Ok, I have been deciding on a fun car to wrench on and to DD (not autocross or tracks).And I have settled on getting a miata. Don't need mpg, or practicality(have a corolla for that).
Now what are so must have options on your miata? Do you guys prefer leather? How important is a lsd for spirited daily driving?
I wouldn't buy one without the Torsen, personally. Leather vs cloth I don't really care, but outside of the various special editions, leather means a tan interior & top, cloth means black.
Not a 6 speed (I have a 6 speed).
mtn wrote: Not a 6 speed (I have a 6 speed).
You don't like it?
The 6 speeds dont shift as well and the gearing is dumb.
Swank Force One wrote: The 6 speeds dont shift as well and the gearing is dumb.
They seem to be the go to for track and turbo guys, no?
Find an NC in a color you like. Write check. Go home.
Alan Cesar wrote: Find an NC in a color you like. Write check. Go home.
Yes, I am ether looking for a cheap NA or go for a PRHT NC. Manual of course, most NC's I find are automatic.
I'd avoid a six speed, too. Torsen swaps aren't impossible. 94s and 99 Sports seem to be well pursued.
ZOO wrote: I'd avoid a six speed, too. Torsen swaps aren't impossible. 94s and 99 Sports seem to be well pursued.
Even on NC's(6 speed)? Is the torsen that critical of a difference?
I once won my class at an autocross specifically because my 90 had a 5-speed, the two M Editions closely competing with me had 6-speeds, and there was a part of the course that was around 60mph - the top of 2nd for me, but the bottom of 3rd for them. So either they lost speed shifting two more times than I did, or they lost speed riding the rev limiter in 2nd while I simply went faster.
As for the LSD, it's definitely nice to have, but the Miata's such a well balanced car I wouldn't consider it strictly necessary for non-racing applications. I'd consider it more necessary for driving on slippery surfaces (snow, dirt, etc.) but you've got the Corolla for that. Still, a diff swap isn't bad. I've done a few, and with two people you can do it in the parking lot the day after Christmas and drive it just as the sun goes down. Just trust me on that.
z31maniac wrote:Swank Force One wrote: The 6 speeds dont shift as well and the gearing is dumb.They seem to be the go to for track and turbo guys, no?
Because theyre significantly stronger.
ZOO wrote: I'd avoid a six speed, too. Torsen swaps aren't impossible. 94s and 99 Sports seem to be well pursued.
Not impossible, heck they aren't even difficult if you have any bit of wrenching ability.
Swank Force One wrote: Because theyre significantly stronger.
Yes, the turbo guys go with 6-speeds -- I did after I stripped all the teeth of 3rd at Laguna on my 5-speed. :)
The 6-speed gearing sucks with the 3.9:1 or 4.1:1, but if you pair it with a 3.636:1 (available as a ring & pinion from Mazdaspeed), then the 6-speed becomes a lot like a 5-speed with a 4.3:1 that has an extra gear up top. The 3.636:1 is $500 just for the gears though, so it's not cheap. The shift feel is not as good as a 5-speed, even with the tranny out of a Mazdaspeed (which is supposed to be the best of the 6-speeds around).
So yeah, stick with a 5-speed unless you plan to go turbo.
(this is all NA/NB -- I've never driven an NC and don't know much about the options on them.)
z31maniac wrote:ZOO wrote: I'd avoid a six speed, too. Torsen swaps aren't impossible. 94s and 99 Sports seem to be well pursued.Not impossible, heck they aren't even difficult if you have any bit of wrenching ability.
Sure, but the Torsen cars don't really cost any more than the open diff ones, so it's worth putting in the effort to buy one that's already got it, IMHO.
There's not any options you have to have other than a stick shift. People without Torsens seem to enjoy the crap out of their cars in STS. Power steering would be nice for a daily driver, but both options are great for their own reasons. 5-speed has gearing that just makes sense; six-speed is slightly stronger if you're going nuts on power. A hard top bolted on is a solid option if you can 1) get it cheap, and 2) don't mind the loss of top-down.
Honestly, you can't go wrong; the biggest trick is what features do you want. I prefer cloth over leather since a black top and interior always look good. I prefer NB over NA because of the styling. I prefer 1.8 over 1.6 L engines for the extra oomph. I like NB1 over NB2 because of the lack of VVT, but most people prefer the seats in the newer NBs (the NB1 seats are considered to be the worst of the Miatas).
The only feature to avoid is the Bose stereo.
The only options you need for your Miata are a selection of accessible, curvy roads to choose between when you take it out. 
For a DD I would look to the NB or NC. The PRHT NC is a nice DD but you lose a lot of trunk space for the top I believe and its helmet clearance is not good plus you can't track it I believe because there are no rollbars that fit it
I didn't realize people had such opinions on miata options. In my part of the country finding a reasonably priced miata without body issues is hard enough.
Now that said, there are some convenience things that I find desirable (though not deal breakers). My first miata had manual windows. I didn't mind it until I got one with power windows. I also like that my '96 has an in-car trunk release (that my '91 doesn't). The 1.8 cars got some extra bracing throughout the car to stiffen them up a bit (behind the seats and a few under the car). I also really like headrest speakers. Finding one with LSD will just be luck, and who really cares on the street with miata levels of power anyhow?
z31maniac wrote:ZOO wrote: I'd avoid a six speed, too. Torsen swaps aren't impossible. 94s and 99 Sports seem to be well pursued.Not impossible, heck they aren't even difficult if you have any bit of wrenching ability.
That was my point. I think my Torsen swap from about six years ago cost me around $1000 total. That included all parts, shipping from the US to Canada, and having it installed due to workspace and time limitations.
I don't know anything about six speed NCs.
Just avoid the "lightened rocker panel" option and you're pretty much guaranteed to enjoy it. 
codrus wrote:Swank Force One wrote: Because theyre significantly stronger.Yes, the turbo guys go with 6-speeds -- I did after I stripped all the teeth of 3rd at Laguna on my 5-speed. :) The 6-speed gearing sucks with the 3.9:1 or 4.1:1, but if you pair it with a 3.636:1 (available as a ring & pinion from Mazdaspeed), then the 6-speed becomes a lot like a 5-speed with a 4.3:1 that has an extra gear up top. The 3.636:1 is $500 just for the gears though, so it's not cheap. The shift feel is not as good as a 5-speed, even with the tranny out of a Mazdaspeed (which is supposed to be the best of the 6-speeds around). So yeah, stick with a 5-speed unless you plan to go turbo. (this is all NA/NB -- I've never driven an NC and don't know much about the options on them.)
If i were rolling an n/a build, i'd consider dealing with the crappier shift feel of the 6spd and use it with a 4.3 or the even higher Kia setup. (If i were getting more revs out of the motor)
But otherwise, the 6spd is pretty much viewed as a necessary evil in my case. I hate my 6spd, but i do have a full rebuild kit here that will hopefully make it feel better. I'm sure some stiffer motor and diff mounts would help as well.
Oh, and could SOMEONE do me a favor and tell me that the aluminum shifter bushing works in the damn 04-05 6spd? I have a MiataRoadster delrin bushing to go in, but i'm hearing horror stories about that particular part, and no vendor will commit to saying that the aluminum bushing works in the late 6spds. They'll say it works in the early ones, but not the late ones.
As for leather vs. not, that's totally personal preference. Only you can decide that. I've had both and like both.
If you're not doing any autox or track, I frankly don't think it makes any difference if you have an open rear or LSD. My current '90 has an open diff, which I just installed. I only drive it on the street and I can't say I notice any difference at all.
You mentioned a cheap NA and a PRHT NC. They are about as opposite as Miata's get, so you need to decide which one you want more. The NA is the true no frills go cart. The NC has a bit more creature comfort and is more civilized, but still tons of fun. I know some like them, but I'd avoid the PRHT like the plague. You lose trunk space, there's more motors/switches/etc...to break, and heaven forbid you get bumped in the rear even at low speed. The manual top on the NC can be dropped in less than 5 seconds, it's so easy even a caveman can do it.
codrus wrote:z31maniac wrote:Sure, but the Torsen cars don't really cost any more than the open diff ones, so it's worth putting in the effort to buy one that's already got it, IMHO.ZOO wrote: I'd avoid a six speed, too. Torsen swaps aren't impossible. 94s and 99 Sports seem to be well pursued.Not impossible, heck they aren't even difficult if you have any bit of wrenching ability.
Would be nice! I ended up with a 1.6 with an open because the 1.8 Torsen cars tend to be 2x the price where I live. For the $2500 difference, I can do a Torsen swap and a 99-00 engine swap.
I have a 95 miata (base model, no abs, no AC, have power steering and leather seats in it)
Here is the way I feel on it
Leather / cloth : CLOTH. Leather is kinda hot and you slide around (but then its personal preferance)
ABS : would be nice to have, not the end of the world.
Torsen : Mine doesn't have it, only times I even notice I don't have it are rain autocrosses and in the snow. (I put on snow tires and drive in the winter)
Powersteering : nice to have, not a big deal
A/C : if its not going to be a racer, you want it. I think I lost a few pounds in sweat when it was over 100 last summer. (which combined with my leather seats....)
Heres my larger advice : go out, drive some, find a good deal and buy. To me the only one that is a major consideration is A/C (and where you live is a factor there) I had no problems without when I lived in the mountains, but where I am now gets hot in the summer.
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