Who also owns a Miata?
 

Who out there also owns a Miata (or has owned one), and how do you like owning it?

The sports car bug has bit me, and that itch has got to be scratched come hell or high water. Months ago, I wanted a Miata. Then, I desperately wanted a Corvette (reverting back to my childhood dreams). Now, I am longing for a Miata once again.

Maybe I am just teasing myself, but I thought about calling up a couple of dealers to find out what they would let a new 2005 or leftover 2004 Miata LS or Mazdaspeed Miata go for. Sure, the turbo car is the most fun. But, even the NA car is a blast with its tight chassis. Having driven a Miata before, I would conclude that this is just about the most back-to-basics, elemental sports car on sale in the US today. Well, at least that's the case for those of us who have asses too wide and wallets too thin for the Elise. That would include yours truly.

Probably, the most realistic way of getting my sports car would be to keep the P5, and pay cash for a first gen Miata with some miles on it. The other (painful) option would be to ditch the P5 for a new one. Regardless, it looks like either option will be possible once we get through our wedding expenses this summer.

Now there's an idea, one I'd consider doing someday myself. Buy a 1st gen. Doesn't Karen have a 1st gen? You should talk to her...

w3rd.

I have a 1994 Laguna Blue "B" package...aka "my baby" :)

http://www.redsharklounge.com/baby_racer.jpg

Beautiful....
Can you tell me a little bit about the mods you've done to it? Looks like a nicely prepped autocross car from the photos... lowered, rollover bar, aftermarket wheels that are wrapped in somethin' sticky, and I assume a gutted interior to keep the wieght down?

The other thing is, if I ever do get my sports car, I am going to need to find a good forum. I hope Miata people aren't like Corvette people. Corvette people are kind of strange... many of them fret if anything isn't dead stock, and even people with the most clapped-out smog control-bitten POS know exactly how many of their car was made "with the 3-speed automatic AND the factory 8-track player". It's weirdo. I suspect none of this from the Miata folks, except there probably is a "Tweed capper" or two among them.

Mia's Mods:

Tokico Illumina Shocks w/matching Springs
Racing Beat Front & Rear Sway Bars
Racing Beat Front Sway Bar Brace
Hard Dog Double Diagonal Roll Bar
Moss Motors shift knob blue/chrome
Strut tower brace
15" Konig Heliums (bronze)
Toyo Proxes T1-S 195/50/15
Mazdaspeed Racing Clutch
Cobalt Friction GT Sport Brake Pads
K&N Drop-In Filter
Flex-A-Lite Import Cooling Fan (blue)

So basically all of the mods are to keep it firmly planted when going around corners! No engine stuff yet because we can't make up our minds (SC vs. turbo). The car is not gutted because it's a daily driver as well. I weighed her at the track and she's 2275 lbs :)

....I called up the local Mazda dealer today for some details on Miata pricing. This is what I found out:
1) Mazdaspeed Miata, could sell for 25,439 + tax, minus 750 discount
2) Miata w/ cloth interior and MT, a few options, 22109 plus tax, minus 750 discount
Either of the above could likely be tweaked a bit more, as both were initial prices.

Also of note, I made some calls today to find out when the Pontiac Soltice would be available. Those among you that hate GM can stop reading at this point. But for everyone else, here is a small, RWD roadster with a "birdcage" space frame not all that different from a Corvette and a 170hp Ecotec engine under the hood. The magazines that have driven early mules agree, this is one kickass little roadster. Probably worth a few product recalls in the first year. They will begin arriving in Michigan dealerships in October, and are expected to sell right at MSRP (despite the waiting list). A thousand bucks will get your name on the list, and hold one for you.

my father has a 2nd generation miata, 2002. bare bones... might upload a pic when i can (tomorrow). h eloves the thing to death, he has

(not really mods, but stylezzz yo)
Chrome Style Bar
Mazdaspeed Miata 17# racing hart (i believe) rims
Toyo tires
underbody braces


nothing much, but i do know that the mazda guy up the street already has a coilover kit up for him.

I seriously doubt I would ever buy a MS Miata, when I can slap a turbo on an older model (like the one I already have) and make so much more power out of it!

...there are good reasons to pay a bit extra for the MS Miata if you are in the market for a new car. For one, they sticker for slightly less than a grand over a loaded LS with leather interior and 6MT. That grand will buy you the full turbo setup (with an appriate OEM developed calibration), Racing Hart wheels and nice tires, a slightly lowered stance, and all the detail Mazdaspeed goodies that act as eye candy (mirror cover, badging, floor mats, shift knob, etc). Plus, it's an opportunity to own a rare model of this popular car that rightly deserves to be called the best Miata to date. In the same vien that any stock 60's Mustang can be made to go faster for less than buying a GT500, there are still legitimate reasons to want to own something as special as the Shelby car. Perhaps one day, people will think the same about the mazdaspeed cars.

I'm not in the market for anything...except maybe a truck...and a boat. Hmmm....