The Tale of Two Miatas
Four days and 2 miatas ago, I did not care much about the poor man's S2000. Now I own 2. Well technically I own 2/3 since it is a co-ownership. Yes, 3 owners and 2 miatas. We were supposed to own only 1 miata.
Why a miata?
Currently the miata is one of the more competitive cars in E Stock autocross class. Mazda currently builds the 3rd generation miata called NC with a 4th generation (ND) entering production soon. The ND is too new to the scene for comparison and the NC is a miata generation slighted. The main conversation when it comes to miatas are between the first two generations, NA vs. NB. First-design engineering vs. refined engineering. So of the two cars, which generation did I get? 1 of each generation. But the real question is, how did this happen? I will let the co-owners tell you that story.
i) Me, co-Owner 1: Do you know what just happened? You bought 2 miatas?
Co-Owner 2:
Didn't really expect to own a Miata let alone two. I did always consider getting one for a track car because the price and performance combination was good. Not ever much of a fan of them growing up. The extent of my experience with them was using them as a starter car in Gran Turismo.
Co-Owner 3
Didn't really expect to own a Miata let alone two. I did always consider getting one for a track car because the price and performance combination was good. Not ever much of a fan of them growing up. The extent of my experience with them was using them as a starter car in Gran Turismo.
Co-Owner 3
Co-owner 1 looks at craigslist 1 day after we buy a miata. now we have 2
ii) Co-Owner 1: How you saw miatas before you bought em. How you see them now.
Co-Owner 2:
Co-Owner 2:
As mentioned earlier I was never really a fan of Miatas. I didn't really dislike them but thought of them more as a girl car. I was always aware of how well respected they were from automotive magazines such as Car and Driver so that did make me curious what people saw in them. When I started going to Autocross events it was quickly apparent that these cars were the overall favorites. They seemed to be very competitive and strong competitors in AutoX events and has great handling. This experience made me more likely to consider buying one.
Ended up finding one at a good price that allowed me to get into racing without spending too much. After purchasing the NA Miata I am shown an ad for an NB on Craigslist listed for a great price. Too good to pass up so we didn't pass it up. Ended up owning 2 Miatas in a couple of days. I would have been surprised to know I would buy two cars within a few days in my life, let alone two Miatas. A car I barely knew anything about last week.
First impressions driving the cars were better than expected. I did expect great handling but I also expected a very sluggish engine and noticeable lack of power after driving the NA. I was pleasantly surprised to notice the car was quicker than I anticipated. Although not by any means fast, there was not a huge feel of power lacking. The throttle response was good and the steering responsiveness was great. It was my first time driving a car so light and it was very noticeable. There was also another factor that I quickly noticed while driving the NA. It feels like a proper roadster. By that I mean it feels like how a classic sports car should. It is raw in a lot of ways. It is not a comfortable car with all the luxury items. It is a car that will make lots of noise and squeaks when you are driving it. Something about driving it made me understand what the hype was about.
The NB was a bit of a different experience for me. After inspecting the car it was easily noticeable the car appeared to be a good deal and something to consider buying. It was by no means perfect but for the price it was great for what we needed it for. The test drive was interesting to say the least. It was in a neighborhood which meant a very limited ability to fully test the car. It was quickly noticeable that the NB was a more refined car in a lot of ways. The interior was nicer and quieter than the NA. The suspension was adjusted and the motor had more pep. After pulling into a parking lot to test out the handling I promptly found myself in an unexpected power slide. This was a bit of a worry as to how easy and long the powerslide was. We ended up chalking it up to bad handling tires and pulled the trigger on the deal.
These were my impressions after only driving about 20 miles in the NA and 2 in the NB so they are very limited. I expect my opinions to greatly change over time and especially once we are in an AutoX event.
My first impressions give the edge to the NA Miata. Although performance wise the NB may be better in every way, the NA has a certain factor I didn't get to experience in the NB yet. The feeling reminds me of watching Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear point out all the things wrong with a car and then go on to say why all those things make the car so great. It is those things that give the car it's character. I am curious to see how my opinions change in the upcoming months. Hopefully they are all for the better. My prediction is that once AutoX races start the NB will far outshine the NA and quickly change my mind on the two cars.
Co-Owner 3:
Drivers machine. now pain in my assCo-Owner 3:
iii) Co-Owner 1: What you plan on getting out of this 3-person team with 2 miatas.
Co-Owner 2:
I am mainly hoping to get some quality race time this year. I hope to be able to compete all year and build my driving skills up. Challenge some friends and get in the sport. I'm hoping to also be able to get some wrench time in with these cars by performing maintenance and performance upgrades on them. I don't expect to be the fastest or have a greatly modified car. I so expect to be competitive with my friends and have some fun while learning a lot. Building my experience in racing and wrenching are my biggest goals.
iv) Co-Owner 1: And if you could do it all over again, would you?
I am mainly hoping to get some quality race time this year. I hope to be able to compete all year and build my driving skills up. Challenge some friends and get in the sport. I'm hoping to also be able to get some wrench time in with these cars by performing maintenance and performance upgrades on them. I don't expect to be the fastest or have a greatly modified car. I so expect to be competitive with my friends and have some fun while learning a lot. Building my experience in racing and wrenching are my biggest goals.
This is not a project I would have chosen by myself. Having two other people to help me research, work, and race with will definitely enhance the experience. The variety of knowledge and skillsets will also help in the long term to make these projects successful I believe.
Co-Owner 3:
Still working on that.. since i won't really be racing either.. cruises with gf?Co-Owner 3:
iv) Co-Owner 1: And if you could do it all over again, would you?
Co-Owner 2:
It is too early for me to regret buying two projects at the moment. I currently do not regret either purchase. I think both cars were good deals and can both be sold for around what was paid for them if it came to it. I am glad that the prices paid was low so that any big loss is not a concern. These are two older cars that will be used for racing so I do expect problems to arise but hopefully those will be easily handled. As long as my wallet is not badly bruised from this endeavor I think I will be satisfied with the results.
Co-Owner 3
Co-Owner 3
I'd wait and just get the nb. miata ownership is on every car enthusiasts bucket list
we got a pretty good deal - as long as we can clean them up pretty cheap we should be able to flip them for little to no cost, have some fun along the way.
Thread on miata.net:
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=566418