Considering the 'Ultimate' Answer (Miata). Learn Me.

Ok, so as discussed earlier, I have been half-heartedly trying to sell my Cherokee. It's a great car. Clean, low-mileage. However, the gas mileage is poor on my 40-mi per day commute during school days, and is not that much 'fun'.

Enter my car search. Short list has been a C4, SRT-4, and recently, a Miata. I do, however, have some concerns:

1) Fitment. I am ~6'4", 260 lbs, 36" waist and 33" inseam with size 12 feet. I was thinking with a 'foamectomy' or possibly racing seats and a smaller wheel I can fit in the cabin. I want a car where eye level is UNDER the top of the windshield. Is this even possible for a person of my size. Likewise, I need to fit under the car with the top up (hard and/or soft), and be able to clear some sort of roll bar.

2) Winder driving. Is an LSD mandatory in the snow? I live outside of Detroit and commute to the city every day for school. With 4 snow tires (Hakks, Blizzaks, maybe something studded?), I should be alright, no? At stock ride height, maybe even a bit taller, and no spoiler, I should be able to get through a decent amount I'd imagine.

3) Possible problem spots specific to Miatas. Are there any? Is it worth buying one with lower mileage. There seem to be plenty of low-mileage 'babied' ones around. I already have read about the short-nosed crank and whatnot, and realize the need for 100k timing belt service.

4) Options. Ideally, I'd like something similar to an R-Model. I have lived without power options since I began driving, and don't care about them now. PS is a 'meh' kind of thing, not sure if it would be better on a DD or now. A/C is something I don't care about.

Anything else I am missing here? I have found some super clean 1.6 cars with <100k miles for ~$6000. One guy has a 93 M, but wants $9500 for it (hah). Is it worth looking at a NB? I don't like the styling as much, but wouldn't rule one out.

Other than DDing, I do take occasional road trips to visit family, and the weekend drive. Would it be comfortable for a 250-300mile stint?

Also, I plan on doing a few Auto-X's and maybe HPDE's or similar. Obviously not much more needs to be said about the car in that respect

I've done 500 mile days in mine with a bucket seat so 200-300 mile stints shouldn't be an issue.

Re (1) keep in mind that most buckets will have you sit higher than the stock seats. There are a couple that have a 'dimple' in the seating area that gets you lower but unless you want to bolt the seat to the floor, this might be an issue.

As to (3), look for rust, especially at the rear end of the sills (I think they're called rocker panels in US English - sorry for using the UK terminology); they're vulnerable especially if the PO hasn't cleaned out the roof drains regularly. Generally they hold up very well if looked after, but they're getting a little old.

I'd try one for size first if I were you, I'm 5'11" and I can just about fit in one with a helmet on so at 6'4" you might have to sit on the floor .

I love them (I've had three NAs so far) and I'm toying with the idea of getting another one if a C4 proves too expensive to insure.

Thanks for the input. I am going to a local HPDE to help out a friend next weekend, and I hope to sit in one.

How safe is bolting a bucket to the floor? Obviously I would use grade 10 hardware and thick backing plates. I was considering something like a fixed-back Sparco Evo, OMP, or similar.

I've never bolted the bucket to the floor directly, my last one had a Border seat on Bride low-profile runners and the previous one had some no-name Japanese bucket on some universal sliders that had been made to fit with copious amounts of redneck engineering.

Buckets in Miatas generally have to be very narrow - I've got a 33" waist and both seats were a snug fit. If I were you I'd try one with a standard seat, too.

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it.

I've got a Sparco seat bolted to some custom rails that put it basically on the floor. I reused the stock seat bolts so I can't see it being any less safe than the stock seat.

come to cleveland and try mine out. seriously if you intnerested gimme a PM.

Mine is even for sale

I've bolted a seat to the floor before and it worked out pretty well. I used the stock front mounts and I had to cut out the two factory seat mounts at the rear, which was a bit of work. You need to drill out a bunch of spot welds and cut the outboard bracket at the rocker panel edge. I once they're out, the stock seats can't go back in without welding. I've done that, too, before I sold the car.

Designing seat rails to make it happen is tricky, as there's not much room to see and measure once the seat is inside.

Putting a seat in these cars is the least fun thing about owning a Miata.

I've seen some BIG dudes fit in a fully CSP-prepped miata. You could probably make it happen if you don't mind losing the stock seats.

As for (3), there are some trouble spots for the Miata but they are all generally cheap fixes (with the exception of the aforementioned sills and crank snout issues). Clutch slave cylinders seem to fail more often than they should. Check the reservoir; if it's extremely gunky looking fluid it may be on its way out. They are picky about plug wires for some reason. Certain interior pieces (gauge hood and radio surround) and exterior pieces (finish panel, between the taillights) are easily broken and cost a lot to replace, although I think you can buy aftermarket repros of all three of them.

At your size, you will have to put up with the snugness and it will get old. I'm 6'2", 225 with a 32 inch inseam and every winter I get fed up with hitting my head on the side of the top frame when I get in, having to duck forward to see stoplights, and generally cursing the noisiness on the highway. Then the first nice day comes, the top goes down, and all is forgiven.

Other than that, they're durable little cars. I've driven mine on a couple of thousand mile road trips, and although the buzziness gets old, it just keeps going. I would reccomend a 1.8 car if you're going to be taking long trips often; the lower gearing is nice and the fuel mileage difference compared to the 1.6 is minimal.

Here's a good place to start: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/mazda-miata/

As for the fitment questions - go sit in some. Drive some. There's no real shortage of used Miatas on the market, and no substitute for plopping your butt in one.

I wouldn't seek out an R model, other than the possibility of getting one cheap because of the lack of PS. Personally, I prefer the PS cars, but you can always depower the rack or swap in a manual rack. The R suspension is not my favorite.

For snow use, I do like LSDs in general. Put four good tires on them and they're lots of fun in the snow. The biggest problem seems to be changing lanes when there's a slush pile in between - those quick reflexes mean that it'll pop sideways in a hurry.

Long trips aren't a big deal with stock seats, race seats may be different. I've done 13-hour days in my Corbeau FX1 Pro seat after replacing the bottom pad with Backsaver foam from Pegasus Racing - before that, I had about a 30 minute endurance limit. That seat is bolted right to the floor, by the way.

I'm 6'3, used to weigh 255 with a 38+ inch waist, 34 inch inseam and size 12 shoes. I can drive stock Miatas OK, but look through the upper third of the windshield and sometimes brush my hair on the inside of the soft top. After a dual fomectomy (bottom and back), removing the spacer under the steering column (moves the wheel slightly up) and depending on the model - removal of the armrest, I find them very comfortable and have driven from Seattle to Houston, LA to Dallas to Houston, Houston to Orlando and many-many trips between Houston-Dallas-Austin. Even with a built-to-the-hilt no expense spared STS suspension and 16" wheels my '91 was still comfortable.

I also have one for sale though. A base model '99 that needs a new soft top with 130k miles for $4000. I bought it from my brother who bought it new. I picked it up in San Francisco and drove it to Dallas then Houston about two years ago and it hasn't been driven much since then.

Go with the C4. I'm barely comfortable in the Miata with the roof up and I'm 5'10", 185lbs.

amg_rx7 wrote: Go with the C4. I'm barely comfortable in the Miata with the roof up and I'm 5'10", 185lbs.

Ehh.

I'm 6'1 and I have to recline the seat and tilt it a lot to fit in with a helmet and the top on.

Miata's are snug too.

C4 has a fiberglass floor with metal crossbraces for seat mounts. A little more involved to engineer a seat change yourself.

I'm a wash between the 2 for interior space however the Neon has lots of room.

You know, trying to choose between a Miata, a Neon and a Corvette is something that only GRM readers would understand.

Keith wrote: You know, trying to choose between a Miata, a Neon and a Corvette is something that only GRM readers would understand.

How about this one: Diesel Mercedes, Miata, or a Martin guitar?

Keith wrote: You know, trying to choose between a Miata, a Neon and a Corvette is something that only GRM readers would understand.

"A Miata, a Neon and a Corvette were driven to a bar..."

I'm about 5'10", 210 # with about a 32" inseam and fit in a Miata. This is with the seat all the way back and I wonder how someone with longer legs do it.

I guess I'm getting old or something, but I would never never recommend a Miata as an only vehicle with a 40 mile commute into Detroit. When I had mine I DD'd it during the summer, but even then I took Hines drive rather than I96 to and from Work (Plymouth to Dearborn at that time). I had other vehicles for the winter, heavy rain etc. The thought of a Miata in rush-hour traffic on Michigan freeways with Semi's, SUV's etc etc all around is enough to make my blood run cold! On nice days fine, on E36 M3ty days and in winter, your nut's, but I am preaching this from the cool side of 40 :)

stan wrote:

Keith wrote: You know, trying to choose between a Miata, a Neon and a Corvette is something that only GRM readers would understand.

"A Miata, a Neon and a Corvette were driven to a bar..." I'm about 5'10", 210 # with about a 32" inseam and fit in a Miata. This is with the seat all the way back and I wonder how someone with longer legs do it.

I'm built to the same dimensions and I sit fairly close to the wheel. Lots of room to slide the seat back. All depends on how you like to position yourself, I guess...

Thanks for the info guys, this is exactly the info I needed. I currently have a C3 that I am in the midst of restoring with my father, we had it since I was young. It is a 79 and therefore has the 'thicker' seats and is not equipped with a tilt column. I recently sat in a 74 w/tilt and fit pretty well. Head bearly brushed the headliner, with a glass top (which I have), it would be fine. By doing the seat re-location in the Miata, I could live with this sort of setup.

But it sounds like what I am looking for, by options, is a 1.8L, with B? package. This would be most likely to have a torsen, no? I don't care too much for AC or PS, they can always be removed later.

The SRT fits well, but I have had a hard time finding a well cared-for example in my price range (~$8000), whereas many clean C4s and Miatas are available for that amount of money or less. Coming from a 99 Neon previous to my Jeep (gave Neon to sister as a 16th birthday present), I am very familiar with the Neon, but that is no deal-breaker. I have friends who own each of the 3 cars I have been looking at, so I am not overly concerned with that.

I normally sit in a 'slouched' position, so I am hoping my head stays low. I have begun searching locally for a clean example, hopefully I can get a test drive soon.

As for DDing the thing. I live south of the city, in the 'downriver' area (15 mins or so, just enough to where it is a 'nice' area), so taking Fort or Jefferson is no big deal. It may take a bit longer, but definitely gives me the piece of mind in poor weather. Hell, I even take these routes in the Jeep when bad weather hits. Michigan drivers are poor at best.

I really wouldn't be too concerned about the PS. I've had a couple of Miatas with PS and I don't think it 'removes' feel from the steering. It's still nicely weighted.

given your budget and that you'll be driving it every day, you might want to look at an NB as well. they're arguably not quite as "pure miata" as the NA, but they are much nicer cars to drive on a daily basis.

i'm 6', 200lbs, 36" waist, 34" inseam. i fit in my NA a lot better once i did the foamectomy and never had the seat all the way back. i'll echo what most have said...it's doable but you might start to tire of it just in time for the weather to turn nice. then all will be wonderful.

The NB might not be as "pure" as the NA, but for some reason everybody tries to stuff as many NB parts as they can under the older cars

The percentage of Miatas with Torsens was very high in 1994 (I think the trick is to look for a power antenna, something like that) and tapered off a bit. You can spend some time perusing the package information in Mazda Miata: Find It, Fix It, Trick It (everyone has a copy, right? ) or check the Miatas in America spotter's guide found on Miata.net.