Somebody help me. I am in the process of considering selling the teener to fund a miata. Here's the deal: Currently my daily driver is a 98 Suburban and the $2.00/gal gas prices are killing me. My 914 is basically a street legal track car that would take a lot of work to make a comfortable driver (currently no heating/ventilation parts installed and needs some window and targa seals bad). I only drive it on nice days w/ no chance of rain. I need a car that I can drive everyday (economical and fun) that still has the ability to do good things at the track.

For about the same money as I could get out of my 914, I could buy a nicely mod'ed Miata that has good heat, a/c, and a stereo...that I could drive in the rain, snow, and summer heat.

Somebody talk me out of it

Buy the Miata. Plain and simple. Your wants/needs far outweigh what the 914 has turned into. You can always buy a 914 later.

I'm seriously considering selling my truck to fund a Boxster purchase. I have to get started on them soon if I want to be guru in 15 years.


B

It won't be as fun as a 914.

I think you should sell me your 914 cheap and purchase a nice car made in Japan. It will be loads of fun.

I find the Miata's fun. Sometimes it is nice to have heat and AC (as I get older). They are wildly popular for SCCA Spec Miata racing. They handle very close to how our cars handle and have more HP/torque than our prepped cars.

They are *cheap* however. Pull the skin back.. and they look/feel cheap.


B

there is a *gay* factor with the miata, too. I'm not saying ALL guys that drive Miatas are gay, they just appear that way!












--if I have offended anyone in any way, too bad!--

Oh.. yeah I forgot about the all important *Gay* factor. It really play's into effect when living in the south. Here in SF it doesnt matter..


B

I always knew you were a crotchety old man...



Oh, I also like those "springy"seats.

I'll be 34 in Nov. After 2-3 weeks straight of 8am-midnight.. and weekends.. I start to feel it. I slept in today (9:45am) and barely lifted a racthet on a race car yesterday. Its all in fun. I wouldnt trade it for anything in the world.. well maybe...something.


B

Dump the Suburban & get something a little smaller for your daily driver. I traded my Suburban six months ago for a Toyota Sequoia. It gets 14-15 mpg around town which is not great, but better than the 11-12 I was getting in the Sub. The Sequoia has rack & pinion steering, disk brakes & coil springs all the way around, 4 cam 4.7 liter v8 and drives more like a car than a truck.

Or, just buy an older miata for your daily driver and keep the 914 for the track...There are lotsa nice first gen miatas floating around for sub 10K and many half of that.

Good luck,

Tony

What about MR.2?

My daily (only) driver is a 92 Miata.

I'm trying to get my 914 running well enough to smog it and use it on the weekends...of course now that I have a job, I no longer have a weekend.

They are fun, they like to drive in the upper rpms and love corners. the sound of the british style exhaust is fun to hear, but I love the sound of an aircooled flat 4/6.

I'm going to get my 914 running, have some fun with it, but I'll probably end up keeping the Miata, it's too reliable and parts are cheap.


the community, like the 914club, is more mature than a typical "car forum" and also, like the 914club, have tons of information and opinions and experience. visit www.miata.net



I'd say buy a Early 1990-93 1.6l Miata, they typically sell for around 3000.00+-.

Also keep the 914...you've probably got more money into it than you'd like to admit, and would sell it at a terrible loss and it would probably cost you even more if you were to build another one later on.


Sang

I had 2000 a Miata ... for 2 months.

Lots of fun to drive at 35 MPH on nice days.

But I'm 6'1 tall, and like to sit upright to drive. The short windshield and low roof made the car terrible to drive at high speeds (after a while my forehead hurt like I was riding a motorcycle without a helmet), and with the roof up, I was constantly bashing my head on the framework for the roof. There is a rod that is directly over your head.

I find the 914 is much more comfortable for highway and foul weather driving than a Miata. If you're tall, take one for a very loooong drive, both top up and down, before buying. (like 24 hours) I didn't, and soon regreted it.

Joe

Not that there's anything wrong with that....

aka, "chick car"?

Keep the 914 and get a first gen Miata. I have a '95 Miata that I bought new, it now has 205,000 trouble free miles. I'm 6'0 and I never put the top up unless it's raining. Here in Florida, it rarely get's cold enough to put the top up. I have a tonneau cover and wear a flight jacket and use the heater whenever it get's below 50. The a/c works great when the temp reaches 85+. I grew up with my father owning British sports cars in the '50's. He bought a new MG TD and a new 356 A. The 80's were horriable for sports cars. When the Miata came out, it reinvigorated the 2-seater convertibles. I've owned 2 914's in the past as daily drivers. They're extremely fun but not reliable enough for me. The Miata has been, by far, the most reliable 2-seat sports car I've ever owned. I currently have 3 914's, ungoing extensive enhancements. When they are finished, I'll continue to drive the Miata on days with any chance of rain, but will drive the 914 on perfect days. I commute 45 miles, one way, and until last year, I was an Oracle contract programmer, ie, no work no pay. In the 9 years I've owned the Miata, it has let me down once, I had a radiator hose bust. I called AAA, had the car towed to the dealer and picked up the car later that afternoon.

Good luck with your decision.

BTW, didn't know about the gay factor, I'm from Florida, not California.

I hear certain colors come from the factory with the rainbow sticker already on.

Keep the 914, buy a new moped for $1500. 100mpg. When it's too cold to ride the moped, it'll be fall and gas prices will be lower anyway.

that gay car thing is crap. Just feeding a very stupid stereo type. Like the Boxster's a chick car or the 914 was in it's day. I had a 2000 miata for a little over a year ( I almost wish I still had it). It was great, I even drove it cross country when I moved from FL to CA.

Gas mileage wasn't that great though. about 250 miles per tank...I think it was 12 gallons. I'd get close to 300 on an all highway trip. Sure was fast and fun though.

My vote is to sell the 'burban -- unless you really need it for work or other "mandatory" reasons -- and get something practical but smaller & more efficient and extremely reliable for commuting and bad-weather work. Perhaps a Subaru wagon or Toyota RAV-4 kind of thing?

FWIW I can relate too as I cringe every time we fill up the Land Crusher. It's a great vehicle but has travelled 25K miles in the last year and it runs on super unleaded which is ~$2.50/gal around here. Plus it has a small tank. So $300/mo for gas...for just the wife's car!

UMM. You don't want to do that.

The fun will wear off and you'll be left with a moderately aged asian car.

Much better to have a very aged, but german car.

I'll change my tune if ya say you're going to buy a new Mazda Speed Miata, but not before.

Cheers, glad we got ya strightened out..............

Duuude Where's My Car ?
Do what you want, but, know this....
You'll be baaack ! happened to me not so long ago !
Agree with the other posts, sell the V8 gas monger, and get yourself a commuter mobile! I was in your same shoes, rang-up 300k on two Ford Escorts (in 5years), still missed my 914. Had the same experience with motorcycles, Huummm, must be a need -for-speed !
Good Luck,

Try a motorcycle
Fuel economy is outstanding, performance is PHENOMINAL (depending on the model) And communting is actually fun.

That's EXACTLY what the guy who cuts my hair says about his miata. At least I think that's what he's saying. Between his terrible lisp and the squeaking of his leather pants, I can't always understand him.

See lots of them driven by guys around here, Atlanta. Most with "Trophy Babes" next to them. Can't all be Gay! Some even have roll bars and AX tires.

I've got a 90 miata with 110K miles,just replaced the engine with a 95 1.8 liter. If you get a early car 90/91 watch out for the crankshaft problem. Mine was great on gas almost 40 on the highway.

Bob

After years of owning 914s, Fiats, Alfas, etc. I got married and bout a sensible new car... a Miata. Blah, aweful little car with no soul. It worked well, but was absolutely no fun to drive.

Mazda'z Rx-7 have soul and would get my vote over a Miata any day. I owned a 1981 Rx-7 and to this day it was one of the best cars I have ever owned.

As always, your milage may vary.

a miata or mr2 are good choices... you may even be able to keep the 914 if you get an older one... they are great fun to beat around in... there's also other cars like the Mitsu Evo, WRX, and the RX-8(I looked at one of these last week, very sweet ) I totally understand what you are saying... i love my teener, but it not practical daily, when it rains every other week...

My thing is this: I love working on cars, but I don't like HAVING to work on a car to get me somewhere... if I don't want to work on my 914 for a month (or 3 like the past winter) I don't want to feel OBLIGATED... I gripe about my POS Chrysler, but it gets me anywhere... the 914 hasn't been outside the garage under it's own power in a year!

as far as a car "being gay": no such thing... that's just BS! a miata is no more gay than an Z3 and no more likely to have a gay driver... there are plenty of gay guys driving Pickups and Camaros too... a car is a car... it doesn't make you look gay... now, if you have the top down, blaring elton john on the stereo, with a poodle in the pass. seat...

the COLOR of the car CAN hurt you masculinity though a PINK car will never look "tough"

naaa, just sell the NARP and buy the meowta ...

Andy

My eye is starting to wander as well. But if you're going to look at these cars (WRX/EVO/RX8) why not get a Boxster S? I'm starting to see a lot of Boxster S's in the $25,000-$30,000 range. (And I'm starting to say "Hmmmm......")

-Ben M.

and that's why you go back to him over and over again, right?

Andy

I sort of understand your dilemma. I litterally had Brads email address up in a message window to ask him if he ever gets a stripped and repaired body shell where the owner is having second thoughts to give me a call. My end result was going to be a GT replica that was so clean it would make you sick. I love my little 2.0, but then someone will post a restoration pic where the bottom of the car has as nice of a paint job as the top - I really want that. However, after spending the afternoon in my car, I realised that other than seat of you pants speed, it would be almost the same as driving what I already have. I am now fighting with the idea of replacing it wath a boxter. I have seen them as low as 20 grand - thats cheaper than a nice 6 conversion. I hate to admit it, but the creature comforts are starting to appeal to me. I have seen some boxters with the updated GT-3 or turbo nose front bumper and a nice set of wide wheels that look mean as hell...
It's a tough decision... I need to drive a boxter to see what they are really like.

I don't call a boxter as practical as a jap car... the insurance alone makes a big difference... besides, I don't know if they will be reliable enough to drive daily, including the rainy and slushy winter days... but I may have to look into that now that you mention it... I really hadn't looked at used cars, since this one has been a bad experience...

My girlfriend has a '99 Miata with the sport package.

Good:
It's quick, it handles nicely (16" rims and Michelin Pilot SXs). It is a little rough on city streets, but any car worth a shit is. It's reliable.

Bad:
I have 4 mostly minor complaints with the car-
1) not much trunk space. The trunk on the miata is about the size of the reat trunk on the 914 (without the roof). Maybe even a little smaller. The front runk on the 914 is very handy if you are carrying just about anything.

2) Legroom. I am 5'10" and I find that the miata seats don't go back quite far enough.

3) Brake fade. One of the few cars in which I have actually noticed and been suprised by brake fade. I have done this twice now on the north end of skyline drive on the peninsula (norcal).

4) My legs tend to cover the speaker grilles when I do get comfy in the car - which degrades the sound quality a bit.

I say: go for it, but make sure you think about and/or test drive the MR2 Sypder, Boxster, and Elise before you make a final decision. Early used Boxsters might be an option if cost is a big factor.

Fiid.

LOL, flashbacks of Dumb and Dumber...

I like the 90-92 MR2s. They are mid engine, designed by Lotus, have AC and stuff too. I considered getting one, but I wanted to rebuild a car instead. If you get one, go for the turbo though...

What do you think about the Honda S2000?
Rode in one the other day. I must say, I was impressed. They redline above 9,000 rpms and handle like crazy without any mods. Scary car.

I felt like my hair was on fire and may have wet myself

That 2.0 ltr-4 makes 240 hp! No turbo.

trekkor

I think its kind of a joke when the Japanese try to make a roadster. Look at the first generation MR2... it was a complete copy of the Fiat/Bertone X 1/9. The miata was made to be a chick car (sorry guys), and they all are lacking the spirit of a good ol' American, Italian, or German roadster. Go drive a 55 T Bird, 72 Alfa, or a 61 356 and tell me it isnt far superior to any Honda S2000 or Mazda miata. I mean yeah, you compromise air conditioning, reliability, safety, blah blah, but its a roadster, not a commuter. If you want a car with good mpg and that starts every morning, dont get a roadster IMHO.

Skip the gay ass miata and pay 1500-3000 for a 4th gen Civic Si hatchback. Big ass trunk, huge aftermarket support, great drivability, stealth mobile, etc. I picked up one for $240, put $600 in it and now have a car that gets 35-37mpg on the highway, can haul a bunch of Porsche parts, and will handle awesome. By the way the car blue books for $3500. Not bad for a 12 year old car.

I'd rather have a Miata than an f'n Honda...FWD sucks !!!!

Tons of aftermarket support for the Miata, drop in an inch, throw some lightweight 15x7's on it with some sticky tires, add a rollbar/cage and have a blast driving the car instead of working on it

Try hauling four T4 motors in a miata. in fact try hauling anything more than your lunch.

My brother has a 2002 Miata... Quick little car. Gets great gas milage. Comfortable, reliable. . Only problem is his legs a too long and he complains about cramps in his legs. His knees are literaly next to the steering wheel. He doesn't have that problem in my 914. He fell asleep in the passenger seat while driving back from the Historics last year at Laguna Seca.

Ya, I've often thought about ownng a Miata. The f'in aftermarket in huge. Still, I drove the Miata and it just feels strange at the limit. Like it would get away from you very quickly if you were not paying attention. My 914 lets me know when I'm about to do something wrong with plenty of warning. I know they are diffrent animals but, one might be dissapointed Miata Vs. 914 on your favorite Racer Road.

My .02

Pat

I musta missed something... the S2000 is RWD...

and yes, I'd take the 2000 over the miata... if for no other reason than the "GO" button starter

Brett, 4 type 4s in anything short of a pickup would be tricky... if for no other reason than the weight... even if you CAN "fit" 4 into the back of a civic (which I don't know about that, as it is..) that's 1000 pounds extra sitting on the back... I don't think the suspension can hang for anything more than a SHORT trip... and god forbid you hit a pothole!

if you want a car to haul stuff... get a small pickup... my ranger got 27 mpg on the highway... if you want a car that's a fun commuter car, there are TONs out there... you can probably get you an older supra, rx7, mr2 etc, used for little enough to keep the 914 too

You can always turn your street miata into a spec miata

240HP out of a 2litre is quite normal for an engine that revs that high. Personally I think it would give me a headache. That is WAY peaky.

The S2000 is RWD.

The MR2 is rumoured to be a rejected lotus design. I believe Toyota owned Lotus at the time and in typical lotus fashion they probably didn't have the money to build it :-).

AFAIK the Miata was actually designed to be in the spirit (but not the reliability) of the british roadsters, such as the Spitfire and the MGB. I don't think it's designed with homosexuals, females or british ex-patiots in mind particularly - I think it's targetted at people who want a Spitfire or MGB like car without the team of mechanics required to keep it running.

I did drive one early Miata and noticed the handling was a bit "loose" on the rear end - this is why I would suggest going for one of the sport package models. My girlfriend's car has front and rear sway bars and faily stiff (but not unpleasant) springs. I have only had any serious oversteer out of it once, and it was severely provoked and in the wet.

Yeah, what Mueller said.

It seems a shame that my 914 sits in the garage as much as it does. I just don't want to drive it on a day where there is a chance that the weather will suck, and as it sits, it is just not practical or comfortable to run errands or commute.

The Suburban is staying, cause whatever fun car I have, I need to be able to trailer it to events and fit the wife, kid, tools, tires, etc. Plus it looks bad-ass w/ its bling-bling wheels.

All of you guys talking about Boxters, S2000s, and Evo's must think I am loaded. I am looking at spending only what I can get out of my 914 (appx $6K+) on a Miata. There are numerous early Miatas in the 3-4K range...throw a couple more "G's" at it and I've got upgraded suspension and new wheels/tires. I have also seen a few early & supercharged for between 6-7K...now you are talkin

Miatas look fun on the track...and if you have fun...what the hell....

As far as S2000's, I like 'em....I've got one as my daily commuter and even with no torque at all....it's a blast to drive and it handling is fun....drifting is easy and the VTEC sounds awesome when wide open....

Here's my daily driver...

Bill P.

Earlier Miatas had a bit more oversteer designed in (just like the design team wanted), the 91 MR2 also had a bit more oversteer designed in than say the 94+ MR2. Around 92, they changed the Miata's rear suspension design to be a little bit less quick to break loose.

as for the 1st gen MR2...it's just a rumor, everything I've seen on the MR2 FAQs and such suggest a link, but the design seems to come from Toyota (even though it does look like a mini Lotus Esprit) I was looking into them before I got my Miata.


And you're right, the Miata was designed in the spirit of the old British Roadsters, it's not for everyone, just those who "get it" (whatever their sexual orientation, gender, height, weight, etc...)




Sang 92/Mariner Blue Miata // 76/Rustbucket 914

check out a bmw e30 m3 8-10k 4 seats ,mountian bike fits in trunk ,simple mods make it fly, reliable good mileage,more race wins than any other sedan in history i have too many cars but wont let mine go!,oh keep the 914 u only live once or u could come back as some kind of weird animal