Why does every Tom,Dick, and Harry drive or even want a Miata?

Everytime I see a Miata on the Hwy there's some little old lady driving it 10mph under the speed limit or some kid with a loud exhaust on it.Honestly I never have seen them as any threat other than a really cheap convertible,BUT I was at the last autocross in Deland FL and I had the privilege to ride with a guy that almost took the over all fastest time and it was in a Miata.I was like holly crap these things are like little hidden Samurai warriors.Not only the one was fast but for the rule all with good drivers turn in some great times.What are the pro's and con's of it being a DD/autocross verses strictly autocross?

Welcome to GRM because with a post like this I can only guess that you are new around these parts and new to autocross.
If you were not aware, these Miatas that you mentioned have been sold in the US for nearly 23 years now. Not a new phenomena.

I personally HATED DDing my Miata (01 SE). It was loud on the highway and the weather was never in the right zone for top down cruising. Plus the A/C wasn't great, so even full blast I always got where I was going with a sweaty backside. I know some guys say they DD a Miata without problem but I just don't see how.

I DD a Miata. have not AX'd it in a while, but I can't remember a downside (except for the S-L-O-W factor, easily rectified with a fist-full of Benjamins and a turbosupercharginatorthingy). The car is a bit loud and rough for my 40 mile one-way commute, but I'm still driving it, and I will at least until the engine fails an emissions test. On R-comps, nothing I have ever owned turns as well as the humble Miata.

I DD a Miata in Central and Northern Illinois. With snowtires, it gets through the snow well enough. My AC is busted, but it works well enough to satisfy me when it isn't. A hardtop is a necessity in the winter IMHO, and the same if it is going to see a lot of long trips on the highway. Possibly even in the summer in Florida, I really wouldn't know.

I have the top down in any weather from 45-85. 85-95, I might have the top down and AC on. I'm also young, so my tolerance for harsh ride, heat/cold, loud on highway, etc., is higher than most.

In reply to jrw1621:

New here on the forum,Back were I'm from not alot of Miata's at the autocrosses.I don't think of them as a phenomena,anything cheap,cool,and convertible is owned by the masses.I kinda like them because I see them as an underdog.

Again, welcome.
Yes, they are the fun underdog. I highly recommend trying one (or two.) They can be had in any price range ranging from $1k to $30k.
From Mazda's own press release:

Mazdaspeed said: On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX- 8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the largest road-racing class in the U.S. is the SCCA’s Spec Miata class, with nearly 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America’s race tracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world.

http://www.mazdaraceway.com/sites/main/files/file-attachments/mazdaspeed_motorsports.pdf

mtn wrote: I DD a Miata in Central and Northern Illinois. With snowtires, it gets through the snow well enough. My AC is busted, but it works well enough to satisfy me when it isn't. A hardtop is a necessity in the winter IMHO, and the same if it is going to see a lot of long trips on the highway. Possibly even in the summer in Florida, I really wouldn't know. I have the top down in any weather from 45-85. 85-95, I might have the top down and AC on. I'm also young, so my tolerance for harsh ride, heat/cold, loud on highway, etc., is higher than most.

I don't drive mine in winter, but only cause of the salt. I removed the ac a long time ago, it's lowered, stiffened, had a spec Miata exhaust and swaybars, is on it's second body (due to that salt!). I daily drive it about 100 miles a day. My head usually rings a bit when I get off the freeway portion of my trip, but I love it! And I'm a little older at 32...

Joey

I dd mine. I have no complaints about the noise or the ride. I actually like both. My only complaints about using it as a dd are the AC is not really up to the task of keeping the tiny cabin cooled off, the low gas mileage I get (I average 21-22 mpg) and it requires premium fuel.

I can't speak for the Dicks or the Harrys, but this Tom loves his Miata.

I DD a miata for a few years. My only regret is that I don't anymore. My A/C worked fine for the humid MI summers. In the snow, I did wish for snow tires, but it was such a fun car. I DD it for months before I did my first Auto-X. Good lord how that car just comes into it's own when driven hard.

I've never once autocrossed my Miata. My previous one, I did, once, when the GTV was in the shop.

Drive the car every day, regardless of the weather, 186k miles so far.

Best DD I've had.

Don't care at all who else drives it, or what other people think of it, or me.

I find the AC works beautifully in my car. (2004)

The heat on the other hand... doesn't work at all. Oh well, it's not a winter car, so i really don't care.

I drove mine 3,000 miles home and was never uncomfortable. Although i must admit, i'm not as enamored with the convertible aspect of it as much as i thought i would be. A hardtop and soft-top removal are in my future.

Later AC must be crap because the unit in my 1990 would put frostbite on my knuckles! Must be the new 134A refrigerant.

Miatas just work...for everyone. They are economical fun cruisers regardless of budget, driving style or age. They are also pretty much indestructible, so there are a lot of them around.

I did 13 years of all season DD. With snow tires, they make winter fun.

I've been DD'ing my 96 Miata on Toyo R888s all summer and I wouldn't change a thing.

I DD my '99 all year round. The only thing that it needs to be perfect would be an overdrive unit to drop the RPMs on freeways. I drove it to and from work on secondary roads,25 miles each way because of the freeway drne and it was a nicer route anyway. Snow tires are on all our vehicles and make the Miata a hoot in the snow!

If it were comfortable and quiet, it'd need another 100 horsepower to be fun.

I'm always bemused when comfort enters the Miata discussion. Almost every sports car made today feels like a big GT car compared to a NA/NB Miata. The Miata is what other cars aren't. It's loud, light, harsh and feels about as sharp edged as anything you're allowed to drive on the street. The discomfort is part of the charm and it makes driving a bit more of an adventure.

Didn't really understand it myself untilI drove one. My SE-R has probably at least 70hp more, a generally better ride, and lots of the of "stuff" the Miata is missing. Despite the fact that it started out in the "sport compact" catagory, and has most of the available Nismo performance upgrades, it feel positively numb compaired to the Miata. Now that I've owned the Miata for a month, I'm actually considering selling the SE-R.

You'll just have to drive one -preferably on some fun roads -to see what everyone likes about them. Not for everyone, but for many. Makes you feel part of the car (at least to me). My favorite seats. Ever.

With the Mustang Cobra having been my DD in the past you would never think that I would be happy with a Miata as a DD now.

The motor can leave something to be desired and is rather buzzy on the highway, but its not that bad. A stock powered miata is great fun as only a lower powered car can be. You can wring it out on the street without being arrested. In the Mustang, you can look at the gas pedal wrong and be speeding before you know it. In the miata, you can wring out the gears at will and not end up with tremendous velocity.

The miata is charming because it doesnt isolate you. You can feel what is happening with the car. You can feel the engine through the shifter, the exhaust vibrating on your heel, the wind in your hair, the changes in the pavement.

The suspension is sublime. It turns in so fast that it startles you until you get used to it. You can maintain insane velocities through a turn without loosing grip. The contact patches feed back to you what is happening much more then most other cars I have driven.

So yeah, you put up with very little in the way of storage, I have no AC. The buzzing on the highway can get to you a bit on long trips, but its not that bad. Yes, it can be a bit cramped. I am 6'2" and stoop just a bit (less now with a foamectomy).

The pluses are well worth the tradeoffs. ESPECIALLY when you consider how cheap they can be. You get a car with a VERY capable suspension that you would spend lots on money to get on another car with a lot in the way of tradeoffs. The payoff is that the feedback and general "squirtiness" of the miata makes you grin like an idiot every time you drive it. WORTH IT.

Go-kart for the street? damn near! It can require a slightly different definition of what you expect out of a car. If you expect it to ride in comfort like a luxo-barge you WILL be disappointed.

I DD'd a 99 base for a few years, my daughter now dd's the same car. Thought the AC was adequate, even with the top down it was enough to feel. I don't think mine is loud but it has stock exhaust on it. The heater works well in the winter, even with the ragtop but then again it is a small area to heat. The only issue I had with it was business trips. You do learn to pack creatively but since mine is a base it doesn't have cruise control so long distance driving got tiring. Mine gets close to 30mpg so no complaints there. It now is a bit more tiring on long drives since it now has Bilstien Sport shocks and the "Flying Miata" recommended alignment on it. But man can that car turn.

And stop thanks to CarboTech pads. And yes it is autocrossed as often as my daughter and I can. She's now talking about making it track capable to get her TT license and wants me to get one with her.

I have 2 Mazdas, my current dd is an RX8 to go with the Miata. RX8 is faster but the Miata will out turn it.

Besides the Miata is cheaper to maintain and modify.

I bumped up to spec miata sized tires (205/55-15) and it netted a slightly more relaxed highway pace through the inflated gearing due to the taller rubber.

Now is 3800 rpm at 70mph vs 4000 rpm with the stock sized rubber.

I hate the things on the street and dislike them more and more every time I autocross one.

steverife wrote: I hate the things on the street and dislike them more and more every time I autocross one.

Interesting that you should say that here. To each his own.

steverife wrote: I hate the things on the street and dislike them more and more every time I autocross one.

The better question is why do you keep autocrossing them if you dislike them so much?

sanman wrote:

steverife wrote: I hate the things on the street and dislike them more and more every time I autocross one.

The better question is why do you keep autocrossing them if you dislike them so much?

People will offer to switch rides and I'll forget how I don't really enjoy them. My niche seems to be Hondas...