I want a Miata

[heelntoe]

LSD has always been optional, me thinks. 

ah. i know a person with an NA miata and ha says the LSD was part of a special edition package, but that could mean that it came standard instead of being optional.

[280Z Turbo]

Toyota can't abandon the RWD performance market. The MR2 and AE86 were some of the more popular and fun-to-drive cars when they came out and are still popular in tuner cultures today. Their lineup can't be just composed of staid, reliable sedans (and the Solara). And please, don't make its replacement a Scion.

Oh yes it can!

Toyota knows what they're doing. They're one of the most successful companies of all time. Apparently performance cars are really just unnecessary for a successful auto manufacturer.

[Laconian]

http://www.miata.net/faq/production.html

In 1990 the A package included power steering, alloy wheels, leather wrapped steering wheel, and a factory AM/FM cassette. The B package added power windows, power antenna and cruise control. A/C was an option on any car. The optional hardtop required an A or B package in 1990. (The hardtop is now available for any model as an accessory) An automatic transmission was available for any model, and an optional limited slip differential was available for cars with a manual transmission. Packages were all or none decisions, and the individual items were not available individually. (Though you can buy most items and retrofit them yourself)

In 1991, ABS was added as an option.

In 1993 power mirrors became standard and a new C package which included tan leather interior and a tan top became available on all cars.

In 1994 the car was extensively changed. [engine, wheels, airbag, side intrusion, standard features, etc.]

The 1994 R package is a Base 1994 Miata with higher rate springs, special shocks, [different sized] anti-sway bars, torsen limited slip, and spoilers on the chin and trunklid. Air conditioning is the only available option.

The 1994 M Edition is a Montego Blue 1994 B Package Miata with polished aluminum wheels.

In 1995 The A,B and C package designations were dropped in favor of prefered equipment packages. Little change was made from the 1994 Model. The R model continues.

I think Mazda buys limited slips in bulk from Costco. Most Miatas I've seen are LSD-equipped.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I want a 1.6L
92+ so it doesn't have stupid crankshafts
that doesn't leave too much of a choice, because the 1.6 was gone in 94

that leaves '92 or '93
don't want power steering
but LSD fo shizzle

but I honestly won't be so picky, as long as it's a good price.

[Laconian]

Not much of a price difference between the 1.6 and 1.8. Why are you so set on the 1.6?

Can you take a PS-equipped Miata and disconnect the power steering unit? I seem to recall the Miata has identical steering racks between PS and non-PS models?

There are plenty of the market so I think you can afford to be picky.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Not much of a price difference between the 1.6 and 1.8. Why are you so set on the 1.6?

Can you take a PS-equipped Miata and disconnect the power steering unit? I seem to recall the Miata has identical steering racks between PS and non-PS models?

There are plenty of the market so I think you can afford to be picky.

1.6's are cool. All the older (read: cheaper) Miatas have them. The GReddy turbo kit is wicked cheap ($1200!). I loves a turbo. I don't care if a stock 1.8 makes almost the same HP. It's not the same.

As far as availability...well, I live in Maine. There is virtually none for sale in this entire state (within my price range < $4k).
They're all in Pennsylvania.
It makes shopping more difficult.

[Onslaught]

The 1.6 Miata came with a Viscous LSD. It was an option if I remember correctly but that was a long time ago and I'm old and have killed my brain cells with rum.
The 1.8 had a better Torsen type LSD. But with the Spec Miata racing now a LSD can be ******* expensive. I've been looking for one out of a 95 for over a year now
and they all go for almost what a brand new one would cost me.
You can get a MX-5 without power steering but it's not common. You can change it yourself if you want to. I think you can still get the steering rack for rather cheap.
I was going to do that to my car but said F it.

[Onslaught]

The 1.6 vs 1.8 thing should just come down to the one you can get for the best price and is in the best shape.
I think they both have some things that are better than the other.

1.6
Better looking dash without the passenger side airbag that was just thrown in it.
Lighter, this is important in a car like this.
A real oil gage.

1.8
They had the motor longer and so you can get MANY more performance parts for them.
They had a better LSD
The had a stronger chassis. but this also added to the fat factor.

[Eye of the Tiger]

LIke you said, whatever I can get a good deal on, it's still a Miata. 

[Laconian]

Best Miata bodykit ever!

[Raza]

The new Mister Two is too new, too expensive, and too rare for me to deal with on my budget. And it's severe lack of storage makes it stupid for a DD and/or only car.

I didn't read your posts.  I was responding to Catman. 

[Eye of the Tiger]

I didn't read your posts.  I was responding to Catman. 

Catman hasn't used this thread in two-years. This is my thread now... I HIJACKED IT! 

[Raza]

Catman hasn't used this thread in two-years. This is my thread now... I HIJACKED IT! 

I didn't realize that until after I posted.

I don't know enough about NA Miatas to be of any help, except that you should sell your shit and buy one now.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I didn't realize that until after I posted.

I don't know enough about NA Miatas to be of any help, except that you should sell your shit and buy one now.

+1

[MidnightDave]

I paid $21K for my '06 Cooper S out the door a year ago, only option is the steering controlled radio. I'd planned to strip and track it, however, now I'm wondering about a Miata, too!

I'll either go 1 series and keep it a DD, or do the "$12K gets you a monster Miata" route, and track it--only thing is, there are a TON of Miatas on the track, and I don't like to blend in...I thought this car would be the best of both worlds, however, I'm afraid to keep it out of warranty!

Don't know much about the "new" MR2 except that it was ill fated and met an early death. Not sure if that's warranted, or "public opinion" brought its demise?

[Raza]

I paid $21K for my '06 Cooper S out the door a year ago, only option is the steering controlled radio. I'd planned to strip and track it, however, now I'm wondering about a Miata, too!

I'll either go 1 series and keep it a DD, or do the "$12K gets you a monster Miata" route, and track it--only thing is, there are a TON of Miatas on the track, and I don't like to blend in...I thought this car would be the best of both worlds, however, I'm afraid to keep it out of warranty!

Don't know much about the "new" MR2 except that it was ill fated and met an early death. Not sure if that's warranted, or "public opinion" brought its demise?

An earlier post:

The practicality argument has some validity to it, but it's not the best argument.  Not many people drive roadsters to work everyday.  Most MX-5s are second cars, I bet.  So why didn't the MR-2 catch on?

I'll tell you some of my theories:

1.  Looks.  The "I wish I was a Boxster" styling didn't catch on with everyone, and that flat shelf at the back kind of looks like a grill.  I like it, but I see why others didn't.

2.  Practicality.  Yes, it's not as practical as a Miata, but evenly optioned it's cheaper and faster, and better handling.  But for some, the fact that you've got room for golf clubs or a passenger was a turn off.

3.  Price.  It's too expensive for the market.  Most of the people who are well off enough to have a second car for fun want something with more luxury and a prestigious name plate, so they move the SLK or Z3/Z4 category.  The people who want this are generally college grads who can only afford one car, and for them, the tradeoff of fun for practicality wasn't worth it when four door performance cars were now available like the WRX.

4.  It's a real sports car.  Light weight, low amenities, functional but not pretty interior, manual top, and a 5 speed stick was the only trans available when it came out (the 6 speed SMT came out later and took away the straight line advantage over the Miata) and in a country where 90% of cars are sold with automatic transmissions,  that doesn't seem to cut it.  Europe doesn't readily accept Toyotas, even brilliant ones like this.

5.  Toyota's neglect.  This may be the most important of all the factors that hurt the MR-2.  Toyota introduced it, and then neglected it, selling more poorly engineered Camrys and higher, blander SUVs like the Highlander. 

Of course, I haven't done a complete market analysis with economic factors included, which can play major part, but this is a small snapshot of why the MR-2, a better car than the Miata, is failing miserably.

[BimmerM3]

Sorry about the poor phrasing with the hard top question. I know that the stock, Mazda hard tops are great and have an awesome rear window, but used tops can be hard to find and new ones are a bit pricy. I was talking about aftermarket hard tops... the only ones that I've seen have a really small rear window.



Are there any aftermarket tops that are cheaper than the OEM tops with a decent rear window?