Drove an ND Miata

"atfsgeoff" (atfsgeoff)
06/18/2019 at 23:07 • Filed to: None

It was magical.

Strong acceleration, stupidly high cornering limits even on wet pavement; very little body roll, no discernible chassis flex, very linear clutch, awesome shifter feel. The cloth top is very simple and very easy to put up and take down, one handed, while sitting in the driver seat. While certainly ‘cozy,’ there was enough room for 6'2" me to be comfortable.

It’s a shame these are gonna hold their value really well, because I want one really bad but can’t afford 30k. :(

DISCUSSION (30)

Just Jeepin' > atfsgeoff
06/18/2019 at 23:21

I am still pissed with myself for not putting money down o n an anniversary edition. I’ve never bought any new car, much less a limited edition, so I didn’t realize that the announcement that they would make one was the starting gun for placing orders with dealerships.

So, by the time I realized my mistake, it was much too late.

lone_liberal > atfsgeoff
06/18/2019 at 23:28

My boss, who lives in Boulder, is putting his on the market because his hubby is too tall for it. I think he’s 6’6”. He’s pretty bummed.

Cash Rewards > atfsgeoff
06/18/2019 at 23:45

Well, I could afford an NB Miata when the ND came out, so wait for the NF?

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > atfsgeoff
06/18/2019 at 23:54

Remember they’ve been out for 4 years already. If you can deal with the lower power of the pre-2019 models they are selling in the $18k range now. I’m sure the higher power ones will hold a little more value but it’s a Miata not a Tacoma, Wrangler, WRX or 1M - give it a few years and you should be able to pick up a used low mileage one for a good discount.

atfsgeoff > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
06/18/2019 at 23:56

fair point, if I can find a good example for like 15k, I might pull the trigger on it even if it’s lower powered.

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > atfsgeoff
06/18/2019 at 23:57

Awesome ! I’m 6'3" and couldn’t drive a Miata until they installed the telescopic wheel for the '19s. Now I really want one as well.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 00:02

From what I’ve read nobody was calling the first ND “slow” it’s more that with the power upgrade for ‘19 it’s now “legitimately quick”. The pre ‘19s do 0-60 in around 6.1 seconds and the new one is like 5.7. Yeah that doesn’t tell the whole story but if it’s like half the price of new that doesn’t seem like a huge penalty to me.

Chariotoflove > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 00:15

Exactly my feeling. I keep telling myself, “someday”.

atfsgeoff > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
06/19/2019 at 00:21

Yeah I’ll happily save $12-15k for 30 26 less horsepower. That’s like $500 per hp.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 00:23

I’ve only driven an NC and I loved it. I’m afraid that if I try an ND I’m going to obsess over it until I spend money I don’t have on something I don’t need. If I just forgo the test drive the next time I’m at the dealer I might be able to resist.

I remember having this feeling when the first iPod came out. I wasn’t really interested in it until I went to the Apple Store and got my grubby mitts on one. Then it was all I could think about until I went back the following week and grabbed one at the now ridiculous price of $400 for 5GB. 18 years later I still have that iPod, with the same music I put on it in 2002...

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 00:32

I read that as “I drove Miata in North Dakota”

Truthbearer > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 06:24

I’ve owned my 2008 Mazda MX 5 since I drove it off the dealership brand new on October 2007. I thought of buying a new BD generation MX 5 but I’m not so sure I want to. My car has more luggage space and a glove box that the new car doesn’t have. My also has a more communicative hydraulic power steering, much more so than the numb-feeling electric one. And my powered retractable metal roof golds coming completely out of sight just like a convertible without leaving an obtrusive buttress behind the seats. And oh! It has never given me any major problem in 11 and half years and counting

E90M3 > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 07:54

I drove an ND in early 2017, and it didn’t feel slow to me. It wasn’t fast, but it felt a little quicker than my 328i despite less hp, but then I’m sure it weights a decent amount less.

404 - User No Longer Available > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 08:16

The one thing to date I’m still most amazed is the shifter action. To date all the cars I’ve driven, no car can match it IMO, maybe except the E39 M5.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 08:39

It’s really, really good, isn’t it? As a fellow big guy, I was so happy I fit!

You should be able to get into one for $15k before too long.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/19/2019 at 08:43

If you’d bought Apple stock instead, it’d be worth $53k now.

Don’t ask me how much I paid for my G5 PowerPC in 2003...

Cash Rewards > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 08:51

They were setting fast time of the day at autocrosses everywhere in STR trim before the update. They're still quick in all the right ways

Jayhawk Jake > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 09:14

“Very little body roll”

Do you exclusively drive luxobarges? Miata’s have crazy amounts of body roll stock.

JustAnotherG6 > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 09:35

2016 Club for $20k:

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=506488986&zip=55112&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D55112%26listingTypes%3DUSED%26startYear%3D2016%26sortBy%3Drelevance%26incremental%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D0%26marketExtension%3Don%26modelCodeList%3DMIATA%26makeCodeList%3DMAZDA%26searchRadius%3D50&listingTypes=USED&startYear=2016&numRecords=25&firstRecord=0&modelCodeList=MIATA&makeCodeList=MAZDA&searchRadius=50&makeCode1=MAZDA&modelCode1=MIATA&clickType=listing

Spanfeller is a twat > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 10:48

I wish I fit more comfortably in one... if I ever got a lightweight sportscar it would probably have to be a GT86.

Driver_41 > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 11:23

I just bought a ‘16 Club with 1k miles, AMA.

I fell in love with the ND after test driving a ‘ 16 base Club, then a ‘19 RF back to back. The increased power is nice, but it doesn’t fundamentally change the experience IMO. I was happy to save 10k by getting a used one.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 11:27

one of us. one of us. one of us.

As an NB owner, I felt right at home when I test drove an ND. It was like the same thing but faster! I enjoyed the modernity without losing any of the miata feeling. The only thing I didnt like was the electric power steering but maybe that is something you can get used to? I’m in the same boat that NDs are too damn expensive right now but maybe some day I’d own one if NA/NB become prohibitively expensive/hard to find.

atfsgeoff > 404 - User No Longer Available
06/19/2019 at 12:11

It really was an awesome shifter. It was as good as the UUC short throw in my E30, which is high praise.

404 - User No Longer Available > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 13:00

I was thinking of getting that UUC for my F30 to sort out my gripes, lol.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 14:21

You can also mod it to make up for the missing stock power, per your future budget, rather than spending it all upfront.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > 404 - User No Longer Available
06/19/2019 at 14:23

Any Japanese car with a manual generally has good gear lever action.

Japanese/Asian culture favours smooth, light-effort human inputs, contrast that with the shifter on a manual Dodge Challenger.

404 - User No Longer Available > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/19/2019 at 17:00

Not the 1998 Honda Accord I learnt in...

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > atfsgeoff
06/19/2019 at 18:45

I’ve been thinking about these today. I drove a rental a little over a year ago. The power bump could be nice, but my thinking today would be to save 10-15 grand, then, spend 6k on a supercharger when I was bored with the “lack of power”.

MM54 > 404 - User No Longer Available
06/19/2019 at 21:20

Does the fiat 124 use the mazda transmission or do they have a different one? I feel like they probably don’t have their own appropr iate RWD box so I’m curious now.

404 - User No Longer Available > MM54
06/19/2019 at 23:31

I havent tried a 124, only the ND Miata at an auto show. IIRC back then the 124s were all locked.