I have always had sports cars. My first car was a rolled over Austin Healey 3000. Then I had a
(new) Porsche 914 for many years. After a short, stupid break, I had a couple of RX-7's.

Now I am older (too old!), but my memories of the 914 make me want to buy another one.
Prices are not very high, butI am not sure I have the skills (welding mostly), strength,
or patience any more to keep one running. It seems like my choices are that or a Miata.

So, my question is, how does a 914 compared to a Miata, drivingwise? Are they comparable,
or very different? I loved the Porsche, but couldn't keep it running, especially
living in apartments. I want to enjoy that feeling again

Isn't a miata a thought of as a chicks car?

QUOTE (Krieger914 @ Mar 13 2006, 10:17 PM)

Isn't a miata a thought of as a chicks car?

Wasn't a 914 thought of as a chick's car?

If you spend the same amount of money on a 914 as you would on a Miata you shouldn't have to do any welding or other rust repairs.

No, I'm talking used here, not new!!

QUOTE (jd66921 @ Mar 13 2006, 06:26 PM)

No, I'm talking used here, not new!!

Me too...

Two 914s, one '99 Miata, drove several '90 Miatas.

The earliest Miatas are roughly in the same price bracket as a decent starter 914 ($3-5K). The early 1.6 Miatas are really torqueless cars with pretty unsatisfying engines, IMHO. The 1.8s were a lot better. By this time, most early Miatas need their suspensions rebuilt. The engines are strong and pretty easy to work on. I always hated the power steering on the early cars, as they made the steering way too light, and the ratio was so quick it was unnerving. The 914 has much better weighted steering. The '99 Miata is also nicer.

In terms of handling, throw about the same amount of money at either car's suspension and you'll find them pretty close to equal. As you find them today, they'll be pretty random, depending on how recently they were rebuilt. I'd still give the edge to the 914, once it was all sorted.

The later Miatas got stiffer, and lots more power. By '99, they were pretty damned fast. This is fairly serious money, though. A '99 Miata is in the $8-10K bracket, and an $8K-10K 914 would be a very, very nice car.

Day to day, the Miata has a lot less storage room than a 914. It's noisier, even with the top up. The Miata has lots of cowl shake over rough roads, even the later, stiffer cars.

If you're taller than 5'10", the Miata is likely to be a snug fit. My wife, who's 6', could just barely drive my '99 Miata.

I sold my Miata and bought a second 914...

The Miata is ass light, you start into a drift and the tail wants to come around. The 914, with the mid-engine configuration will stay in a drift with alot less convincing. But this is my observation from experiance.

Miata prices have goine through the roof since the SCCA nationalized the spec miata class.

Thought the Miata was a gay car?

QUOTE (Brett W @ Mar 13 2006, 09:59 PM)

Miata prices have goine through the roof since the SCCA nationalized the spec miata class. Thought the Miata was a gay car?

Gay car, chick car...come on people, can't we just enjoy the cars we like, ignore the ones we don't, and stop labeling every godd**m thing.

QUOTE (So.Cal.914 @ Mar 13 2006, 06:54 PM)

The Miata is ass light, you start into a drift and the tail wants to come around. The 914, with the mid-engine configuration will stay in a drift with alot less convincing. But this is my observation from experiance.

Miatas (esp. early ones) have some roll oversteer, but the phenomenon you mention is mostly caused by the fact that the Miata has a significantly shorter wheelbase than the 914. "Ass light" means "nose heavy", and that usually makes a car push, not spin. A car that's "ass heavy" will tend to want to spin, as anyone who's driven an early 911 hard will tell you.

Miatas (esp. early ones) will push very badly in slow turns unless you drive around the problem by deliberately getting the tail out with the brakes. In fast turns, the tail will often drift out a bit thanks to that roll oversteer, but it's very mild, and easily caught.

I've gotten into a lot more trouble overdriving a 914 than a Miata, but neither car is all that vicious. An early MR2, for example, is far worse.

Where in Texas are you?

QUOTE (jd66921 @ Mar 13 2006, 07:14 PM)

Prices are not very high, but I am not sure I have the skills (welding mostly), strength, or patience any more to keep one running. It seems like my choices are that or a Miata.

Mostly everything is better on a Miata - newer, more reliable, more power, etc.

A 914 however is a unique vintage car experience. Just spend some cash and buy a nice one and drive it. Fuch welding! There's no reason to buy a fixer if that is not your thing.

Miata's aren't cool, 914's are....

The Miata is a great little car. THE only thing wrong wth them is ....there are too many of them. Complete strangers won't walk up and say "Nice Miata, I haven't seen one that nice for 20 years. I remember when I was a kid.....yada,yada"

A 914 is aircooled not watercooled.
A 914 has a targa top not a rag top.
A 914 is midengined (47/53) not front engined.
A 914 engine has push rods and a timing gear not a rubber belt.
A 914 has analog fuel injection not digital.
A 914 has torsion bars in the front not springs.
A 914 is unique!

Miatas have no soul. They are very japanese though. Reliable and very modifiable. They can be brutal competitors.

One of the greatest things about the Miata, NO RUST. Nothing like E-coated bodies.

QUOTE (Krieger914 @ Mar 13 2006, 06:17 PM)

Isn't a miata a thought of as a chicks car?

Chicks car is a white VW cab - I'm a little embarassed everytime I drive my wifes car, it is faster than my POS Volvo.

QUOTE (root @ Mar 13 2006, 07:34 PM)

A 914 is aircooled not watercooled. - Everything is aircooled (oil-cooled)
A 914 has a targa top not a rag top.- Neutral
A 914 is midengined (47/53) not front engined. - The Miata is very close to that.
A 914 engine has push rods and a timing gear not a rubber belt. - Since when have push rods been a good thing?
A 914 has analog fuel injection not digital. - Analog FI sucks, normally it just doesn't work. I love analog stuff but this is one place where digital rules. CD's suck LP's rule!
A 914 has torsion bars in the front not springs. Torsion bars are springs - coils are much easier to work with.
A 914 is unique! - YES and very fun to drive.

The Miata is a freak in todays big ass heavy front wheel drive pig world.

Well I have a '73 2.0 and my wife has a 95 Miata. I don't think there is much comparison...apples and oranges...the 914 handles better and is cooler and has WAY more room inside and trunks. The Miata is an appliance, it doesn't screw up and when it gets up on the cam, it scoots pretty well, but more like an old British roadster than our little flat car. And no matter what the rest say, the 914 is a Porsche.

QUOTE

A 914 is midengined (47/53)...

really 47:53?

ive heard better than that in a review thing i have form the 70's or so...

they claim 51:49!

so what is it?


and

miata's are evil.(especially the new ones with those damn fender flares )
914's aren't.

You cant chop up a miata like you can a 914





Though Im contemplating doing so for a daily thrasher (primer black, flares, black wheels... exhaust cutouts, s2k engine/turbo... hmmm)

The Miata I drove reminded me of my 67 Mustang fastback as soon as the rear tires got loose, with no weight to keep them down the rearend would swing around. I didn't make it I just drove it, I don't have anything against them but when I canyon run I want something that will keep me on the road.

The Miata I drove reminded me of my 67 Mustang fastback. As soon as the tires in the rear broke loose without the weight to keep traction, the rearend came around. I just drove it, I didn't design it. Now I have nothing against them, but when I canyon run I want a car that is going to keep me on the road. That just happens to be a mid-engine Porsche.

i've owned both of them and like everyone is saying, miata is a dime a dozen car.

one thing hasn't been brought up.........shifting...
the miata gearbox/shifting is really great..

QUOTE (J P Stein @ Mar 13 2006, 11:30 PM)

The Miata is a great little car. THE only thing wrong wth them is ....there are too many of them. Complete strangers won't  walk up and say "Nice Miata, I haven't seen one that nice for 20 years. I remember when I was a kid.....yada,yada"

You are so right I have owned at one time or another 1 e-type Jaguar, 4 Alfa spiders, 3 Porsches, 3 Fiats, 1 Mustang GT,1 Sunbeam Alpine aside from maybe the Jaguar none has had the wow factor that this 73 914 has....can't stop for gas without some one running over and asking about the cool car.....Also it is more fun to drive and own than any of the above,warts and all.

Paul F.
Oh yes I forgot the 1949 Ford V-8 Coupe with duals and Smitty mufflers boy did that car sound great going from 0 to 60 in 15 seconds.

Ask a 914 board about the 2 and the responces are going to be a little baised...

Get what will make you happy.

Zach

QUOTE (J P Stein @ Mar 13 2006, 07:30 PM)

The Miata is a great little car. THE only thing wrong wth them is ....there are too many of them. Complete strangers won't walk up and say "Nice Miata, I haven't seen one that nice for 20 years. I remember when I was a kid.....yada,yada"

I have to admit I have more complete strangers stop me and say is that the new Miata? Than stop me in the 914. But I guess the new MX5 is a more rare car than the 914 and previous generation Miatas currently.

Maybe for you in California. But on the rest of the planet the 914 is rarely seen. In my case, over the 10 years that I have owned one, and other than in repair shops etc., I have seen only 4 914's on the road. Seen more Deloreans, Ferrari's, Lamboreghini's, Camry's, etc. by a large margin.

QUOTE (balljoint @ Mar 14 2006, 11:13 AM)

Maybe for you in California.  But on the rest of the planet the 914 is rarely seen.  In my case, over the 10 years that I have owned one, and other than in repair shops etc., I have seen only 4 914's on the road.  Seen more Deloreans, Ferrari's, Lamboreghini's, Camry's, etc. by a large margin.

Maybe that is one of the reasons 914s have the wow factor

FWIW Grassroots Motorsports corner-weighed a 914 for the Nov/Dec 1997 issue. Without driver they came up with 44.6% front and 56.4% rear. Unfortunately these don't add up to 100% so I'm not impressed with their math skills. They did give the corner weights however:
469 473
585 604
The total is 2131 and by my calculations the distribution is 44.2% front and 55.8% rear. They didn't mentions how full the gas tank was or whether the top was in place. The car was a 74 2L with Fuchs.

While I'm at it let me give you the 0-60 time they measured: 9.17 seconds. (This was a welll-built but stock motor.) In the April 1988 issue of Car and Driver a never-overhauled 1973 2L was tested at 8.6 seconds. That car had a curb weight of 2222lbs. BTW, what is curb weight, does it include driver?

IMO if you'd even consider a Miata -

a 914 is not for you.

In a 914 you get thumbs up from 356's.

I did and was shocked.

Well haven't driven a 914 yet but I will Sunday. Now when I autox this year and the miatas are kicking my ass I may regret the 914

Miatas are pretty badass little autox cars though. Not sure about 914s honestly.

QUOTE (914-8 @ Mar 14 2006, 08:23 AM)

IMO if you'd even consider a Miata - a 914 is not for you.

I agree Miatas are for sissies or for husbands to drive when its raining.

QUOTE (turboman808 @ Mar 14 2006, 09:39 AM)

Miatas are pretty badass little autox cars though. Not sure about 914s honestly.

depends on the level of prep on each car......you'll be shocked (pleasantly) how well a 30 year old car does up against newer modern cars....

the skill of the driver make a huge differance, if you suck at driving the 914, jumping into a Miata isn't going to make you any better

I've never driven the older Miatas, I did get a chance to flog the new MX5 a few times and it was okay....I'd buy one if I could only have one car.........

Before I bought the Boxster I went looking at Miatas. I was looking at a new one not used at that time. I am 5'10' with broad shoulders. When I sat in the Miata my shoulder would hit the door. When I went on a test drive I had to "lean" to the right to drive it and that was not comfortable. I bought the Boxster (love at first sight).

Before I bought the 914 I again went looking at Miatas for autocrossing/track use. I found some in my price range and even found some that had been turbocharged. I thought I could life with the lean for AX and track but then my back reminded me that it doesn't like to lean too often. The Miata is a nice car and if you fit in one and like that type of car then buy one.

I bought by teener because 1) I have owned Porsches since 1988, 2) I love Porsches, 3) I have always liked the 914, 4) the car was in good shape, and 5) the price was right.

Good luck with your decision which ever way you decide.

Mike

QUOTE (mikelsr @ Mar 14 2006, 09:14 AM)

When I sat in the Miata my shoulder would hit the door. When I went on a test drive I had to "lean" to the right to drive it and that was not comfortable. I bought

HAHA reminds me when I bought a 2000 celica to learn to race in. For a stock car it was pretty badass and with the auto tranny I spent the summer focusing completely on taking proper lines.

Anyways Everything was good I had the new car and was all ready to race. Then I went to the first autox. Put on my helmet and realized I don't fit HAHA

I had to recline the seat to drive that car but it was still alot of fun.

Gay car? Chicks car? Whatever.. thats irrelevant.

Miatas are too "round". To me... they look like a giant suppository.

Not to mention..... you only see..... what? Maybe a thousand of them every day?

They have no "character".....

Buy a 914 )

Pretty interesting discussion! 1/1 scale, go for what tickles your fancy. Personally, I'd purchase a 914 (still being prodded by AirBoston ) as it is a rare sight and surprisingly affordable (at least "tip of the iceberg" wise!). That is if I quit nickle and diming myself with 1/10th scale projects. I've built the Miata: (a "chick" actually owns the reference car)


I'll let you know as soon as I build the 914 from GT Performance and find a club member who would be kind enough to share some reference photos. My apologies for the OT tangent.

.....b

The 914 is a fairly uncommon vintage sportscar, with a racing herritage that practically has no equal.

The miata is a japanese repro of a '60's era brittish roadster. It has a lot of the qualities of the older sports cars, without any of the character. The suspension is very well designed, SLA front and rear. It handles exceptionally well with minimal effort. It's got a good amount of power (especially the newer engines), and still has nice amenities like A/C, power windows, smooth shifiting, no oil leaks, no burning electricals, and things like that.

The 914 has dramatically more storage space than the miata, more interior room. And if you were to take both cars, and put the same development into them, they'd both handle exceptionally well.

914: A car with history, character, uniqueness, and skill. People may stop and stare at a really nice one...

Miata: An appliance that you can take to the track or the autox with no problems at all. No one will notice the car unless it's on fire...

Me, I'd take the 914... Oh, I already did.... :-)

-Josh2

QUOTE (jhadler @ Mar 14 2006, 04:26 PM)

The 914 is a fairly uncommon vintage sportscar, with a racing herritage that practically has no equal. The miata is a japanese repro of a '60's era brittish roadster. It has a lot of the qualities of the older sports cars, without any of the character. The suspension is very well designed, SLA front and rear. It handles exceptionally well with minimal effort. It's got a good amount of power (especially the newer engines), and still has nice amenities like A/C, power windows, smooth shifiting, no oil leaks, no burning electricals, and things like that. The 914 has dramatically more storage space than the miata, more interior room. And if you were to take both cars, and put the same development into them, they'd both handle exceptionally well. 914: A car with history, character, uniqueness, and skill. People may stop and stare at a really nice one... Miata: An appliance that you can take to the track or the autox with no problems at all. No one will notice the car unless it's on fire... Me, I'd take the 914... Oh, I already did.... :-) -Josh2

Funny especially the on fire bit!!!!

I posted this to both the 914 forum and the Miata forum. Over 80 replies,
more interest than any other topic I have contributed to. Usually I kill any
topic I add to!

Nobody convinced me of anything, although I didn't really think they would.
I guess I am now convinced that the 914, much as I desire it, is not
something that can be driven regularly unless a very large investment in
money and time is made. It was interesting to see how many Miataphiles
want/have/had 914's.

A couple of notes on the 914's based on the comments:

I never adjusted the valves very often. Always ran well. (Except when wet!)

The shifter did not bother me. It took me a long time to learn that you
could do a 1-2 shift straight up without following the pattern. Never hit
reverse! The unusual shift pattern is what got me thinking about the 914 again.

The brakes and steering were both superb. I could think about changing
lanes and it was done. The brakes never seemed to lock up, but stopped the
car perfectly.

The final straw in the life of the 914 for me was a broken muffler mount
that left the muffler supported only by the engine studs. Once those started
breaking, it was too much to fix

Anyway, I don't want a racer, nor do I want to build one. I am too old to
want to build my dream car. I am also disabled/retired so money is a
consideration. I am a good wrench, but not all the time.

In summary, I guess I'll probably opt for the Mazda, unless some fantastic
deal appears for a good Porsche appears. If anyone hears of one in Texas let
me know! Of course, I have never seen anything close to the prices people
talk of for NA Miata's either.

Jeff

Owning both is the best way to go.

I'll end there........

.......b

I currently own a '04 Miata with 30,000 miles. I purchased it just before I sold my '95 Miata with 220,000+ miles. I currently own (2) '74 2.0l 914s, one is drivable, after a 2 year restoration, the other one is currently being restored. I own/drive the Miata because of the reliabilty and dependability. I drive 80+ miles round-trip daily to work. The 914 is a weekend/play car for me.

-- Rob

Rob, you need to drive your teener more. How about let me have it for a few months.
I'll bring it back running like a top Promise
Might need some tires and brakes though

I like 'em all.... however, I put the one's I like best in the forground!

QUOTE (watsonrx13 @ Mar 15 2006, 10:12 AM)

I currently own a '03 Miata with 30,000 miles. I purchased it just before I sold my '95 Miata with 220,000+ miles. -- Rob

Wow! Cool. an 03 w/ 30K good find. My 95 M edition has 31K. Had 28 when I found it.

......b

QUOTE (Bruce Allert @ Mar 15 2006, 07:44 PM)

QUOTE (watsonrx13 @ Mar 15 2006, 10:12 AM) I currently own a '04 Miata with 30,000 miles. I purchased it just before I sold my '95 Miata with 220,000+ miles. -- Rob Wow! Cool. an 04 w/ 30K good find. My 95 M edition has 31K. Had 28 when I found it. ......b

Hey Bruce, I bought the car new (it's an '04) and have put 30K on it in 16 months....

-- Rob