The Official MX-5 Miata Thread

[FoMoJo]

For me, hanging out with my family is way more fun than doing car stuff. And joyrides to nowhere are pointless to me. The street isn't the place for that anyway.

The fun comes when you're teaching her how to drive.

[CaminoRacer]

For me, hanging out with my family is way more fun than doing car stuff. And joyrides to nowhere are pointless to me. The street isn't the place for that anyway.

You gotta find a destination, then. A cool little diner or ice cream shop at the end of the twisty road.

[12,000 RPM]

I would have a hard time passing all the cool diners and ice cream shops local to me. Truthfully, I kind of hate street driving and do as little of it as possible. So a fun street car for me is a little bit of an oxymoron. Again not to take anything away from the Miata. It's been one of the best at what it does for 30 yrs. But that formula doesn't work for me

[r0tor]

I'm sure your with your family on magical karting/track/gaming days...

[MrH]

Well, if I drove a Kia Optima on cheap coilovers, I'd hate driving too

[12,000 RPM]

I'm sure your with your family on magical karting/track/gaming days...

If I'm gonna take time away from them it's not gonna be to do something I do all the time.

Well, if I drove a Kia Optima on cheap coilovers, I'd hate driving too

I have felt like this since I started commuting by car.

[Laconian]

The fun comes when you're teaching her how to drive.

Step 1. Press the destination on the nav system.
Step 2. There is no step 2.

[HurricaneSteve]

Didn't you have a 350Z as a daily at one point?

If I'm gonna take time away from them it's not gonna be to do something I do all the time.
I have felt like this since I started commuting by car.

[12,000 RPM]

Didn't you have a 350Z as a daily at one point?

Yes, that was my first post NYC commuter, and in many ways the worst.

[r0tor]

Not surprising you have trouble selecting good driver cars as it really is tough topping the automotive peak you once owned... A beat Accord with crappy coilovers

[giant_mtb]

For me, hanging out with my family is way more fun than doing car stuff. And joyrides to nowhere are pointless to me. The street isn't the place for that anyway.

The street is most certainly the place for joyrides. Unless you're breaking the law, of course. 

My joyrides have transitioned mostly to the woods with Taco, but I still enjoy a good drive to nowhere on the road sometimes, too, or obviously a combo of road and trail.

[BimmerM3]

The street is most certainly the place for joyrides. Unless you're breaking the law, of course. 

My joyrides have transitioned mostly to the woods with Taco, but I still enjoy a good drive to nowhere on the road sometimes, too, or obviously a combo of road and trail.

+1

"Joyride" doesn't necessarily mean driving at the limits of your vehicle. I take the Explorer on casual, purposeless drives every now and then. Sometimes it's nice to just get out of the house and cruise around for awhile, especially when I have mountains around me.

But also, if Sporty doesn't enjoy them, who am I to say that he's wrong?

[Laconian]

My ideal: just after sunset, 73 degrees, top down, atmospheric music playing, 60mph in fourth gear on a windy road with no traffic. I just get in da zone, it's such a hypnotic experience.

[12,000 RPM]

YEa I'm not knocking anyone who does the Sunday cruise thing. It's just not for me. Unfortunately I get more relaxed the faster I drive. So on my commute I just put on a podcast and zone out. No car will make it fun and safe so I don't even try to seek it out anymore.

[Laconian]

Public roads aren't great for thrill seeking anymore, it's true. My favorite backroads are infested with bicyclists now, and that really put the kibosh on my good times.

[BimmerM3]

There's one good mountain road near me that's generally not too crowded. Mostly there's just too many people in CO to not run into traffic anymore though.

Cyclists are less of a problem, but they do factor in.

[12,000 RPM]

Big part of why I got into road biking... though the only thrills I get from that are spiking heartrates

I do miss the hell out of commuting by bicycle though. I remember those rides fondly and vividly. That was the perfect mix of time use, exercise, thrills and.... "sightseeing" 

[Onslaught]

Public roads suck for fast driving now. Years ago not so much around here. Now they suck.

But this is where the Miata shines and power hungry, numbers guys don't get it. You can drive a Miata on a mountain or back road without being dangerous to you or others and have just as much fun as being in a "real" car and driving balls to the wall warp speed.

As long as you don't look at the speedometer you'll never know you're only going 45-55 Mph. You'll have the same sound and feelings without the being the lunatic ass hole going 100 in a 45 zone.

I've been in RX-7's, RX-8's, 911's, STI, Mustang GT's, vets, 300/350/370 Z cars and all kinds of stuff. They're not as fun driving on the normal roads as a Miata.

[HurricaneSteve]

I second every word of this. The Miata might be underpowered for some but it's a wonderful "normal" sports car. In the Bay Area, you're not going to go too far above the speed limit before the cops take you down and I don't know about you all but with citations starting at the $300 range I'd rather put that money towards something else.

Public roads suck for fast driving now. Years ago not so much around here. Now they suck.

But this is where the Miata shines and power hungry, numbers guys don't get it. You can drive a Miata on a mountain or back road without being dangerous to you or others and have just as much fun as being in a "real" car and driving balls to the wall warp speed.

As long as you don't look at the speedometer you'll never know you're only going 45-55 Mph. You'll have the same sound and feelings without the being the lunatic ass hole going 100 in a 45 zone.

I've been in RX-7's, RX-8's, 911's, STI, Mustang GT's, vets, 300/350/370 Z cars and all kinds of stuff. They're not as fun driving on the normal roads as a Miata.

[AutobahnSHO]

Public roads suck for fast driving now. Years ago not so much around here. Now they suck.

But this is where the Miata shines and power hungry, numbers guys don't get it. You can drive a Miata on a mountain or back road without being dangerous to you or others and have just as much fun as being in a "real" car and driving balls to the wall warp speed.

As long as you don't look at the speedometer you'll never know you're only going 45-55 Mph. You'll have the same sound and feelings without the being the lunatic ass hole going 100 in a 45 zone.

+2

EDIT:
Plus no matter how hard I drove my NA worst gas mileage I got was 28mpg.

[Laconian]

Yup, Miatas strike such a nice balance. I wish there was more competition in that segment.

I second every word of this. The Miata might be underpowered for some but it's a wonderful "normal" sports car. In the Bay Area, you're not going to go too far above the speed limit before the cops take you down and I don't know about you all but with citations starting at the $300 range I'd rather put that money towards something else.

You live in the Bay Area?

[12,000 RPM]

BaySPIN

[HurricaneSteve]

Had GM kept the Solstice/Sky alive I think that would have been excellent competition. And yes I do!

Yup, Miatas strike such a nice balance. I wish there was more competition in that segment.

You live in the Bay Area?

[giant_mtb]

I wanted a Sky when I was younger. Preferred it, stylistically, so the Solstice. Solstice was a bit curvier and frumpier (though not ugly) whereas the Sky had more aggressive edges and stuff, like the Opel.

I've got a customer whose wife has a yellow Solstice convertible, manual transmission. They don't drive it much but perhaps one of these days I'll plug in that I'd love to detail it.

[MX793]

Had GM kept the Solstice/Sky alive I think that would have been excellent competition. And yes I do!

Maybe if they gave them a proper powertrain (the base engine/5MT combo was poorly matched for that car) and resolved a lot of the basic usefulness features (like an easier to deploy/retract roof and usable trunk space).

[HurricaneSteve]

Was it that bad? Truth be told I have never driven either of the two but C&D had a comparo between the Solstice and the NC MX-5 and while they preferred the Miata, they also said that the Pontiac wasn't too far behind.

Maybe if they gave them a proper powertrain (the base engine/5MT combo was poorly matched for that car) and resolved a lot of the basic usefulness features (like an easier to deploy/retract roof and usable trunk space).

[MX793]

The turbo models were fine.  But the standard models got the transmission from a Colorado pickup (with the exact same gear ratios) paired with the corporate 2.4L.  The ratios were not well matched to the power/torque curve of the 2.4 (because they were selected for the larger, torquier, 2.8L in the Colorado) and there was a huge jump between 2nd and 3rd that resulted in the car falling out of the power band.

Handling was supposed to be great.  Daily usability was abysmal, which seems to be a trend with affordable GM sporty cars (Camaro...).  Trunk was near useless and not easy to access because of the clamshell construction of the body (and with the top down, much of what little trunk space there was got gobbled up).  The top was not nearly as quick or easy to put up or take down as the Miata.

[HurricaneSteve]

WOW I had no idea they just took it from the Colorado parts bin. Makes sense if they were trying to keep costs down though. And I did hear that the top was basically sucked into the trunk so that is a bummer. I would like to think if Pontiac was kept alive as a performance brand it could have been improved upon over time but unfortunately history doesn't tell that story. Thanks for the info!

The turbo models were fine.  But the standard models got the transmission from a Colorado pickup (with the exact same gear ratios) paired with the corporate 2.4L.  The ratios were not well matched to the power/torque curve of the 2.4 (because they were selected for the larger, torquier, 2.8L in the Colorado) and there was a huge jump between 2nd and 3rd that resulted in the car falling out of the power band.

Handling was supposed to be great.  Daily usability was abysmal, which seems to be a trend with affordable GM sporty cars (Camaro...).  Trunk was near useless and not easy to access because of the clamshell construction of the body (and with the top down, much of what little trunk space there was got gobbled up).  The top was not nearly as quick or easy to put up or take down as the Miata.

[Onslaught]

The skystice had some cool things going for them. But they also had a good amount of parts bin going on.

So did the NA too. But I think they did a better job.

[Laconian]

Was it that bad? Truth be told I have never driven either of the two but C&D had a comparo between the Solstice and the NC MX-5 and while they preferred the Miata, they also said that the Pontiac wasn't too far behind.

C&D would often blow smoke up the asses of domestic brands for their current products, but then rip the cars a new one after the new generation debuted. I figure the praise for the Skystice was no different.