Mazda Miata

[Nightbird]

Anyone have any experience with Mazda Miatas? Around the 96 year or so?

 

[Cathleen]

Not really, but an old friend told me he was going to put a ladder up to my window and take me away in his Miata.

They're small, really small... not enough room to change your mind kind of small.

 

[Nightbird]

LOL Thats really funny Cate.. "No room to change your mind small" LOL

Thing is I can relate to this one.

Anyhow I want small.. Small is good.. Small is cheap on gas.

 

[Nightbird]

Come on guys, I need help here.

 

[distantdahlia]

i have a 96 miata

what would you like to know?

 

[Nightbird]

Hi distantdahlia..

Heres the deal, I know absolutely nothing about them however I may be an owner of one in the not too distant future so I am trying to do some research on them now.

Are they rear wheel drive? Where is the engine? In the front or rear?

What are they like for reliability?

Do the soft tops wear out easily?

Whats good and bad about them?

 

[distantdahlia]

hi nightbird,

you're asking a girl car questions? yikes! luckily you didn't ask anything i can't answer...

yes, they are rear wheel drive. the engine is in the front, however, the battery is in the trunk. i've not had to replace my top, but i did have to replace the window in the back. mine is the hard plastic, and it got a small tear in it, which got worse with every passing day. it was winter, and the cold made the plastic brittle. i did find a place that could replace just the window, and it saved me a lot of money.

i've had my miata for almost 6 years, and i've never had any serious problems with it, other than routine stuff, and the window incident. i also had to replace the exhaust early on. it's great on gas, it only costs me a little over $20 to fill my tank, and since i only live a few block from work, it can last me up to two weeks. it has been a very reliable, fun car. even on the coldest days the only time i've ever gone out in the morning and it didn't start was my own fault (the door wasn't shut all the way, and the battery died).

as far as drawbacks....they suck in the snow, which i am sure you have already surmised. and in truth they are meant to be garage kept. i live in an apartment, so that is not possible for me. i also live on the ocean so between the elements and the salt, it adds a little wear and tear, which adds a little extra work. not being able to take it through the automatic carwash is a bit of a pain in the ass, but i'm used to it. the only other thing i've found annoying is that if a headlight or tail light goes out, it is virtually impossible to find the bulbs to fix them yourself....i always have to call my mechanic and bring it by for him to replace it, but that has only happened 3 or 4 times in all the time i've had it.

i hope you find this info helpful. if there is anything else you can think of that you need to know, i'll do my best to answer.

take care, and good luck!

 

[vincente]

Hi distantdahlia..

Heres the deal, I know absolutely nothing about them however I may be an owner of one in the not too distant future so I am trying to do some research on them now.

Are they rear wheel drive? Where is the engine? In the front or rear?

What are they like for reliability?

Do the soft tops wear out easily?

Whats good and bad about them?

I had one for a few years. It was a 91 model, and had about 130 000 miles when I bought it. After about 100 000 more miles I sold it for nearly as much as I bought it for. That was in about 2001 I think.

The cars reliability is legendary. The only thing I had to do with mine except normal maintenance was to refill the ac. (Maybe that is considered maintenance too? It was in Arizona I had it).

The trunk is really small. But, we could go for weekend snowboarding trips in it. The stuff in the back, the roof down, and the boards tied on top of the folded roof. (It is fun to drive convertible when it snows. All the truckers honk at you.) The heater is great, but the car is backwheel drive, so don't expect to do too much snowdriving.

I also found out that a convertible is not ideal thru Death Valley in July. At least my Miata had a single layer roof, and the heat really passed throught the roof.

But, if you don't have too much winter where you live, are too large or need more trunkspace than an average glove-box, the Miata is the perfect car.

 

[jushorny]

I have a 1990, was taken very good care of, I bought through a friend 3 years ago. They are very dependable cars, easy to maintain, good on gas, a ton of fun to drive. Try this site for lots of info www.miata.net

 

[Nightbird]

Thanks for the information Jushorny..

An update for everyone.. The Miata I was considering buying turned out to have been in storage for a period of time and unfortunately all of the seals in the engine are no good so looks like I won't be buying one after all.

I'm disappointed I was looking forward to saving money on gas and having fun.

 

[jushorny]

Thanks for the information Jushorny..

An update for everyone.. The Miata I was considering buying turned out to have been in storage for a period of time and unfortunately all of the seals in the engine are no good so looks like I won't be buying one after all.

I'm disappointed I was looking forward to saving money on gas and having fun.

Look for another Miata, Nightbird! Go visit the web site I recommmended, it will sell you on one. To me its a great car, dependable, not expensive, and so fun to drive

 

[george55]

I'm on my second Miata. 2002 then 2006. I have owned 4 bmw's and this car is more fun than any of those. A second hand Miata of the age you are looking for should have had some service so if you can look at records you should be able to find a good deal.