Best miata year to get?

Keith@FP said:
The 1990-97 cars all weigh pretty much the same. No major changes. The 1.8 is not really any heavier than the 1.6, as it's only slightly larger externally. Given the weaker rear end (6" vs 7") on the 1.6, it's best to start with the 1.8 cars. If you want PS, don't bother with an R. Opinions are divided at FM about the desireability of the PS and of the competence of the R suspension.

Keith

Cool, thanks...

Ok, now where is that Auto Trader...;)
 
I guess you guys know what i am going to say. I Prefer the 10AE to all others for these reasons:

*lightest M2 that had the 6speed available (they blew up 100 lbs in 2001)

*has the Hard Suspension which is the best if you are competing in stock class autocross

*awesome color (though we are still debating what the name of the 10AE blue is :D )

It all depends on what you want to do with the car. :)
 
Next time we've got a 10AE in the house, I'll throw it on the scales to see exactly what they do weigh.

The 2000 SE came with a 6-speed. The heavier weight of the 2001s comes from superior bracing under the car which is quite noticeable. Those 2001s with the bracing also got the good suspension as well as an upgraded braking system. I consider them to be a superior car to the 10AE, although they're less blue...

Keith
 
so I don't have the exact weight, no. But my 01 just did not handle like my 10 AE, even though the 01 had the "superior handling". I already knew about the additional bracing being the culprit for the extra weight and just didn't find it to be justified IN MY OPINION. And i did know that the 2KSE came with the 6 speed as well. My husband wants that car next. BUT the 10AE wins over the 2KSE IN MY OPINION only because I love the blue. I stated in my post that it all depends on the person. There can be no right answer to such a subjective query.

Look, I am not trying to insult your intelligence or anything of the sort. You know more than I do. All I can say is that I am not just a person who is unsupportive of a newer car because i cannot have it. I did own an '01 and she just didn't handle as well as my 10AE. Who knows? Maybe it's just my personal driving style that fits with my 10AE.
 
The 2001s do have slightly different handling, true. I'm not sure why. Low-speed oversteer is a bit greater IIRC, although I haven't driven a stock one for some time. The suspensions don't stay on the car very long after they arrive here...

Keith
 
Keith@FP said:
The 2001s do have slightly different handling, true.

I completely agree on this. That's why she died. Greg rolled her coming in too hot into a turn on a very curvy road. her tail just whipped around. :( :'(
 
For what its worth, there arent that many MONSTER miata's. They only built 90 or so of them. Monster Miatas are Monster miatas, built by Monster Motorsports/LaForza in Escondido. The cars of lore, featured in magazines and known world wide...V8 miatas are V8 miatas, often piecemilled together in someones backyard, with little skill and no thought to drivetrains, rear ends, suspension, chassis etc.

Monsters were completely reworked and done right, from chassis to rear end.

There are a few "shadetree" home swaps out there built by people who are flying by the seat of their pants and questionable at best in every way shape and form. Scary!

I have a Monster Motorsports miata for sale in the Classifieds here. Its 100% reliable and VERY fast...and it handles well.

Yes, I suppose I have a vested interest, but I'd tell you if they were hunks of junk. "True" Monster Miatas are nice. I also have turbo miatas and they're totally different beasts..both much fun in their own right.
 
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Like Cobras and "Cobras". Some of the replicas are better cars than the originals, some are scary. There are some good V8 Miatas out there based on commercially available kits that are not true Monsters - and which still have some support from the kit manufacturer :)

Any car with that many modifications needs to be considered on its own merits. Look at the end result instead of the pedigree of the parts.

Keith
 
Keith I understand that, and I know that a lot of people use Martins kits and Martin answers questions over the phone.

What Im saying is that a lot ( which is a loose term because there arent *that* many out there) arent up to snuff electrically and in general.

JohnB and many others have very nice aftermarket cars. I do look at the end result and you had mentioned that there were reliability issues on some of the swapped cars...which is why I replied.

Im saying that I DO know that the Monster Motorsports cars are very nice and well thought out from front to back. Four Piston Calipers, big brakes, stiffened chassis, machined A arms, etc...instead of a kit parts cradle/wiring harness and a junkyard motor tha you see in lots of cases.
 
Ironically, the one we raced against had big brakes with four piston calipers, and their biggest problem on track was brake balance. The engine was a new one (a beauty) and I think it was a Panache car. I don't recall exactly what went wrong with it other than a broken serpentine belt. Just fiddly things from what I saw that took 43 man-hours (I remember that) to fix over the course of a week. But what a great noise. I like V8s :)

Keith
 
I have a wilwood proportioning valve on mine.


Ive got stainless steel straight pipes...I hope the neighborhood likes the noise V8's make too. ;)


PS, arent you leaving FM? I read that on the powerlist, hows the idea of the east coast FM going?

Cheers
J
 
That's Ken leaving, not me. The east coast FM idea was just a fantasy of some people on the list - he's looking for engineering jobs in PA. We do have one of our old techs working in NJ at Dealer Alternative east.

For my V8 fix I have a '66 Caddy with a 429. It makes a burble but not a roar, like a Caddy should. I've got a couple of spare motors as well, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't fit. Still, 480 ft/lbs stock...

Keith
 
Keith@FP said:
That's Ken leaving, not me. The east coast FM idea was just a fantasy of some people on the list - he's looking for engineering jobs in PA. We do have one of our old techs working in NJ at Dealer Alternative east.

For my V8 fix I have a '66 Caddy with a 429. It makes a burble but not a roar, like a Caddy should. I've got a couple of spare motors as well, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't fit. Still, 480 ft/lbs stock...

Keith

Wow...what would make Ken want to leave CO? Wish him the best for me. His help, time, advice and general wisdom have proven to be invaluable.
 
He's got a 4-year-old son with autism and rural CO just doesn't have the support he needs. It's not a happy decision for him to make but it'll let him be a better dad. I'm certainly going to miss him. We don't know exactly when he'll be leaving as it depends on when he finds a job.

Keith
 
Keith@FP said:
He's got a 4-year-old son with autism and rural CO just doesn't have the support he needs. It's not a happy decision for him to make but it'll let him be a better dad. I'm certainly going to miss him. We don't know exactly when he'll be leaving as it depends on when he finds a job.

Keith

That sucks that he is leaving, but it's cool that he doing so to put his child and family first...

Hopefully I'll get a chance to come over and say good-bye and good luck to him before he leaves. If not, I'll just drop him a line.
 
okay, so now is probably a good time to ask. How do I get on this power list. I going to boost my car and can't decide on turbo or supercharger.

Thanks in Advance.
 
Mazdaspeedgirl said:
okay, so now is probably a good time to ask. How do I get on this power list. I going to boost my car and can't decide on turbo or supercharger.

Thanks in Advance.


Either way, anything from Flyin' Miata will be cool!;)
 
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