anyone own a Mazda Miata?

thedelihaus

Nocturnal transmissions
Anyone own a Mazda Miata? I'm looking for driving impressions.

I know member Thor has one, but since he's been married, we haven't heard much from him.

I worked in the automotive world for a spell, and do know that, at the Mazda dealership my company owned, the Miata was the least problematic car they had in their lineup- this dealership anyway.

Everyone who owned one, loved it.

I'll need to get an automatic, as my feet are not working anymore. this will be my first automatic in many a moon. Not by choice, but by necessity.

Looking for driving impressions, ease of use, and most importantly, joy level.

I know it's not the most practical car (how the hell am I EVER going to get those ADS L1530s I find at the Goodwill home in them?!?), but, after some of the difficulties I've dealt with lately, I'd like a little enjoyment in the old life, eh?
 
my ex GF did,,,,it was fun,,but not enough power for me...but fun nontheless
 
From what i've test driven, the miata mx-5 was a really fun car. I'm a MT kinda guy, so an auto doesn;t really float my boat. It was also kinda tough getting in and out of it (being 6 foot tall).

My friend owns an auto shop here in SD and he says the toyota scion XB, though ugly as it is, is the easies to get in and out of, and has removable seats for those nice large piecess of gear to haul around. its also fairly cheap, around 14k new, could probably get one a year or two old for less.
 
We have a restored 1990 with 70k. Great little cat and that is why we have never gotten rid of her. However, not easy to climb out of and not a winter car. As for fun, I would rate it a 10.
 
One friend rented one for a weekend and bought a new one within a month...

Another friend has at least 2 national autocrossing championships with his.

Maybe not the easiest to get in & out of, but a lot of sacrifices can be made for fun.

Tom
 
I don't think you get into a Miata as much as you simply put it on...I would look like an elephant trying to f!ck a football if I tried to get in one...But yeah, I've heard they're more fun than 3 barrels of monkeys to drive...
 
the motors in the last to body styles are bullet proof. the new design I don't know much about though. but from its reputation it should be great. See what top gear has to say about it
Here. Personaly They are one of my favorite cars. The handling makes up for the lower HP. Plus there are some easy upgrades for more power anyway.
 
i remember readn' long ago bout a guy squeezing a 5.0 L v8 in one...no room for AC of course..:)
 
I've seen a few coupes, but I have no idea if they were stock or not.
I'm 6' tall and the first time I tried to get in a Miata I bashed the side of my head against the windshield frame:( . I was shocked at how close to the ground you sit, and I thought the cockpit to be very tiny. Getting out was even tougher than getting in.
Tom
 
I like small convertibles and currently own a Mitsubishi Spyder Eclipse. It's Ok but I don't love it. Before the Spyder I had a BMW Z3. I didn't like it at all! Surprisingly my favorite little car was a Honda Del Sol. They were a two seater made in the 90's. I think 97 was the last year. They have a huge amount of interior room and an extra large trunk. The drawback of course is the removeable hardtop roof. Still, if found, they can be had cheap. Really clean ones with low miles can be had for around $8000. I've seen nice ones sell for around $3000. Hmm, maybe it's time to get rid of the Eclipse. :scratch2:

cubdog
 
Sadie

Our Miata, Sadie is a 2003 model we bought when it had 8k. We've had zero problems and she's an absolute blast to drive. I wanted a Miata since they were introduced but it was only last year that things fell in place.

You can pick up a low mileage 2001-2003 for not too much. Automatics might be a little harder to find. If you can swing a new one, I've heard great things about them.

I say go for it!

Doug
 
My brother has one of the original ones. Red and sharp for its age. 100k+ miles and it still pulls pretty strong.

It's a lot of fun on twisty roads, but most think it could use more power. His friends who have more experience with this sort of car feel that it realy is a lot like the older British cars, with out the towtruck!

I think an automatic might be OK or even an improvement, I drive a manual everyday but this made the Miata a lot of work, constant shifting.

Hope you are feeling better,

Ken
 
As you fellas know, my busted back and paralyzation dictates an Automatic. as for the size of the vehicle, well, I'm only 5ft 6" anyhow, 132 pounds, so no worries there for me.

Seats are pretty comfortable,, for my back, which is full of screw, struts and rods.

The cars came with an optional hardtop- so the coupes are really still convertibles- that hardtop pops off.

The frst year and 1/2 with the 1.6 motor show a single bad bearing in some of them, if oil changes are fewer than recommended, and if the car had been driven hard.

As for putting a 302 in them, oh yes, seen it done. Very, very fast!

also, they've turbo-ed them, supercharged then, everything.

Not the quickest car, or most macho, but a fun car.

You do sit very close to the ground- kinda unnerving, with big SUVs around. My biggest dislike of them.
 
I own a 95 and have had it since new. I'm 6ft1 and 250 (most of it is gut....lol!) and can get in and out of mine ok and i also have back problems. I never had any major problems with it and basically have only did basic and preventive maintenance on it. It now has 130k and still drives great. Its pretty zippy for a 4cyl (double overhead cam)and mines non-turbo with a 5 speed. Mines the special edition with the speakers built into the headrests which is great for top down driving and has leather. The hardtops are an option and can be bought if you want to add one as they attach to the car with the top down so you get the best of both worlds. They handle great and for such a small wheel base car they ride ok. The only complaint i have with the car is that the transmission tunnel can get pretty warm and if its hot out it will seem hotter in the car. But most of these came with a decent AC so that wouldnt be a big issue. One important thing to keep a watch on these is the timing belt. Change it if it hasnt been replaced or if it is at the milage that it should be (around 75k). Surprisingly for an import, replacement parts are not to expensive and for a sports car you get decent gas milage too. Theres alot of aftermarket stuff you can buy for these too if you want to spiff them up a bit. I have driven ones with an automatic and although it robs some power from it compared to a 5 speed it still does pretty decent. If i have the chance to buy another one i would do it in a minute. If you locate one just try it and if you like it and get a reasonable price on it i'd say go for it.
-Tony
 
i have driven the early ones and remember them being a blast...but as a mazda owner in general[90 mx6 currently]beware of maintenence costs with mazda's...not that they're not reliable or need a lot of work,but when they do,the price of mazda parts can leave you with sticker shock...i work for honda,and i KNOW i could have bought comparable brand new OEM honda parts for less than what i've at times had to pay for USED mazda parts...take whatever you think a part should cost for most cars,and double or sometimes even triple it to get into the mazda ballpark...this has been my experience....as much as i like my car,i'll never own another mazda
 
More Info

Other posts have mentioned lack of horsepower and some things folks have done to get around it.

If you're looking for a lot of oomph you'll want to look elsewhere. The Miata is quick enough to get out of the way, but you're not going to go home with any trophies from the stop light drag strip.

I happen to agree with the Mazda philosophy of a totally harmonious car. The handling, braking and power are in an almost perfect balance. Change one of the elements and it throws the whole experience off.

My son owns a BMW M3 with some aftermarket go fast additions (cold air intake, exhaust, rechip, etc.). It's great fun to be pushed back in the seat when you stomp on it and I'm sure that it would leave poor Sadie in the dust on a twisty road, but both Doug and I think that Sadie is just as much fun to drive. It's also a whole lot cheaper.

Doug
 
1993 with 170K miles and still running strong. This is a wickedly fun car to drive and gets 30+ mpg.

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