Miata Owners? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

coreseller · 10-23-2013, 03:09 PM

Bought this for a song today, hoping to enjoy it next year at our local SCCA Auto Crosses. It is kind of rough by my standards which makes it perfect for what I want it for, no worries if I ad to the many dings / scratches it already sports. Runs great and handles like a go cart. Came with a sorted coil over suspension , aftermarket stainless exhaust and many, many new in box parts, not to mention 2 extra sets of wheels / tires (4 Panas, 6 Hoosier Slicks, 4 New Blizzacks on OEM wheels, etc.).

Anyone here come from a Miata? Good Websites or resources to utilize online?

bglz42 · 10-23-2013, 03:32 PM

Miata.net

Sold my 92 Miata this year. Bought new, 112k miles. Best car I have ever owned...

recycledsixtie · 10-23-2013, 04:19 PM

I used to have a '99 Miata and owned it for four years. Great little car but got no respect. Poor snow clearance and easy to get stuck in the snow. Battery was small(in the trunk) and needed to boost car to start in the colder weather.

2001 Boxster base feels more solid, good in the snow and does not get stuck as long as the snow is not too deep.And it starts readily in -20F even without a block heater. Miata is good but Boxster is better.

epapp · 10-23-2013, 04:22 PM

Yes on miata.net forums. Had a supercharged 1990 that I sold for the 99 boxst.

Great upgrade but these two cars are very different beasts.

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coreseller · 10-23-2013, 04:54 PM

Thanks for the Miata.net heads up, will definitely spend some time there. As to the Miata vs. Boxster comparisons, no need to sway me, I had a Boxster S and I'm well aware of what's what.

This Miata has 97k miles and runs great, going to store it in the warehouse section of one of our plants and leave it there until spring, then I'll thoroughly go through it with new plugs, belt, fluids and filters.

I specifically wanted something cheap, reliable, fun and tattered enough to not care about. It will be great for the wifey to occasionally tool around in, she simply will not drive my P-Cars since they make her nervous.

For perspective, I dropped on this car about what I was going to spend for 4 BBS LM's for my 993.

jeffm · 10-23-2013, 05:20 PM

Miata.net is the best website. I still visit the forum daily.

I've had a total of 4 over the last 12 years, one of every generation (NA, NB and NC). My most recent was a 2004 MX5 Mazdaspeed...the only one with a factory turbo. I sold this car in March after buying my '99 Boxster. Sold it for $1500 more than I paid for it a year ago...great cars.

Johnny Danger · 10-23-2013, 05:27 PM

Scissorjack.com is a great forum for learning how to raise our Miata up and down correctly.

j.fro · 10-23-2013, 07:34 PM

Had a 94 Miata for a few years, and it was a great car. At any SCCA autocross, there will be quite a few, and may contest for FTD over much higher HP cars. The Miata faithful are true enthusiasts, and you should find no trouble with advice for DIY stuff.

dghii · 10-24-2013, 05:28 AM

Good for you! I had a great 1990 Miata A package, purchased slightly used in spring of '91 for $13.4K. I owned the car for six years and enjoyed it as much the day I sold it as the day I purchased it.

I still look at used Miatas everyday on CL. As I currently have two Boxsters, 84 Alfa Spider and '04 350Z Roadster, I don't know what I'd do if I found great deal on a Miata. Kind of hope I don't have your luck!

steved0x · 10-24-2013, 05:48 AM

What kind of roll bar are you going to put in it? I am surprised to see that a car with all those extra race tires and rims and suspension upgrades didn't have one?

The hard dog hard core bar seems to be very popular and recommended to me as the bar to get for my son's Miata.

Steve

PS the Motive European adapter for bleeding Porsche brakes is the same size as the clutch hydraulic fluid on the Miata (at least my son's 95 Miata) so we used that to flush his clutch fluid this weekend.

recycledsixtie · 10-24-2013, 05:56 AM

[QUOTE=steved0x;369028]What kind of roll bar are you going to put in it? I am surprised to see that a car with all those extra race tires and rims and suspension upgrades didn't have one?

The hard dog hard core bar seems to be very popular and recommended to me as the bar to get for my son's Miata.

Steve

When I had my 99 Miata I had the Hard Dog installed. What prompted me was that my daughter and I were nearly rearended (well you know a regular car sits higher than a Miata) . So this prompted me to get it installed immediately. It made the Miata look much more rugged especially with the top down and felt a lot safer....

Perfectlap · 10-24-2013, 07:47 AM

best driver's car you can buy for the money. No oil leaks or costly rebuilds, bullet proof engine, you can use all the power all the time.

Alfieg23 · 10-24-2013, 01:20 PM

I bought one of the first 1990's to hit South Florida and owned it for 4 years. One of the best cars I have owned. Not a single problem and a blast to drive. Enjoy it.

van arkel · 10-24-2013, 08:33 PM

owned a few miatas. raced spec miata for 9 years. great cars, near bullet proof and easy to work on. it looks like you have a good one with extra goodies.

as for resources, i suggest checking out flying' miata for parts and info. keith tanner has some books worth looking at, also, read the spec miata website to learn the latest cheaters tricks and go fast secrets. there's nothing about a miata that the spec miata crowd hasn't fiddled with in one way or another.

miatas can be made into a reliable and fast enough track day weapon. power is hard to come by in the stock motor but the speed comes mostly from making the suspension and tires work. taking weight out wakes up everything about the car. converting to manual steering or better yet, looping your power steering and talking out the bits saves weight and improves feel.

also, if you find a hardtop, buy it. makes the car stiffer and better for serious drives.

i love my boxster s, but a well-put together miata is always a fun drive.

-j

thstone · 10-25-2013, 08:11 AM

I had a 2003 Miata SE for three years. Great car, excellent to drive, cheap to maintain. I like the NB cars much better than the earlier NA model. Perfect choice for AX. Sold it earlier this year to buy the 944 Turbo.

kk2002s · 10-25-2013, 08:21 AM

My Boxster's previous owner traded from the Boxster to a newer used Miata.
They followed Perfectlap's theory "In by 20 out by 50". I can see that that transition does make sense as the Miata is not going to beat you up as much especially after driving a Boxster for 5-6 years. Plus the 60k's for a Boxster seem to be tough on the wallet

That person may even check out this forum still for old times sake

Perfectlap · 10-25-2013, 08:39 AM

^Miata is more fun to drive but definitely not safer to drive than a Boxster on public roads.
The weight/momentum of an opposing car today is dramatically different than it was in the early 90's.
Every third car today is an SUV or an F150 type truck.

coreseller · 10-25-2013, 01:40 PM

Thanks Guys. Well, I've got a chance to hose it off (it is somewhat rough) and tally up the extras. Not mentioned prior is a new in package Flyin Miata Stainless Butterfly brace and didn't know it had a hidden hitch along with a new / unused U-Shaped hitch / pin / new unused ball. The 4 PanaSports are in better shape than I had thought also, going to try and sell the Blizzaks and steel wheels on CL.

Pulled out the 993 to compare, the wife remarked on how over the past 5 pleasure vehicles we have had over the past 25 plus years each one has gotten smaller, too bad I can't say the same.

Tucked it into the warehouse Saturday Morning, will pull it back out March or April 2014

reiver · 10-26-2013, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dghii

Good for you! I had a great 1990 Miata A package, purchased slightly used in spring of '91 for $13.4K. I owned the car for six years and enjoyed it as much the day I sold it as the day I purchased it.

I still look at used Miatas everyday on CL. As I currently have two Boxsters, 84 Alfa Spider and '04 350Z Roadster, I don't know what I'd do if I found great deal on a Miata. Kind of hope I don't have your luck!

My 350Z is what pushed me to the boxster eventually (although mine was a Grand Touring Coupe and originally wanted a Cayman over a vert). The Boxster is 10x more fun to drive but the 350Z was fast and had 6 speed with a bit more grip (275 rear, 245 front x18), but I find the ability to slide the Boxster around quite enjoyable

I almost had a Miata. My coworker was going to give me his to build a track car, but he gave dibs to his brother who finally picked it up on the last day of the ultimatum to do so...but I probably wouldn't have purchased the Boxster if I had gotten the Miata along with my DD BMW. So, it worked out...

KevinH1990 · 10-26-2013, 11:40 AM

I've owned two Miatas. I still miss them. I had a lot of fun with both of them and found Miata.net a great resource. I did finally become concerned about the small size and lack of roll over protection. I decided to switch to the Boxster because I thought it would stand up better in an impact. The Boxster is also better on a long trip.

I think there are a lot of former Miata owners on the forum.

Here's some information on mine:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/342258/1994-mazda-miata-mx-5/