how many of you guys owned miata before graduating to boxster? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

steven choi · 11-14-2005, 07:11 PM

It seems quite a few of the forum members owned miatas before. Myself owned 1993 and 2001 miatas before moving up to 2004 boxster S. I still love miatas for what they can do.
Don't really care for the 3rd generation's styling though.

MikenOH · 11-15-2005, 05:22 AM

a great car, albeit a bit small for long rides. With the exception of the 3 batteries I went through, a very reliable and fun car to own.

Sold it when we got out '99'. I really like the new car, BTW. I think the styling id dead on and there is a lot more room inside. For $25k, I think it's a great car.

Brucelee · 11-15-2005, 05:47 AM

Miata is a great value for the money. Tons of fun, years of fun for very little money.

gRed04 · 11-15-2005, 10:00 AM

I had a 02 LS I traded in when I got my 04 Box.

I thought it was a great little car for the money. I bought it primarily for my daughter to drive while in H.S. but did use it on occasion.

It unfortunately needed to be a auto which gave a whole new meaning to slow but I don't think speed is where this car excels anyway.

I would certainly consider another and have been meaning to go test a 06.

Perfectlap · 11-15-2005, 10:08 AM

few cars corner like a miata on KYB's, JR Sways and Falken Azenis.

steven choi · 11-15-2005, 10:19 AM

hey Perfectlap,,

i had those BSP low profile headlights and TSI as well, on my 93 red.
ahhhhhh.. memories..
I donated 93 for tax credit.. It had 250000 miles on it. Other than a new radiator, everything was still original. That was one sturdy car.

9000RPMan · 11-15-2005, 11:16 AM

I had a 91 package "B" Miata. It was a simple, no frills sportscar. I loved how I could throw it around as it was so neutral. In the 4 years I had it, the only thing that went wrong was that the radio switch malfunctioned and the rear window cracked due to extreme cold. Both items were fixed under waranty.

trogdor · 11-15-2005, 07:16 PM

Steve, I too had a couple miatas.. a 94 and a 2001, traded in the 94 for the 01 on a whim and the 01 was totaled by someone pulling out across traffic in front of my wife.. pics here post 2

The replacement

Now have a 2000 S and really like it, of course. although already the parent of one of my wife's tutoring students backed into it.. 1200 bucks later (they paid not wanting to get insurance involved) I hope its all good. Also picked up a nail in a rear tire and had to have that patched... grr..

Anyway, while waiting at the dealer last month, I decide to stroll on over to the Mazda dealer and check out the new Miata. It looked nice and a bit bigger but I was shocked to hear that it had porked out to over 3000 pounds!!! holy crap, my 94 was about 700 pounds lighter as I recall!

Funny, I told the sales guy who wanted to show me around it that I just got a boxster but he was still trying to tell me how well it handled and that the bigger 2 liter engine with 170 hp could be a better car...hmmm, down over 80 hp and 200 pounds heavier...

The power of the boxster, the two boots and styling are all so great but the best thing is theres so much more interior room. I now feel like I'm driving a real car, not a go cart that I'm a cramped into! The only thing I really don't like is the plastic rear window.. on a car the originally cost 62k... kinda weak...

limoncello · 11-16-2005, 05:13 AM

Sold my 97 "M" to get the Box. Had the Miata for 5 years. Only maintenance other than oil/rubber was an elec. window motor went out, and a new set of spark plug wires. Perfectly neutral on Hankooks, loved the handling. Complaints - not enough leg room for tall guys, needed a few more HP. 2006's have solved the legroom, not sure about power. FOT with the Boxster is more fun...

Perfectlap · 11-16-2005, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steven choi

hey Perfectlap,,

i had those BSP low profile headlights and TSI as well, on my 93 red.
ahhhhhh.. memories..
I donated 93 for tax credit.. It had 250000 miles on it. Other than a new radiator, everything was still original. That was one sturdy car.

and its one of the most represented cars in grass roots motorsports. My buddy's sister was joking about "who goes from a Miata to a Porsche?!" I guess very few people know how many people actually track and autocross their miatas.

jtucker · 11-17-2005, 01:40 PM

before my Boxster. Really liked that car alot. Sounded great w/ aftermarket exhaust. 6 speed was excellent.

xavier405 · 11-17-2005, 02:41 PM

Dare I enter this thread?

I owned not a Miata, but a del Sol.

Fabulous little car, I loved the turbine rocket sound as the VTEC kicked in. I think it was a highly underappreciated car. At 200k miles I came to a decision - trick it out for racing, or spend that money on a Boxster. So I got the Box, but looking back I always wish I knew how my del Sol would have faired with new intake and exhaust, sway bars, wheels and tires...

Biz-z Z · 11-17-2005, 03:26 PM

I bought my 99 Miata just after the second generation hit the market in June 1998. After many mods (coil overs, s/c, roll bar, bling-bling, etc.), I still have it and now use it as my daily summer driver. Was going to sell it to help pay for the Box but my wife and daughter talked me out of it. Glad they did.

slogans7 · 11-18-2005, 05:10 PM

I had one of the first ones brought into the US as I had a friend who worked at Mazda. I loved it and kept it for 9 years, selling it for a 325i convertible. I hear now they're just going to call it MX5 and drop the Miata name because it sounds too feminine or something. Go figure.

shumphries · 01-20-2006, 08:27 AM

Had a 1996 M for five years before pulled the trigger on an 01 S. Loved it, hated to sell it, and still think the shifter on it was marginally better than Box. No regrets now, though. Obscure downside of the Miata was the name of the color: Mazda's version of navy was "Starlight Mica" at the time. "Lapis Blue" is better. (Or "Moro Blue Pearl" on my new S4 "need-a-back-seat-to-drive-the-small-kids-around" car.)

Perfectlap · 01-20-2006, 08:34 AM

OMG I can't believe you stuck a DelSol in this thread...

Maybe the second worst "convertible" I have ever driven. Honda and brakes a match made in hell. The worst? the Chrysler Sebring. I bet if you drove off a pier it could float away as a tug boat.

BoxsterSbob · 01-20-2006, 09:33 AM

Yep, I had an '01 Miata LS.

04S
bob

aerocrosby · 01-20-2006, 09:41 AM

Me too - Had a new '90 and then a '92. Both great cars!

MikenOH · 01-20-2006, 09:59 AM

Sold it 8 years later with 37K on it for , IIRC, around $8K. Terrific car, but not something I'd recommend for a long trip on a interstate. Hat's off to mazda for recreating interest in small,2 passenger ragtops--particularly, reliable ones.

Perfectlap · 01-20-2006, 11:14 AM

by the way, I'm not sure I can entirely say I "graduated" to the Boxster. The Boxster is faster and bigger but doesn't have that extra something that a Miata on lowered and adjustable suspension with Falken Azenis has. People often say that the 1973 911 RS is the closest thing to a go kart, I often wondered if they ever drove a Miata(which had a much cooler sounding engine and exhaust, aftermarket of course).