New to Me Miata

"Hobbs, D. Hobbs." (hobbsD) 07/23/2014 at 10:23 • Filed to: The Real Hobbs

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Well, the hive mind got to me, and I bought a 91 NA in Silverstone.

As I write this, it's in the shop for an alignment, tire balance, and general safety inspection. But, here are my thoughts after owning it for a week:

The Good

I thoroughly enjoy owning a used vehicle after having leased a Mini Cooper S for three years. Liberated. That's the word. Having that title in my hand as I left the DMV was glorious. And the car owning experience has definitely increased, knowing that I have little to worry about if I put a little rub on it. It's my car. I report to no one. Take that BMW financing...

Better yet: I own a low mileage (cult?) classic at 36k miles that I think stole from the gentleman. The dealership was very complimentary of it when I brought it in today as well as the auto parts store when I got some oil and other stuff.

No rust. Looks like no winter driving. Starts, runs, stops without drama. Yes, it's 23 years old, and yes, it has some love bruises (dings, small scratches–most would come out with a wet polish), but it's in dang good shape. Oh, and it's a long nose crank, so no problems there.

Driving to work with the top down increases the pleasure per minute ratio for the commute. And sometimes I feel like I'm back on my motorcycles of days gone by–and that is a good thing.

Oh, I also did my own car service for the first time in years. It was, at the same time, wonderful and horrifying (well, horrifying when I rolled my car a bit too far off the ramps and....).

The OK

It has the FRS/BR-Z issue: It needs a turbo. But this coming from a guy who got addicted to turbo 4s (a 2003.5 VW GLI & the Cooper S). The 1.6 is a peppy engine above 4.5k, but I wouldn't mind a little kick in the pants as the turbo spools up.

The handling: it's ok. But I blame this less on the vehicle and more on the need for a refresh of suspension components and different tires. I ran Conti Extremes on my Coopers, and loved them. Would like something in this genre of tires in the future.

Alright, look. I get there's a Miata thing around here. I get that "it's always the answer." But it's not. It's a tiny convertible. It was modeled after british roadsters, and it rattles and drives a bit like the Triumph Spitfire in my family. So, know that going in. I don't mind it, but it's definitely not a perk.

And also: Not all Miatas are good looking cars. Oh, of course that's subjective. But I look at an NB and I think, "why?" And the NC's? Fine in Club trim. But at 27k... NAs, generally I like them. But they take some suspension/wheel work to actually look good. That being said, I think my car looks ok. I'll take care of that later on.

The Bad

Not much. Needs a cleaning. Needs a wet polish. Needs the work being done right now. But if it's missing anything, it needs a LSD. This car should be more lively, and my 91 1.6L NA would do with a good LSD. If I had the funds, I'd do it right away. But I've got other things that need that money right now. Also, a hardtop would be nice.

Postscript

I went by "Mighty Hammond" around here when the Cooper was in the garage, in honor of the Mini's name-Hammond. Now, I'm Hobbs, D. Hobbs. In honor of, well, David Hobbs, and my car's new name–Hobbs.

Also, pictures will be forthcoming when it is finally clean. And let me know if you have any questions about it.

daender > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:28

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FYI, the style bar is a great source of Miata fan arguing over safety. On one hand, it's sorta cool. On the other hand, they're known as "mouse traps" if you flip it. Anyway, nice job netting a good gem of a NA. I take only some offense to the NB comment though. :P

Hobbs, D. Hobbs. > daender 07/23/2014 at 10:32

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Yes, I have a roll bar on the list of things to buy. In fact, this was a heady point of contention with the spouse before purchase. Now, I look at all convertibles to see what kind of rollover protection they have. Barely any seems to be the answer.

As for the NB, no offense. It's something about the lower side molding that looks cheap to me, and they deemphasized the hood bulge, which I do like.

daender > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:37

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Sell the bar for $125, my friend had one on his NB and sold it the very day he put it for sale. There are people against legit roll bars because you can bonk your head on them but there is padding you can put over the bar or buy one designed to be further set back away from the head rests.

Lower side molding? You mean the side skirts? Yeah, I don't care for the OEM tupperware body kits so I'm glad mine didn't come with that.

DeLM > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:38

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Congrats on the very clean purchase! As a newer Miata owner myself I had some of the same impressions as you, especially the motorcycle bit. I have had it for about 2 months now and love it! I do think that a super charger would be more suitable on the 1.6, I thought turbo at 1st also, but seeing how it really winds up after 4,000 it really just needs the extra help down low and it's a bit lighter. I see the plate says WI, I am on IL/WI near Kenosha, not sure where you are but if you are close, should definitely meet for a drive. Plus.. if you are close to the border should join Windy City Miata Club. They have a nice autocross at the end of August . ENJOY!

MachineReplica > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:39

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Do you plan on autocrossing this car? Swapping in the 94+ Torsen rear end will put you in a really tough class. If you have any questions about tires, let me know. I have a 95M that I've done plenty of custom stuff and some mods, all tastefull of course. I autocross the piss out of mine. It has less rattles now that I've put in some dyna mat, taken the dash in and out a few times, and other stuff.

If you have any suspension questions, for the love of god don't as the Miata groups on FB. I can also direct you to a suspension that won't break the bank, give you a nice ride, and still handle way better than stock.

The Silverstone is a great color.

MazdaMonkey > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:42

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Strong buy. Early, low mileage examples in stock form are definitely appreciating these days. I have seen a couple sell for 5 figures, which is crazy when they were worth half of that a couple of years ago.

NAs are great cars when you understand their limitations. I have owned all three generations over the years and the 1.6 was the purest form of the car, even if a bit dated by modern standards. Enjoy!

Hobbs, D. Hobbs. > MazdaMonkey 07/23/2014 at 10:50

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Thank you, I appreciate it. The highest price NA I saw (and continue to see) in my neck of the woods is the 95 M edition in Merlot. Even with 80K miles, they're priced in the mid to high 8k range. I'm tempted to throw it on Craigslist for 8k and see if anyone even bites. I'd make a pretty dime, but I know I wouldn't be able to get the same quality car at the price I purchased it for. In the end, it may be a wash. For now, I'll hang on to it. I actually think it has a lot of potential in the future for a weekend track car/occasional daily driver.

Hobbs, D. Hobbs. > DeLM 07/23/2014 at 10:51

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Thanks. Congrats on your purchase, as well. Have you had any contact with the Badgerland group? They seem quite active, but I know they're a bit more focused west of you.

The Transporter > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:52

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Gooble gobble one of us!

Übel > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:52

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As for rollover protection, I know newer 911s (and I'll assume other cars) have active roll bars that only pop out when needed a la airbags, so just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not there.

I know this doesn't affect your situation, but I thought I'd mention it.

anothermiatafanboy > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:52

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You live near Milwaukee? Menomonee Falls for this here opponaut. '96 Miata with hardtop is my DD.

Nerd-Vol > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:52

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Welcome to the club! I just got mine Friday!

Hobbs, D. Hobbs. > MachineReplica 07/23/2014 at 10:53

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Thanks! I've read about the Torsen swap, but I was wondering about doing an aftermarket LSD only. I don't care to professionally autocross and compete in class, but occasionally doing that and a HPDE (something ironic there about Miata and HP events...) at Blackhawk Farms and Road America are probably in the future sometime.

Hobbs, D. Hobbs. > anothermiatafanboy 07/23/2014 at 10:55

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Are you selling yours, by chance? It sounds familiar to one I saw on CL.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:55

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Is your username based on David Hobbs? Also, congrats!

Hobbs, D. Hobbs. > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:55

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[and looks familiar based on your avatar]

DeLM > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:56

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I haven't. But it's more due to having a lot to do at the moment than it being a little further away. I will look into it, I like driving out west of Madison, the Palisades on the Mississippi, New Glaurus stuff like that.

DeLM > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 10:56

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Thanks btw. :)

Hobbs, D. Hobbs. > DeLM 07/23/2014 at 10:57

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Yea, great areas to drive. Go get lost in Blue Mounds. It's a wonderful area.

Hobbs, D. Hobbs. > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 07/23/2014 at 10:59

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The one and only. I like the guy on F1 coverage, he's a Milwaukee resident, and he spends sometime in Elkhart Lake, WI. I actually saw him at Off the Rail in Elkhart a year or two back. I should have asked for an autograph, but I know what it's like to be hounded when you work in the media business.

Hobbs, D. Hobbs. > Übel 07/23/2014 at 11:00

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Solid points. I guess I was comparing to older convertibles I've seen recently: Corvettes, S2000s, etc.

MachineReplica > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 11:01

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I wouldn't mess with an aftermarket LSD. I would find a torsen with your preferred gear ratio, 3.9, 4.1, or 4.3 and go with that. Unless you are pushing absurd levels of power, you don't need anything more than that. I understand you want to turbo that 1.6, but I would suggest trying to find a 1.8 from a 99-05. 01-05 got VVT on the intake side, which allows you to run more aggro cams and keep the car streetable.

Get some Koni Yellow (sport) shocks, Ebay coilover sleeves, good springs (~500 lb front and ~350 lb rear), good bushings (prothane or energy), Mazda Competition motor mounts, Mazda Comp diff mounts, a bit of rake in the rear and call it a day after a good alignment. Probably a good time to replace the tie rod ends as well.

MazdaMonkey > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 11:04

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This is an extreme example, but this one went for 15K recently ! ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/1990-Mazda… )

Definitely keep it and drive it. Even if it doesnt appreciate (which I doubt), you could own and drive that car for 5 years and it will always be worth what you put into it at the way things are going. It's a great, simple car, that does nothing more than provide a great driving experience. If its a 2nd car, then even better. I will always have a Miata of some vintage in my stable, regardless of my life experience, because there are few things as nice in life as leaving work on a Friday and putting the top down for a ride home. Mountain runs are also fantastic.

A piece of advice, however, as I have gone through this quite a bit. Either keep it as a daily driver or keep it as a track car. Don't try both if you are running on legit road courses. The NA doesn't offer much at all in terms of roll protection. It rarely rolls over, but when it does, you are not going to want to be sitting in one. So, to track it, you need at least a heafty bar (and probably a cage to protect in side impacts ), and if you're on the taller side, you do not want to daily drive car with roll protection that you can smack a helmetless-head on (makes a simple fender bender turn into brain damage).

I used to daily drive an NB with the proper (and often required) safety equipment, basically in Spec Miata form, and the car was horrendous in the street (even if awesome on the track). I once tried to pick up a girl for a date in the car (not my current fiance - she would be more understanding), and she flat out refused to get in the car after she heard it and saw it roll up (and then looked at the 6-point belts). I eventually coaxed her in, but she was not happy. Car was awesome on the track though, but attempting to daily that thing the rest of the year was not worth it.

Either way, strong buy! Enjoy!

anothermiatafanboy > Hobbs, D. Hobbs. 07/23/2014 at 13:03

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Nope, the parts of mine that aren't rust colored are white. The avatar was just a random picture. Mine only has 64k miles. Low mileage NA club!