Which Miata to buy?
 

Thinking of swapping my second car for a Miata... anyone know much about them? Is there a preferred model for track days? Learning to wrench? Any models or options to avoid?

Appreciate any responses..

All are great...

Good question, probably best answered over there : http://forum.miata.net/vb/
That being said, I absolutely loved my MK 2.5 with the 6MT. Tons of performance parts available and cheap consumables (tires, pads, etc.).

I know others will chime in...

I'd first suggest combing through miata.net for basic information. I'm not a huge fan of their forum, but the info on that site is excellent. Miata's are classified in their 3 distict body styles - NA ('89-'97); NB ('99-'05); NC ('06-present). Within the NA category, there's the NA1 ('89-'93) that has a 1.6L engine; and the NA2 ('93-'97). Within the NB category, there's the NB1 ('99-'01) and NB 2('02-'05) various small changes, the front end is the most telling.

I stared my Miata life with a NB1, then bought a NA1 that got a stupid big homebrew turbo; and now I have another NA1 that's more of a driving project car. I've not had much experience with the NC, but I hear it has been a worthy successor to the NA & NB.

Personally, I think that the NB Miata's are the best value for what you get, but you really can't go wroung with any of them. I'd say stay away from the 1.6 cars, due do the possibility of the SNC issue, but if you come across a great deal, I'd still say jump on it.

There's a lot more I could type, but I'm late for a meeting at work, I'll let other's chime in... Definitely check out www.miata.net for info...

The NA Miata (89-97) is one of the easiest cars out there to work on. It's well-designed and doesn't have a ton of crazy electronic bits to fail. It's light and a ton of fun to drive hard. Plus, it'll take the abuse and when it doesn't parts are abundant and cheap. They're easy to strip and quick at the track for what they are.

I prefer the 1.8L in the 94-97 models over the earlier 1.6L, but you have plenty of options with or without AC and Power Steering, power windows, or a Torsen LSD. The M-Edition models are especially well-optioned. Power windows are the one option I'd say to maybe avoid as the regulators fail and are about $80-100 each, but don't base your car decision off of this. Also don't get an automatic, obviously.

If you do get a 1.6L, watch out for the short-nose crank wobble. Some will already have it addressed, but I feel like for someone concerned about learning, that's an issue it's better to avoid altogether.

The NB (99-05) is almost as pleasant to work on, but it does have a few more electronic components. It's a great car.

The NC is nicer inside and somehow barely gained any size or weight. It's much more expensive and a bit less approachable for a novice, though. Also, that power hardtop... yum.

Track day bro?

Seriously though, the Mazdaspeed NB was one of the most fun cars I've ever driven.

Find a 1.8L NA (94-96) or a 99-05 NB. The 1.6 cars are getting long in the tooth and there are more engine parts around for the 1.8 cars. I would avoid the 97 NA as it was the only one that was OBD2 and if you ever want to do anything to the ECU its a pain.

Finding one that someone has already mildly setup for track use is pretty easy to do. Find one with a a good diff, there is a sticky post somewhere on Miata.net about how to tell based on the Vin if it has a limit slip diff. Good suspension, brakes, bolt on power mods and sticky tires and you have a cheap, fun, reliable and cost effective track car. Good luck!

1.8L NA, classic looking body, love the tail lights

This one
http://exomotive.com/wp-content/uplo...t4-640x426.jpg

If you're thinking about doing track days with a Miata, you will likely need a roll bar. Make sure to look at the rules for the groups you want to run with. Most allow convertibles with roll bars, but some don't allow convertibles at all.

Also consider whether you would want to drive this car on the street and whether you would be ok with a roll bar and no helmet.

Thanks for all the responses! Posted the same question on Miata.net and not one response :mad0260:
Its probably a bit silly even looking right now as it is the season of high prices for convertibles..

The car will be the primary commuter with track day dbl duty.

When talking convertibles and track days... even with the hardtop are there the same rules for roll bars etc? (I am guessing yes as the roof isn't structural..)

Yes, if you track your Miata, you don't want to cheap out on your safety.
The hard top offers zero protection if you flip the car.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIzF9F9SXLU"]Mazda Miata Flips At Very High Speed - YouTube[/ame]

Plus a real roll bar will stiffen the car, which is always nice on track.

The real concern with a rollbar is that it can lead to high risk of head injury if you hit your head, in even a small collision (such as a rear-ending or drifting into a curb - see video at the bottom of this post). The stock seats are often too low to keep your head from hitting the rollbar unless you're really short. Even with SFI padding on the bar, it's going to hurt to hit your head. A lot.

In short, you need taller seats to protect the back of your head. Probably racing seats. But when you put racing seats in, your stock seat belts can lose their effectiveness. And even if you're careful during installation, almost every bolt-in rollbar compresses the seat belt tower in the Miata, which renders the belt retractors mostly useless. Harnesses may sound like a good idea, but you should really never use them on the the street. In an accident that's almost guaranteed whiplash and possibly more serious damage. (On the track, they say you should use a HANS device with harnesses).

Plus, racing seats can make it really hard to get in and out due to the steering wheel position. One option is to put a new steering wheel and quick release hub on. But you're sacrificing the airbag. Do you trust a 15-25 year old airbag anyway? That's up to you.

In short, you should get a rollbar. I would recommend good quality racing seats that give you room to use your stock seat belts on the street. It's not the best but it's probably a less dangerous balance.

Oh, and here's a good example of someone being stupid and consequently causing their passenger to hit his head on the rollbar. Ouch.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBRe9b4dsxo"]Miata drift fail crash into wall plus whining - YouTube[/ame]

Of course not, that's like coming on here and posting 'what's the difference between the FRS and BRZ?' It's been answered a million times and people are sick of it. Honestly reading the Wiki article is a good idea, lots of info there.

Most people think that the car got better and better, more well sorted, more reliable, leading you right to an NC. The only comment there is that if you want to do track days avoid the power retracting hardtop option, it doesn't leave room for a roll bar that passes the broomstick test if you're of even average height and many organizations don't allow it on track days, but for the soft top it's probably the most refined and reliable Miata you can get your hands on.

If you're going for the path of least resistance NB's are probably the safe bet right now, a little newer than the NA's, a little less beat, cheaper than the NC's and with so many produced you won't have much trouble finding parts.

NA is the lightest rawest generation, basically a tin can with a rag on top. Others have talked about the difference between the 1.6L and the 1.8L, all I know is it gets a little trickier every day to find a nice 1.8L while the earlier cars seem to take a bit longer to move and are priced pretty well in comparison.

For my money, I'd buy the cleanest NA I could find, at most that's what, $5k-$7k, if you hunt and are willing to take one that's a little tired here and there you can drive away for $4k in something relatively reliable. Based on what I can tell adding power and all the goodies (LSD) isn't too back/bank breaking but at the end of the day you'll still be getting run over by fox bodies and late model sedans.

This is pretty much my armchair quarterback opinion so I'm incredibly detached from reality sitting behind my keyboard browsing craigslist.