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*n.b.: While many assume the more gears the better, in my experience, the 5 speed in the base Miata was better than the 6 speed. In my experience, at least, the 6 speed did not help mpgs a bit.
The, 'What's the point?' question above can be misconstrued as being rude.
I mean only to ask what is the point of driving a convertible with the top up?
I just read that Mazda delayed the MZ6 because the idiots at Mazda decided to change the gearing away from fuel econmy and toward power in top gear. Totally stupid decision IMHO. One buys a manual to change gears. i'm more than happy to go from 6th to 4th when I need to pass someone and we're only doing 75-80.
Besides, Honda and Toyota have deeper pockets, so if they went head-to-head for the fuel economy awards they'd end up losing anyway. They might end up in doom-doom. :P
Plus, if you want peak economy shouldn't you be going a little slower? 55 maybe?
-juice
Remember if someone buys a manual, he's probably inclined to shift. I'm still livid over news that Mazdaspeed6 was delayed so they could make the final drive shorter. As if a turbo 4 cylinder isn't already inclined to get bad mileage!
I almost never put the top up. I only rarely did better than 20 mpgs in mine. "
:::::::::::END QUOTE::::::::::::::::
Top up or top down, is was not all that different. Most of the runs recording around
27 MPG were with top down. The 30 MPG was freeway, with mostly top up. If you
got only 20 MPG, there was something wrong with the engine. May be in the sensors.
It was really using too much gas. I don't think I could ever get it to go less than 24 to
23.
Loren
Oh yeah, easier questions coming my way.
- answers -
1) Keep rain out of car
2) Keep wind out of car
3) Keep heat on the outside of car - cool inside car.
4) Keep heat inside car
5) Keep dust out of car
6) Better gas mileage on freeway - especially when windy
7) Keep sun from burning self
8) Keep items inside car out of sun.
9) P.O. other members in your club when driving that believe it is a top down only car.
10) When washing car, keep in closed position.
11) Keeps cats out of car.
12) Keeps kids out of car.
13) Keeps bird crap out of car.
14) Keeps tree dropping out of car.
15) As requested by passenger, with the long hair.
16) Suggests the car was bought for its handling characteristics, and not drop top.
17) Gives you arm exercise putting it up and down.
18) Just too lazy to put it down this morning
19) Sign at beach said, " topless not allowed "
Loren
1. Don't drive the Miata when it is raining.
2. If you can't stand the wind, by a coupe.
3. Wear a parka.
4. See 3.
5. Oh for heaven's sake.
6. Yeah. But then, coupes handle better anyway. If you are not happy with top down character, buy a coupe.
7. Sun screen really works. Vitamen D is necessary for healthy bones.
8. Huh?
9. Somewhat juvenile.
10. Speed keeps cats out of car.
11. See 10.
12. See 10.
13. See 10.
14. See 10.
15. Passenger either cuts hair, puts it up, or walks.
16. Top up does not make much difference with ride and handling. Rigidity does.
17. Bally's.
18. Garage the car and do not put the top up in the first place.
19. Silly.
Given the sucky local Mazda service, I would not be surprised if they missed a sensor problem. But I brought the car in several times to separate dealers, all of whom gave it clean bill of health.
From Miatanet and other buff sites, I gather my NB 1.8 mileage was not out of the norm. I don't drive often. When I do, I drive all out.
Miata.net is a good source for info. and the forums a place to chat about this n' that.
I think you will find on a search there, that MPG seems to fall into the 27 to 30 MPG
range for most people with the 1.8 engine. If memory serves me right, the 1.6 gets
about that too. I take it the new 2.0 liter will get a wider range of MPG when mostly
around town, or back roads? In first tests compared to Solstice it can out better in
MPG. I think it is the Car and Driver mag?
Loren
If they'd geared it taller the car mags would whine about turbo lag.
If you want fuel effiency, you'd get the Mazda6 with the 2.3l engine anyway.
For Loren I suggest a hard top, plain and simple. They seal better, offer some rigidity, and probably less aerodynamic drag than a soft top.
The 1.6l was rated at 25/30 mpg by the EPA. That dropped with the 1.8l, but oddly enough with the 2.0l it's back up to 25/30 again.
Maybe they could offer a de-tuned version of the 2.0l with more fuel efficiency, but I'm not sure anyone that wants an MX-5 would not want the extra HP.
-juice
Nobody complains about that setup with the Vette or the 330i, so I can't see it being an issue with a Mazdaspeed6.
Sorry not buying decent, intelligent gearing would hurt the car's image or sales. Bad mpg figures do hurt the car. Why blow 33k on a Mazdaspeed6 that scampers to 60 in a startlingly bad 7 seconds when one can spend less than that on a 325i and get a more nimble chassis and better mpgs?
The MazdaSpeed6 will have just 2.3l, and low compression ratio at that. So off boost it will perform more or less like a 2.0l.
They don't want the press too hit the gas and see zero results. Those guys go out of their way to look for turbo lag.
-juice
The Miata's MPG seems fine, in fact that would be a reason to pick it over a Solistice. So that's not an issue for this thread.
-juice
Go get a grand touring coupe/sedan or something more quiet and comfy. For a boring, 100 mile highway drive I'd rather have a Town Car or a Lexus ES330, floaty ride and all.
A Miata is better at running quick errands, short commutes, going the long way (not that long), twisty roads, short weekend jaunts, stuff like that.
100 miles in a straight line? Then it's cramped and you get wind burn. You'll be comfortable for the first hour, maybe, but towards the end you'll be anxious to get out and stretch.
-juice
~Colin
-juice
The new Miata adds a lot of the stuff which people had to add on before, such as grill and roll bar. I hope it is a roll bar. It says style bar on the Internet. Hard to tell from diagrams how beefy the roll bar is. Will it keep from folding backwards on impact? All in all, function wise a good redo of the car. Style wise it won't compete with the Solstice, so they will lose some sales along that road. Oh well, don't shoot me, I am but the messenger.
Loren
in all other states there is no law against earplugs. some do prohibit headphones.
you can hear fine with earplugs, they only reduce extreme harshness. you would most definitely hear a car horn for example.
~Colin
-juice
The ear plugs for shooting which only lock out the dangerous range of noise are pretty neat. I got a pair, and they seem to work when watching the cars on the track. I got the other more basic plug types too. I guess you can hear a car horn with those, but I don't know. Seems to me it would cut down on hearing a siren at a distance. Yeah, on the freeway the sirens don't carry that far anyway, and you go mainly on sight. The CHP still do use the sirens though. In town, I always roll the windows down a crack so I can hear sirens. OK, we are talking top down? It is amazing all the things one hears on the roads with a Miata - top down. Personally, I don't like the plugs. It seems to be something which some people like or dislike more than others.
As far as honking at cars, it doesn't seem to help much most of the time. Now I know when in other states, they may not hear me anyway. Always best to see and be seen more than honking anyway, and scramble out of harms way when possible. When I had the Miata people in other vehicles, particularly trucks and SUVs many times seemed not to see me at all. I was invisible. That beep-beep toy horn didn't work when they started to cut you off. I just looked to bail out of the situation. Whew, some got close!
I bet the new Miata, being third gen, is a lot more quiet now. Test drive it and see if the stereo can be heard. They are not quiet like a Caddy, but I bet more quiet than first gen.
Loren
I'm glad you are speaking for a position of experience. :P I shoot pistols for sport and competitively and I bring plain old foam earplugs with me for guests. There is nothing magical about them and the same plugs work well when on a motorcycle or in a convertible at speed. I do have some fancy Peltor earmuffs with noise cancellation and I know they now make noise cancelling in-ear style (earbud) headphones, but none of that is what I'm talking about.
~Colin
Hope you do not run into an emergency vehicle.
Peltor muffs are good ones :shades:
Now how is the New Miata compared to the Solstice for noise and wind?
In California there is a new law requiring the dealer to install front plate brackets, beginning in Oct. Looking at the Solstice I see no place to put the plate. And yes, I never had a plate on the front of the Miata. Born in 1996, that car never did have a plate on it, I guess. Never spotted an holes.
Does the New MX-5 meet the German requirements for pedestrian safety? Car are going to be getting taller, and I guess less sharp up front? New laws in effect yet? Won't this limit cars sold within Germany, as well as, those made within Germany?
Loren
My '93 has one that comes out of the top of the lower grille opening and stick out to hold the plate. It used to aim upward, but any little bump would put dimples in my front bumper.
So I flipped it. :surprise:
By that I mean I moutned the bracket upside down, so now the plate sits a little lower but doesn't rub up against the bumper and cause those dimples.
-juice
Loren
-juice
I can hear fine with ear plugs. If I were doing a long trip, I'd wear them on the boring interstate sections. Probably not in the urban areas.
Therefore, if anyone is looking to buy a 2006 Miata and do not intend to purchase a hard top with it - if you option for the hard top and sell it to me, I will pay you $300 CAD on top of the option price.
I prefer if it's black, but will take any other colour. I live in Toronto Canada (that's why I need one for the winter). I prefer to deal locally, but will travel as far as 100 miles.
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-juice
As for a Miata for snow country, I would go with a Subaru Legacy.
Loren
I can see comparing it to its competitors (Solstice, etc) to decide what is best for oneself, but blanket statements are pompous and not very helpful.
I got a chance to look at the NC this weekend up close. I didn't drive it since I have NO intention of dropping $27k for a brand new 2-seater with a second kid on the way, but I got to sit in it. I think Mazda addressed most of the drawbacks of the NBs and the NAs. The car has more leg room, a tilt wheel (if you need it), a nifty folding top, and in general it just makes even more of the limited space in the car.
My 90 has a tiny console and a glove box with two cupholders right behind the shifter. The NC isn't a ton bigger but has far more useful storage areas: door storage, two center consoles, storage cubbies behind the seats and map pockets behind the seats as well. Not to mention the windblocker and the 7-speakers they manage to cram in there.
Mazda also addressed peoples desire for more power. According to most reviews I've read, the NC has plenty of pep for the buck.
Are there things I don't like about it....sure. Gigantic wheels with the high-priced rubber and high moment of inertia that goes with them does not appeal to me at all. but I could probably replace them with some 15" Toyo T1-R's and Konig Heliums for about 80% of the price of replacing the 17" tires when they wear out.
The front end styling is going to have to grow on me as well...it hasn't yet.
Did Mazda make the perfect Miata for me? No.
Does that mean that Mazda failed with the NC? No.
Even if you can drive around nicely in the snow, it's the other folks I'm worried about. Overconfident folks in 4WD vehicles slide around and I don't want to play bumper cars with them in my tiny Miata.
Mine stays parked, and I take the Forester. Get a beater used Subaru for winter, they're perfect.
-juice
Loren
Trendy roadsters may come and go, but which one has thrived for 15 years now, and made the Guiness book for the world's best selling open sports car ever?
You guys should read what that funny Brit from that show on TV said about the Solistice, he was just brutal. What's his name again? Jeremy Clarkson I think?
-juice
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12529-1794313,00.html
The excerpt:
The new Pontiac Solstice is America’s first attempt at making a sports car in more than 50 years. And not since David Beckham’s wayward penalty kick against Portugal have we seen anything go so wide of the mark. It is comically awful.
Keep in mind that's one opinion, and from a Euro perspective, but the Solistice will have an easier time here in the home market than it will over in Europe.
-juice
The guy giving the review points out some weakness in American made cars, which is fine . On the balance, compared to Brit cars that leak oil, use oil, and plain ol' fall apart, I doubt the Brits have much room to talk -- without some humor. Oh sorry, that is past tense, those cars are no longer made. Until you get into $30K cars, what Euro car can you think of which is a better buy than a US or Japan make. Maybe a starter BMW for under $30K on sale? Ah those crude, rude and unrefined Americans, however do we all get bye? Old push rod engines for people to complain about, and blah, blah, blah. As for engineering excellent in a sports car for around $20K, MX-5 may be a best bet. For looks, it is still in favor of the Solstice. In road tests, they may not be as far apart as some think. More tests to come, I am sure. That said, most people do not buy the cars for the track, so unless the Solstice is way off in performance, I doubt it will matter as much to most people
I have watched the Old Mustangs on the track at Laguna Seca, and it looked like they were having some fun. They still have brakes, lap after lap, and did not crash. I love that track. The Team Compuware Corvettes 3 and 4 love that track too, and went on to American Lemans Series win in class last year.
While meaningless, the article was kinda fun to read - thanks!
Loren
I offered him a job but no luck....
The bigger point, though, it that Europeans will be more skeptical about an unproven car that on paper seems a bit overweight and inefficient (to them, at least).
-juice
I wonder if Bentley will send them fleet cars to test in the future?
-juice
Then yesterday he called me and said he had been in an accident - another car took an unprotected left without yielding and hit him head on (they probably got down to 30mph closing speed at impract). The Miata crumpled 2.5', the airbags went off, and he and his girlfriend were unscathed. It's heartbraking, but at the same time it makes me feel good about getting one.
So... couple of questions.
Is the trunk 2' deep? (As in, could you fit a 2'x2' plywood board inside?)
If I'm not looking for performance numbers, but rather predictable handling in wet conditions, should I look for a car with a limited-slip differential or not? This'll be my first RWD car, and I would like to experience sliding around a bit once I get comfortable with it. I don't know if an LSD makes that easier and more predictable, or not.
Any other thoughts or suggestions are welcome =]. I'll probably be looking for a 3-5 year old 5-spd model, and I think I'd get the hardtop as well. I'll be using it for commuting, going out, and the like. Thanks.
(I'm a big Top Gear fan too, but if I start talking about two things at once, I won't get any responses on the Miata.)
Every little bit of traction helps, though.
-juice
Before you buy a 99-00, get a mechanic to check out the crankshaft endplay. There was a TSB for an improperly machined number 4 main cap of cylinder block on a small # of 99 and 00's, which could result in premature wear of the thrust bearing, resulting in a replacement engine. Some 01 - 03's had cold start clutch chatter, requiring a new clutch. Otherwise, Miatas are pretty bulletproof.
The nice thing about Miatas, you can find low mileage, well taken care of ones with reasonable prices.
Anyone who has done their own rear disc brakes, please read:
ateixeira, "Stop here! Let's talk about brakes" #1164, 10 Oct 2005 12:12 pm
-juice