kcbhiw

Well, now that I've sold my Escort, I'm in the market for a 90-93 (1.6L). Unfortunately, I've been dragging my feet on selling the 'scort and buying a car and now I have only 3 weeks before the season starts . I've check places like Ebay, Miata.net, Autotrader, and the local paper. Does anyone have any leads or suggestions as to where I can find one at a reasonable price. Milage doesn't matter, has to have a MTX, color doesn't matter, LSD would be nice, but I can't get picky. I just missed out on a deal for 2 Miatas for $1500. I'm still kicking myself.

I'll be doing SOLO for a year or two more, then I'd like to test the waters in Spec Miata. If i can't find a reasonably priced Miata soon, I may be forced to go with an Escort GT (91-96) or Protege LX (90-94), but I really want a Miata (I need to see if I fit in one first).

carguycw

You're actually having trouble finding a 1.6L Miata? They're everywhere around here. Guess they didn't sell as many in Georgia as they did in Texas.

Also, two points about buying a 1.6L Miata....
1) If you intend to autocross it in Stock class (sounds like you do), you want a 92. This was the only year that had the factory rear subframe brace AND the lower, stiffer early-model rear springs. Easy way to spot them on used car lots: 1992 was the last year that the Miata had a little "Mazda" sticker on the front bumper rather than a chrome emblem. No emblem + bar between rear control arm mounts = 1992.
2) Do NOT hurry to buy the car. There, I said it. Yeah, I know the season starts in 3 weeks, but you do NOT want to rush into buying a POS and wind up fixing serious problems all season rather than racing. (Also, remember that 90-early 91 Miatas had serious crankshaft problems that can disguise themselves as minor ignition problems to the uninitiated... and 90 was the best-selling 1.6L year.)
3) Regarding note #2... many people who buy Miatas are middle-aged folks trying to relive the sports cars of their youth, but without the oil leaks and electrical failures. Consequently, many of these cars have been used only as good-weather toys. If you start seriously looking, you will be suprised at how many 10-year-old Miatas you will find that have only 20k-40k miles on them. (It is NOTHING like looking at 10-year-old sedans. ) Point being: it may be better to pay $4,500 for a gently-driven, clean car with a good top and 40k miles, than paying $1,800 for a 150k mile hoopty that's been driven into the ground and has a packing-tape rear window. You will probably come out ahead in the long run.

Sorry for the long answer, but I love Miatas and I love talking about them.

kcbhiw

Thanks for the suggestions. I was aware of the short crank issues, but was unaware of the stiffer design in 92. I'd been kind of wanting a 92 or 93 anyways due to crank problems. In GA, Miatas are selling for $5000+ for 1.6s with 100k+ miles! It's crazy. Maybe it's because of the proximity of Road Atlanta, I dunno.

Tomorrow (Sat.) will be the true test of whether I go Miata or not. The local dealership has a 95. I'm going to take a trip there and see if I can fit in the car, helmet and all (I'm 6'2"). I'd really like a Miata, being such a well designed car.

carguycw

I'm 6'-2" and I fit in a Miata. I can't fit with a helmet on and the top up, but this issue is easily resolved by always racing with the top down. Also, I should put disclaimers on the word "fit"- there is enough room for me to *drive* a Miata and I find them plenty comfortable once I get going, but there's not a lot of "spreading out" room for tall folks; there is almost no headroom with the top up, the top of the widnshield is very low compared to most other cars (I had to occasionally lean forward and look up to see traffic lights), and the pedal box is so cramped that I had to wear thin-soled shoes so that my right knee didn't constantly bang up against the bottom of the steering wheel.

Also, believe it or not, I actually find Miatas LESS cramped than an FD RX-7. YMMV.

FWIW.

turboge

I have a 91 Protege if you want. It's got full suspension mods and runs on 14" Falken Azenis right now. No interior, has MX-3 Seats and 5-point Camlock harnesses. Currently N/A with a 2.25" custom exhaust, ACT clutch....etc... has a few mods.

Let me know if you want it =)

kcbhiw

That could be a problem. In SM, a hard top is required. We'll see though...

Thanks for the offer, but I'd prefer to start out stock. However, what kind of suspension did you set up?



Does anyone know of a decent rear wheeler (4cyl, maybe 6), that would be a decent auto-x competitor? I wouldn't mind an MR2, but they're a bit out of my price range. Fierros are a no go also (no explenation required).

alcoholiday

speaking of hoopty miatas.

the last 10 i've looked at here have just been dogs. it's so depressing.

best of luck in the search.

carguycw

The factory hardtops have more headroom than the softtop. Also, SM allows racing seats, and you'll want one anyway because Miatas don't have the best seats for high g-forces. Most racing seats can easily be mounted lower than the stock seats.

Lots I can think of. More specifics about what you want and how much you want to spend would be helpful though...

Here's a few of my faves in the lower price ranges:
1) 1st-gen RX-7: cheap, easy to work on, fun to drive, but hard to find in good shape nowadays and not as competitive as they used to be
2) 2nd-gen RX-7: cheap, fun to drive, but not the most competitive cars and hard to find with good engines
3) 87-91 BMW 325is: practical, very good handling, but expensive to fix and not very fast
4) 85-89 Porsche 944 non-turbo: great handling, decent power, looks nice, but finicky and expensive to fix
5) 86-89 Porsche 944 Turbo: same as above except with MUCH more power, but turbo lag and tall gearing not the best for autox
6) 89-93 Nissan 240SX: same as 944, but cheaper to fix although not quite as fast due to lame KA24 truck engine
7) 89-91 Chevy Camaro B4C Police Package: fast, possibly the best handling stock solid-axle car ever sold in this country (I do not jest), cheap to modify but generally crude, poorly assembled, most have been beaten to hell, and Texas Dept. of Public Safety (our state police) is out of fresh donors

I could go on and on but I should probably stop now.