Replace Mazdaspeed Miata with.....?

FlightService wrote: I loathe GM That being said, I would so own a Sky

I really wanted to be able to justify one a while back, but the ergonomics and interior space are utter crap. i'm 6'3", and i have to wedge my elbow back between the seat and the door to operate the window switches/lock button, and while the double wishbone rear suspension is nice, its intrusion into the trunk space means that a suitcase for a week long trip doesn't fit.

basically, its a great car, so long as you don't want to take it on any trips, or carry anything in the trunk more than a couple days of groceries.

If lightweight is required but with power, I am imagining a 2 seater that is supercharged or turbocharged.

RX8's can make over 300whp supercharged. S2000's do decently as well. The Sky/Solstice are pretty heavy.

He should just buy a turbo hyabusa Caterham and be done with it

In reply to Strizzo:

Oh yeah, I am 6'4" and interior mods are required to be comfortable. They drive fun and are a total toy.

Couple of days worth of groceries? You must not eat much.

I suspect he's used to feeling some low-end torque. The S2000 would prolly be perfect IF it had some low end guts. So add a supercharger kit?

scardeal wrote: Or, if it's legal, Miata with a rotary swap. (2200-2500 lbs, 200+hp)

There's a reason nobody does the rotary Miata swap. It's nearly always not worth it. Plus you'd never get it passed CARB.

I'm saying Corvette, too.

SVTF wrote: I suspect he's used to feeling some low-end torque. The S2000 would prolly be perfect IF it had some low end guts. So add a supercharger kit?

Any CARB legal kits out there?

But yes, i'd say you hit the nail on the head. This car made peak torque at 4200, but pulls pretty damn hard from 2500rpms.

Corvette is probably his best bet. When looking for something in the $20-30k range to replace my RX8, the Corvette was by far the best value. That said, other cars that were considered where the Cayman/Boxster S, Z4M, and Elise. The Solstice and Sky are good cars, but can't really compare to any of the above in terms of "feel."

If he misses the whole forced induction and fiddling with the car, get a supercharged S2k, otherwise go Corvette.

tuna55 wrote: This is a Corvette solution.

That's the first thing that popped into my mind. c5, or for bonus points, c5z.

Racer1ab wrote: If he misses the whole forced induction and fiddling with the car, get a supercharged S2k, otherwise go Corvette.

He doesn't do the fiddling. He just likes a car that handles well and goes fast when he hits the go pedal. He'll say himself that he's not really a "car guy."

Interesting note - we see a definite difference between Mazdaspeed Miata owners and those with aftermarket turbos. This guy under discussion is typical of MSM owners, as he just wants a car that goes without having to build it. It's changing a bit as the cars work through their third and fourth owners, but there's still a distinction.

The Corvette and the Sky are good options for a high-power convertible. Boxster would be good too.

To address the California-legal V8 Miata: the E-Rod is not legal for OBD-II cars. So that means it may be possible in a 1990-95 Miata. The exhaust will definitely not fit as-is, it'll depend on how/if the exhaust can be modified without voiding the EO. Or even if those big cats can be packaged at all. We use cats on our builds, but they're metallic core units that are quite small.

Osterkraut wrote:

scardeal wrote: Or, if it's legal, Miata with a rotary swap. (2200-2500 lbs, 200+hp)

There's a reason nobody does the rotary Miata swap. It's nearly always not worth it. Plus you'd never get it passed CARB. I'm saying Corvette, too.

Really? That's surprising. I heard that a Renesis into an NC was pretty easy overall, and you'd get something like 50HP out of the deal. Is it that much cheaper to turbo/SC it?

Keith wrote: Interesting note - we see a definite difference between Mazdaspeed Miata owners and those with aftermarket turbos. This guy under discussion is typical of MSM owners, as he just wants a car that goes without having to build it. It's changing a bit as the cars work through their third and fourth owners, but there's still a distinction. The Corvette and the Sky are good options for a high-power convertible. Boxster would be good too. To address the California-legal V8 Miata: the E-Rod is not legal for OBD-II cars. So that means it may be possible in a 1990-95 Miata. The exhaust will definitely not fit as-is, it'll depend on how/if the exhaust can be modified without voiding the EO. Or even if those big cats can be packaged at all. We use cats on our builds, but they're metallic core units that are quite small.

Keith nailed it. Pretty much exactly what we're working with. He was happy with the handling, happy with the power, just happy with the car overall. It was perfect for him.

Now, i'm not entirely sure if he realizes just how different this MSM was compared to a stock one, but that's neither here nor there at this point. I'm the third owner, all modifications were done by the first owner, so the guy i bought it from has never driven a stock MSM. I have a feeling he'd be very underwhelmed at this point.

Solution: move somewhere else?

scardeal wrote:

Osterkraut wrote:

scardeal wrote: Or, if it's legal, Miata with a rotary swap. (2200-2500 lbs, 200+hp)

There's a reason nobody does the rotary Miata swap. It's nearly always not worth it. Plus you'd never get it passed CARB. I'm saying Corvette, too.

Really? That's surprising. I heard that a Renesis into an NC was pretty easy overall, and you'd get something like 50HP out of the deal. Is it that much cheaper to turbo/SC it?

The Renesis physically goes into the NC pretty easily, thanks to platform sharing with the RX8. Making it happy with the CAN-BUS electronics? Totally different matter. For most people, it's far easier to install a fully-engineered supercharger that gives them 240 rwhp AND torque.

scardeal wrote: Solution: move somewhere else?

One of the reasons why I can see California during my commute, but don't live there.

Why didn't he spend some time to get the car to pass smog?

docwyte wrote: Why didn't he spend some time to get the car to pass smog?

Convert back to stock ECU, injectors, intercooler, intake, etc etc etc... Lot of work, and he's not a tinkerer.

The car probably would have passed a sniffer test. Maybe.

But not visual. It's got FM's Big Enchilada on it with upgraded turbo.