Owww...my kidneys!

I recently test drove a 92 Miata which is for sale, and noticed the suspension is very hard (as if driving a jeep). The owner told me it has been that way since he first got it in 92. I never owned a Mazda (Miata), so, is that how Miatas are in general ? I'd appreciate your advise, thank you.

GA (Potential Miata owner), NEW YORK, NY, USA

Without driving the car myself to determine if everything is as it should be (not to mention being unaware as to what you're coming from) I really cannot get too specific about the car's ride. In general, it's one of the better riding two-seater sports cars of its weight, however.

Here's why that statement doesn't have a ton of value taken by itself. If you're coming from a Crown Victoria or other American sedan or lardy SUV, it'd probably feel like a buckboard. But then just about any real sports car would. But if you're last car was a Suzuki Samurai, the Miata would make you think it's a luxury car.

So if you feel it's too rough riding, I'd suggest you go to a dealer and take a new one for a test drive, as well as a used Miata if they have it, if only to give you a broader cross-section of what the car is like to use as a reference point. You may find that something is wrong with the 1992, or you may find the Miata to be unacceptable for what you expect from a car's ride. If the former is the case, you can look elsewhere for another used one, or use the car's shortcomings to hammer the asking price down. If you realize that you just don't like the way they ride in general, you can move on to something else altogether. Armed with that sort of information, it's hard to lose in any event.

bwob

I was wondering if you might know how I would go about converting my '99 Miata to use my 900ci Cummins Diesel engine? And what is this "balance" stuff? Will it help me win the tractor pulls?

duh, San Jose, Ca, USA

Uh-huh.

bwob

Here is the deal. I searched for other resources before I write to you, but not many found. When I have the top down, I get ear infections, headaches, sore throat. I know you are not an MD, but perhaps have some suggestions for this problem or know how others dealt with it. I can not be the only one who is sensitive to the wind!

Thanks so much for you reply! Take care!

Alex, Princeton, NJ

Well, my first suggestion would be to put the top up, and second one would be to get some advice from an MD. There's nothing in the Miata factory service manual covering this or anything remotely similar in the 'Troubleshooting' section...

bwob

The list abouve seems to cover everything that anyone may have questions about. What WILL you answer?

art jones, goleta, ca, usa

Obviously not this one.

bwob

BWOB,

I've been reading your Ask Bob! column for a long time now and I finally have a question for you. Seeing as you had a hand in the development in the Miata there must be some issues with the car where you feel Mazda could have made improvements or alternative choices. Aside from a 2.0L engine which you have mentioned before, where do you feel the Miata is most lacking. For example, do you feel that Mazda could have improved upon the intake/exhaust system. I see this as being the largest modification people undertake with their Miatas. What about esthetically? I personally have a black '99 and love the clean look of the flush headlamps and lines of the car without all the added flash of side skirts and spoilers. Are there elements of the design you feel could have been better or were suggested and overlooked? And, finally, if you could change one thing and one thing only on the current design, mechanically or esthetically, of the Miata that's available through the aftermarket, what would it be?

Jason Chiovitti, Toronto/Ontario/Canada

Inasmuch as I was involved heavily with the NA-series cars, but only peripherally with the NB-series, I'll focus most of this on the NA-series (other than your specific question about one item for the NBs). As for things I would have done differently with the NAs, there is indeed a small list.

First off are the headlamps. I was never a fan of the pop-ups (though I'm really happy the system was set-up to accommodate a 7-inch circular lamp as long as they were a fait accompli), favoring a pair of fixed, relatively large diameter oval conformal lamps. Obviously I lost that one. I also was a hold out for two circular taillamps containing position lamps, brake and turn signal with the reversing lamps in the bumper alongside the number plate. This set up would have also accommodated the rear fog lamps required in the EC and misused by people all over the world in place of the offside reversing lamp. As implied above, I'd have put the number plate in a recess in the bumper instead of in the garnish panel between the taillamps.

The small black lip extension to the front and rear valence which was a dealer-installed option would have been standard as well. It was intended to be, but shipping realities forced the removal of this item. To get past those, I'd have required the dealer install it as part of the pre-delivery inspection process.

Inside I would have put chrome rings around all the gauges (not just the speedo and tach) or none at all. There also would have been remote control mirrors from Day One as well.

Mechanical changes would be few, disregarding the previously mentioned - and beaten to death - 2.0 litre to supplement the 1.6. One thing I never would have allowed was a Miata without power steering. The car was conceived to have power steering from the start, with the non-assisted tiller was added solely after bitching from the US importer who claimed the non-assisted car would make up 35 to 40 percent of sales. In any event the number never went beyond 12 percent and valuable time and manpower was diverted from the Miata's development engineering the non-assisted steering very late in the program.

I really don't think there's much Mazda could have improved as a manufacturer with intake and exhaust of the NA6A, though the NA8B's exhaust note sure needed a lot of work. Lower restriction intake was investigated at length, but there wasn't much that could be done and still ensure the emissions curve would be within the requirements of California's 100,000 mile certification once the DF was calculated. We tried, but there are a ton of things a car manufacturer has to deal with that most people in the aftermarket don't give a nanosecond's thought to. Considering how many enemies cars in general have nowadays, I have no time for anyone who offers up more ammunition to the anti-car lot, aftermarket included. If that makes me a bit of a greenie, I'll wear the tag proudly. But then I still have enough testosterone in my system I don't need to supplement it (or any perceived dimensional shortcomings) with horsepower.

I'd probably have pushed for 15-inch wheels and tires for the NA - at least as a package option - with larger four-piston brakes to suit. This is more a personal thing, since I tend to like cars which are over-tired, over-braked and over-suspended. Some people referred to such cars as 'underpowered', though I do not. And I wouldn't have wasted time with that nonsensical viscous limited-slip differential the poor NA6As were saddled with. What an unmitigated piece of crap!

I would have handled color and trim as a strategic item, though that's a little too involved to get into here. Put simply, there would be rotation of the color palette every two to three years, along with interior trim going from black to tan on cloth cars while leather would go from tan to black, on a 'reverse' cycle to the cloth. This would enable maximum visual year-to-year differentiation with no real increase in costs.

I'd also have done two kinds of 'limited editions'; the leather and polished wheels ones for the 'touring' set and some more basic and visceral ones for people who'd like a slightly harder (and younger) edge to the car. If there's any place I think Mazda has dropped the ball - and badly - with the Miata, it's forgetting what it's all about in the first place. It's really easy to miss the plot when people will queue up for the latest leather-lined big-bucks package. The incremental profit can and does all-too-easily blind those who allow it to.

Now, my sole suggestion for the NB-series cars. While indeed possible in the aftermarket, to the best of my knowledge this is something which has never been done, though it's actually quite simple; paint an NB8B Mariner Blue. That's all!

bwob

where to purchase a backyard special bodykit

jason harris, england

Well, logic implies a backyard. Inasmuch as I am unfamiliar with any brand of aerodramatic parts for MX-5s (or other cars) made or sold buy an outfit with the unflattering 'backyard' moniker, I'm afraid I can't offer any more assistance than that. Sorry.

bwob

I just purchased a 2001 Miata in a lovely metallic Silver color. I really like the car's looks and handling, however, when I get on the gas the car is completely out of control! I did wait for the normal engine break-in period and took it easy during that time. The first time I really floored it the front end lifted, the rear tires went up in a cloud of smoke and it was very difficult to go anywhere because the car felt like I was driving on ice. I could get reasonable acceleration times if I kept my foot at about 1/100 throttle but even then it's pretty strong. I took the car to my local mechanic and he found the car is one of those 2001 models with the 1725 hp engine.

My question is, do I have to live with 1700+ horsepower or can I take the car back to Mazda for the regular 140 hp motor? I really don't have enough hair on my chest to justify this kind of street performance and my wife is scared to ride in the car, much less drive. I am also open to trading with some dope with a supercharger even though that might throw off the balance a little, it would still be a 90% reduction in horsepower from where I am now. What should I do?

Mike the Wonderful, Chicago IL USA

Do you have to live with it? Well, that's up to you. You could, of course, do as many of the whingers complaining about the horsepower deficit threatened to do and sue Mazda. That is the 21st Century version of The American Way, isn't it?

Of course what you should do is a decision only you (or perhaps your wife, if she adjudicates or dictates in such matters) can make.

Mind you what I'd do is auction it on eBay to a moneyed mouth-breather with a testosterone deficiency. I'd then use the proceeds to buy a new house with six-car garage, saving the first two stalls for a pair of 1992 Sunburst Yellow NA6As; one as delivered, the other just as I'd like it. But that's just me...

bwob

What really happened to the 155hp engine in the 2001 Miata. I know smog control in the answer but what specifically was done to reduce the hp to 142.

Kenny Houtz, US

Nothing was done to 'reduce' the horsepower per se. I strongly suspect the increase in power was partly absorbed by North American emissions requirements and partly lost in the mathematical translation from JIS rated kilowatts to SAE rated horsepower. All the information I have indicates this is not so much a situation where the power was 'reduced' as it one where what was there was miscalculated. Mazda, understandably, hasn't been too specific about the actual cause. I've been told there's been a 'revision' of work flow in Japan when calculating engine output which much be listed in forms other than JIS kilowatts and Newton-metres or JIS horsepower and kilogram-metres. This is effectively all export vehicles.

Frankly, I am surprised that this sort of thing hasn't happened sooner with Mazda (or any other Japanese company). When the official language inside the company is Japanese with English the primary language of export and all measurements initially being made using the metric system under JIS standards, the opportunity for error is astonishing. Factor in the requirement for SAE standards with imperial/US and metric measurement for the USA and Canada while the rest of the world works with DIN standards and the metric system and I'm utterly amazed this hasn't happened earlier.

The problem with varied emission standards absorbing horsepower is regulatory and obviously one over which Mazda has no control over.

I've found the complaints about the 'missing' horsepower to be entertaining in the extreme. Disregarding the comedic lot who wanted to sue Mazda over it, I get a hearty chuckle from anyone who uses an increase of roughly 20hp as rationalization to buy a new Miata while not appreciating the car's other qualities. There seems to be no shortage of people out there who completely miss the point of the Miata. From the sophistication of the arguments (and maturity of comments produced by these bozos) this lot would be happier in Camaros.

As for liability, it's probably not too different to you accidentally making a miscalculation on your 1040 form one year. Should someone - you for example Kenny - be tossed in Federal prison for a minor (and unintentional) arithmetical error on a tax form? I don't think so. Especially when there are people deliberately attempting to cheat the system. Mazda's missing horsepower is far more likely than not the result of some bored office drone not pressing the right buttons on a calculator, rather than being a calculated scam.

bwob

Thanks for all your advice. It's really useful. I'm thinking about purchasing a hard top and wanted your thoughts on how much warmer the car will be during winter. Also the dealer that is selling me the hard top (it's 2nd hand) has told me that the car may need extra equipment to attach the roof. I have a 91 and i thought that early models already came with all this equipment and that it was deleted later on when Mazda tried to cut back on costs.

Your thoughts ???

Brian Murray, Sydney, Australia.

A 1991 will have the deck pins used to locate and fit the top at the rear. What your car probably lacks are the latch receivers which live in the forward portion of the top bay. These can be ordered from any Mazda parts department and installation - especially if you have a factory shop manual - is a pretty straightforward exercise. A few very early-build US-spec cars without hardtops got the receivers fitted as standard but they were pretty quickly dropped if the car wasn't ordered from the factory with a hardtop. The reason wasn't because of cost, but the realization manufacturing hadn't ordered enough of the parts to put them on everything leaving the plant. Once out of the system, they never got put back in. The locating pins on the panel between the top bay and decklid were indeed left off some later cars for cost reasons, however.

As for any additional warmth the top may provide, well, I wouldn't count on much. Early hardtops have no headlining (and on the later cars the headliner was a stick-in foam pad to reduce cabin resonance and eliminate in-car condensation, not to serve as much in the way of thermal insulation) and the rear window is so much larger than the soft tops it'll pull a fair bit of heat out of the cabin. Remember, heat dissipates through glass with some rapidity. By the same token, I haven't experienced anything approaching Winter in Sydney since I moved here in 1994, so the cold can be easily dealt with by the heater. The people in Duluth or Winnipeg, now they've got winter...

bwob

My Miata has an engine tick and I have been told by Miata owners and Dealers that this is common. Just check the oil regularly and nothing will come of it. Is this a characteristic of the Miata or a problem?

Brian, Long Island, NY

The 'normal' tick is a tappet sound which has been with the Miata (to varying degrees) since Day One and is well documented here in past issues of "Ask Bob!" as well as in the Miata FAQ at Miata.net and the "Hints from the Garage" section at Miata.net. It might be a good idea to check the lot out.

Inasmuch as I cannot hear the 'tick' you are describing, it is indeed possible the sound might be something other than the tappet-induced noise. If, after reading the information on the tappet sound at Miata.net, you feel your car may be making some other sort of sound or are still ill at ease with it, you should probably get a second opinion from another mechanic, if only to provide some peace of mind.

bwob

I can't see ever parting with my '90 red Miata. Bought it in '95 with 3200 on the odometer. Still had the new car smell. I've added about 50k miles myself since then. Came with all the goodies for that year. Paint is still great and the top is just now starting to show wear. My question is why does the Blue Book say that this little gem is only worth $3600??? That's insane. It's perfect. It's great!!! It's a freaking classic!!! Sorry, I get emotional. But seriously, is the Blue Book joking? And if not, will my car ever be valued at what it's really worth?

Eric, Denver, CO

Strictly speaking, your car's value is probably quite appropriate to what it's worth today. It's a bit like the concept of beauty being in the eye of the beholder mixed with a 'J' curve. When Jaguar XK-120s were 10 to 12 years old, they were, to the great unwashed, pretty undesirable cars in comparison to what was available at the time. XK-150s were a lot faster and somewhat more sophisticated and E-Types (XK-Es in the 'States) were really the best thing going. Similarly, you could pick up a Ferrari 250GT-L - the most beautiful Ferrari of all time in the eyes of Mrs. Hall's kid - also about 10 years old in the mid-1970s for less than $5000. You'd be looking at something twenty times (or more) that figure nowadays.

Despite any claim on 'classic' status the Miata might make, the volume the car's been sold in mitigate any huge increase in value in the near to mid-term. Something like 600,000 Miatas in total so far, with roughly 450,000 of them, NAs like yours. As time goes on and the scrapage rate increases (as it always does while a car ages), there will be higher rates of appreciation. But if you think MG-A or MG-TD rather than Ferrari or even Corvette you'll get a much better idea as to where its value is likely to go.

On the other hand I see the low prices for early Miatas as a benefit in the giant scheme of things. This puts used cars more in line with the budgets or younger buyers who'll then develop an appreciation of the core values the Miata holds. This will - in theory at any rate,- ensure inflow of new Miata buyers who'll buy newer as their income improves, thus doing a long way to improve the car's long-term survival.

But bear in mind I find the idea of buying a car as an investment both repellant and stupid. Almost on a par with cellaring a really good wine for longer than it needs to be just to pass it it on (at a considerable profit) and not enjoy to the utmost yourself. Or worse, keeping it locked up for so long it stops being wine and becomes very expensive vinegar. The Miata was made to be enjoyed, not to be an investment.

To me what Edmunds, the Kelley Blue Book, The Red Book or Glass' Guide say is ultimately immaterial. A car's only value I give a rat's ass about is how much I enjoy it and that is a figure beyond mere dollars and cents. Does that make me selfish? I certainly hope so, since I'm too poor to buy something just to worry about the guy after me. Perhaps it's better to think about what your Miata is worth to you than to worry about what its value might be to somebody else.

bwob

$10,000 of prevention is worth $25,000 of cure

I have Just Sold My 1991 Limited Edition Miata (BRG) 79,000Km I HATE MY SELF FOR SELLING IT

Chad Miata Mad Man, Garson,Ontario,Canada

Perhaps you should buy one of the new NB8B BRG limited editions. It may provide a tonic effect.

bwob

Ultimate safety device optional at no extra cost

How safe are Mazda Miatas in comparison to z3 BMW's. eclipse spyders and pontiac firebird conv.?

Sarah, Poquoson/Va/USA

If you mean 'safe to crash', the fact that the Miata is legally sold in the United States means it complies with all statutory requirements in the area of occupant crash protection. Therefore Miatas are - in terms of a 'pass/fail' scoring, as safe as any other car which meets US regulations. I'm a more than a little bewildered by the American attitude as to what makes a car safe to crash, but then I don't buy a car to crash it, since I am not exactly rolling in high-denomination banknotes. Until I win the Lotto, I'm afraid I have to look upon a car as something to drive. Worse yet, as a result of years of parental and other unsavory influences, I've been pre-programmed in accident avoidance so efficiently I seem to steer clear of crashes. Oh well, some kids have all the fun.

If you mean 'safe to drive', to me they are better than Eclipse and Firebird, and probably line ball with the BMW. Convertibles which are made from coupes with a roofectomy pass along a generous helping of their structural rigidity to Judge Crater, requiring some hefty reinforcement to get some of it back. As a result they tend to be sloppier handling (as in cornering. road holding, not being 'easy to park') than their closed brethren. Both are also lardier than the Miata or Z3, and that also makes the handling more dim-witted. To me accident avoidance requires good handling and accident avoidance is what makes a car safe to drive (as opposed to being safe to crash). So from my point of view the Miata is a comfortably safe car. I have no concerns when I get in one, which is a helluva lot more than I can say when I'm in some 4WD. Perhaps because I am so uncomfortable in 4WDs, owners of same tell me that they're safe in a crash. Considering how many of them do crash - often in 'one car accidents', that's certainly a good thing. But I'd rather be in a Miata, thank you.

Lastly, the most important safety feature in a Miata, Z3, Eclipse, Firebird or even a 4WD isn't built-in, it's removable and it costs nothing. It's called the driver. Ultimately it is the most important safety feature in any vehicle.

bwob

I am interested in purchasing a new or used Miata. One of my friends has told me that he has heard that a Miata is very costly to maintain. Also, that any repairs that the Miata requires are horribly expensive...

Three-times that of most other cars. Is this true? or with proper care and maintenance, is the Miata low cost car to own?

Lisa, Des Moines, Iowa

I am quite suspicious of any claims made by 'friends who have heard', but then I don't read the National Enquirer either. Perhaps it's my nature, but I prefer to hear things regarding products directly from people who've actually used them rather than get something that's been passed along by those without first-hand knowledge.

In that context, I can say that based solely on my experiences, my Miatas have been no more expensive to maintain than my wife's Mercury Tracer. I have to admit I had quite a chuckle at the "three times more than most other cars" comment, unless, of course, the 'most other cars' term equates to a 1972 Chevrolet Nova based on 1978 service prices.

As for the Miata being a low cost car to own, by American standards (and relative to the things most people buy in the 'States) all I can say is 'absolutely', After all, it hasn't got four-wheel-drive to fix and gets about twice the fuel economy of the popular, but lardy, Ford Explorer. But parts are not as cheap as they would be for a mid 1980s Ford LTD if that's the sort of reference point you are coming from.

bwob