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Joined the army with a 1993 Miata. Got a pretty good deal. It's in pretty good shape, the only rust is a bit of surface rust - Carfax is clean and showed it was a Virginia car until last year. Comes pre-loaded with Flying Miata swaybars, Koni Yellows, and Ground Control Coilovers. Good condition hardtop, fair soft-top. 97,000 miles. Picked it up for $4,500.  
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May 24, 2010 04:01
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goatse guy posted:I bought a Miata last week. I traded in my MkV GTI for a black one-owner 1995 Miata with 100k miles, a 5spd, the popular options package, and service records dating back to the day it was purchased. I just sprung for the Direzza Star Specs. I was going to get a set of Kosei K1 Racing 15" wheels with the 205/55-15s, but decided I couldn't afford that so just got the tires in 195/60-14 to put on the stock wheels. Both I and the previous owner are pretty tall guys - luckily for me, he did a foamectomy. Unluckily for me, he cut the back foam in such a way that it left a huge ridge of material that goes right across my shoulder blades. And I'm driving it 12 hours tomorrow. :/
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May 24, 2010 15:03
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Hog Obituary posted:It's true that that's common wisdom, and for the most part I accepted that when I started modifying the car, but I think each case is individual. Mods add value to a buyer who was planning to do similar modifications themselves. It's my understanding that turbo Miatas routinely go for more than stock ones. Depends on the turbo kit, the quality of the install, the miles, the boost that's being/been run, and a lot of factors. If it's in great condition, it might be worth more, but if it's not, it's worth less in my opinion. I think with Miatas, suspension mods might add value, but engine mods don't, as far as I'm concerned. :/
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May 26, 2010 22:07
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ppdd posted:I'm REALLY jonesing for a Miata right now. Like, BAD. My wife is pregnant with our second and due in August and I really, really want to enjoy what free time I have for the rest of the summer. My plans to pick up a project BMW 2002 have fallen through and summer is wasting away. There's a couple pretty close to that price range on the Chicago Craigslist...
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Jun 15, 2010 02:45
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Atomizer posted:What exactly is "a full throttle 1-2 shift?" Sounds like he means either: (A) "When I drop the clutch in second, it's slipping," or (B) "When I try to go fast, I get on the accelerator too early when engaging second gear and have been gradually burning the clutch up."
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Jun 19, 2010 22:08
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Ziploc posted:Oh hey I'm sliding. Should I countersteer? MmmmmmmmmmmmmmNOPE. Still can't figure out what the hell happened. Looks like a perfectly standard turn followed by an inexplicable slide. Did the driver randomly lift off the throttle and/or brake mid-corner? 
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Jun 22, 2010 05:37
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Dr JonboyG posted:Any idea how much I'd be able to expect for a 1996 NA, ~120k, mechanically in good condition (water pump, timing belts done recently), but needs a new passenger side wing? Oh, and it's not got AC, but it does have a Robbins Sunfast top with the glass window (no zip). Would make a good spec miata car possibly? I'm trying to work out if it makes sense to have the wing repaired or if it'll cost me more than I'll make back. I'm confused as to what you're referring to when you say "passenger side wing." I'd say, ignoring that, probably around $3,500-$5,500, depending on the general paint/body/interior condition. E: If it needs a new fender, I'd say it depends. I wouldn't pay over $2,500 for something with body damage, but there are people out there who aren't crazy. Maybe $3,000-$3,500? Moruitelda fucked around with this message at 20:08 on Jun 23, 2010 |
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Jun 23, 2010 18:06
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Sudden Infant Def Syndrome posted:Which is basically the only thing I'd ever heard referred to as a "wing" on a car.
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Jun 23, 2010 20:07
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Geoj posted:When you say you feel the road a lot less in the NB, are we talking about not feeling every little bump and pebble you run over but still well-connected, or like driving around in a numb luxobarge (or somewhere between the two)? I'm (hopefully) going to be in the market for a Miata in the next year or two and have been leaning towards a late-model NB... There's no factory Miata in the world that handles like a "numb luxobarge." I have a NA Miata with coilovers and Koni Yellow shocks, and it's only about as rough as my Mini Cooper S was. I haven't driven a NB, so I don't have the personal basis for comparison, but I wouldn't be surprised if the reports I've heard are accurate and the NB is a bit softer than the NA. The NA's a good car. I wouldn't get too caught up about the differences (either of you); in my opinion, as long as it's optioned the way you want, NA v. NB is much less important than getting a good condition car, that's been cared for, and is at the right price.
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Jun 25, 2010 04:44
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Blaise posted:This was the fantastic scene I had to deal with yesterday. Weather forecast was 20% chance of isolated thunderstorms, which actually turned out to be the biggest hailstorm I've ever seen. My entire neighborhood is littered with downed trees and power lines. We were without power for 21 hours. For me, that's like a wet dream. It's possible they'll total both. You can buy them back, get a huge check, and continue driving your mechanically perfect cars with awful hail damage (that would be my inclination  ). Hail dimples all over all the body panels is not cheap to fix, especially if there's any paint damage.
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Jun 25, 2010 20:25
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Blaise posted:That would be terrible. Total them and both get Salvage titles, which means I'd have to jump through all kinds of hoops to get them legal again and both would then be worthless because of the title status. I doubt the WRX would get totaled, but I'm afraid Geico may think my Sunburst '92 is worth $1500. Hail is usually a special case. In most states (that I'm aware of), it's easier to buy back a car that's totaled by hail damage, and it's easier to get it titled again. If they do wind up totaling the car(s), I would be inclined to do a buyback and keep driving them in the hail-damaged condition. You'll lose out on your deductible, but it'll be better than taking the cash and trying to buy a new Miata. That's my two cents. Not everybody is as dismissive of dents as I am. 
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Jun 26, 2010 05:13
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kimcicle posted:So I've been trying to find a Miata as a fun weekend driver, and I stumbled upon this car: http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/cto/1878445278.html That's a killer deal. Buy it now.
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Aug 4, 2010 00:37
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Suniikaa posted:I've always been told to never use Teflon near any hydraulic systems. Makes sense. Especially if the hydraulic fluid is heated above 550 degrees or so, at which point Teflon starts degrading and giving off very, very bad fumes (carcinogens, can also cause "Teflon flu" and pneumonia).
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Aug 7, 2010 23:48
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Suniikaa posted:http://www.miata.net/faq/faq2.html#A $3k is a decent price for a high mileage Miata like that in good condition, but if it's going to be an autocross car alone, make sure that you buy the RIGHT one. You probably can't get a 94 R-Package and certainly can't get a 99 Sport Package or 07 MSR, but you can get a decent 91-93 with a viscous LSD that's competitive in ES and STS, or a 94-97 with an open diff (NOT Torsen) that's the same. Either way, though, there's a fair amount of weight added by the M Package. Don't get me wrong. It looks like a good car and a pretty decent price. But it's not a killer deal, and it's not exactly what you're looking for if you want something you can commit to autocross 100% and get the best results.
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Aug 9, 2010 04:11
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If you can find one (probably going to run you around $4-6k), get a 1994 R-Package Miata. That's the best ES car out there. If not, any 1994-95 non-M edition with cloth seats should be good for you. If I move back to the northeast, where it's a bit cooler, I'll be uninstalling the AC from mine post haste.
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Aug 9, 2010 17:06
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The Third Man posted:Pros, the car looks a whole lot better and you don't look like an idiot driving with the soft top up all the time in nice weather if you don't feel like driving a convertible. You will also probably be able to sell it without much of a hassle if you change your mind. I guess cons would be that the latches will rattle and annoy this poo poo out of you, you will need to install the side latches which will entail dremel-ing some of the interior plastic. Otherwise the only other conceivable downside is it's obviously going to be a bit of a hassle to put on and off if you do feel like driving it as a convertible. Meh. As long as you have a place to store it, you should be able to get the top off or on in 30-45 seconds. Lean in - four latches, slide the roof back, grab it, lift it off and put it down. Done.
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Aug 11, 2010 15:57
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Phone posted:Apparently it's the exhaust cam hitting the poo poo out of some empty lifters!! Oh boy! I'm changing my oil and hoping that the lifter(s) in question fix themselves, if not, I get to pull my timing, pull the cam, and replace some lifters. Yeah, that's not normal. Some lifter tick when it's hot or slightly low on oil can be normal - mine gets it bad - but yours is like nothing I've ever heard.
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Aug 27, 2010 04:28
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Yeah, I'm going street touring, but I'm lucky that I don't have to drive against the Z3s, Z4s, 350zs, and S2000s in STR. No, my 93 with a viscous diff leaves me in STS, driving against the CRX. Unfortunately, even a butt dyno can tell you that my car's down on power. And the clutch is starting to slip at launch. It'll last me until next summer, at which point, I hope I can get a big law summer job and make a ton of money to drop into the engine bay.
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Aug 27, 2010 14:11
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Savington posted:If you're building a 1.8 without a VVT head at this point, you're a fool. Unless you're building the car for a race class where the VVT head isn't allowed for your model year.
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Sep 1, 2010 19:33
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Piano posted:High five, broken off dip stick handle buddy! Wait, they don't all look like that? 
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Sep 6, 2010 02:22
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Shlomo Palestein posted:I have to get out of my car to use the ATM at my credit union. It's at a height that's perfect for Expeditions, not so much for Miatas. I have long arms, so I can reach - but I can't see the screen because of the really extreme angle of sight. So yeah, I pull up past the ATM and get out.
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Sep 6, 2010 14:51
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mobn posted:Waukesha has it's road repair on the bicentennial plan. The few roads that I had to drive on seemed fine a couple of weeks back! (Drove up there to buy my 2.5RS.)
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Sep 24, 2010 23:59
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Shlomo Palestein posted:Oh, I'm sure I can do it, but it always helps to have people 'round who've done it before. I can rebuild my brakes in two hours now, but it took two days the first time I did it, if you get my drift. +1. I'm sure I could do my clutch with help, but I'm not sure I could even get it out without damaging something. I've done a pad/rotor job once and I could have done it alone, but it seemed mighty daunting to attempt without help.
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Sep 28, 2010 21:17
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party ova here
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Shlomo Palestein posted:You in MA? IL.
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Sep 28, 2010 22:48
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Some more Miata pictures. Me scaring my girlfriend in her first autocross ride-along.  Same event, me looking gigantic and deceptively relaxed. 
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Oct 14, 2010 06:07
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-Inu- posted:How much of a noise reduction will a hard top give at speed on the interstate? I love my miata but the sucker is really loud on the interstate and I never put the top down anyways so I'm looking into hardtops. It's noticeable, but it's also not night and day. You get used to it.
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Oct 15, 2010 02:47
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Blaise posted:Something doesn't seem right here. I have a hardtop for my miata and VASTLY prefer no top over hard top over soft top. Agreed. If I had a garage, I would drive most of the time between May and October with the top off/down.
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Oct 15, 2010 03:26
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Hardtop club! Before I got it:  After I got it:  I still have the hardtop. The only time it comes off is when I autocross or I put it in the middle of the living room to go for a drive.
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Nov 14, 2010 18:17
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Tactical Bonnet posted:Why is it that whenever I see a miata at an autocross they always have their headlights up? It opens freer, cooler airflow to the air filter. Perhaps a miniscule difference, but some very good drivers that I know swear by it.
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Nov 14, 2010 18:40
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Ziploc posted:Does this actually work? All the NAs that autocross with us leave the barndoors down. Seems like some people at Nationals drive with them up, some with them down. I don't know.
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Nov 15, 2010 07:05
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Cloves posted:I'm looking into buying a Miata, my boss has one and he says they're impossible to break. Is that so? When I bought my car, I didn't know it had an oil leak. I was, however, familiar with lifter tick, and wasn't concerned when it made noise. I found out incidentally that I was down 3 quarts of oil.  The car still runs fine. Now I watch my oil level.
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Nov 19, 2010 21:52
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Phone posted:The idea behind the 5th in 25mph test is that if you floor it and the clutch is bad, the engine RPMs will rise dramatically. Beaten, but this only works in cars with torque. If you were testing a V8 Mustang's clutch, this would work. When you're testing a car that's probably not making any more than 50 lb/ft at that RPM, it's not going to slip unless the clutch is completely and absolutely toasted anyway.
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Dec 19, 2010 02:04
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revmoo posted:Someone post that Miata covered in ice from last winter. I don't know about last winter, but I just took this out my window. 
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Feb 6, 2011 07:30
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I'm 6'4", and with a foamectomy, my helmeted head is still a little above the windshield. I'm reconciled to the fact that I can never do a race event faster than autocross in my Miata.
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Feb 8, 2011 03:17
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How's this for winter Miata-ing? A friend of mine was scouting for a winter TSD rally and then followed his GPS down an unplowed road. He chose poorly.   
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Feb 8, 2011 05:59
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Geoj posted:Who, while driving a RWD car (well, anything that isn't 4/AWD), looks at that "road" and says "lets take a detour"? This is the way he described it. THIS MIATA DRIVER posted:I was plotting my road rally out in the countryside when I decided that it would be wise to head back home when it got dark. Stupidly, I followed my GPS down a questionable road and now my car is stuck.
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Feb 9, 2011 06:44
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IOwnCalculus posted:Mileage wise you're nowhere near the only 'big' maintenance on the car, the timing belt. I'm a fan of doing the timing belt at 100k instead of 60k, but I also recommend doing the idlers and water pump at bare minimum with it. Meh, if you have AAA and don't rely on it for everyday transportation, I don't see any reason to replace it before it breaks, personally. You're nowhere near anything. Change the oil, and drive the hell out of it until 60k.
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Feb 10, 2011 05:41
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zycl0n posted:Pulled the trigger this morning. 2003 LS 5spd with 43,000 miles. I haven't stopped grinning like a moron all day. Better pics to come soon. Good choice. I've always liked the NBs - and I'm definitely jealous of the extra power you get out of the 1.8L. By next week, most of our snow should have melted, so hopefully I can get my car out. It's even supposed to be over 50 one day, maybe I'll take off the top and go for a cruise.
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Feb 11, 2011 22:49
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