If you daily a Miata, please share how your experience has been and which model you own (NA, NB, NC etc)

'03 NB autotragic
It is a fun car but the wind noise from the ragtop can be a bit much at times. But I would definitely recommend getting one, but with a manual transmission for top funsies.

NC's are pigfat and lost the style and feel that everyone loves about the na and nb. Nd's are like na's but nicer in every way but nobody on this board can afford one

i own nb. i'm enjoying it, even though it's not fit for dailying. suspension is stiff compared to my previous fwd shitbox, it's vibrating on highway (5 gears), it's rather loud inside even with an hardtop, and it has no torx (1.6) so i need to rev it on lights pretty high (still comparing to my fwd shitbox that was easily moving even without any throttle at all).

i love all of it, this harshness makes it amazing. i'm happy every time i drive it, it doesn't matter if i run daily commute or anything else. now it's winter and i enjoy it even more, skidding everywhere at safe speeds

What MS are you running my man?

NB with hardtop 6"
Fun as fuck, but dont expect a fast car. Also it feels like every time you drive it, you discover a new noise. Im only 6", but I got relatively long legs, so there isnt a lot of space to the wheel, which is kinda annoying but I can live with it

I did daily a 95' NA for about a year. I am probably going to be slightly more negative than most, simply because my other daily was Mercedes E Class so obviously it was a shit load more comfortable just cruising up the interstate

I'm 6'4 and never had any issues fitting in the NA. It's very zippy and light/easy to drive, which is a plus if you have to deal with stop and go traffic. Tons of fun, and practical enough that it could be your only car if you needed it to be

I certainly wouldn't want it to be my only car if I lived anywhere that had a real winter, and it will wear you out on extended highway drives, it's comfy enough for short trips but just not refined enough to be a comfortable long distance cruiser

MX-5 fag here
People call me a faggot all the time, guys hit on me, girls working at the drive through do the laughingwhores.jpg and my long time gf of 3 years has split up with me and left me for a Renault Zoe driving social democrat.

That's what you get for being French.

I'm about to buy an automatic 95 NA as my first car, and it will be my daily driver. Owing to where I live, I'm going to drive it more on highways, often in traffic on my commute, and city streets than winding back-roads. I'm excited at the prospect of owning a Miata, but what should I expect from the car and driving experience?

It's been good. People complain about the size but I'm 5'11 and a complete fatass (300lbs) and fit fine. I'm used to tiny cars and if you're getting one as a first you will be too. Finding a good one is pretty difficult these days since it became cool to mod them but if you manage to find one in good condition totally fuckin' go for it. Hell it doesn't even have to be perfect.

BUT in the rain they'll fuck you up if you're not careful and don't have decent tires.

6 foot something burly dude driving an NC. No major problems at all (apart from that time I hit a tree) but it gets seriously hot if I leave it outside in summer.

>automatic NA

No no no no no. No. Not unless you're missing a limb, plan to MT swap, or are getting it for free or close to free.

I don't mind automatic cars, but you absolutely fucking need a manual in a NA miata. Not only does the shitty slow shifting '90s 4 speed auto suck the fun out of the car, but you need to keep the revs up to merge or climb hills, and you need to be able to do it on your own terms. It's going to constantly hunt between 3rd-4th or sometimes 2nd when you don't want it to, it'll fall on its face when you need it to move, and it'll generally be a fucking miserable experience compared to a manual NA. There is a button that will hold the trans in its current gear, but it's not enough. You'll keep the excellent handling but will lose so much of what makes this car good. Plus you're going to have a hell of a time selling the thing in the future, should you choose to do so. Auto NAs sell for much cheaper than the manuals, but that's because they're so damn hard to sell in the first place. Nobody wants them. Finally, you're going to get worse fuel economy than the manual.

Even if you drive in traffic a lot, get the manual. It's still worth it over an auto NA. If you don't know how to drive one, it's a few days of learning at most. If you want an auto regardless, I'd honestly recommend a different car. You could get something more practical, more comfortable, and just as efficient for the same price.

Daily a classic red 90. Plenty of room for whatever I'm usually hauling around and pretty comfortable driving position (6'2"160lbs). Never had problems in the snow and rain with good tires, but if you want to kick it out it's pretty predictable. Probably would kill you in a t-bone or rollover without a bar. Probably wouldn't have as much fun DDing something else though.

Would recommend.

>Daily a miata
Kek. That’s the worst thing you could do. I love my NA but I only take him out of the garage when it’s 100% dry and I want to do sick skidz. This car is made to drive it like you stole it and not to crawl round in the traffic with your groceries on the passenger seat. Dont buy a Miata if it is your only car.

96' NA Softtop Owner Reporting.
All around a great and fun daily.
Some interior noise, mostly due to two small tears in the soft top, plan on replacing this year. Fun to drive everywhere I go, plenty of power on highway in 5th gear, so I can still pass if need be without having to downshift everytime.
Trunk size decent enough for what I need, tools, groceries (if emptied out first), other small storage. Headrest speakers are nice, interior is comfy, Fuel economy is fantastic, handling is amazing (bless the LSD), easy and fun to slide around in the snow, and warms up pretty quick in the cold.
10/10

I daily'd a NA 1.6 for about 8 months and my only complaint was the noise. Like seriously my friends made fun of me for wearing a pair of Bluetooth headphones but it was just unbearably loud without them. Lots of wind noise.

I'm dailying a NA6 now and the wind and road noise are ridiculous. Apparently having a rollbar makes the car a bunch louder because it conducts sound plus the holes in the package shelf.

i daily a mk2.5 i agree the na is a shite daily, i did it before but they really fixed the wet noodle of a chassis and apart from the general 15mph its a fooking sick daily.
the only real problems you get are the road noise and potholes from the stiff suspension, but i got aftermarket chassis braces all round so i cant into what its like standard. but if you keep it below 80mph or get a hardtop and proper hardtop mounts instead of the standard its more than bearable, pothole avoidance makes you a better driver too

ah i meant the general 15mpg everywhere, cause you gotta keep it in the 3-5k rev range to get it going

That doesn't seem right, afaik Miatas do 10-12 mpg on track so 15 on the street is crazy, unless you're sitting still in London traffic or something.

I was about to say that's bullshit but shit you're right, I almost always shift at 4k rpm

I have a NC as my only car but I don't daily it
Used to have a NB but again it wasn't a daily

I think that depends more on where you live than anything. I live in a smaller town with a bit less traffic and the car drives just fine. It also has plenty of room for groceries, the way you have to look at it is that the trunk is exactly the size of one shopping cart.

I daily a 94 Miata. Manual, 137k miles, paid $1500 for it. Dailying one can be a bit of a pain due to lack of overall space but it isn't THAT bad, just annoying at times especially if you have a passenger. If you don't carry around people that often, and if you arent that tall, then this car won't be a bad daily. Miatas are fun as shit. It's definitely a car you have to drive to really understand the love around it. the manual gearbox is really really really nice to use, even more so if you have a shifter knob thats heavier than the stock one. It's soooo nice and predictable through twisty roads, however it might be a bit boring to drive if you live in an area with a lot of straight roads since it makes little power. It's decent on gas, $25 ish every fill up for me, which is roughly once every week and a half. Miatas are also generally reliable for the most part. Haven't had any issues with mine after 2 years of ownership. The biggest issue imo are highways. The car is pretty dam loud on the highway going 65 and up since you're over 3k rpm the whole time. The car will be fine doing it but the sound is annoying. The suspension, at least mine, can be a bit stiff so potholes kinda suck.
Overall I really love dailying this little thing, it's super fun to drive at any time of day.

Can confirm, manual is a MUST for Miatas. I learned how to drive manual with Miata, the Miata is insanely easy to learn manual on. Seriously, get a manual one or do a manual swap. You will not regret it

Trying to get my shit box beater through the winter, in March ish I'm gonna go for a third gen. What are things I should look for in a used NC?

Whoa, thanks for the in-depth feedback. Clearly I didn't do all the mechanical research I should have, because I didn't know about the differences between the two transmissions past generalities. Is an auto Miata that less of a car? I don't want to miss out on the fun factor...

I'm willing to learn how to drive manual, but I live in Orange County and go into LA often. I'm nervous about having to shift gears on the freeway, because I'm assuming that I'll have to do that very often in start-and-stop traffic. Lemme know about your experience, please.

Good to hear that the car is smooth and that it was easy for you to learn manual driving it. Right now, I like the idea of keeping the car auto and then converting it to manual later.

Yes the automatic takes literally 99% of the fun factor out of the Miata. Even with traffic the manual is worth it 110%.

Thats a nice and clean Miata my dude. Always loved the NA8.

I knew someone that owned an auto NA for a week. He sold it because it was so much slower than the manual 1.6 he has and It would downshift on the highway causing it to redline at 80mph lmao

Sure its more annoying driving stick in stop n go, but if your miata isn't stick there isn't really a point in having the miata at all. Just get a fully loaded civic or something more comfy to daily.

Manual swap is always an option, but it's intensive and you really have to be comfortable working on cars, and have another vehicle to drive in the meantime. And depending on the price Miatas go for in your area it probably makes more sense to just buy a stick car in the first place. Having a shop do it for you is too expensive.

Miatas are pretty easy to drive in traffic; stock clutch is very light and won't tire out your left foot. There's a ton of good content online on how to learn to drive manual. And Southern California is full of incredible driving roads. Those canyons are legit.

Thanks, my dudes.

My '99 will happily accelerate from 2000 RPM. It's not quick but you can absolutely jump to 5th gear and have enough torque to safely modulate your speed. The trick to getting power out of the BP at low revs is to use only a tiny bit of throttle, then once you get to 3k you can put the hammer down.

15mpg seems really low, you should be getting over 20 in regular driving, even shifting at 4k. Unless you are taking it to redline at every light you should see much better mileage. Something tells me you have a problem.

I've DD'd this '95 on-and-off since '08, and it's been my only car since '15. "Luxury Pckg." w/ type-1 torsen.

235k miles - and I beat the living fuck out of it on a near-daily basis. I redline it several times most days, I've tracked it for 2 dozen hours, I do standing burnouts at stoplights when it's wet, and I powerslide through every possible corner. My only mods are an exhaust, pod filter, and sway bars, but I've rebuilt and restored the fuck out of it.

My clutch slave cylinder went out like 2 years ago, but that's been it for 10 years of ownership other than maintenance and replacing wear parts early.

I guess I should add that I'm the 2nd owner and It's never been as far north as Tennessee or more west than New Orleans, ever. Cars don't rust in the deep south so I haven't had to deal with many issues, though the water pump was busted when I bought it (again, '08).

I love this car, I had an STi for 6 years and I loved this miat more (RWD4lyfe). It carries way more than you'd think (remove spare from trunk and put stuff on the shelf where the top folds down on), I don't find the ride annoying but roads are good here and I'm a fit upper-20's white guy so idgaf.

>No OBD-II, I ripped out the cruise ctrl, no ABS, no bullshit junk. It's even actually fun to work on. And yes, I've replaced the air filter since this pic.

Any complaints so far? It's been nice hearing from guys like you who DD this car. This thread has been great so far and very informative.

I used to DD a 95. Even took it on a 3000 mile road trip with the wife, loaded with camping gear.
The constant rattles drove me nuts.
I got a 2004 MSM to replace it but no longer daily drive it.
All in all I'd say it's OK to DD but eventually you'll be tired of it. It's better as a part time fun car. Probably the NB through ND are easier to DD because of reduced rattles and squeaks.

is there a point in having this kind of sports air filter except the sound? i'd love to do something nice to my miata, and this looks easy enough.

>no abs
i'm also disabling my nb abs, but only for track days, it's nice how it can be turned off with a single clearly described fuse

I have almost that exact same setup on my 96. Took an afternoon to do and makes a deeper sound than before. Cost about 100 bucks in materials. Would recommend, flooring it after installation put a stupid grin on my face which is all I was really after.

so, i shouldn't really expect noticeable power gains? just a nice sound?

i think i'll do it anyways. proper cold air intake kits costs money, but it won't hurt my budget if i just get cone air filter and try putting it together

I doubt there would be any gain at all, but you will definitely notice the noise. It's a good project for beginners, and doesn't even need the car to be jacked up.

The only point to such a filter is sound, yes, but it does sound pretty good:
youtube.com/watch?v=iXxdB5KHMso
(Note I also have a heavily-resonated catless exaust, but you can really hear the intake noise under throttle)

I paid $65 for the intake (cast aluminum Racing Beat knockoff from eBay in 2010; I don't think they're still around) and put a $35 K&N filter on it. An intake, header, and high-flow catted exhaust will only net you 2-3hp and only after 4.5k rpm or so - advancing timing alongside a custom-tuned ECU and maybe an upgraded fuel system will net you more power. But still, the miata's engine won't get noticeable gains unless you go FI or spend even more on a high-compression NA build.

Bought a '91 in March of 1991 and dailied it for over 10 years. Would recommend. The clutch is so light it's no big deal in traffic, and when the road opens up, you've got a Miata under you; no sense in driving a boring commuter car. Mine doesn't have cruise, but I never minded it on the highway; the throttle always seemed to me to have just the right tension that it is easy to hold speed. Earplugs are good on long trips. Still have the car, just worked from home for a while and now have to drive my pick up for my job, but the Miata is still the grocery getter and weekend car. About to turn 200k. Pic related, taking it out for test drive after an engine refresh in 2013.

>is there a point in having this kind of sports air filter except the sound? i'd love to do something nice to my miata,

No. If you want to do something nice, keep the OEM intake with the excellent paper filter and don't give up HP for sound and grit in your engine.
Even nicer - best thing you can do is have great tires, and update the suspension if it's old or if somebody put crap coilovers on it. If you're on a budget, GR2s/Excel Gs on stock springs are great. Next step up, see Flyin' Miata. Next step up, see 949 Racing.

My Miata gets me to high school and back just fine.

This thread makes me want an na Miata

>The clutch is so light it's no big deal in traffic
i think entire "input" is worth a praise:
>nice clutch, as you said
>wheel feels amazing, even with power steering
>best manual transmission i ever used, it's just so comfortable to use, pretty short too
first thing i thought about when i considered getting a miata was how i'll get short shifter after buying it. then i drove it for five minues and realized it would be a waste

What's it like going from fwd to a miata? Will i be fine?

do you understand the difference between FWD and RWD and how that affects the way you have to drive them?

This

yes you will. driving rwd feels more natural than fwd