the coilpacks aren't inexpensive.

Which miata? You didn't mention what you plan to do with it. My general recommendations:

'94 (1.8L motor, bigger brakes, OBDI, real oil pressure gauge, still lightweight)

'01 (First year of VVT, more rigidity, cheap proven path to 150whp, just make sure you get a 5spd)

JohnRW1621 wrote: I agree with the others and the common wisdom of to be less concerned with what year to buy and more concerned with overall condition. As I see it, the real limiting factor you will face is if you insist on getting a green Miata. According to this production/color guide, you will be limited to: '91: 3997 British Racing Green Special Editions (1.6L) '97: 3000 Special Touring Option (STO) (1.8L) (NA) '99-'03: 16,700 Emerald Green (over half in '99) (NB) The most popular color of all NB's.

Pretty sure the '01 special edition was BRG as well.

OP actually said "metallic green", none of the OEM shades of green are metallic, to my knowledge

If you're looking at NBs be sure to carefully inspect the front frame rails. They are far more prone to rusting than an NA. This will be highly dependent on where you are located in the country, and whether or not the car has seen road salt.

I'll agree with what others have said about the 1.6. While I know there are plenty of fans, when I started shopping I drove several and they all felt very underpowered, where as the 1.8 seemed to round out the stock performance of the car.

I think all the NB greens were metallic.

One word of warning about the coil packs on the 1999-00 cars - a failure there will often take out the cat. If you experience the multiple misfire code, stop driving the car and fix it!

calteg wrote: OP actually said "metallic green", none of the OEM shades of green are metallic, to my knowledge

IIRC the 1997 M-edition is a mica green, which most people would lump in with the metallics. Nice color, too.

Swank Force One wrote: Drive an NA and an NB to see which you like better. If NA, hold out for a 1.8 car. Purists will complain that the 1.8 "lacks soul," but that's only because the low end isn't totally non-existent like a 1.6.

It's not that the 1.8 has too much low end, it's that the 1.6 is zippy and zingy while the 1.8 is not. Sure the 1.8 may be faster, but one does not buy a Miata to be fast. Or, at least, if one is buying a Miata to be fast, then the engine it comes with is merely academic.

I like 1.6 Miatas because they remind me of my first RX-7, which was a first-series model. (Green gauges and metal bumpers) Same driving feel to a T, except the Miata is ten years newer.

The 1.8 Miatas are... well, they're cars.

JohnRW1621 wrote: I agree with the others and the common wisdom of to be less concerned with what year to buy and more concerned with overall condition. As I see it, the real limiting factor you will face is if you insist on getting a green Miata. According to this production/color guide, you will be limited to: '91: 3997 British Racing Green Special Editions (1.6L) '97: 3000 Special Touring Option (STO) (1.8L) (NA) '01: 3000 British racing Green (NB) '99-'03: 16,700 Emerald Green (over half in '99) (NB) The most popular color of all NB's.

I wouldn't consider the '97 STO green, but the '97 M Edition is green.

I like the 1.6L NA cars better than 1.8L NA. You should drive both and decide for yourself.

While it is much less common, there still are crank failures on 1.8L cars. This is most likely caused by someone not cleaning the parts and torqueing the crank nose bolt correctly during a timing belt change.

I don't think any engine deals well with having the front crank bolt loose.

421 cubic inch LS2s sure don't.

The green Loctite temporary fix, combined with adding two dowel pins such as are used for supercharger conversions, worked for a surprisingly long time...

Thanks gang !

You've provided a pretty good handle on what to start looking for. I did a quick eBay and Craigslist search just to get an idea of the market, and Todd mentioned a couple of near "track day" cars here in Massachusetts that may be available along with a "driver" a town or two away. I was looking at his green TR8 again today and figure that, if I end up with a mechanically solid car that just needs the body and interior re-done, I'll have him paint it for me in metallic green and go from there.

Sounds like it might work out, now time to start looking. Sold the MGA coupe, and selling the Mustang, so there's room in the driveway and should be some cash in the draw as well.

TC

Knurled wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: Drive an NA and an NB to see which you like better. If NA, hold out for a 1.8 car. Purists will complain that the 1.8 "lacks soul," but that's only because the low end isn't totally non-existent like a 1.6.

It's not that the 1.8 has too much low end, it's that the 1.6 is zippy and zingy while the 1.8 is not. Sure the 1.8 may be faster, but one does not buy a Miata to be fast. Or, at least, if one is buying a Miata to be fast, then the engine it comes with is merely academic. I like 1.6 Miatas because they remind me of my first RX-7, which was a first-series model. (Green gauges and metal bumpers) Same driving feel to a T, except the Miata is ten years newer. The 1.8 Miatas are... well, they're cars.

You're saying that a 1.6 revs faster than a 1.8?

Tap the lower rocker panels in front of the rear wheels when looking at a used one. This area is prone to accumulate water and rust from behind. By the time it's "crunchy" on the outside, you'll be looking at new rockers minimum and possibly subframe patching. Skip any cars with this issue unless you're looking for a pure winter beater.

Youtube vid of my car after I crunched/pried the soggy metal out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pdY7ktU21M

Swank Force One wrote: You're saying that a 1.6 revs faster than a 1.8?

There are other differences besides the engine. The car as a whole feels zippy and zingy.

Keith Tanner wrote: I think all the NB greens were metallic. One word of warning about the coil packs on the 1999-00 cars - a failure there will often take out the cat. If you experience the multiple misfire code, stop driving the car and fix it!

The 2001 special edition is a non-metallic BRG but they didn't make many of them.

I can say that when I owned both a 1.6 (92) and a 1.8 (1997, so both first generation), the 1.8 felt stale in comparison to the 1.6. Both had full interiorNow that the '97 1.8 is gutted and I have a 1.8 NB, the 1.8 NB feels stale in comparison to the 1.8 NA... Still, the stale feeling car is always the one that I choose for a longer drive. I can only handle a race exhaust for so many miles. Heck, I hear everything hitting the undercarriage in the '97, but it sure is fun for the back roads from home to work :)