Ask Bob!

February '00

I'm thinking of buying a used 1995 Miata. I want to know as much about that year Miata as I can. Where can I get a kind of brochure for the '95 Mazda Miata?

There are a number of specialist sellers of car brochures with internet sites. Try your favorite search engine (mine's http://www.Google.com) with something like 'car brochures' and see if you can't find one. I found a 1967 AMC Rebel catalog that way, so tracking down a brochure for a car people actually want shouldn't be hard.

You have mentioned that you drove a S2000, what do you think of the car as a whole ( interior, exterior, sound, performance ) compared to a Miata ?

Well, to the surprise of no one, the S2000 will run away from a Miata like the Mazda's been nailed to the pavement. It's got tenacious grip - probably higher absolute levels of adhesion than a Miata right across the board - but the steering is a bit numb -not to mention over-assisted - for my taste.

The engine will revs its guts out (the redlines at 9000rpm), but it's not a torqueless wonder around town as much as I thought it'd be. There as lot of mechanical noise (mind you it's not of the unpleasant variety), but the exhaust note lacks the musical aspects of the Miata's, even in M1 1.8 form.

The power top is great as power tops go - the best of any such device I've ever encountered - but I prefer a human-powered top. Honda's fallen into the semi-rigid top boot trap, so the damn thing takes up precious trunk space when it's not being used and it's a pain in the butt to fit.

Cabin space is better than the Miata in the deeply-contoured seats, though the high center tunnel can be intrusive for some drivers - I don't mind it but it a couple of our Car of the Year judges crazy. There's a lack of convenient storage space inside, with no glovebox in the dash, though there are a pair of storage compartments in the center of the car between the seat backrests which are roomy but hard to get at when you're belted in.

Like the Miata, the steering column isn't adjustable, but unlike the Miata the angle is piss-poor. I'm 51st percentile in height and I have problems with my knees fouling the thing. The wheel sits even lower than it does in the Miata OR MGF. It seems slightly offset, too.

The instrument panel is a complete wank. The liquid-crystal display is tough to read when the morning or afternoon sun's coming over your shoulder and the data isn't presented any better than it was when these things were 'new' in the 1980s. There's a flap to cover the radio, though I can't figure why unless it was just one of those designer 'musts' where form outweighed function.

I personally don't care much for the looks, In some areas it's just trying a little too hard form at the nose), while in others (air intake, tail lamp design) it looks like nobody cared. I can't figure out what was going on there.

I guess you can sum it up as saying the S2000 is a stimulating, exhilarating drive in a package that has a few more compromises in some areas and fewer in others than the Miata does. For me it's not a better drive than the Miata. If you want to go fast, it's better, but if you can't go fast on 90hp, 900 won't help you. Besides, I don't like having to steer between my knees.

I love my blue 1993 Miata, even more than I did my blue 1967 MGB. However, there is something that has had me completely flummoxed ever since I bought it: Why is there so little interest in rallying the Miata?

I'm sure you're aware of all the rally activity that those classic European sports cars were involved in--both here in the USA as organized by the SCCA and in Europe under the various local organizations. All the old Alpine Rally, Tulip Rally, Liege-Rome-Liege, etc. rallies were full of MGs, Triumphs, ALFAs, Fiats, and a bunch of other marques. When the Miata first came out I was sure that road rallies would be a huge part of what they were used for...but that's not at all how it's turned out. I can think of a couple of possible reasons:

Most Miatas in the US are "Garage Queens", and the idea of actually driving them on dirt roads is abhorrent to most owners.
The Miata publicity machine never suggested the idea of using the Miata as a rally car.
The lack of space for a full sized spare tire scares off competitors who expect flats. (Why all those Midgets and Sprites and Spitfires and Elans could fit full sized spares when the Miata can't is still a mystery to me.)

In comparison to the MGB, the Miata's IRS is by far the most noticeable difference. It's amazing how well it keeps the tires on the ground on washboard and loose surfaces. But, sadly, most Miata owners will never discover this because they choose to stay on the pavement... Why do you think this is?

To address the full-size spare question, the MGB, Spridget and Elan - the rear-drive one - never had to worry about meeting a de facto 35mph rear impact standard. That's a not inconsiderable factor. Energy management wasn't the factor then that it is now.

Factory rally support for the Miata in the WRC was never going to happen, since Mazda had a factory program for the 323 in Europe that had been well-established when the Miata was launched (and the economic realities are that if you can compete with a volume car you're likely to gain more sales benefits than with a low volume model). The Factory rally program which began with the first front drive GLC/323/Familia culminated with the turbocharged, 4wd 323/Familia GT-R in 1992, Mazda's last fling at a performance oriented 323 variant. The car walked away with a class championship in the WRC in 1993, but by this time Mazda was bleeding oceans of red ink so the rally program was scuttled.

In the 'States, the US importer had a motorsports budget, the lions' share of it for the RX-7's IMSA campaign. Again, by the time the Miata came along, there were more pressing uses for the money than motorsports (and the US importer seemed to view SCCA rallying as pretty marginal, despite Rod Millen's successes).

As for why North American Miata drivers tend to 'stay on the pavement', I suspect that's because the majority of US drivers tend to do that. Rallying hasn't had the degree of popularity in North America than it has in Europe and elsewhere, perhaps because the local manufacturers haven't embraced and promoted it as the Europeans have. Motorsports series thrive where there is manufacturer support from local companies and that hasn't happened with rallying in the US yet. Whether Mazda supports the event won't have much, if any, effect upon expanding its popularity stateside. Miata or not.

What's the best way to maintain the soft top/ brand name products etc. Do you recommend a car cover 7 a front bra/mask. Thank you

Joe Savage

Meguiars makes a top dressing that works pretty well. I'd use it. But I'm no fan of bras.

When (not 'if') dust gets between the cover and the car, it can wreak havoc with the paint. I suppose if you put the thing on - carefully - when you went out then - equally carefully - removed it when you parked the car (washing the thing every other day or so), it mightn't be that destructive. Remember, the original car 'bra' was developed by Porsche to protect customer cars when they went for their 30km test drive after assembly. That was the ONLY time they were used till some wanky Porsche owner went to the factory, saw one and thought it looked 'cool'. I've seen what happens when people leave 'em on a couple of weeks, and it's not a pretty sight.

G'day Bob, Please, what is the significance of the name MX-5? Why 5, or even M or X, and why the "-". A 4 part question.

'M' = Mazda

'X' - looks cooler than 'Q'

'5' - because 4 can be pronounced the same as 'death' in Japanese and 6 was already taken.

'-' - a place-holder.

Isn't mariner blue perhaps the best color that Mazda painted their Miatas?

Whaddya mean 'perhaps'?

Dear Bob,
Love the car, I have a 90 red with 166,000 and still ticking. I have heard of a remedy that my dealership mechanic swears by, pertaining to the quieting of the lifters. He recommends mixing a quart of 0w30 synthetic into your regular oil( in my case that's with 10w30) the next time it is changed. I've read about this in a few other places and have come up with no reason for how this would help. Either way I tried it, and it did work. Any ideas?

Also, the color coded interior of cars like the 93LE and 10AE are gorgeous. I noticed that other cars like the Z3 and MR2 offer this as standard. Do you think Mazda will follow suit?

You can do the same thing to free unstuck lifters at lower cost by putting about 100 to 150ml of automatic transmission fluid (Dextron, not the FoMoCo stuff) into the oil. ATF is effectively a super-refined oil, and it works its way in to loosen the occasional stuck lifter, getting places the traditional lubricant doesn't (thanks in part to ATF's lower viscosity). Synthetic oil is similar, though more expensive. In either case, I'd only use a small amount, and I'd change the oil within 30 days of adding the non-traditional lubricant.

Given Mazda's concerns about cost since the company had almost been to the wall a couple of times, I don't think you'll see much color-keying of interior components beyond the goes-with-everything basic black and the tan & black that's offered in some markets. As far as I'm concerned, that's just fine, too; I'm not a fan of how the Z3 interior is transformed from merely being an exercise in bad taste in basic black to becoming a cousin to one of the lesser 1956 GM Motorama show car interiors when it gets two-toned.

Hi Bob,
I saw a Miata prototype when I participated in a market research group around 1988 and fell in love with it. I bought the 1990 when you had to fight to get on a waiting list and lot's of dealers were charging a premium over list. I'm still driving it, virtually problem free at 176,700 miles and hope I'll have it forever. (Wish leather seats had been around in '90.) My question is, in the long run do you think the 1990, being the first edition, will be more valuable than later models as a collector's item? Just curious. Thanks.

An oft-asked question, and a tough one. In the near- to mid-term, no. In the America of 2010, I suspect a 1990 Miata will be no more exclusive than, say, a 1980 Chevrolet Citation X11 is today. (If anyone out there indeed is a Chevrolet Citation X11 collector, there's free room and board just waiting for you at the Millard B. Fillmore home for the criminally ignorant.) The Miata is indeed more collectible than 'sporty' version of Chevy's X-car, but the fact it's the first year is less of a factor when the cars were built in large volumes as the Miata was and is. Here's another analogy; there were considerably fewer first-year Honda delSols imported to the 'States than first year Miatas, yet the Honda is still a genuine orphan, living solely off it's badge. Sure the Miata was a more pivotal car than the delSol, and for that reason it will have fractionally more potential resale than a red, white or blue 1991 Miata. Almost certainly less than a BRG 1991 or Yellow 1992, however, so age isn't everything.

I suspect the situation will go rather like that of 1955-57 Chevrolet Nomads or 1955-57 Ford Thunderbirds. Sure, the 1955 Nomad was the first, but the 1957 - the last of the line, so to speak - tops the '55 in collectability to may folks. At least those who don't own 1955 Nomads. There's a similar situation with two-seat Thunderbirds; the 1955s - first - and the 1957s - last - are the most collectible. But in both cases not by a huge margin.

Of course if you keep anything long enough, the scrapage rate will ensure collectability through scarcity alone; would anyone ever have suspected that 1953 Fords would become valuable? Not when they were new, and especially not when they were 20 years old. But as the big 50 appears for the last of the flatheads, the fact so few survive gives them a degree of collectability that nobody could have imagined when it was unceremoniously shuffled aside for the OHV eight that came with the 1954s.

Add the fact that people believe that an early Miata will automatically become collectible to the equation, and the fact that people will be babying them and storing a few away will work to keep the numbers of survivors higher than they might have, thereby diminishing the scarcity value. Think about 1990 Chevy Citation X11s now - when was the last time you saw one? The survival rate on those slag heaps must be abysmally low, but the fact that there might only be a hundred - or probably less - relatively rust-free and straight examples will give the car scarcity value far in excess of any technical or historical value the car can generate, even if it was the first front-drive Chevrolet.

Just enjoy the Miata and take it as it's should be viewed; as a great car, meant to be driven, not an investment to be stored away. You paid for it, you should enjoy it. Don't turn 1990 Miatas into that car your uncle owned with the plastic seat covers, saving the upholstery for the next person. Keep it by all means, but out of the garage more often than it's inside. Look at a Miata (or even a first-year S2000) as an investment and you're likely to be disappointed. But as a car the Mazda's guaranteed to put a billion dollar smile on your face. The Honda-supplied grin is appreciably more expensive.

I owned a '69 MGB Roadster (red) when I was 21, that ironically I crashed into a 323. I recently purchased a '96 Miata (red) and my hair has re-grown, I've lost weight and generally feel 14 years younger.

The only thing my "first" MGB had over its spiritual successor was a bit more leg room, but I feel that's a reasonable compromise for shocks that don't leak, steering that doesn't build biceps, an engine bay you can almost ignore, an independent rear.....

Hey, don't forget a heater and defroster that work, the ability to start on a rainy day and the fact that it's missing construction of pre-rusted steel all that 'worst of British' detailing.

How do you get the headrest zipper unzipped if I need to put speakers in their? Right now it will only move a 1/4 of an inch.

Me? If I can only move it 1/4 inch? Oh, then I take it to an upholsterer.

Bob, There is a new form of turmoil brewing in Miataland! To boot or not to boot. That is the question.

Boot if the weather's fine, you aren't going to be in a dusty/leafy/telephone line (and bird) infested area. And of course if pictures are going to be taken.

Help us settle another ongoing debate in the Miata community. Is the new Sapphire Mica Miata representing the Miata's 10th anniversary a 10AE or a 10AM

10AE.

As a part owner of Mazda, does Ford have any involvement in the Miata program?

Keep up the great work! Oh by the way, I enjoy listening to Australian radio via the internet, it seems like a lot of anti-drinking commercials are played. Is drunken driving a real problem down under?

Well, the last two (and current) heads of product development have been people shipped from Ford to Mazda to do a 'tour of duty', so there's going to be some Ford influence, if only because of the corporate culture the individuals are coming from. But Dearborn's not pulling any puppet strings on things like the Miata. First, they haven't got the manpower to get in and do a ton, and second, Ford's much more interested in Mazda returning to financial stability and health overall to worry excessively about the Miata unless costs go completely haywire. Which they haven't.

Some of the more obvious - and repulsive - cost cutting in the Miata - like the elimination of a real oil pressure gauge in the M1 as well as the (temporary) removal of arm rests - was brought about by Mazda well before Ford had any say in what was going on with product or procurement, so the guys behind the Blue Oval can't be blamed for anything and everything that seems to go wrong.

I'm in the position where I have to replace my top and I'm debating between an OEM top (w/plastic window) and a cloth top w/glass window (the Robbins that Miata.net has as an award winner). What would you do and why?

I'd stick with a plastic rear window, but I'd consider one with a cloth top. How's that for bollixing things up. Cloth tops can look especially good (since they have a matte finish that contrasts so well with nice, shiny paintwork). They can show dirt more easily than a vinyl coated top (like the OEM Miata top), but if you keep 'em tidy they really look great. Lots of color variation, too...

Some people swear by glass rear windows, but I was raised in convertibles and was taught how to take care of a plastic rear window to maximize its life, so I understand that the plastic won't last as long as glass. But by the same token I appreciate the fact that the plastic window is larger, with more area. To me, the additional area is more important that the durability benefits offered up by a glass window. Then again I won't eat Caesar Salad that doesn't have anchovies in the dressing. It's a matter of personal taste. Did that confuse your decision-making process Eric?

Dear Bob,
I'm kinda having second thoughts about getting a Miata. Some of my friends say its a stupid name for a car. And probably a lot of other things I don't know about.

So anyway, here's my question; Is there any other sports car around the Miata's price range and are close to or better than the Miata's quality? Not that there's anything wrong with the quality of Mazdas. Thanks a million Bob =)

No.

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14 January, 2000

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February '00

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