Need DFD's help narrowing which Miata is right for my situation

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Acid666
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So the bike is sold. I've got $4K cash set off to the side, and can come up with about another $1K per month if I really budget it in. So let's say my budget is between $4-5K for the purchase of a car with the intent on immediately throwing Rivals on it, and slowly upgrading things it doesn't come with. Suspension first, then intake/exhaust etc. The Z06 pretty much has all the major power adders and higher dollar items I want, so I can concentrate on upgrading the Miata for the wife and me for a fun side car.

Here's the 30,000ft view of where I'm at. My wife co-drives my car during autocross, and I want to get her a Miata 1) to save wear and tear on my tires, 2) to give her something to put time and elbow grease into, and 3) for both of us to co-drive at another event per month. Currently I only try to make 1 event per month because of the codriving. But I've got 3 clubs within 2 hours of me, so in a month I've got potential to make a 2nd event. The plan would be to make :melon: and I's main club event in the Z06 and Miata, and make a 2nd event in the Miata where we both shred the car. It'll give her some seat time with me in the same car so she can gauge her times against, and it'll let me have a 2nd fun car to drive. If the car I buy is stock, we'll be racing it in a stock class for a good 4-6 events. If it's got parts, I'm maxing it out for that class when I get cash for it. (I want it to be competitive locally, not too worried about a national level build)

So ultimately it'll be kind of garaged with the Z, but occasionally taken out to work by her. Not daily driven, but I don't want to stiffen the suspension to rock hard right away. Price-wise, this puts me in an NA or NB. I've been told that if I'm going to go nuts with autocrossing it, then to get an NA. If I want a little more daily friendly, go with an NB. Been told to get the 5 speed over the 6 because 2nd in the 5 speed is just right. 1.6 vs 1.8, Ideally I want the bigger motor, but I think the power goal will be the supercharge it to give more low end torque for coming out of corners. I'm not opposed to the smaller, but I need opinions. I don't want to do a motor swap, I think ultimately I'm going to end up in STR or whatever street touring class there is, but the end goal will be to make it uber fast on Hoosiers and trailer it to and from events down the road.

I've got a few locally in mind, and it's a buyer's market so I can lowball the hell out of people. I'm just wondering if I should go older and cheaper and just drop a couple of grand in it on suspension and tires, or spend a little more up front for a nicer clean body NB. I will likely repaint it or even wrap it, so paint isn't my main concern.
Thoughts? Things to stay away from? Let me know what you guys think. I only know so much about Miatas. :melon:'s filled me in on a lot, but I need moar inputs.
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[user not found] wrote: Mon Sep 03, 2018 7:27 pm NB is an NA that’s less cool but with more power, more curves, and more stiffness.

However, it’s also got more weight. I don’t know if it’s a function of weight or price but the fastest ES and STX Miatas are NAs.
Yeah, Alan's suggestion was that if I wanted to hardcore autocross it to start with a bare bones NA platform. I think I'm leaning that way, but there's a yellow NB with a hardtop that looks TEH SEX. I'm also looking at an 1992 NA that's yellow that's more of what I'm considering. I need more info from the seller
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Wish i could be helpful here, but I know nothing about these things. Newer is better IMO. Its japanese so it takes high mileage well. I'd try to find a one or two owner example as new as possible to fit into the budget. Bare bones stock ideally, driven by some old lady who's husband bought it for her 10-20 yrs ago hoping that she would get t-boned by an F150 and never did.
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look at classing too, early na's are 1.6 and later ones 1.8.

the 94 and up cars are better for lots of reasons.
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Acid666
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So far, the cleanest one I've seen for a reasonable price is this one. 99 with a hardtop. $4,500. 141K miles.
I emailed him asking what other rims he's got and if it's a 5 or 6 speed, but haven't gotten a response yet.

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There's a really nice 2002 with a hard top, but she's asking too much. I believe it's pretty much stock. 90K miles
She's asking $6K without hardtop, $7K with. Looked it up and that yellow is a tough find, so she's asking a premium, which it's likely worth, but no one's gonna pay it. Same thing as my bike, the market is going to determine the value, and she's likely going to be sitting on it for a good while at that price.
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I know nothing about Miata's, but that '99 looks like a good :dill:

:iono: It's the one I would prefer out of those.
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Apex wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:31 am I know nothing about Miata's, but that '99 looks like a good :dill:

:iono: It's the one I would prefer out of those.
Yeah if I can get matching yellows it would be the :tits: but I'm not gonna break the bank on getting it to my garage. It's definitely the local car of choice right now. Part of me does kind of like the idea of starting from scratch tho so I can teach my wife how certain parts affect the handling and she experience it the same way I slowly put parts on my car.

The woman that owns that yellow 2002 also has a 92. Along with a tat for it. Apparently "Sunburst 92" is a thing.
So at least she's a miata person and likely takes care of it.
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Acid666 wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:41 am
Apex wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:31 am I know nothing about Miata's, but that '99 looks like a good :dill:

:iono: It's the one I would prefer out of those.
Yeah if I can get matching yellows it would be the :tits: but I'm not gonna break the bank on getting it to my garage. It's definitely the local car of choice right now. Part of me does kind of like the idea of starting from scratch tho so I can teach my wife how certain parts affect the handling and she experience it the same way I slowly put parts on my car.

The woman that owns that yellow 2002 also has a 92. Along with a tat for it. Apparently "Sunburst 92" is a thing.
So at least she's a miata person and likely takes care of it.
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:wat: in the all that is holy
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max225 wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 10:02 am :wat: in the all that is holy
Lol. :dafuq:
I dunno man. I facebook stalked her from her ad to see if I could find other pictures of it, and that was in a thread where people were all "OH NOEZ YOU NOT SELLIN YOU BABY!?!"
And her response was "I STILL GOTS MAH 92 SUNBURST SHA!"
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Acid666 wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:41 am
Apex wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:31 am I know nothing about Miata's, but that '99 looks like a good :dill:

:iono: It's the one I would prefer out of those.
Yeah if I can get matching yellows it would be the :tits: but I'm not gonna break the bank on getting it to my garage. It's definitely the local car of choice right now. Part of me does kind of like the idea of starting from scratch tho so I can teach my wife how certain parts affect the handling and she experience it the same way I slowly put parts on my car.

The woman that owns that yellow 2002 also has a 92. Along with a tat for it. Apparently "Sunburst 92" is a thing.
So at least she's a miata person and likely takes care of it.
ok, how competitive do you want to be? I will defer to Troy's expertise for classing but here is a quick rundown of generational changes and what used to be competitive:

NA1: 89-93 The lightest of all. 1.6 engine, viscous LSD, fragile 7" ring gear that WILL shit the bed with autox launches eventually. They get their own street class to play in these days away from other miate, ES I think. I think they are competitive in that class.
NA2: 94-95 Big upgrades, 1.8 engine, 8" rear end with torsen diff that is indestructible. Lots of extra bolt on chassis stiffeners. The 94-94 R models are the ones to get here if you find a deal, or do a package swap for street class racing, but I don't think they have a competitive place to play anymore. In 96 they went to OBD 2, so if you plan on modding ever AND needing emissions sticker get a 94-95.
NB1: 98-01. Little bit stiffer, but basically some underpinnings as the na2. The 99 sport was the car to have, not sure why specifically.
NB2: 02-05? These got even stiffer, more power through VVT, 6 speed transmissions were a thing, not sure where they are on the auotx competitiveness scale.
NB2 MSM: Factory turbo BP engine in the US, FINALLY. Great cars, but not good for autox... the short ratio of the 6 speed and reduced redline of the engine made it so that it was geared just wrong enough for most autox courses. These have held value pretty well.
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:55 am
Acid666 wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:41 am

Yeah if I can get matching yellows it would be the :tits: but I'm not gonna break the bank on getting it to my garage. It's definitely the local car of choice right now. Part of me does kind of like the idea of starting from scratch tho so I can teach my wife how certain parts affect the handling and she experience it the same way I slowly put parts on my car.

The woman that owns that yellow 2002 also has a 92. Along with a tat for it. Apparently "Sunburst 92" is a thing.
So at least she's a miata person and likely takes care of it.
ok, how competitive do you want to be? I will defer to Troy's expertise for classing but here is a quick rundown of generational changes and what used to be competitive:

NA1: 89-93 The lightest of all. 1.6 engine, viscous LSD, fragile 7" ring gear that WILL shit the bed with autox launches eventually. They get their own street class to play in these days away from other miate, ES I think. I think they are competitive in that class.
NA2: 94-95 Big upgrades, 1.8 engine, 8" rear end with torsen diff that is indestructible. Lots of extra bolt on chassis stiffeners. The 94-94 R models are the ones to get here if you find a deal, or do a package swap for street class racing, but I don't think they have a competitive place to play anymore. In 96 they went to OBD 2, so if you plan on modding ever AND needing emissions sticker get a 94-95.
NB1: 98-01. Little bit stiffer, but basically some underpinnings as the na2. The 99 sport was the car to have, not sure why specifically.
NB2: 02-05? These got even stiffer, more power through VVT, 6 speed transmissions were a thing, not sure where they are on the auotx competitiveness scale.
NB2 MSM: Factory turbo BP engine in the US, FINALLY. Great cars, but not good for autox... the short ratio of the 6 speed and reduced redline of the engine made it so that it was geared just wrong enough for most autox courses. These have held value pretty well.
:fax:
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:55 am
Acid666 wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:41 am

Yeah if I can get matching yellows it would be the :tits: but I'm not gonna break the bank on getting it to my garage. It's definitely the local car of choice right now. Part of me does kind of like the idea of starting from scratch tho so I can teach my wife how certain parts affect the handling and she experience it the same way I slowly put parts on my car.

The woman that owns that yellow 2002 also has a 92. Along with a tat for it. Apparently "Sunburst 92" is a thing.
So at least she's a miata person and likely takes care of it.
ok, how competitive do you want to be? I will defer to Troy's expertise for classing but here is a quick rundown of generational changes and what used to be competitive:

NA1: 89-93 The lightest of all. 1.6 engine, viscous LSD, fragile 7" ring gear that WILL shit the bed with autox launches eventually. They get their own street class to play in these days away from other miate, ES I think. I think they are competitive in that class.
NA2: 94-95 Big upgrades, 1.8 engine, 8" rear end with torsen diff that is indestructible. Lots of extra bolt on chassis stiffeners. The 94-94 R models are the ones to get here if you find a deal, or do a package swap for street class racing, but I don't think they have a competitive place to play anymore. In 96 they went to OBD 2, so if you plan on modding ever AND needing emissions sticker get a 94-95.
NB1: 98-01. Little bit stiffer, but basically some underpinnings as the na2. The 99 sport was the car to have, not sure why specifically.
NB2: 02-05? These got even stiffer, more power through VVT, 6 speed transmissions were a thing, not sure where they are on the auotx competitiveness scale.
NB2 MSM: Factory turbo BP engine in the US, FINALLY. Great cars, but not good for autox... the short ratio of the 6 speed and reduced redline of the engine made it so that it was geared just wrong enough for most autox courses. These have held value pretty well.
Good info. Mucho appreciated.
Quick question, might be a dumb one, but could I find a 5 speed and swap it for the 6 speed? Are they interchangeable. Wrenching is no problem here. Airboat'n FO LYFE! I know that the rear end can be swapped in case it's an open diff, but I'm not opposed to getting a 6 speed car if I can possibly swap to a 5 speed later since it's mainly going to be used for autocross.
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Acid666 wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 1:41 pm
Big Brain Bradley wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:55 am

ok, how competitive do you want to be? I will defer to Troy's expertise for classing but here is a quick rundown of generational changes and what used to be competitive:

NA1: 89-93 The lightest of all. 1.6 engine, viscous LSD, fragile 7" ring gear that WILL shit the bed with autox launches eventually. They get their own street class to play in these days away from other miate, ES I think. I think they are competitive in that class.
NA2: 94-95 Big upgrades, 1.8 engine, 8" rear end with torsen diff that is indestructible. Lots of extra bolt on chassis stiffeners. The 94-94 R models are the ones to get here if you find a deal, or do a package swap for street class racing, but I don't think they have a competitive place to play anymore. In 96 they went to OBD 2, so if you plan on modding ever AND needing emissions sticker get a 94-95.
NB1: 98-01. Little bit stiffer, but basically some underpinnings as the na2. The 99 sport was the car to have, not sure why specifically.
NB2: 02-05? These got even stiffer, more power through VVT, 6 speed transmissions were a thing, not sure where they are on the auotx competitiveness scale.
NB2 MSM: Factory turbo BP engine in the US, FINALLY. Great cars, but not good for autox... the short ratio of the 6 speed and reduced redline of the engine made it so that it was geared just wrong enough for most autox courses. These have held value pretty well.
Good info. Mucho appreciated.
Quick question, might be a dumb one, but could I find a 5 speed and swap it for the 6 speed? Are they interchangeable. Wrenching is no problem here. Airboat'n FO LYFE! I know that the rear end can be swapped in case it's an open diff, but I'm not opposed to getting a 6 speed car if I can possibly swap to a 5 speed later since it's mainly going to be used for autocross.
Mechanically speaking, NA's and NB's are legos. All the parts from all of them will physically bolt up if you use the correct combination of things.

oh, big thing i missed, in 94 the NA2 got bigger & better brakes on all 4 corners. For SP autox classes people actually backdate to 93 and earlier brakes...lighter.
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[user not found] wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 2:32 pm
Acid666 wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 1:41 pm

Good info. Mucho appreciated.
Quick question, might be a dumb one, but could I find a 5 speed and swap it for the 6 speed? Are they interchangeable. Wrenching is no problem here. Airboat'n FO LYFE! I know that the rear end can be swapped in case it's an open diff, but I'm not opposed to getting a 6 speed car if I can possibly swap to a 5 speed later since it's mainly going to be used for autocross.
IIRC they're interchangeable.

I see 5-speed swaps discussed for the Mazdaspeed Miata all the time.
...and 3.63 gears from the land down under +6speed trans...perfect for boooosttttt
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if you want or will entertain a modified car, look on Miataturbo.net. alot of people on that board know their shit and good cars come up for sale often.
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 3:00 pm if you want or will entertain a modified car, look on Miataturbo.net. alot of people on that board know their shit and good cars come up for sale often.
Yeah I've been jumping around getting as much insight as possible from different sources. Basically I'm getting a lot of "Whatever you pick there's a build for it that's fun/competitive".
So I may consider going for a lighter NA with the idea of a 1.8 (or something else) later and just upgrading what I want. Ideally I'd prefer a supercharger over the turbo so I can get more torque in the mid range. I just paid off another bill that was higher than expected. So if I want to get into a car now, I'd have to go cheaper. But I don't mind sitting around and saving cash for a couple of months. We're going to D.C. in Oct. So I might wait till after that. Gives me a good bit of time to really narrow it down, and also gives some of these sellers time to come down on their prices.
THE MARKET AIN'T BUYING YOUR SHIT SHERYL! DROP THE ASKING PRICE ON THAT YELLOW MONKEY SO CAN HAVE A MATCHING PAIR!
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I went look at the black one tonight. It's clean, other than the front bumper. Little bit of "stance" but I can fix it.
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The self loathing of whoever buys this....
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D Griff wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:12 pm
The self loathing of whoever buys this....
Hahah A friend of mine is looking at that one. I'm like , no. kthnxbye

"gets more compliments than my mint G35 red coupe did"
LOLOLOL
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Look at this gem I found locally while searching for Miatas.
HAHAHAHHAHAHA Is it diamond plated gold?
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Acid666 wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:36 pm Look at this gem I found locally while searching for Miatas.
HAHAHAHHAHAHA Is it diamond plated gold?
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that trailer must be made of unicorn farts
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D Griff wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:12 pm
The self loathing of whoever buys this....
Yeah wow.
Detroit wrote:Buy 911s instead of diamonds.
Johnny_P wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:21 pm Earn it and burn it, Val.
max225 wrote: Mon May 01, 2023 5:35 pm Yes it's a cool car. But prepare the lube/sawdust.
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Black 99 sold yesterday morning. Probably a good thing. I might go cheaper than planned and go nuts on the modding.
Messaged a Mississippi guy with a clean wrapped one with a hardtop last night. We'll see what he replies with.
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Currently, I'm looking at this '95. 199K miles, 1.8, 5 speed, believe it's LSD. Hardtop.
Overall, it's in ok shape. I can probably make the paint pop a bit from some detail work. There's a few dings, no biggie. One of the rear quarter panels is a little off, little bit of rust on pieces like the window edge seals and windshield wipers. Engine bay could use a good cleaning. Seats were just redone with new vinyl, they fixed one of the headlights, new radiator fans. 3/4 new brake cylinders. Steering wheel is ratty, but the interior is really not too bad. The new seat covers helps the look.
I've got him down to $3K. When I look at it, it's definitely a $2,000 car and no more, so I think that 3K with the hardtop is reasonable. It's stock, so it might be a fun project to clean up from scratch and slowly build it up with the wife. Also it should be OBD1, but like Eric said this weekend at the autocross, there's a slight chance that it's OBD2 because I have no idea where in the 95 year it came out.

I think I might buy a used 1.8 motor on the side and rebuilt it with the wife. New seals and all that shit, replace all the hoses.... Get it up to speed and then work on getting tires and shocks and racing it in E-Street for a bit, then start working on power adders and built suspension.

It's definitely a 10-15ft car. It doesn't look super great up close, but the pics look cleaner than reality. Some TLC and I can get it looking decent. Might just clean it and wrap it.

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