Miata what? Round 2 GO! Car #2 starts at post #38

[Exodus_2pt0]

So after having an E30 sedan, trading it for a non-running E30 coupe with no rust, swapping a 5.0 into said coupe, then having a baby on the way and needing something more practical, trading 5.0 coupe for a 535I 5 speed, then snapping a rocker on said 535i and selling to fund an Isuzu trooper, then getting sick of spending money on gas and selling said Isuzu trooper and buying a POS engine swapped EF hatch, and getting tired of driving a POS so I purchased a 1996 Miata for $1300 and was forever doomed to write run on sentences......................................

When first purchased:



Except it didn't come with those wheels, it had some stock measurement borbets.

So today I purchased a set of 15x8 0 offset wheels and brand new tires from a friend. Also installed new rotors, pads, and calipers because the FR caliper was sticking.

The car has some rust, but its been an awesome DD with a new top, minty interior , and working A/C.

I have an AEM FI/C lined up with a bunch of other turbo parts for the spring, including an FD rx-7 torsen LSD ready to go in. So I'm making this thread in anticipation.

How do I know I will keep this one? Because the air conditioning kicks ass, that's why.



Gotta roll the LR fender more in the AM, it's rubbing bad on hard right turns.

[fight4life28]

Looks nice, Keep up the work,

[F34R]

How long into Miata ownership does a period start cycling? Do you sync with other Miata owners?

[CurrusDei]

How long into Miata ownership does a period start cycling? Do you sync with other Miata owners?

[george graves]

I lol'ed

[rturbo 930]

Nice choice. I came pretty close to getting a Miata, but couldn't find one that was rust free so I got an E30 instead.

Would look better if those wheels were silver though, I think.

[Jb325is]

I work on these way too much and could never own one, but I do love the look of a NA. Awesome race cars, not great for anything else. Have fun with it though

[Javier h]

wait

jt325is, I always thought the miatas were the most reliable of all the roadsters. Are you saying they have significant issues? I should google this but thought you could chime in. I'd rock one but they are just too small...that and for the price, I'd probably go the Z3 or Z4 route and deal with the well dcoumented issues on those cars first.

[markseven]

jt325is, I always thought the miatas were the most reliable of all the roadsters. Are you saying they have significant issues? I should google this but thought you could chime in. I'd rock one but they are just too small...that and for the price, I'd probably go the Z3 or Z4 route and deal with the well dcoumented issues on those cars first.

He may be referring to the utility; i.e. lack cargo space, lack of torque, lack of visibility when drowning in a sea of SUVs...

Japanese brand built in Japan. Pretty darn reliable, I think

[Jb325is]

Yeah they are reliable, but like Markseven said they are lacking a lot of areas. Too slow, too small, cheap, etc. I work for a shop that builds and races spec miata's, so I have worked on these cars way too much to actually own one. We mostly race NB's and MX-5's though, you can pick up some good used race parts off of old 1.6 race cars because not many people are running them anymore.

[Nats88M3]

That's cute to me miata was the very cheap Porsche for high school chicks... WTF really?

[markseven]

That's cute to me miata was the very cheap Porsche for high school chicks... WTF really?

Not sure if serious, but I wonder if in the 60s people said this about the Lotus Elan...

[iXerces]

Until I starting reading about them I didn't think much of Miatas.

Until I drove one I didn't think I'd really want to own one.

Now that I have one ('91) I must admit that I love it. Yeah, it is underpowered and kinda weird looking, and definitely small by today's standards. But it is as fun to drive as an E30 IMHO. On top of that, even though my iX is in pretty good shape as you all know our Bavarian cars require a fair amount of (preventative) maintenance. Maybe its because the MX-5 has only half the miles and is considerably more simple, but I don't feel like I am constantly dumping money into it like I am the E30. They are also cheap to insure. Plus, using it in the summer keeps the miles off the iX. So now I have the best of both worlds; a 'vert for the summer and a snowmobile for the winter.

Yeah, once in a while I suspect (or know) I am being taunted by other folks on the road for driving a "girly" car. But I just let them have their ignorance while I have my roadster.

Nice car OP. A little rusty for my taste, but for what you paid you got a lot of car. I was looking at similar wheels for mine (Advantis? Konigs?) but ended up going with 15X7 RPF1s.

9/10 would Miata again.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Honestly I have more fun in this car than I did in the 5.0 e30.

It is slow in the straights but damn fast in the corners. I never saw much in them but this is the best $1300 I've ever spent on a car.

Plus, the horsepower will come.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Yea it is a little rusty for me too but the working a/c sold it, seriously.

Once we buy a house and I have some money stashed away I'll probably find a rust free one and make a road trip out of it. But for now, this is a perfect beater DD to keep the miles off the Saab.