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Comments
Good luck
Chuck
Mine stays down, 'cause I'm lucky enough to go from car port at home to garage at work. I'm even considering closing the car port in so I never have to put the top up.
Peter - check your state laws. I found out that in MD, kids have to be 13 years old to ride in front in a 2 seater. I was a bit shocked, but a friend checked (Boxster owner) and that's what she told me. I was bummed 'cause I have a 2 year old and had specifically bought a '93 because it had no passenger air bag.
Hard tops are not hard to find. You may need luck to match colors, but they are always available.
The '93 has the 1.6l engine, 116hp, 25/30 mpg, one air bag, but it is lighter. The '96 had the 1.8l engine, 128hp (IIRC), 22/27mpg, and dual bags. The interior is a little different, and there is more chassis bracing and bigger brakes.
-juice
ray
It must be an overreaction to all the hype about kids and airbags. I guess they forgot that not all cars have passenger air bags. I too had narrowed myself down to pre-93 for this reason.
When I read your post I went "Ding-Ding" on the not-all-cars-have-dual-air-bags thought.
Ray: try a water blade to dry the car after cleaning to prevent water marks.
-juice
any suggestions for a $6000 miata "beater" (year, mileage) would be much appreciated! thanks all! Also, what mechanical problems are most associated with the 93/94 model years so i can look out for those as well?
My advice is don't focus just on 93/94. Any year from 90-97 is good. 90-early 91 had a nose crank issue, not a showstopper. I found a bunch of good Miatas back in March, I was focused from about 7-$10k. The Miata is strange beast high mileage is not necessarily a killer. Try autorader.com and the AJC website. You can find several good ones to look at every weekend. MazdOnly does prepurchase inspections for $60.
I agree that Miatas with high mileage should not be a deterrant. We were living in Atlanta in '99 when we bought a used '94 with high mileage for $5000.
This was excellent money spent, as since then, it has seen tons more miles and is still going strong. We are hoping it will last to the 200,000 mile mark, and at 138,000 miles now, it looks like it will.
Good luck. You will enjoy having the stick with the Miata.
Beth
The 90-93s have the 1.6l engine, and the 94 and later got a 1.8l. You may want to drive both to see if you have a preference before buying. The bigger engine has more torque, but the early models were a little lighter.
Good luck.
-juice
Sorry for whining, but the people in this forum are probably the only ones who can understand!
FWIW, I have leather and would prefer cloth on such a sporting vehicle. Mine's not heated so it's cold in winter, sticky and hot in summer. Gimme cloth any day, which is also more grippy.
-juice
I'll tell my wife I'm over it, and then sneak over to dealerships to check out new and used Miatas. Now that these used M2 prices are coming down to the low teens, I too have been getting the urge to sink further into debt.
I wish I never owned one. It's better to not know what you are missing when it's not in the family budget.
We need a freak July snow storm, quickly!
I've never heard of the sports car trader, if we have one I haven't noticed it.
I've also got the same problem of torturing myself with these magazines :-)
ateixeira- I would actually pass up the leather as well for the same reasons if I could but I want the other options offered in the package. Eventually I plan to add the blistien shocks of the sport package.
Also, I am interested in help anyone could give me regarding dash kits. Where is the best place to order from and actually see the kits before ordering.
Happy driving!
The Miatas leather seems pretty rugged anywa, And I'm sure it can take a rainfall accident. Its the higher quality material that wears out quickly.
http://communities.msn.com/BuckDesign/9097diamondforwardprofilenew.msnw
Dash kits, read good things about the products from this company.
http://www.wooddashfactory.com/pages/orders/orders2.cfm?make=21
thanks for the input!
nice thing about miatas, like the other imports, after the warranty goes, one can bolt-on an array of aftermarket toys to bump-up the horsepower without hurting the reliability.
good luck. :-)
I just wish it were heated for winter. In summer, it can get a bit sticky, too, so perforated, too.
-juice
But I just realized something ... what happens if I get a flat tire? There's NO space left in the trunk ... barely enough for a duffle bag.
Have any of you guys had to deal with this? If I get a flat tire and have to put on the spare, where do I store the full sized tire? This can be trouble if I'm taking a long trip.
The Miata is a great car, but sometimes the impracticality of it hits me hard.
Eddie
PS: for all you guys contemplating used Miatas, I'd definitely agree not to let year or mileage be a deterant. I picked up a 92 in early March with 60K miles on it ... not terrible but alittle old. It's worth every penny. The car has been absolutely a thrill to drive ... and the requests by young ladies in the office for me to take them to the beach has my weekend schedule full for the rest of the summer. Insane.
I would carry a repair kit and a portable air compressor. Anything worse and you can rely on AAA and your cell phone.
-juice
Leather vs Cloth seats, this doesn't matter much either. Cloth has advantages in a Miata, you don't slide around so much. For our seats, I apply a leather conditioner or dressing monthly, just to keep it slightly moist.
Is this true or are the dealers pulling my leg to make a sale? I've always been told that having ABS is an extra measure of security (especially in these wet atlanta winters) that one should always ask for if available.
Thanks for your insights!
OTOH, I don't drive mine in foul weather, and the cars I do drive have ABS.
-juice
-juice
Point being, putting the spare tire or any other weather-resistant item on a luggage rack mounted on top of the trunk (boot) lid buys one significant useful dry space inside.
I'm 6'2" and drove over 200K miles in either an MGB or a Miata (remarkably similar interior rooom), and encourange one and all to use these cars for their intended purpose -- long distance touring.
Thanks again for your help! Have fun on the 4th with your top down!
ABS is only beneficial if the driver steers the vehicle in a panic stop. The vast majority of drivers do not. In the situation where the driver does not, or cannot, steer around an object, the shortest stopping distance would be the most beneficial for the driver. In most cases, ABS increases the stopping distance of a vehicle by a few feet. Those few feet can make a huge difference in a collision.
However, I have sold Mazda's and was the lot/inventory manager at a Mazda dealership. I have seen manual transmission Miata's equipped with ABS. They do exist, although they are far and few between. I have seen ABS equipped on both 5-spd and 6-spd equipped Miata's. Try another Mazda dealership and insist that you will not buy a Miata without ABS. If they want the sale, they will try to locate a vehicle for you. If they give you attitude, go to another dealership.
If you are on Roswell Road in Alpharetta at that Hi-Fi Buys, then go north just a little farther. On the right is a place that installed our CD/Cassette stereo, headrest speakers, door speakers, and cruise control.
The only thing is we haven't been in Atlanta for almost a year & I can't remember the exact name. It's something patriotic, like American Stereo or American Electronics. But it's just past the Hi-Fi Buys on Roswell Road, Alpharetta. They also sell Cell Phones, etc. Hey, maybe it was American Cellular.
Anyhow, they were less expensive than Hi-Fi Buys and knew about Miatas, as they do alot of work for Roswell Mazda just down the road. They did a great job with our installations.
Hope this made some sense.
Beth
http://convertiblencats.homestead.com/carindex.html
thanks for the tip Beth! as a matter of fact, I may be picking up my miata at the roswell mazda! so while i'm there, i'll make sure to look for the audio place.
btw, is the 2001 miata also equipped with the HR speakers? so it's literally in the headrest of the chair? that's so strange...
lol it's getting late
Having said that, the Miata is light and the brakes are easy to modulate, so it's much less important than in, say, a big SUV with rear drum brakes - a vehicle that will tend to lock up and lose directional stability.
A few weeks ago I was plowed into by a Saturn with no ABS. I was in my Subaru Forester, with ABS, and managed to stop short and straight despite heavy rains, ABS pulsing away. She slammed the brakes and got sideways, causing rather substantial damage to her new car, and $1200 to mine.
However, she's a novice and it was a panic stop.
-juice
OK, just give us a defeat button for the track! ;-)
-juice