Men who are very "secure"...where my Miata fans at!?

[jordanmills]

me-oughta get a real car

 

[breakingcontact]

I drove a very nice third gen model but it was expensive. I appreciate how stripped down the 1st gen cars were but they are tiny inside. I think i like the 2nd generation best overall. I drove a beautiful red madzaspeed miata. Really really liked that car.

 

[T-FAST]

I'm really curious what the next gen MX-5 is gonna be like, rumor is it's gonna be ultra light and have around 200hp. As far as new cars that are fun, the Scion FRS / Subaru BRZ is hard to beat for a new entry level track toy/daily driver.

 

[breakingcontact]

That Scion/Subaru car is indeed pretty sick, but too much $ for me. That's part of the appeal of the used Miatas.

 

[T-FAST]

I agree. I like to stick to the under $7,000 range. Early Honda S2000's are getting pretty affordable now a days.

 

[Miloe]

The older, the lighter. In 93 they switched to the 1.8l engine, bigger brakes. 97 was the last year of the first gen, 99 was the first year of the second gen, no 98.

 

[M. Sage]

I used to have a Miata. Black 95 base.

Yeah, it's easy to talk shit about Miatas, until you take one out on a mountain road one day, realize you're passing all the other sports cars and running with a pack of sport bikes instead...

Did a good alignment on mine, stainless brake hoses, 8.5lb flywheel and some Azenis RT615 tires. The thing was scary fast on a twisty road.

 

[breakingcontact]

I used to have a Miata. Black 95 base.

Yeah, it's easy to talk shit about Miatas, until you take one out on a mountain road one day, realize you're passing all the other sports cars and running with a pack of sport bikes instead...

Did a good alignment on mine, stainless brake hoses, 8.5lb flywheel and some Azenis RT615 tires. The thing was scary fast on a twisty road.

Exactly. There is more to cars than cubic inches.

 

[Vern1]

I used to have a Miata. Black 95 base.

Yeah, it's easy to talk shit about Miatas, until you take one out on a mountain road one day, realize you're passing all the other sports cars and running with a pack of sport bikes instead...

Did a good alignment on mine, stainless brake hoses, 8.5lb flywheel and some Azenis RT615 tires. The thing was scary fast on a twisty road.

Have a buddy in Pflugerville with a little red Gen2 Miata.
There is a full blown Flying Miata breathed on motor in that sucker that puts 325HP to the rear wheels.
Drives more like a way overpowered shifter cart than a car.
Light to light and other short runs, it's a giant killer and he sends plenty of V8s home with their tails between their legs.
He said he measures his tire life in smiles instead of miles...

 

[TheCytochromeC]

[FONT=.Helvetica NeueUI] [/FONT]

 

[M. Sage]

Have a buddy in Pflugerville with a little red Gen2 Miata.
There is a full blown Flying Miata breathed on motor in that sucker that puts 325HP to the rear wheels.
Drives more like a way overpowered shifter cart than a car.
Light to light and other short runs, it's a giant killer and he sends plenty of V8s home with their tails between their legs.
He said he measures his tire life in smiles instead of miles...

I wish I'd have had the money to do that to my car. The stock trans seems to want to fail at about that HP level though...

 

[tmd11111]

Exwife has 2010 Grand Touring model. Somewhat fun to drive but sure would have been better with another 100hp. Just seems lacking on power unless you rev the shit out of it.

 

[M. Sage]

Exwife has 2010 Grand Touring model. Somewhat fun to drive but sure would have been better with anothef 100hp. Just seems lacking on power unless you rev the shit out of it.

Nothing wrong with revving the shit out of it. Ride a motorcycle (an actual fast one, not a Harley ) sometime. Got to rev the piss out of those to get power, too.

If I wanted to get my '95 moving fast, I'd rev to about 4, dump the clutch and floor it at the same time and hold 1st until the rev limiter hit at 7250.

Try an S2000 some time. 9000 RPM engine? Yes, please!

 

[Vern1]

Try an S2000 some time. 9000 RPM engine? Yes, please!

Man, wanted one of those since they came out - but alas, I'm poor....
Grew up on Mach IIIs, 750Fs and Z1s and love the wail of a Yoshimura straight four!!
Bet the S2000 warmed over a little would be even more of a shifter kart than a Miata!

 

[TheDan]

IMO, the s2000 is definitely the top of the small/light sportscar genre. They are so much fun to drive. Unfortunately I don't really fit in them. It's odd that I can fit in an x1/9 which is smaller, but the s2000 is way too cramped.

 

[oohrah]

Read the mag reviews, Car&Driver, etc. After the test drives, the drivers all want to go drive the MX-5 (Miata). It's not about HP, its about handling and responsiveness. Drive the Three Sisters or the Devil's Backbone, top speed is irrelevant. At the TWS track, the MX-5 beats the big guys because of the handling. It's just fun to drive.

 

[breakingcontact]

IMO, the s2000 is definitely the top of the small/light sportscar genre. They are so much fun to drive. Unfortunately I don't really fit in them. It's odd that I can fit in an x1/9 which is smaller, but the s2000 is way too cramped.

They are also much more expensive than the Miata which is kind of part of the whole point why Miatas are cool but yes the S2000 is cool, so is the M roadster.

 

[M. Sage]

Read the mag reviews, Car&Driver, etc. After the test drives, the drivers all want to go drive the MX-5 (Miata). It's not about HP, its about handling and responsiveness. Drive the Three Sisters or the Devil's Backbone, top speed is irrelevant. At the TWS track, the MX-5 beats the big guys because of the handling. It's just fun to drive.

The Miatas I've driven have all been mind readers. You think it, the car does it.

The S2000 can get kind of scary at the limit. "Where's the limit at... where's the limit at... Oh, there it was." The Miata is forgiving when you find the limit, and not one bit scary. Just all around fun car.

 

[breakingcontact]

Im thinking a Miata needs to be my next car or a second car. They are the most fun cars ive driven. Yes ive driven much faster cars but handling is more fun to me than raw speed. I seem to like the second gen best but the first gen are cool for being so raw but man are they tiny! The third gen almost feels too car like and less go kart.

 

[M. Sage]

I've driven everything this side of a Ferrari thanks to my job. I did a burnout in a Maserati Gran Sport (at the customer's insistence - who am I to say no?), I've had a Carerra 4S airborne (honest mistake on my part), and I've lost count of the 500 hp cars I've driven, including one that was over 500ci.

A 1st or 2nd generation Miata is more fun than most of them.