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Comments
My parents own a white 1990 Miata which they purchased in August 1989 (they chose it over a Porsche!). It still runs like new and looks good (has 67,000 miles on it), except the rear window is cloudy and has a slight (1/4 inch) crack. My parents love this car more than the other cars they own (including two new Mercedes) and intend on keeping it indefinately, so they want to fix this. Does anyone have any recommendations other than having the window or the entire top replaced? Or would their best bet be to replace the whole thing? Thanks.
Just a reminder w/your "new" '90 -- very important in the Miata to check the timing belt. I'd want to see paperwork indicating the change. If you have to take care of it, be sure to get a Miata-wise (dealer?) mechanic to do it as there are some fairly finicky (and not intuitive) mechanical precautions to be taken. It was a quirk of the '90 and (I think) some of the '91s. Not a problem if the mech knows what he's up to.
Take care.
Joe W.
The rear window is cheapest, of course. But as a veteran of the "I'll do it myself in an afternoon" school of thought, I know it's is far from easy and not the smartest chore I've bitten off. Since that debacle, I've replaced the entire top -- costs more, of course -- but I took it to an upholstery and top shop where they did it -- quickly, simply, and it came out looking real good. With either a window or an entire top, I heartily endorse that option.
Check the original top, too. If it's faded or stained, you may not be able to get a very good match by buying just the window.
Tah-tah. I have to go out driving now to check the new brace I installed
Take care.
Joe W.
Best of luck.
I found a like new, 93 SE with hard top, and new custom wheels and tires (stated to have cost $2 K) They are expecting the first child and need a sedan. It has 59 K miles and they are asking $11400 which is high.
Any suggestions on an offer price and any advise on the 93 Miata?
Thanks
WTT
tiltboy:
I was in your shoes about two months ago. Test drive all different types of miatas new and used. You'll know the right one when you find it. Don't forget to try out the used 96's and 97's out there.... I found them just as exciting as the newer 99/00's. If you choose a used one, check out miata.net's FAQ. You'll find somewhere in there a detailed list of what to inspect. I found it extremely helpful. The dealer allowed me to take it into the garage for a closer look. I spent about an hour trying to find anything wrong with it. Found nothing except a few scratches near the trunk keyhole. (don't forget to also take it to the garage and have a mechanic look it over) With the extra cash I saved, I can now search for goodies. In my case, I ended up with a fully loaded M-edition... they are out there... especially now.
My fiance was with me on the test drive and asked her opinion just based purely on looks. Her opinion was that the older body looked more "classic" while the newer body looked more like the sport cars of today. She did prefer the dashes of the newer 99/00's but also mentioned that it also looks much like the japanese sport/sporty cars you see everywhere.
Can't wait to take it for a ride tomorrow... cya on the road.
I believe my little 93 red YJ is enjoying the company of the little 97 green miata.
warrendeb, that price for a '93 is pretty high, I think. You don't really indicate details of condition, etc. The '93 special edition is, however, nearly a collectible if in pristine condition and may be worth a premium (here in NE) if it's PERFECT. That's the black one with the red leather upholstery. And the aftermarket wheels and tires, in that case, may be new but don't really add to the value. Does the owner have the original BBS wheels to add to the pot? If so, that helps.
What I'd do: contact the local Miata club and have someone who's knowledgeable about the equipment, etc., come with you to check it over. (Miata folk are pretty friendly and usually wouldn't mind). If it's still interesting after that checkover, be sure to take it to a mechanic -- @59k, btw, it's ready for a timing belt change.
None of this is a reason to hesitate, but you need to get that price down out of the stratosphere unless there is a lot of other information to offset what you've said.
Take care.
Joe W>
First of all your right, .9 seconds is a world of difference...That makes the MR2 a ferrari? I would consider it an insult to the ferrari.
And i thought we already established that correcting grammar was for "dorks, dinks, dildos and amateur grammarians." Just leave it alone. I don't why im even responding....did i mention you were 40 posts late?
Yes civics are running in the 9's now. Guess how much of the car is "civic"?, your right, the body. Thats like taking a model T ford and using the body for dragging, and saying that "my model T runs 9's in the 1/4" Who cares?
Of course then there are the guys who do it just to look good - or think they look good anyway. These people are usally given away by useless body trinkets and stickers rather then useful upgrades.
BTW Experience is really just a word. Just because someone has been driving for 30 years, that doesn't mean they haven't been driving WRONG for 30 years.
Mustang76, yeah, it was 40 posts, and 5 days ago. Sorry, most people, including myself, have better things to do than sit on the computer on Memorial day weekend. Apparently you don't, that's your problem, not mine.
There are Civic's in the 9's that are a lot more Honda than just the body, mustang. Try stock block, chassis, tranny. I'm not talking about tube frame RWD V-8 cars with Honda bodies on them, so if thats what you were thinking, guess again.
That makes the MR2 a ferrari? I
would consider it an insult to the ferrari.
Apparently you're not understanding, I was comparing. I didn't say the MR2 was a Ferrari, did I? I said it was compared to the Miata. Basically what I'm saying is, that it has a significant performance advantage. If you construed that statement to mean anything else, once again, your problem.
Driving a Miata is not about going the quarters in 9 seconds.
And just out of curiousity, have you (Judas) driven both the Miata and the MR-2? It is easier to say one car is better than the other one when you actually drive them and tell from your experience. Oh wait, I guess throwing out quoted numbers from magazines is easier.
I have not driven an MR-2 so I can't say how much better a car it is. Personally, I don't like the look and I am very satisfied with my Miata.
Its easy to make pick any car as a base for a project and improve suspension for autox or improve engine for the dragstrip. Most will agree that the Miata (and Hondas... and Toys and Camaros... Mustangs... etc...) are all good plateforms to start on.
Let'see I bought mine for 15k and I saw the MR2 for about 28k including markup at the local dealer. For about 13k I bet I can do stuff to my miata that will eat MR2's. But thats besides the point. As a Jeep YJ owner, I'd like to share with everyone here a saying that us jeepers have. Jeeps are not bought... they are built! Guess what... so are race cars...
My choices for my next car were BMW z3, Miata, MR2, S2000, or wait for the next hot car. Pretty much narrowed it down to the Z3 and Miata... and guess what... I chose the Miata. Yes its 0-60 #'s and whatever else people like to blurt out are not up to par with the Z3 (2.3). Who cares... THe miata felt better... gave me more enjoyment... it was the best bang for the buck... parts are cheaper... aftermarket is better w/miata... looked nicer than the MR2 (My opinion)... had more personality (my opinion again) and there is something else that can't really place a finger on. Oh yeh... its character.. has nothing to do with $$$ or engine... but has everything to do with reviving the true sports car and most importantly, bringing it to the masses. Practically any one can own one... I've seen high school kids... college kids... and older family types... And they all have something to share and enjoy... can't say that for Oldsmobiles and BMW's
MR2 pulls up and grins at the BMW who grins at the Porsche who grins at the Ferrari. The miata pulls up and doesn't even notice....
Enough rambling.... I've written way too much
Is there anything I can do to get this power back? Any responses are appreciated. I would love to hear the chirp of the tires again every time I start from a standstill.
Seems to me like tires or clutch would be more appropriate places to consider rather than the engine loosing power.
-Colin
What a strange sounding question, freddy k. Check with your Ford dealer, I suppose, to find out what the offset is on the Escort wheel. If I remember correctly, the Miata wheel uses a 45mm offset and you want to keep that so everything stays happy in the wheel wells.
I'm curious: what are you thinking?
Take care.
Joe W.
And the wheels are probably not hubcentric even the bolts pattern are the same.
If you are shopping for rims, wait until you get the Miata. Alternatively, the people selling you the rims can probably help you. Many aftermarket wheels can be made hubcentric with adapter rings.
Miata as soon as I can do it without losing too much money
How's that? The depreciation on Escorts is not kind, so the way I see it unless you sell it to an individual you're going to take it in the shorts now, even more later. I say this as a former Neon ACR owner, also a fast depreciating car.
The Miata is worth it though.
-Colin
Very few wheels have the proper offset to fit the RWD Miata. The Miata offset measurement is an oddball number. Most aftermarket wheels don't have the proper offset. There are ones that are as light as the OEM wheels and have the proper fit but for the most part they are expensive.
freddy k, (I wish I could draw) imagine your wheel viewed head on. Now draw a vertical line right through the middle of the wheel. The Miata wheel hub is offset 45mm toward the outside of the wheel.
To see why it's important, imagine a wheel with 0 mm offset -- your tire would now be 45mm further into the wheel well and (in a tight space like that allowed for the Miata) could rub when you turn and could influence the braking as well as the car's ride.
If the guy said "no problem" without checking, he's blowing smoke. And, since I'm an amateur, please check out what I'm telling you at Miata.net in the tech notes or in the section on reviews (of different aftermarket wheels). You'll see a number of suggestions there -- I don't remember any for the Escort however;) Did you know that the Panasport (seven spoke) and the BBS lace (1992? -- 1993) option (RZ-II, I think) are reportedly the lightest wheels made for the car? Unsprung weight is much more important, yknow, than looks in the dollar::fun equation.
Take care.
Joe W.
It's time for our Miata to have its tires rotated, and I was wondering if it needs the high speed balance (like Butler Tires does), or if (the more convenient 'cuz it's closer) Good Year would do just as good a job with their regular balancing? It normally gets the high speed balance, but does it really make that much difference?
Thanks in advance.
What color is it?
-Colin
Twilight Blue and Tan is a very nice combination too, but TWM is a very hard colour to find on a Miata because not many people want it. It is even more rare than the Sapphire Blue mica of the 10AE.
Thanks,
Dave
There were some discussions about 10AE pricing and I remember people were picking them up at around 22k to 24k fully loaded (brand new with ABS and hardtop)
If this is a used one, you can talk it down to probably below 20k, and most likely can do a lot better.
Online used car sites are good place to start too (for example, www.autotrader.com)
and even Edmunds has its own used car site now.
Another place to check is www.miata.net Check the classifield section. Some people post their cars there for sale.
Personally, I think it would help a little, but not much. If a Miata goes over more than once, the windshield is going to lay flat and if you don't have a real rollbar in all likelihood you're going to be much shorter. Check out the Hard Dog rollbars, you can find them from the links section on miata.net.
-Colin
Take care.
Joe W.
This was the first time I saw pics of the Lotus and MG roadsters... those are pretty nice. I absolutely love the body style of the Lotus. I wonder why they are not marketed here in US? It seems that the Japanese and Europeans have great sports cars..... what do we have? BIG SUVs (You know the ones that would sink in mud if they ever were in mud... the ones that have no idea what tread lightly means...) uugh..
Also, the Z3 (1.8? 4 cyl?) came in at the bottom. It wasn't up to par with the handling
characteristics of the other rivals. It seems that Z3's are only popular here in the US becuase of the 6 cyl engine and yes... the image. Essentially a great touring car... (as Warpdrive previously mentioned)
By the way, thanks again Warpdrive for helping me decide back when I was in the y2kZ3 forum. I absolutely love the 97 M-edition.....
Any one know a wood dash kit that "closely" matches the wood brake and knob that come on the 97 M-edition? (Posted it on miataforum a week ago and didn't get many replies.)