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I'll just have to live vicariously through you guys.
Has anyone replaced their rear window yet? Any thoughts? I called around to a few upholstery places, and they're talking about $480 to fully replace the window with rain guard, zipper, and liner, or $380 to cut out the window and saw another one back in.
Damn, that's alot of loot. I'm broke. I'm thinking of cutting the window out and doing a "home" job ... ie: cut out my own plastic and glue it on with rubber or fabric glue.
Can this be done? Does anyone have any cost effective ideas???
Thanx...
Eddie
Interestingly, shifty's point about too much power upsetting the balance of the car is exactly what the development engineer for the MR2 said, when asked why they didn't offer the 180-hp 2ZZ engine from the GT-S right out of the box. People laughed -- who knew?!! =O)
Well, I've cracked a few in my day.....I think the price you were quoted is kinda high...I shopped around and got a very decent replacement job on my Alfa for $250...I think this is about the bottom line price....and I'm SURE the Alfa top is no easier to remove than the Miata.
think of it as a good safety investment....a new back window is great...I'm really enjoying it.
The price of $480 to replace the window was quoted to me by an auto upholerster. He said it included the plastic window ($150), zipper and rain rail ($???), and 4-5 hours labor. This is nuts.
He said that if I wanted a glass window, the entire top would need to be changed. Is this true???
I'm afraid to take it to a Mazda dealer. I can just imagine how much they're gonna charge me.
Are there any do-it-yourselfers out there that have any ideas?
Thanx...
Eddie
http://www.autotops.com/miata.html
Seems like they have all the options. Of course those prices do not include installation. I have no idea how hard it is to install a new top.
ace
I think many people do like more power, and may have held off on an '00 model to get an '01, because of that.
I also think that you're not going to ruin a Miata by adding some additional power. Although I've never driven one, I'd think the AC Cobra 429, was a bit too much power for a little sports car - but Triumphs have had 6 and even 8 cylinder power. I say Mazda should let the market decide.
All though an optional turbo for those who want to spend the extra cash on hp may not be a bad idea...
1992, Limited Edition, black, tan leather, power everything, ABS, BBS wheels, new Dunlops, all records, and babied, people often claim their car is in outstanding condition, this one truly is, absolutely flawless in and out. 44k miles, $8000. Sad thing is, it is my wifes car...thanks everybody for the info wouldn't have been possible without help from Edmunds townhall.
I can let them buy the car back or
they will give me free scheduled maintenance for 3 years and $500.
My problem is that I think this whole issue will cause a drop in the resale value of the 2001 Miata cars and that the maintenance and $500 is not nearly enough to compensate for that.
I feel that after they sort this out in about 6 weeks, they will either offer rebates or finance incentives to attract buyers and/or in 2002 will redesign the engine so that it makes the 155hp promised or possibly more. Either way I think the resale value is going to suffer and their offer is not enough to compensate for that.
If there are 2001 owners out there, let me know what you think. If we all E-mail or write Mazda with our concerns they might rethink the terms. I think they are about $1,000 short of proper compensation.
44K for a 92 Limited Edition is outstanding. Hold it, you mentioned it's your wife's car ... that means it's an automatic transmission.
I definitely agree, this forum board is perhaps the most informative source of info I've ever come across (outside of the Dallas Cowboys forum where they post ever single scrub the team is looking into... ha, ha).
Thanx all for the Rear Window replacement info. It's gotta get done, but there's no rush. Hell, I may see what some rubber glue and stitches can do ... ha, ha.
Eddie
place <> in place of () in the following command
(src img="paste web photo address here")
scott155 - I'm not sure your concern about resale value is valid. I don't believe the 2001 models were selling at a significant premium over what 2000 models sold for at the same point in the models year, so I see no reason that they would not hold their value as well as earlier models.
There's something beautiful and honest about the virgin Miatas. Leave it as is. It's a pure and simple car ... meant for the pleasure of driving.
Those mods not only make it ugly, but sorta wanna-be-ish (IMHO). It's like taking a pretty girl and throwing a ton of make-up on her ... looks almost whorish.
Sorry, this is just my opinion. Feel free to ignore it. I'm a dufus anyway ... no insult intended to your thoughts of modification.
But a virgin Miata is so beautiful. No need to change a thing...
Eddie
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=572172984&r=0&t=0
I was told by a dealer that the two incentives above were mutually exclusive. It didn't appear so on the Edmunds site, so, I called Mazda of North America and someone there agreed that they were NOT mutually exclusive. I then called the buying service I was using and they called Mazda of North America and were told by someone higher up in authority that the two incentives WERE mutually exclusive. I believe they are. I wonder whether I should buy the car this weekend and take the first incentive or take a chance that Mazda will offer a better incentive for April? I'll probably take the bird in hand.
Finally, how could one talk a dealer into selling for the TMV price, which is BELOW invoice by more than the 2% kickback that the dealer gets from Mazda? Edmunds says that "The Edmunds.com's TMV base vehicle price does not take into account the following items:
Any Manufacturer-to-Consumer Incentives or Rebates - these are different from manufacturer-to-dealer incentives and don't impact the actual transaction price; the consumer generally has the choice to apply these funds against the sales price as a down payment, or to accept a check for the amount of the rebate or incentive." So, is the reduced financing and $500 taken into account or not?
WHY...WHY....it looks EXACTLY like a Miata with some fake Z3 parts glued on it! I had to actually move within 1/4 of a mile of the car to realize it was a fake!
MODS---I don't see the point beyond tire, wheel brake and suspension upgrades......you spend all this money on an SC, a big sucker intake and some fancy pipes, and you end up with a faster, noisier, higher maintenance, less reliable car with no resale value. I'd think this over if I were you. And I think 30HP is very optimistic for the mods you mentioned, but show us the dyno slips and we are believers!
what shop is claiming this crap? please name names, because they will be the laughing stock of the miata world!!!!!
a jackson sc @250hp????? maybe 170, at the rear wheels, with the water injector, maybe!!!
this is the kind of crap that makes me want to puke, literally!
if this kind of power were easily available, wouldn't mazda be employing it in order to avoid the emabrassment and cost of the current hp shortfall of the 2000/2001 models.
please... offer the name of the shop who made these claims, because they are REDICULOUS!!!
i have never, ever heard of such inflated, no make that criminal, claims of power boosting.
god, i hate crap like this!!!! enjoy your new miata, but please be wary of ludicrous claims.
ace
ace
I say: do whatever the heck (gee, I haven't used that word since Edmunds forced me to!) you want with it and ENJOY it!!! That's what it's all about. If these resto-freaks want to lay a guilt trip on you, just tell em you'll meet em at the nearest track or mountain road and show em why you did it.
Nuff said.
Shifty - I don't think 30 hp from a filter and exhaust is optimistic. It's absurd. I would be amazed if someone could demonstrate 10 hp from those two items on a normally aspirated car.
(Your peception and insight never cease to impress me.) =O)
i don't know, i guess i'm just super-sensitive about b.s. claims in the area of aftermarket items. this stuff is pretty easy to prove or disprove. miata magazine has reviewed pretty much all the stuff out there and there are toms of dyno links on miata.net. check them out and see what the real story is.
ace
Not sure what you mean by that. Is a turbo the only "real" forced induction system to you?
And it's true -- mods almost NEVER enhance the value of a car (except for custom wheels -- I've been able to recover some of the cost on resale). But cars depreciate like crazy anyway, and if you like the car more, you're likely to keep it longer -- thereby ammortizing more of your original investment.
Besides, it's all about driving enjoyment, isn't it -- and it's better for you than chemicals or weird personal habits.
Is there a need for the protection of a "real" rollbar?
Eddie
in terms of ultimate, no holds barred power, yes, a turbo is the only "real" choice. no, i do not have a turbo, nor do i have an sc. if one were to be in the market for 250hp, as mentioned, the only choice would be a fm3, maybe with some custom work done. there are probably others. there isn't a jr sc product or group of products that can reach that absurd level. but don't get me wrong... a blower is a great source for easy, usuable power, with absolute limits and, as with any system, definite drawbacks.
re: upsided wheels. yes, there are manufacturers who make high-quality relatively-light wheels for the miata in 16" and 17". this has been discussed here before. i have 17"ers which weigh about 19lbs, compared to some which can be up to 28lbs. with my 40 aspect tires, the combo is very close to 15" stock combo. downside... without a blower or turbo, there is almost too much stick.
re: rollbars. this is my hot button. rollbars are for protection, style bars are for.... god only knows. there are at least three mfg's of true rollbars, but they are not equal. one is surface mounted to the rear deck and one doesn't extend past the outside shoulders of the occupants. this leaves harddog as a good choice. there are tons of configurations, and it connects to the vehicle in six places. to the frame behind the seats, to the top of the seat belt posts and to the frame rails beneath the rear deck. it is there for your protection in the unlikely event that you flip the damn car. i think that it looks pretty good too.
anyway, ask some more questions, please, so i can get out my soapbax again.
ace
They all have their unique advantages -- superchargers are simpler and often have less "lag", turbochargers are more tuneable and efficient, and nitrous is so silly cheap in terms of what you get for your buck that it's the only viable choice for some people. It's also handy for adding power at low rpm for turboed or blown systems.
I seriously considered all three before settling on turbocharging -- and it was due more to the support I got from Toysport for the project than anything else. If TRD had a supercharger for my car, I would have installed it in a heartbeat. And if I decide to keep my daughter's Paseo, I'll most likely be taking it over to ELP to have them supercharge it -- they say they can get 250 hp out of it, easy. We'll see....