Mazda MX-5 Miata (2005 and earlier)

chaplain

Actually, I remember that going out on a jeep of mine years ago. I wasn't thinking about it until now. I know that the slave is not a problem with my Miata. Thanks for the insight though. Sounds like I could put my car in the shop and just have good run around on it to make sure all is well.

Anyone else....
Please let me know any info you can about my previous posts on this car.

Thanks
Jeff (Chaplain)

thel

Are you keeping the RPM's above 3k? The Miata doesn't particularly "like" being driven below 3k.

stickguy

I agree about the need for revs. Does not enjoy being lugged.

As to the BMW, I do like them, and it probably is the most likely option (although borderline too small for sole car duty). Big problem is the price. I prefer the latest style (2000+), and the prices still seem rediculous (30K =/-). I don't really want to deal with a '90s model, especially if I have to lay out 20K for one.

If I could resign myself to giving up the sport quotient (and the stick), the Solara is a great value, and plenty roomy inside & trunkwise. If TOyota would put a TRD suspension package and 6 speed stick in this baby, my checkbook would be out.

chaplain

As long as I keep the revs up, you are right, I don't have the problems. I just feel that when I do that the clutch is dragging a little. Isn't that hard on the clutch?

The car is awesome on corners in third gear and 3 to 4K RPM's. Or higher! WOW!

ateixeira

For the 1.6l models, peak torque occurs only at 5500rpm. So yeah, you really gotta rev it.

If I let the clutch out with low revs, mine will ping, though I have the timing advanced to 14 degrees BTDC (stock is 10).

-juice

justin

FINALLY! have always wanted one, so now i have one! i guess the 03 Accord will be sitting in the garage this summer, haha.

i got a 99 Miata, black/tan leather, 23,700 miles. i have all the service records, had the Mazda dealer check the crankshaft endplay (almost .01 inches) and they say everything else on the car is fine too.

so, hopefully, after I get the Bose radio stations to come in and fix some rattles (drivers side, ear level, top up or down), it should be a fun summer!

i will be checking in here as i do on the Accord forums.

taking a poll - since my car was built in Jan 98, but only has 23,700 miles, when should i change the timing belt??

thanks!

ateixeira

Mine was similar - very low miles. It was 8 years old and had just 26k miles when I bought it. The previous owner did the 30k service early, at about 25k miles.

My timing belt is still the original, though, and it's a '93. I'm now at 47k miles IIRC, but I'll probably wait til 60k anyway.

Is it an interference engine, though? If I find out it is, I might do the belt sooner.

-juice

lngtonge18

The 1.6 is not an interference engine so you have nothing to worry about. Let it ride as long as you feel comfortable.

thel

the timing belt should be fine and if it does break, you'll simply be left stranded (Miata is a non-interference engine). Now as for that 03 Accord....;)

ateixeira

I think I researched that way back when I bought it, that must be why I'm procrastinating.

FWIW, Mazda probably does recommend 6 years or 60k miles, don't they?

Still, 23k miles just seems mighty early. How are the other belts? Any noise from them? Inspect their condition, look for cracks or deterioration. If the visible belts are worn, I'd change them all now. Or maybe when you do the 30k service.

I rarely wander far from home and I have free towing coverage, so I'm guess I'm a gambler. ;-)

-juice

justin

i checked the belts, all were fine. had a mechanic friend look, all was good. i bought it at a Honda dealer, but before i signed for it, i took it to a Mazda dealer for a check up. they said everything was great. they wanna do a brake fluid flush and an alignment, but thats about it. they would have told me belts or hoses, for sure, if they looked bad. they do want money after all, haha.

don't get me wrong, i still like the 03 Accord. 240 quiet HP will do that, haha.

but the Miata is totally different. i like it that way!

ateixeira

Yep, a different tool for each job, the more specialized the better.

-juice

justin

it appears that not even a week in, i am having issues. i had one dealer in my area check the crankshaft endplay on my 99 Miata BEFORE i bought it (NOT the selling dealer), they said all was good. i took it in for second opinion at another dealer (NOT the selling dealer), and they say i am at .3mm, basically if my car was under Mazda's warranty, the engine would have to be replaced. but, i am not sure they are doing it right either, as the car runs fine.

anyone familiar with DC/Northern VA? anyone trust any mechanics here to check the crankshaft for me? Performance Buyers (the Miata people) in Chantilly won't do it....

Thanks!

ateixeira

Hmm, I used PBC to install my top and haven't needed any other service that I couldn't do myself in the 3 years I've owned mine.

The Mazda dealers my wife used for her 626 were too pricey for me to recommend them. Sorry.

-juice

cabstewart

kymike:

Haven't made any changes yet - want my husband to check out the list to see what he's comfortable doing. Thanks for the list of clubs!

nautiboy

Hi all,

I just bought a 99 Miata (Classic Red/Black) a couple of days ago. The car is in mint condition and has only 11,000 miles on it. The paint, interior, and mechanicals are flawless. The top is in such good condition that it appears as though it was never driven with the top up. The car is not the LS version but it has AC, CD, and the previous owner put aftermarket 14" chrome alloy wheels on it. My question for people in this forum is, would you have paid $15K for this car? I did even though Kelley Blue Book puts the value for a 99 Miata in excellent condition with 11K miles at around $11.5K. Do you think I overpaid or is $15K a good price for this vehicle, which is in practically showroom condition?

locke2c

if you're happy with it, what does it really matter what we think?

I mean, you kinda have your answer already from KBB and other pricing sources right?

~Colin

poorrichard01

$11,500 simply sounds too low for that car. (I almost think the KBB people are in cahoots with the insurance companies so State Farm et al. can justify low-balling the claims we submit; but it's too nice a day to go down that road.) A brand new Miata would set you back $21K, using our host's TMV feature; and at 11,000 miles our Miata was still virtually brand new.

Our 2002 has the variable-valve-timing engine which requires premium fuel. Yours runs on the middle grade, right? (It's still a minor irritation that I have to use the highest grade petrol just for a two-horsepower increase.)

You've got many, many (many, many, many) summers of driving pleasure ahead, including the one staring us right in the face. So drop the top, put on your best smile and ENJOY!

Poor Richard

p.s. After a while you'll get used to all the stares and compliments. It's a learning process we've all had to go through.

ateixeira

I'd buy it for $11,500 sight unseen. That price sounds low. Around here it was hard until recently to see even high mile version get into the $10s.

If a new one costs $21k, the first owner took a massive $6k hit in depreciation and basically handed over a barely-broken-in new car to you.

Congrats.

-juice

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stickguy

Juice: since you seem to be in tune to the market, what do you think mine would go for on a private sale (via the paper).

2001 red, base model w/spoiler. Fresh Kumhos, just fully tuned (all fluids/filters + plugs). Shines up nice, has a few scratches that should probably detail out OK. 44,000 miles, in NJ. Runs good, and all that jazz.

I'm just trying to get an idea if it is a good time to sell, with the ultmate goal of getting a 4 seater so the whole family can come along. I also have a Maxima, and would rather consolidate them into 1 car.

ateixeira

That would be a mid teens car, I think.

To be honest I've only looked at 99s. That's what falls into my price range. A year ago you wouldn't see any dip below $10 grand, now a few high mile samples do.

So yours would be worth a good deal more than that.

-juice

Mr_Shiftright

Now's a good time to sell a convertible, sure.

Mr_Shiftright

Now's a good time to sell a convertible, sure and I think most number-crunchers have figured out that between 3-6 years is a good time to turn over a car. Once you hit around 6 years and 100K miles, prices really start to plunge. So you have a little time left to decide certainly.

stickguy

at the pace I'm going, if I did keep it until 6 years, I still might not break 50K on it.

I may have to troll it out there at a top $ price just to see what happens. Better that then taking a lowball offer from the Toyota dealer.

nautiboy

Thanks for the replies. After having my Miata for a week, I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Everyone I who sees the car thinks it's brand new anyway.

This is my fisrt stick shift car, so I'm probably being spoiled by it since all the magazines say the Miata has one of the best manual transmissions on the market. Anything else will probably be a letdown. Anyway, it's great to finally be a Miata owner. I think I'll go for a drive now.

Ciao

locke2c

I think a Miata certainly has about the best brake feel of any car on the market! A high, hard pedal when properly cared for and the brakes are not overboosted. You actually have to mean it when you want to stop fast, like God surely intended.

Enjoy the drive!

~c

ateixeira

The shifter is the smoothest I've ever tried. The base of the shift lever sits in a pool of gear oil.

-juice

gwrprinret

You took an Alfa through a car wash? Shame on you. I not only have a red 2002 Miata LS ( 3000 summer miles), but also a 1972 Alfa GTV with less than 30,000 miles. I am the original owner of both cars and neither will ever see the inside of a car wash. Happy motoring.

gwrprinret

For over a year, I have been unable to find "Miata" magazine on the bookshelves. Does anyone know what has happened to it?

poorrichard01

The old Miata magazine is now called MazdaSport and its coverage is expanded accordingly to include the RX-8 and, well, anything else that carries the Mazda logo. Barbara Beach is the publisher; that alone makes MazdaSport the logical successor to the old Miata Magazine. They're on the web (like who isn't) at mazdaevents.com.

Poor Richard

gwrprinret

Richard, thanks for the info.

johneboy

I'm in the market to buy a Miata. I've been test driving all the local private listings. I found a beautifull silver 99 Miata in perfect condition with only 25K miles on it. it has all the bells and whistles and asking price of 13K.
But I'm suspecious of the car. It has had three owners, the second one only kept it for a year and put 3000 miles on it, the guy selling it has had it for six months and he is selling it. the engine sounds fine but the car vibrates (shakes) when speed is between 40 to 60..
Have Miatas had any major Problems with suspensions, or could this be caused by the #4 problem. Or is this just a simple alignment issue.
Any info anyone has would be great.

kymike

There are lots of reasons for a car like this to have multiple owners. Many see this as a fun weekend car and soon decide that they don't use it as much as they thought that they would and will sell it. I would recommend runnning a CARFAX report on it just to be safe. If it was purchased locally, go visit the dealer and have them pull up maintenance records so that you can see what work it has had done.

If you are happy with the car other than the vibation, make an offer on it contingent on having the vibration fixed. If it is a simple balance and alignment, then the owner should be willing to pay for that in order to expedite the sale. If it is something major, I would continue to look as there are a lot of Miatas available. Good luck!

ateixeira

Definitely check the carfax. Could be a sign of a major accident.

Some crooked folks will turn a car over a few times, sell it to their brother, for instance, and then re-sell it again because it hides the original owner that did the damage.

Could be a bondo bomb, at least have it checked out.

Then again, I bought mine used from a 2nd owner, with just 26k miles, and it's been very reliable and it's a '93. I've had it for 4 years.

It's a potential good deal, just be careful to check for frame damage.

-juice

thel

Well I've finally finished putting a new top on my 90 A-package today. All told it was a big PITA but since I couldn't afford to pay someone to do it for me, I did it myself. I still need to stretch the top out enough to get it to close but I didn't finish up until after sun down. I plan on leaving it out in the sun tomorrow and trying it again when the top is warmed up. Hopefully it will be water tight but we'll see...

Would I do it again? Probably...I just can't bring my miserly self to pay someone else to do it when I know I can do it myself even though it was not easy.

lngtonge18

How does the top look? Are you happy with it? We now have a special bond since I too installed the top myself. What do you consider the hardest part of the installation? I felt attaching the top to the rainrail was the biggest frustration. Getting the top to close the first time is a struggle as well. It takes a lot of muscle to get it to latch.

ateixeira

Remind me, was it an OE top? Robbins? Other?

Apparently the OE top costs a lot but it very easy to install. Though some people prefer the Robbins.

I got a Robbins with a glass window but had PBC install it for me. Not enough time here! The kids won't give me 15 minutes edge wise.

-juice

thel

I'm not sure what kind of top it is...John would know though

I thought the toughest part was getting the top attached to the little clip hoo hah below the B-pillar. I had to buy a special ratcheting screwdriver to get the screws out, and then I still don't think I quite got the fit under there just right but I'm hopeful that it will still be weather tight. Personally, I thought the rain rail was a piece of cake.

I think that I'll leave the top latched closed for a couple of days or so to stretch out the vinyl. I had to let the top "bake" in the 90 degree sun to stretch it out and then I still had to use a "quick-grip" bar clamp to pull the top closed so I could latch it.

Hey John, do you have to get out of the car to get your window out of the way adn put the top down? Maybe I've just had to b/c the vinyl was so tight...

lngtonge18

Here is a link to the company who made your top:
http://aabestco.com/

Did you end up reusing the old rain rail or buying a new one? Did you use a rivet gun to attach the top to the rain rail? I didn't have the right tools to rivet the top to the rain rail(the rivets I had wouldn't hold the top in place) so I ended up having to improvise and use a plastic nut and bolt combo, a very frustrating trial and error process since installing the bolts on one side wouldn't allow the trim piece that holds the top to the body to bolt over the top. The B pillar clips were also a big problem. I never got mine to hook over the fabric properly so the bottom of the side flaps would get caught by the side of the car as you raised the top and get pushed back. It wasn't a big enough deal to worry about it though. A few drops of water would fly in through there in heavy rain but I only drove the car in sunny weather so I didn't care.

Louis, are you pulling the 3rd bar forward until it touches the stationery 2nd bar as you are lowering the top? This must be done in order to allow clearance for the glass window to drop down. However, for the first few weeks, I did have to get out of the car to lower the top because the material was so stiff around the window. It will soften up and you will have no problems dropping the top from inside the car. Sometimes the top doesn't completely drop all the way into the well and you can just give it a downward push from the driver's seat and it will retract all the way.

ateixeira

Those are a bargain. I was trying to buy one and have a shop install it, but most shops want to install their own tops, at least ones they are familiar with.

My vinyl stretched out in just one day. You should be good to go now.

-juice

goodshopper99

hi, i was going to buy a honda s2000 as a second car(bmw 5series primary), but i decided to buy a miata instead. my bimmer has 300HP V8 but feels heavy so i prefer superlight & tossable miata over S2k.

anyway, I am looking at a local 00 miata w/ 30k miles at a used car dealership in Michigan. What is a great price? i'm willing to wait out to find the right deal.

also i keep hearing new miatas can be had w/ HUGE discounts. Is this true? how much are we talking about?? thx!

thel

Yeah, I used the old rain rail, it seemed to be in good shape and frankly, I didn't see what all the hub-ub was about regarding the fragility and inevitibility of changing the rain rail.

The new top does seem to be coming a bit unglued around the rear window. It isn't leaking or anything but I think that the adhesive used to bond the seam to the window is failing. Oh well, as long as it doesn't leak, I don't really car that much, I don't intend to have the top up all that often anyway

thel

For an 00 w/ 30k, let's assume its a base and not an LS (it would have tan leather interior if it were and LS BTW), I'd prolly pay somewhere in the upper 10k's, maybe low 11k's but I'm cheap. If it were a special color that I really like or if it had some special goodies I'm into such as a LSD, I'd pay more.

A bloke I know in Arkansas has a really nice sounding 00 Evo Orange LS with low miles that he was willing to sell for $12k in a heart beat. That was just a couple of months ago.

lngtonge18

That sucks about the adhesive around the window. Where is it coming unglued? The original top had a section about 1 inch long that pulled away a little from the bottom center of the glass. That's why they sent me the new one under warranty. I'm curious if the replacement has the same weak spot. By the way, it's been over a year and that spot never leaked or continued spreading. I think the initial extreme pressure trying to get the top to latch is what breaks the glue's bond. The most important question is...are you happy with how it looks? Much better then the old top? Are you ok with the tan color?

ateixeira

Part of my OE top came unglued, but it still didn't leak until that cable that runs along the driver side to tighten things up broke. Then the seal wasn't tight enough, so I changed the whole top.

'00 with 30k? 11k sounds a bit low to me. Perhaps it varies a lot by region, but I'd expect $14k or so. Just a guess.

You can get a basic one, new, for $19-20k. If you're not into all the options you might want to consider that.

-juice

thel

I'm definitly happy with the quality of the top, especially for the price. The top folds up and down quite easily now that it has loosened up a bit. The "problem" I'm having with the window sounds just like what you described with yours, so it sounds like they may use bad glue.

I also like the tan. Tons of red / black, even around here, but red / tan is more unique.

thel

Yeah, $11k may be low but when I can run across the border and get a rare Evo Orange LS in mint condition for $12k, I'm not gonna pay more than that for a base model in an "ordinary" color, even if it is from a dealer. Then again, I'm a cheap SOB to.

supratuner

Now if I am right psi has to do with the fuel pump regulator. Right? What exaclty is psi? I hear people say I will kick your [non-permissible content removed] with 22 psi. I just want to know. Oh the Humanity!

-SupraTuner

ateixeira

I'm cheap also!

Across what border? Into Canada, you mean?

-juice