4th gen ND Mazda MX-5 Miata

[Rampage]

Originally Posted by fatoni

you realize thats entirely an assumption right? there are plenty of girls driving around in mustangs and miatas are the most raced car in the world

Yep, I get that but you can even see it on post on this very forum, Honestly, how many young guys do you see behind the wheel of a Miata on the street? My experience has been that most are driven by middle aged guys and some women/girls. That comes from living in Ohio and Florida. About the only place that I have seen a bunch of younger guys in Miatas was on the Tail of the Dragon. Even there there was a higher percentage of young guys in S2000 than Miatas.

I am sure that on the racetrack it is an entirely different story but even though many. many Miatas have been raced it is still a small percentage of all the Miatas sold over the years.

If I could fit in one I might have owned one but I didn't so I bought another car that carries a stigma with the same crowd but that had more room inside.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by Rampage

Yep, I get that but you can even see it on post on this very forum, Honestly, how many young guys do you see behind the wheel of a Miata on the street? My experience has been that most are driven by middle aged guys and some women/girls. That comes from living in Ohio and Florida. About the only place that I have seen a bunch of younger guys in Miatas was on the Tail of the Dragon. Even there there was a higher percentage of young guys in S2000 than Miatas.

A lot, but then again I'm within easy driving distance to a racetrack that Mazda dumped a lot of money into. I'd say it's pretty evenly split between young guys and old guys with a minority of women.

And to think all the old guys and women baby their cars and never flog them is downright silly. I had an ex with one, my buddy has one, my retired uncle has one, and my first time in an NA was on track with an older retired gentleman at the wheel, that was an incredible ride. They all drive at 10/10ths when given the opportunity.

[Poodles]

Originally Posted by funwheeldrive

That's the first I've heard of this. Do you have any sources for that?

It's already been covered by other people in this thread, but it also counts for quite a few other items. Thicker glass tends to not crack as easily. Thicker sheet metal means if there is surface rust, it will take far longer before it's damaging the structure.

Engineering goes into this a hell of a lot as well. But as a general rule, the best made cars are usually heavy as a result of overbuilding the components to withstand more abuse. Older Mercedes, 80's Toyotas, etc were known for this. I won't get into electronics though...

Originally Posted by serialk11r

Replace with "relatively light" and that statement is correct. A Miata obviously has lighter parts than a bigger car because its parts will see less load.

Yep. Most cars keep growing in size leading to having to more weight. Modern Civic is bigger than an older Accord, etc. This is also one of the reasons I would steer clear of crossovers or car bases SUV's as the OEMs may or may not have re-engineered the drivetrain and chassis for the extra weight, height, and size.

Anyway, the Miata has always had it's money and engineering where it mattered. The engine was a proven design and not on the ragged edge of tuning. The chassis was somewhat overbuilt (and more importantly, was designed as a convertible from day one!). The convertible top was simple to use and easy to replace when needed. They skimped a hell of a lot on the interior and the body (at least on the NA).

[Atropine]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

A lot, but then again I'm within easy driving distance to a racetrack that Mazda dumped a lot of money into. I'd say it's pretty evenly split between young guys and old guys with a minority of women.

And to think all the old guys and women baby their cars and never flog them is downright silly. I had an ex with one, my buddy has one, my retired uncle has one, and my first time in an NA was on track with an older retired gentleman at the wheel, that was an incredible ride. They all drive at 10/10ths when given the opportunity.

To this point...I know a lotta guys who have older Miatas and they beat them to death doing AutoX and track days and spirited driving...

They also are religious with oil changes and replacing worn components.

Often perception has some truth behind it.

The old Camaro and Mustang statement is kinda true. A lot of American cars in general from 80s and 90s were poorly made and ended up having lots of problems.

The new ones? Not so much. Everyone, as in all car manufacturers have raised their game and improved. That is why there are recalls. Recalls are them fixing problems rather than leaving those problems out there.

Anyway, you can't really say smaller=reliable.

Mazda Miatas are GREAT cars. But remember, the Miata was a take on the old MG's and Triumphs which were terrible cars (as far as being reliable).

The reality is...good cars are reliable cars. Bad cars are not reliable.

Size really isn't really that much of a determinate, quality and simplicity is.

Compare the AW-11 MR2 to the Fiero...

EDIT: to what Poodles said
Poor design can ruin about anything. Every old K5 Blazer out there will have a rusted back door due to the shoddy design of it. Water got into that back door and rusted stuff. It was easy for water to get in...and it did not have good enough drainage for the water to get out.
Those old K5 Blazers were awesome and over-built, but that problem I listed is an example of just poor design.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by Atropine

Anyway, you can't really say smaller=reliable.

I pray I did not imply as such.

[Atropine]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

I pray I did not imply as such.

Oh no, I just have seen some other threads where people do the typical "BRZ>everything" and then go on to slam other cars because they are different from a twin. Either is a cheap POS or its an over priced pig that has an engine that you'd never be able to uncork on a public road.

The BRZ and FR-S are great value buys, but that doesn't mean a car is bad or its a rip off because it cost more. It also does not mean a car is a POS because it costs less.

There are lot a really good cars out there now. Just pick a proper tool for the job, and stay fiscally responsible.

I have also noticed a lotta people get nostalgic about certain cars (Skylines and Supras and FD RX7s) and don't really understand that annoyances that come with owning those types of cars.

[Rampage]

http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...da-mx-5-miata/

[Sigh-on-Rice]

Wow. Mazda said 0 - 60 will be 1 second faster then NC? If that's true, then that's really impressive.

[rice_classic]

They went with a really small ratio FD and really short gears. 6th Gear is 1:1

Interesting.

[BRZZZZZZZZZZ]

Canadian pricing is wack. $4505 more than a basic BRZ and $5230 more than a basic FRS for the most basic ND Miata.

Dissapoint.

[Sigh-on-Rice]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

They went with a really small ratio FD and really short gears. 6th Gear is 1:1

Interesting.

But the final gear ratio is really tall. So, compared to FR-S, at 60 mph in 6th gear, FR-S is 2634 RPM when Miata is 2505 RPM.

[Rampage]

The magazines presently have pre-production versions of the US spec 2.0L cars to test. The publishing embargo will be lifted on June 1st so we can expect a tidal wave of information on that date.

A few tidbits are being leaked such as Edmunds.com having the Club edition on a scale and publishing the photo showing the actual weight.

[Rampage]

Better than the new Scion commercial?

[NemesisPrime909]

Originally Posted by Rampage

Better than the new Scion commercial?

mile ahead, because Scion keeps trying to appeal to the "youth" (what they think youth is) and it's painful

none of the FR-S commercials have been good, the closet one was the first. but that one made that car out to be what it isn't, fast.