Why are MazdaSpeed Miata's so cheap? (relatively)

Swank Force One wrote: Flat door panels?

I'm assuming he means race-style door cards made of a flat sheet of plastic, to reduce weight and give more interior room.

GameboyRMH wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: Flat door panels?

I'm assuming he means race-style door cards made of a flat sheet of plastic, to reduce weight and give more interior room.

Yes, i know what they are, i've made a set of two, and was planning on making them for my 2000, but if they're available reasonably priced for an NB already (more of a pain than NA), then i'd consider just buying because i like taking advantage of Miata aftermarket.

Swank Force One wrote: I don't think i'd change cars for 200lbs, 25whp, and more complexity. But that's just me.

Not even for a $15-16k difference?

z31maniac wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: I don't think i'd change cars for 200lbs, 25whp, and more complexity. But that's just me.

Not even for a $15-16k difference?

Either you've found the world's cheapest MSM or the BRZ is worth far more than i thought it was.

A 200whp MSM will not be $15k less than a BRZ, and an MSM that you'll be able to stand to drive will definitely not be $15k less.

Give me a ring this weekend, we need to talk.

Well, the ones I'm looking at are a little more high end than the flat carbon fiber ones from the NA. I had those flat carbon ones in my NA. These are the Nakamae ones for the NB that run about $650 but they give a much cleaner finished product.

I had a 2004 MSM that my wife and I loved but it just didn't have the leg room for much more than short trips. It was basically a little enchilada with MagnaFlow exhaust and a 5 speed.

Swank Force One wrote:

z31maniac wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: I don't think i'd change cars for 200lbs, 25whp, and more complexity. But that's just me.

Not even for a $15-16k difference?

Either you've found the world's cheapest MSM or the BRZ is worth far more than i thought it was. A 200whp MSM will not be $15k less than a BRZ, and an MSM that you'll be able to stand to drive will definitely not be $15k less. Give me a ring this weekend, we need to talk.

'15 BRZ Limited with a few options = ~$29,000 and I'll admit I ate a few grand on the NC Miata because it desperately needed a top, think a light sprinkle meant the passenger needed a change of clothes (locally $2k for quality top and install) and the BOSE headunit wouldn't play CDs, and would only do the radio for a few minutes before (I'm assuming overheating) and breaking up. A convertible top is one of the jobs I did not want to try over a weekend for my daily driver.

Nice MSM = $12k

I'm not a math expert but............

However, like you said, I'd bet a well sorted NB2 would still be WELL ahead of the dying 1.6 I had in my NA even though it had XIDAs/Wilwoods all the way around.

Add $2k for the Little Enchilada, then another g-bar or two for the ECU upgrade you'll still need for you to not hate the car. Because without that money, you're talking about a 2500lb 155whp car that drives like a bag of ass and gets romped on by my bolt ons NB1.

Then suspension, etc.

Can you actually sell your BRZ for $29k?

$12k gets you a nice NB1/NB2 with a full 949 BGK and wheels and tires of your choice again. It'll be just like the NA6 you had, but better in every way.

E36 M3 no, taking it back to stock I'd be lucky to get $24k I think.

A super nice NB2 with all the goods is very tempting. It's why when I drove up to SafeRacer today to buy a helmet, I went ahead and bought a closed face just in case I go back to a Miata.

That CL Miata post looks good to me. I think the general consensus on the MSM is too short gearing.

Nice MSM's are 10K here. In fact I'm looking at a black mica with 60K miles on it this weekend listed at $10500. I'll be all into it $13K to get it right if I get it.

5 speed transmission swap and selling the 6 speed fixes the gearing pays for the intake with the change. Down pipe ($360), Intercooler ($595), Tune ($795), Forge bypass valve ($145) and those door panels ($650) will put me right at 13K with taxes and shipping. Not a horrible deal for a 185 HP to the wheels car.

Oh and the problem wasn't so much the gearing as it was the 6500 redline that the factory straddled it with. Take it up to 7100 like it should be and it makes a big difference.

Keith, everyone, else. Is there any physical reason for the lower rev limit? I thought it was essentially the same as an NB1 engine minus slight more aggressive intake cam which surely wouldn't tax the springs that much, right?

Mazda was very conservative with the car. It's got oversize halfshafts with larger splines and beefier CVs - but Miatas don't break halfshafts, especially not with the stock 150 rwhp of a MSM. So I'm assuming that's what's up with the 6500 redline. We bump it to 7300 or so when we install a Hydra, and there have been no reports of problems yet.

I think the super low redline was a pre-emptive strike against potential warranty claims. It is silly low, I really need to do something about that.

Interestingly, the stock intake is so restrictive there's basically no factory boost control above about 5000 rpm. Mazda knew that owners would immediately put on boost controllers and try to turn it up, so they worked around that little problem.