Dumb Miata question...

Are the NA/NB cars the same save minor updates (sort of like 240/260/280Zs)?

I like the "normal" headlights the NBs have, but I hate the trunk (looks like somebody gave it a fat lip). If I get a later Miata, I'd like to swap out that deck lid for an earlier one.

Next dumb question, for the NAs, is there much of a benefit to getting a car that needs a little work vs. a more "sorted" car? CL shows a range between $2500 and $4500 depending on "condition". For the NBs the prices seem to be pretty consistently in the $6-8K range.

I'm in the beginning stages of thinking about getting rid of the e30, and I'm playing with death (i.e. my wife would kill me) by wanting to swap one old DD for another, but I've always wanted a "roadster", and the e30 isn't appealing enough to keep the mind from wandering....

Not sure if you can swap out an NB trunk lid for an NA one, IIRC they're different.

I'd buy the best one you can afford, mine is supposedly in decent shape but the deeper I dig the more I find, and not necessarily in a good way. Miata parts are generally fairly cheap, but some people have odd ideas how much their used parts are actually worth.

They're remarkably similar under the skin. Mazda was pretty skint in the mid-90's, so there was no money for a full-on redesign. I can't comment on the Datsun similarity, not knowing enough about Datsuns.

I have no idea if the trunks will interchange. I suspect the hard points are in the same place, but the NA trunk is flatter along the sides and less contoured.

"Best you can afford" is always a good rule. Look at how much it will cost to bring a "needs work" car up to the "does not need work" level and use that as your guide. Depends on what you want to do or what you consider to be minimum levels of good, really.

I'd spend the extra and get a well sorted example. I bought mine for $2300 and felt like I was stealing it. In some ways, I was. Its a 94 M with 80K on the clock and a very nice interior. BUT to get it to where I want it to be, I've needed to put in a new top ($500ish), had the rockers repaired ($1000ish) and still need a repaint to get the car where I want it to be. With other little bits and pieces here and there, I'm going to end up with a very nice Miata . . . for the price of a very nice Miata. You pretty much either spend the money up front or spend it later unless you get that one-in-a-million deal OR you are comfortable driving it in somewhat rough shape. The nice part about going the route I did is the initial spousal sticker shock is less. The down side is the continued "You spent how much?" as you work through the various projects. If you can do it, I'd just spend the money up front and be done with it.

What I would get depends on what I would get from the e30. I had one guy offer me $5K for it, and I suspect somewhere between $4-5K for the car might be in the ball park.

Any car of that vintage will need work, better being a relative term really. I like a tight suspension, so bushings would probably be on the list, dampers if needed, maybe ball joints/tie rods, things like that.

What are the "big ticket" items that would make buying a little more "seasoned" car not worth the effort, where all of the sudden that $1000 or $1500 I "saved" compared to the fresher version evaporates quickly?

I.e. do calipers bind, and rebuild/remans are required, gearboxes grenade at xxx,xxx miles, heads crack or headgaskets blow at xxx,xxx, or seals fail at such a mileage, etc....

I'm not worried about pristine interiors (though nice) or shiny paint so much as pretty mechanically stout.

Or is that still too vague?

kazoospec wrote: I'd spend the extra and get a well sorted example. I bought mine for $2300 and felt like I was stealing it. In some ways, I was. Its a 94 M with 80K on the clock and a very nice interior. BUT to get it to where I want it to be, I've needed to put in a new top ($500ish), had the rockers repaired ($1000ish) and still need a repaint to get the car where I want it to be. With other little bits and pieces here and there, I'm going to end up with a very nice Miata . . . for the price of a very nice Miata. You pretty much either spend the money up front or spend it later unless you get that one-in-a-million deal OR you are comfortable driving it in somewhat rough shape. The nice part about going the route I did is the initial spousal sticker shock is less. The down side is the continued "You spent how much?" as you work through the various projects. If you can do it, I'd just spend the money up front and be done with it.

When you say "rockers" repaired, as in bodywork? If bodywork and it was rust, not usually an issue in AZ.

The top will always be an issue, I guess find one with the best top I can...

I kind of look at it as nickle dime maintenance I usually do to any old car I'm going to daily drive, and if that stuff adds up to the "nicer" car I prefer that since I know it was done.

It's any "gotcha's" that I want to avoid.

For me I look for a decent body and paint since that's the most expensive part to fix (I don't do body work). A top can be had for as little as $250 and a days worth of work. Everything else is pretty easy and cheap. Energy bushings are about $170, decent shocks can be had in the $3-500 range, transmissions are not a problem with stock ish cars. I'd at least buy a 94 or later one for the larger engine, and bigger diff with the available torsen. Earlier cars can be upgraded, but people want too much for the whole swap kit. If you want a hardtop, it's probably cheaper to buy a car with one rather than buying one after.

Agreed, a 1.8 is a better value for the money. They're not much different in price from the 1.6s (if at all), but you get a stronger rear end and 10% more engine. And yes, hardtops are worth a grand on their own so definitely get one with the car if you can.

The engines and transmissions are pretty tough and reliable. They don't tend to suffer major problems like head gasket failures unless given an exceptionally good reason. Shocks, bushings and the interior are the major wear points - leather seats are usually pretty rough and even the cloth ones can be if the owner drags themselves across the bolster. Assume that any NA/NB Miata will need shocks unless they're already replaced, and most of them are getting to the point where bushings help.

I have to admit that my daily driver Miata has rusty sills But it's great mechanically and looks good as long as you don't look under the driver's door...

Oldgray, Yeah, "rockers" = bodywork. Unlike most rust issues the "rocker"/rear quarter issue with Miata can pop up in areas of the country where rust isn't usually an issue. The problem is that the top drains get plugged and trap water and other crud inside the panels right behind the doors when it rains. I've seen pics of rust outs in the southern states where its not normally an issue. They rust from the inside out, so if you see anything on the outside, assume its much worse on the inside of the panel. Other than that, its mostly normal maintenance issues. That's why we like these stupid things so much and why so many of the ones you look at will have 150K or more on the clock. Happy hunting!

On mine - which had 125k on it when I bought it - the major expenses so far were:

• Replacement shocks. 'cos I'm cheap I'm trying to get away with using a low mlleage set of MSM shocks and springs for the time being, but sooner or later it looks like I'll need to fit something a little fresher. The original shocks on the car is so worn that bad roads make you think you've got a kangaroo in the back.
• Needed servicing everything, even though the PO did a fairly reasonable job maintaining it
• Chances are it'll need a new clutch soon
• the leather interior is still in good shape apart from two little rips in the vinyl. I'll probably get that repaired by a local upholstery shop.
• Of course I had to buy a hardtop, but I got one cheapish that needs paint and had a few parts from the rear mounting points missing so I got a good deal.
• Needed a clutch slave, too, but they all do that.

Overall it's in mechanically OK condition and a car that has had only a few owners (I'm either the third or fourth owner). However the transmission is rather notchy - I still have to rebuild the shifter itself, but if that doesn't fix the problem I might have to look for a good used or rebuilt transmission sooner or later.

With hindsight I probably should have bought a lowish mileage NB for more money instead as that would most likely have been a lot less work. OTOH I like NAs.

try useing redline or neo gear oil in the trans to help with the notchiness. and my opinion avoid mobil1 in the trans seems to wear the syncros fast.

It's already got Redline MTL in the gearbox, before I changed the oil I could barely get it into second when the box was cold...

I'm still wondering why the oil I drained out of the gearbox was olive green, but I'm not sure I want to find out.

My mechanic opinion on buying cars is go for the best body and interior you can get because those are the things that will either cost the most to fix, or might not be extravagantly expensive but you'll just 'never get around to it' and thus 'never actually have a nice car'.

I bought my 99 NB 6 years ago for $6800 and it had 64K on it. I feel like I stole it ! I've had to repair the rockers for rusting out, but it get's driven every winter. I'll be looking for an other one in a couple of years and I intend to follow "the best you can afford" mantra. I belong to a club and several members don't even let their cars get rained on, so I just need for the right one to come up for sale.

hmmmm ok still notchy with mtl and i have no answer. syncros getting worn. .... ive had good luck with (ok laugh) mixing 5050 stp oiltreatment with atf with the mazda gseries fwd box to stop the 2nd gear grind might be worth a shot.