Is there any possibility of Mazda putting a 6 speed transmission in the 2000 Miata.

Thanks for your information. A six speed would help drop the rpm on interstates.

Tom Ivey, Hampton, Va. USA

Tony, the upcoming limited edition will have the six-cog box, I believe (at last the one here for Australia will). But the basic transmission is shared with Toyota (Altezza/IS200) and Nissan (Silvia R-type), so there are  capacity limitations that might preclude it becoming a standard fitting in the near future.

bwob

Editor's note: The 6 speed gearbox was first available in the US in the 10th Anniversary Edition Miata.

Will a 1992 Miata hardtop fit a 1997 Miata, and will I need additional hardware?

Willie McDaniel, Rose Hill, Kansas

Yes and yes. You'll need the hooks which fit inside the forward outer portion of the top bay, just aft of the doors. If your car doesn't have the chrome pins standing up on the body between the top bay and the deck lid, you'll need those as well as mounting hardware for the lot. The parts department at any Mazda dealer would be able to get the bits or you could do a wrecking yard troll for the parts.

bwob

Bob, I just got my 96 standard back from the body shop were they replaced the left rear quarter panel inner and outer and some rear suspension parts. Now the back  of the car is hiked up in the air 2 to 3 inches higher than before. What could have  gone wrong? Is it possible that some of the parts are from another year such as a 92 or 93?

Ted, Austin TX

Ted, it's possible that the springs in your car - front and rear -had sagged somewhat with age and mileage. Were both rear coils replaced? If that's what happened, putting new springs could indeed raise the ride height and make the rear end to be higher. There's also a possibility that the repair shop might have screwed something up, but I'm afraid that's impossible to diagnose via e-mail. I'd start by investigating the possibility that the older springs have settled as the years and miles have built up.

bwob

Bob... I'm considering pulling out my AC compressor and associated plumbing from my '91. I know this sounds a little crazy living in New Orleans and all, but last year I dropped in a Sebring and other performance toys and now the car's feel is so much different that I want to keep it a performance not a cushy ride. Besides the AC compressor went out and it needs replacing. Also I ride with the top down most of the time anyway. Any tips, warnings, do's and don'ts?? What do I do about the ECU thinking the AC is on (advances the RPM, etc. - is there a fuse I could pull) when the AC switch is pressed? I have a Mazda shop manual, but they don't say much about permanent removal of an AC system, just how to remove-fix-replace. Think about the weight savings, that thing with its coil, fan, plumbing, etc. must weigh 50lbs or more.

Steve Spera, New Orleans, LA - USA

Steve, it's obvious the heat's gotten to you, and it's still wintertime! I prescribe a small bottle of Habanero Tabasco.

No, removing your air conditioner compressor and hardware will have no effect whatsoever on the engine management system. I suspect it will have an effect - and a profound one - on resale when you decide to sell the car, however. I'd consider putting the hardware back in (with a new compressor) when resale time comes along.

bwob

I find that the seats in the MkII Miata are not very supportive; have you ever found an alternative recliner seat (not a race bucket) that will fit the very restricted space? The seat in my '96 RX-7 would be perfect but is too wide (and a 1 seater RX-7 is just TOO anti-social! Thanks,

Ashley Price, Perth, Australia

The new seats aren't brilliant, are they? I have a friend in Japan who came up with a reasonable, if not ideal, replacement. He went to a breaker's yard and bought seats from an M1. Much better than the pews in the new car, and a lot cheaper than going the Recaro route.

bwob

Bob, I remember back in 1991 or so Mazda put out a Miata in BRG (British Racing Green). I sure lusted after that car. I have bought my first Miata-a 1999 Emerald Mica. It's green but sure would have loved real BRG. Did BRG sell well? Why doesn't Mazda continue to sell a Miata in BRG? Any insight? Thanks!

David, DFW/TX/USA

The original solid BRG cars sold really well. Demand certainly outstripped the supply, which was limited to 4000 cars in the 'States. But despite this exclusive status in the USA and Canada, the solid BRG with tan leather was a regularly cataloged combination in Japan almost up to the end of M1 production. Mazda's US importer wrestled with the commercial reality that people wanted the combination along with the moral issue of the 4000 1991 BRG owners who were buying a one-off. Ok, a 4000-off. To Mazda Motor of America's credit, it decided to come up with other limited editions and make sure the solid BRG remained unique to those 4000 cars.

Now I suppose Mazda could have done another limited run of solid BRG in M2s, but that wasn't in the cards from Japan's point-of-view. It had been selling solid BRG Miatas (well, Eunos Roadster V-Specials) continuously since 1991 and likely decided that Japanese customers would probably react better to a new color palette for the new car. Which is where the current metallic green comes in.

bwob

I drove a 91 Miata auto and a 94 5 speed. The 91 was noisier than the 94, the 91 also was a hardtop. Does the hardtop have more ambient noise? Or?

tom moon, Birmingham, ala

No, but the 1991 had fewer transmission ratios and different gearing than the 1994. The automatic's a four-speed, the manual a five-cogger. The automatic is also geared a smidgen lower to minimize performance degradation from the automatic and it's torque converter.

bwob

How much are your cars?

Robbin, California or Canada

My tidy 1966 Holden Premier - featuring Celica 5-speed, power rack-and-pinion steering roller-rocker 186 sporting an X2 manifold - could be had for US$20,500 or thereabouts (or at least I'd start talking). The VH Charger is not for sale, however.

bwob

I have a stupid question. I am not sure where the brake fluid container is. I don't have any manuals to show me.

Kevin Rosselot, Carriere, Mississippi, USA

It should be up along the firewall, on the driver's side just in front of the brake booster (a big, round black thing on the firewall). If not, you may have a 'Friday' car.

bwob

Bob: Our first Miata was a 1991. we sold it in 1995, but missed it so much decided to get a new one. We bought one in 1997, and another in 1998. It seems to me that neither the heater nor the air conditioner work as well in either of these cars as they did in that '91. Am I just imagining things?

Nick Nicholson, Alex City, Alabama, USA

The difference in heater output is a bit surprising, but the less efficient air conditioner is easily explained. Early Miatas used the ozone-layer depleting R12 refrigerant, while later cars - from 1993 I believe - switched to the m,ore environmentally-friendly R134A. Sadly, in addition to having inferior lubricating properties to R12 (compressors had to be redesigned), R134A is less efficient as a refrigerant. This means the evaporator size had to be increased, but there wasn't a ton of room for the increase. That's the price of being greener, I suppose.

bwob

Is there a supplier of Bugeye Sprite type front end kits for 90-97 Miatas?

Kent Carlson, Mt. Iron, Minnesota, USA

God, I hope not!

bwob

I purchased a New Special Edition British Green Miata in 1992. There were only 4000 produced and this was #945 of 4000. What is the value of this vehicle today? Also, estimate of how many of these are still running today. P.S. My Miata has been treated like a baby!

Robert H. Oxley, Northville/MI/USA

Here in Australia it's difficult, if not impossible, for me to come up with an accurate valuation for your car. However there should be an appraisal of the car's value in the Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds, at least one of which should be available for a peek at your bank branch. Because they were so inherently collectible, I'd wager that a much higher proportion of BRGs is around than regular Miatas of the same vintage. Believe me Robert, you're not the only person babying their BRG. It's SOP, in fact.

bwob

After reading several Miata books, it has been made CRYSTAL clear to me that you were a big fan of vintage roadsters. Which is your favorite (negating reliability issues), and why?

Todd Murray, Brookfield, WI USA

I'm afraid I can't ignore reliability, or a lack thereof. My dad had a squadron of British open two seaters (and a couple of 2+2s) which exhibited some pretty appalling reliability, and as a result I can't rationalize owning an unreliable car no matter how much I like it or how hard I try. By the same token, the technology exists nowadays that the lack of reliability and/or durability which was the hallmark of some cars can be addressed. For example, the development of Vitron pushrod seals in place of the synthetic rubber originally used in Corvairs has virtually eliminated the chronic oil leaks which the rear-engined Chevy was known for. If you're a stickler for originality, well, there's not much you can do in some cases. I'd rather have a car that was non-original but useful as more than a car for when you've got nowhere to go and all day to get there than something that was just as it rolled off the assembly line. Especially if what rolled off was poxy.

So having said that, there's no denying that I love the Lotus Elan, especially the S3. In fact I had one for a while. It's not the easiest car on Earth to live with, and there's a temporary feel to it that I've always gotten from fiberglass cars. But what a great thing to drive. And it sounds great, too. A wonderful third or fourth car. But unlike the Miata, you'd have your hands full using one as your everyday car and they've become expensive enough that I'd be worried about it in rush hour traffic with all the wackos on the road. There's a reason I leave at 6:00 AM to go to work, and it isn't because I love getting up early.

I also like the Sunbeam Alpine in Series V form. The Alpine is every bit as good - if not a little better - than the MGBs which people go so ga-ga over. To my eyes better looking than a B, not to mention roomier, more comfortable, better built and in Series V form the performance is as good as the MGB, if not a smidgen better. Because of the image of the muscular Ford V8-powered Tiger, the Alpine suffers from a bad case of invisibility. Since they've got no real collector value, overshadowed by the MGB and Tiger, if I had one I'd drop in a five-speed gearbox and replace EVERY bit of electrical gear on and in the car. Not as much fun as a Miata, but awfully good for a car of its vintage and surprisingly easy to live with.

Though its detractors refer to it as a rolling oil leak and self-propelled piston burner, I also like the MGA Twin Cam. I owned one of these (a coupe version, not the roadster), and was coerced into selling it after a near endless string of warnings from friends. One of whom bought the car from me. Subsequently it's been so 'unreliable' that he's put additional 45,000 miles on the car with nothing broken. So much for the Twin Cam A's lack of reliability as well as listening to the advice of friends who covet your car. I had more problems with the Elan in the six months I drove it than I did with the A. I was told that the secret to living with an A Twin Cam was if it's got nothing wrong with it, don't fiddle or tinker. All I did was replace the SU fuel pump with an AC pump when I bought the car, just like my Dad did with every English car he bought. I never really drove it that hard, probably because I had this bug in my brain about something popping inside that engine. But my girlfriend at the time loved the car, which is probably reason I have such fond memories of it.

One car that indeed does live up to its reputation for an utter lack of reliability/durability (at least as far as the engine is concerned) is the Facel Vega Facellia. Nonetheless I always liked the baby Facel (the company's main business was a sort of big Facellia with Chrysler V8 power) and nearly bought a sharp royal blue coupe from a lot in Pasadena till I saw the pool - not a puddle - of oil under it. The Facellia was a elegant little two-seater which was beautifully detailed and sumptuously trimmed. But the Facellia had an engine that (while designed by the same bloke who did the Talbot Lago twincam engine which proved successful in Grand Prix races in the immediate postwar period) was so unreliable - and fragile - that it killed the company building the car, burying the outfit under squillions in warranty costs. The original was a 1600, so maybe a Facellia re-engined with a Miata engine would be a good hybrid. Still, it's a great package as two-seaters go, and with a decent engine I'd really like one in my garage.

Anybody know what an Elva Courier is? I always liked the looks of them, but they feel even more fragile than Elans (like the Lotus it was conceived as a kit car to avoid Britain's hefty car purchase tax). Power units ranged from Ford to MG, and with the Courier's light weight and good chassis (on Mark 2s with IRS), an MG-powered Courier would leave an MGB for dead. And being a kit car, you had no excuse for keeping the Lucas electrics unless you were a real Sado-Masochist. The nice thing about those British kit cars is that you could throw out all the crappy electrics while retaining 'originality'.

There are others, though some of them (Squire, Alta and Sanford, for example) are so esoteric you'd need a few pages to describe them in. And I think I've bored you Miatanetters enough already.

bwob

Boy, now you've started a REAL rhubarb, agreeing with someone that the Mariner Blue is the best color Mazda has put on the Miatas! The '95 Merlot Edition with the wine color is the most distinctive one I've seen. When mine is all shined up, and the hard top is installed, people stop beside me to ask what kind of car it is. I smile and tell them it's a Masarati. Then, I tell them the truth--they're amazed!

Just thought I would add that--and thanks for the quick reply on my engine question!

Thomas Fee, Lenexa, KS

Hey, I didn't say that Mariner blue was the most distinctive color, just the best one. Walking into the lobby of the Pierre hotel in New York with your trousers undone is distinctive, but I sure wouldn't say it's better.

bwob

It seems like Mazda is missing a marketing opportunity. The Miata is a great sports car, but for those who yearn for more acceleration, it lacks power. Sports cars with better acceleration cost at least $10,000 to $20,000 more. Why doesn't Mazda see the market opportunity and create an engine option for the Miata with more horsepower? A larger engine option should be a hit. In addition, it would keep Miata owners like myself in the fold. I love my Miata, but I covet more acceleration.

Dave, Virginia, USA

In a few years Mazda will have a reasonable model for Miata owners who want to move up. There are limits to how many variations Mazda (or any other car company) and add to a production line without the costs having to increase across all vehicle platforms built in the plant. And when you go to add the additional power for the acceleration you covet, where do you stop? Will what you demand be enough or too much for another buyer? Sure, I never met a horsepower I didn't like, but price has to be balanced with power. And balance, not acceleration, is what the Miata's all about. You want acceleration, buy a Mustang Cobra.

What makes the Miata a success - and one that's affordable - is that the car, like people, has limits. And as San Francisco's famous Mr. Callahan reminded us, "a man's got to know his limitations".

bwob

Dear Bob, I'm about to get my third Miata (consecutively) but am a bit disappointed that it will not be another M-edition, as the current and previous one have been. Is there an "M" coming this spring, or are the Canadians to be solely privileged? Thanks!

Mark, California

If you mean the Mahogany car, you'd have to really be into limited editions (or want a six-speed box) to wait for it. I'd really like it if once, just once, Mazda did a limited edition which was focused less at being a leather-lined, chrome-bedecked chariot for middle-aged cruisers and celebrated some of the things which made the car great in the first place. And I'm middle-aged. In that context, I think it's time for a re-do of the 1992 yellow limited edition Miata, which was deliberately kept affordable - and sporty. And hey, it doesn't really have to be yellow. Though I bet an yellow M2 would be a knock-out. But what the hell do I know?

bwob

Do u know anything about Miata??? Let me ask you this; what are the best upgrades to do to a 93 Miata do get it the best time in a 1/4 mile??

Keith, nowhere

I have the best time in a 1/4 mile when there are a few corners in that distance and the radio's switched 'off'. That A L W A Y S works for me.

bwob, everywhere