My Christmas Wish: To Buy A Miata

"Moenica" (moenica) 12/22/2014 at 09:08 • Filed to: miata, craigslist, autotrader, car search, cars of oppositelock, mazda

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For the past year I have been saving money so I can to purchase a new fun car for myself. I know I want to buy a Miata. However, I'm not sure if I should go for the old school original NA, the becoming old school NB, the current NC, or maybe wait and use the money for a down payment on an ND. I want to avoid having a car loan and making payments which may rule out the ND all together. Here is the criteria I have and thank you in advance for any help:

1) Budget for car is $6,000; distance does not matter, I would travel and drive home in the right car.

2) I have jack stands a 2 ton floor jack and a full set of wrenches and tools and am comfortable turning a wrench, although anything related to engine or transmission work gives me pause.

3) I had a VW Cabriolet in college with a manual and loved it until the frame rust got the better of the car and I had to let her go. So, since this is a new fun car I am obviously looking to get another manual.

4) I daily drive a 2011 Ford Fusion that is paid off so the Miata will be my fun weekend and evening cruise car.

5) I recently was followed on Kinja by Bill Caswell and his story has inspired me to maybe get in to auto-cross, rallying, and racing. A good Miata in my driveway could lead to bigger and better things.

6) What kind of things should I look for and avoid on the NA, NB and NC?

7) What are some problem areas for these cars?

8) How much does high mileage matter? (What is "high mileage" for an NA?)

9) Should I stay away from modified cars?

10) I know you gearhead boys on Oppositelock are a wealth of information and am looking forward to your advice and assistance.

Milky > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 09:13

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This isn't helpful in any way, but I always think of this when seeing your name.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 09:15

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$6k can get you a whole lot of Miata. The problem is that no Miata is stock, so you really need to ask yourself what you want it for. Is this a second fun car or will this be dailied? Is your idea of having fun in a car taking it for a spirited drive on a mountain road, autocross, track days, actual racing, or just having the top down? Do you plan on wrenching on it, or do you want to just drive it as is? Personally, with a $6k budget, I would find an old ugly one with a solid chassis and engine for a grand or less and spend the rest on suspension upgrades or buy a prepped spec miata car (they pop up in your price range ready to race), but that's just me.

Moenica > Milky 12/22/2014 at 09:15

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I get that a lot :o)

Barry Smith > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 09:19

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check out miata.net. Everything you want to know is discussed......and discussed.....and discussed.

GhostZ > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 09:19

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Get yourself a NA. Not only will you get a good example for $6000, but it won't depreciate. If you get an NC, you'll either get a rough example or it will depreciate.

NB is a solid choice too if you can find one that hasn't been abused, but there are fewer of them that are as well taken care of as a good NA, since many of them aren't old enough to be babied classics yet, but are driven hard.

I don't know much about the mechanical knowledge, but managing your money well can save you a lot of headaches later on when it comes to repairs.

Moenica > GhostZ 12/22/2014 at 09:23

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I seem to remember that Mazda has made over a million NA Miatas, but they are now being considered classics? In that case maybe I should get one before they start to appreciate.

GhostZ > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 09:30

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Yes, they are classics. They made tons, but a good portion of them weren't treated very well and those that were are now on 3rd or 4th owners who actively are taking care of them instead of just driving them. It's very common to find an NA for sale that has been made slightly modified and cleaned up from when it started, which is why the Miata is "always $3000". It won't drop lower because the owners keep improving them, and enthusiasts keep looking for ones to improve. There are very few beater miatas.

The NC is still depreciating, the NB for the most part isn't, but there are fewer clean examples.

thatguywiththe > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 09:48

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I've seen the earlier NC cars in great shape go for that price and less. the later NC models had that stupid smiley grill. NC had the best driving and safety characteristics with best interior ergonomics. NA cars are cool, but way too cramped. for 6 grand, you should be able to pick up a garage queen with under 20K miles, I've picked up a great (old persons) NA with under 30k for $3000 before. Don't be in a rush and find a good car for a good deal. NB are totally girl cars.

Moenica > thatguywiththe 12/22/2014 at 10:00

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So you're saying I should get an NB then? ;)

What do you drive now?

Margin Of Error > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 10:09

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Bill Caswel is that living proof that you can do a lot with little money as long as you work hard and willing to do some sacrifice. He's a very inspirational figure.

I would suggest to not spend a lot of money on the car, and maybe follow Caswell's footsteps and buy an E30 ?

Congrats on the A-M :-)

Justin Hughes > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 10:13

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You mentioned a few wildly different uses here.

1. Weekend/evening cruiser. Get the best NA you can afford, and enjoy it. As has been mentioned, the good ones are about to appreciate in value, if they aren't already. Get a 1990 and plate it as an antique! In a couple of weeks it'll be 25 years old!

2. Autocross. I ran 1.6 NAs in stock class for many years. Super fun. Get the best NA or NB you can afford, set it up for the new Street class, and enjoy. Get an NB if you want a little more speed - a 99 Sport if you can find one. Try to get one with a limited slip diff, but if you find a good car with an open diff you can replace it pretty easily.

3. Rally. The biggest problem here is the Miata's limited suspension travel isn't really compliant enough for the rigors of stage rally. Some sanctioning bodies may prohibit convertibles entirely. NASA RallySport permits them, with a hardtop and a sheet of steel across the top of the roll cage. Because you need a roll cage. And racing seats. And harnesses. These make it far less enjoyable as a back road cruiser, and the suspension setups are completely different for autocross and rally. For this, get the most mechanically sound NB you can afford, and ignore its appearance. Sticks and stones will scratch the paint anyway. Toward the end of my NA ownership, I actually started having trouble finding stock replacement parts. So I recommend NB for a newer car that's less likely to have this problem.

You could rallycross a daily drivable Miata. As long as you have a hardtop, your local SCCA group may allow it (New England Region does). The one time I tried my Miata at a rallycross, I left with a class win and the fastest car in the RWD division.

High mileage isn't usually an issue. These cars are tough. Just look for evidence that they've been maintained well, as you would any other car.

HoonQueen > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 10:26

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I say get an NA that's in (relatively) decent shape, and save the rest of your money for all the fun stuff: mods/upgrades, and bigger wheels and tires, and a rollbar, if you're going to autocross it.

It might take a while to find an NA that hasn't been beat to death, but it's worth it to get the original/first gen, IMO. They're fun, light, have snappy handling, and you can mod them to the moon without breaking the bank. And good ones do exist- I have a '90 with 71k, 3rd owner, bone-ass stock, for $2,200 bought in 2010. Scour craigslist!

E92M3 > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 10:27

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I vote to get a NA. NB might be a slightly better DD, but this is a fun car since you already have a Fusion.

wkiernan > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 10:31

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I don't understand the big distinction some people make between NAs and NBs. I've had a '93 NA and a '99 NB and an '04 NB, all of which I bought used. The fact is, if the pop-up headlights aren't raised you will have a hard time telling any difference at all between an NA and an NB from the driver's seat.

The NA's seats were a bit more comfortable and of course the headlights are much cooler. The '99 had a just-noticeable power boost over the '93, while the '04 feels like it has a lot more power, particularly at lower revs, than the '99 did, even though the factory rates them at about the same peak HP. I think the '04's power curve is a lot fatter in the midrange because of the variable valve timing, but it also could be because of the different gearing - my '04 has the 6-speed while the '93 and the '99 had 5-speeds.

I haven't owned an NC yet, but I suspect that someday I'll buy a used one, unless I win the lottery, in which case I'm getting a brand new ND right away.

/ edit: Oh I forgot to mention, BUY ONE BUY ONE BUY ONE you'll LOVE it.

thatguywiththe > Moenica 12/22/2014 at 12:04

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absolutely! mazda doesn't make bad cars. But only drivers in the original NA's will say hi to you though (it's a pop-up headlight thing). I agree with the other posters that the 6 speed makes long highway trips better. My own garage is made up of "the worst car in the history of the world": the silver lexus sc430, can am spyder, BMW 1200C, 2010 Miata (with that stupid grin on its face), mazda 6 wagon, and the 30th anniversary trans am (with the occasional snake that crawls in through the panel gaps).

Dunnik > Moenica 06/25/2015 at 01:57

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It’s Christmas...in July. Did you ever fufill that wish?

My advice would be to buy the newest Miata you can afford. Great cars, but as another Oppo learned recently, they’re getting on in age and parts aren’t as cheap as you might think.

If it was in your budget, I’d say get into a CPO NC, but this would require car payments.