Recently rented a Miata and I'm confused

[QUiKSR20]

Originally Posted by MisanoblueZ4

The Miata actually gives a lot of feedback to the driver.

This thread also made it on the Miata Forum and they are equally destroying BMW’s and their owners ��

https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=796175

Being a car guy myself who wrenches / races for the last 20 years and started with cheaper JDM Cars in the early 90s,
Moved onto euros for 10 years or so and now did a full circle back to a basic car like a GR86/Miata they have some valid points and they also agree with ours here...

The jokes about "More money than brains" and "Have you been on the track" have been said for years.. I use to road race a Sentra SE-R
and we would WHOOOP on the higher dollar cars many times.. They could take us in the straights but on driver skill and turns etc it wasnt close..

Im very much generalizing of course and my comments do not apply specifically to the OP or anyone in particular.

You would of had to start on cars that were 140 to 250hp in the 90s to really get the Miata in todays world.

If your starting on a x40i /x35i with your smartphone tunes you have no clue how special these rare once common cars are these days.

Having a fun car with unlimited aftermarket, is fun and doesnt break the bank cannot be understated.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by MisanoblueZ4

The Miata actually gives a lot of feedback to the driver.

This thread also made it on the Miata Forum and they are equally destroying BMW’s and their owners 😂

https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=796175

Didn't expect this to make its way over there... Apparently I have more money than brains!

I've fully acknowledged that my perspective and expectations going in were off. There were things that surprised me about it which I would not have expected of a true sports car (i.e. the lean in the corners, the lack of sharpness, etc).

This post was asking a legitimate question about what I was missing. I'm in no way trashing the car. I guess i'm not surprised that Miata owners are butthurt It wasn't my intention. I did also close my review by saying it's a fine car and when putting price into perspective even a "good" car. Guess they were too enraged to notice that.

[QUiKSR20]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Didn't expect this to make its way over there... Apparently I have more money than brains!

I wouldnt sweat it lol.. Its what lots of people say about people that race cars like Porsches and BMW's when they are in cars like Toyotas and Mazdas etc.
Just comes with the territory lol, I use to get my balls busted driving a 3 series when my buddies would whoop on me in an EVO etc.

I think your perspective was genuine and even people their agreed, Have you seen this video? It wasnt that far off when driven by a trained driver vs the cost difference.

I am in no way saying an 86 is a Porsche ( its a cheap sports car ), But if fun is what your after and a 35k car gives 85% of the performance of $100k car on the track thats impressive.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by QUiKSR20

I wouldnt sweat it lol.. Its what lots of people say about people that race cars like Porsches and BMW's when they are in cars like Toyotas and Mazdas etc.
Just comes with the territory lol, I use to get my balls busted driving a 3 series when my buddies would whoop on me in an EVO etc.

I think your perspective was genuine and even people their agreed, Have you seen this video? It wasnt that far off when driven by a trained driver vs the cost difference.

I am in no way saying an 86 is a Porsche ( its a cheap sports car ), But if fun is what your after and a 35k car gives 85% of the performance of $100k car on the track thats impressive.

I definitely need to try out a GR86. That's next on my list!

[QUiKSR20]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

I definitely need to try out a GR86. That's next on my list!

I think it might give you just enough more power to enjoy at almost 100hp/L

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Didn't expect this to make its way over there... Apparently I have more money than brains!

I've fully acknowledged that my perspective and expectations going in were off. There were things that surprised me about it which I would not have expected of a true sports car (i.e. the lean in the corners, the lack of sharpness, etc).

This post was asking a legitimate question about what I was missing. I'm in no way trashing the car. I guess i'm not surprised that Miata owners are butthurt It wasn't my intention. I did also close my review by saying it's a fine car and when putting price into perspective even a "good" car. Guess they were too enraged to notice that.

The replies from the Miata forum, the ones aren't made by incels, are correct. Most of these Miata's WILL be modded. Your complaints are usually what they complain about, straight out of the box. The only reason why you don't, is because you are just a regular person that don't really care about the minor details the rest of us car people care about.

The suspension will almost always be changed. Coilovers or springs. The ones I say are luxury will be wheels/tires and exhaust. These come with 17s, I personally think that is not ideal. 16s with thicker tires (like the TE37s) is more ideal imo.

[T.R.S.]

Never even sat in a Miata since there's no way I'd ever fit in one due to my long limbs. What do you think Mazda's reasoning is for manufacturing it with a suspension that "everybody knows needs to be modified" when they present it for sale as a sports car?

[RM7]

Originally Posted by T.R.S.

Never even sat in a Miata since there's no way I'd ever fit in one due to my long limbs. What do you think Mazda's reasoning is for manufacturing it with a suspension that "everybody knows needs to be modified" when they present it for sale as a sports car?

It doesn't need to be modified, it can be softer because the car is lighter and lower than anything else. It sticks to the ground just fine. It's just if the body roll upsets you, then there are modification options...and everyone wants to make a quick car quicker too.

It could also be not wanting to go too far down the road of making better suspension that everyone is still going to "junk" in favor of coil-overs.

[tranquility]

Nice that this tracked with the MX-5 site, but wow, some of those guys have srs inferiority complex lmao. OP didn't diss it at all, he was just perplexed and wanted to learn more. Glad many seemed level-headed though. Every forum has their numbnuts, we have some here too lol.

That being said, I've always held the MX-5 and its owners in high esteem. Save for a few other cars, many of these guys are true enthusiasts and definitely NOT posers, like so many other brands/cars with their stupid straight-line speeds, some owners of which just want to buy for ego (curiously *pun intended haha* straight guys wanting to impress other straight guys LOL): who the hell needs 600, heck even my 300hp is too much to legally drive on public roads.

Carry on.

Originally Posted by Donatello.

It's by design in stock form and still out handles so many other cars.

Also, just lower it and problem solved. I am on GWR springs.

Your profile always catches my eye: what was your thought process for having a MX-5...and then the Hellcat as its stable mate?


Whoa, the gloves are off, usually you see these comparos from reg folks but this is from Toyota's official channel:

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Nice that this tracked with the MX-5 site, but wow, some of those guys have srs inferiority complex lmao. OP didn't diss it at all, he was just perplexed and wanted to learn more. Glad many seemed level-headed though. Every forum has their numbnuts, we have some here too lol.

That being said, I've always held the MX-5 and its owners in high esteem. Save for a few other cars, many of these guys are true enthusiasts and definitely NOT posers, like so many other brands/cars with their stupid straight-line speeds, some owners of which just want to buy for ego (curiously *pun intended haha* straight guys wanting to impress other straight guys LOL): who the hell needs 600, heck even my 300hp is too much to legally drive on public roads.

Carry on.




Your profile always catches my eye: what was your thought process for having a MX-5...and then the Hellcat as its stable mate?


Whoa, the gloves are off, usually you see these comparos from reg folks but this is from Toyota's official channel:

I'd still take the Miata. I prefer it. The RF especially, with it's roof down, the side profile of the Miata RF is hands down one of the best looking cars out there.

86 is better out of the box, but I personally grown out of the car I think. I never had an interest in the 86/BRZ or the GR Corolla. That is why I choose the Miata over those two. I am also not a huge fan of the Subaru engine in the 86/BRZ anyway.

[dreamingat30fps]

I have owned all kinds of cars and now I have a 2020 Miata RF. I would not own this car if we did not have a home in NC where I keep the Miata. In FL this car would be boring as fuck. Up in the mountains it's perfect. I don't claim to be Schumacher so the car has more power than I have skill in the winding mountain roads. Again if you live on straight flat land then it's slow and boring. I don't find that mine has that much body roll, is it the stiffest car I've owned? No, but it's not bad. I do recall driving one Miata that was honestly pretty bad. So much so that I kinda stopped looking at Miatas for a while after that test drive. Everything I drove was used so I don't know if that one had issues, maybe it's the soft top vs the RF, maybe mine had the suspension adjusted, although I don't think so.

I also test drove several Boxsters before getting the Miata. Are they better? Depends. Personally I prefer naturally aspirated vs turbo so the new Boxsters were not my favorite. The older NA flat 6 I would say were better, but not enough to justify the price being almost double what I paid for the Miata and then the cost of ongoing maintenance and repairs. Having owned a Cayenne I wasn't really looking forward to dealing with that again.

I also owned a Z4MR and as someone mentioned I think that would be the best of both worlds and probably my favorite car I've owned. That being said I just did not want to deal with finding one in good condition and then dealing with an almost 20 year old BMW.

Is the Miata the best car ever? No. Is it a great car given the price, reliability, availability of parts and accessories etc? Yes. If price/reliability is of no concern then there are much better cars, especially if you live somewhere flat and straight.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Arcades

I'd still take the Miata. I prefer it. The RF especially, with it's roof down, the side profile of the Miata RF is hands down one of the best looking cars out there.

86 is better out of the box, but I personally grown out of the car I think. I never had an interest in the 86/BRZ or the GR Corolla. That is why I choose the Miata over those two. I am also not a huge fan of the Subaru engine in the 86/BRZ anyway.

Ya, as much as I admired the MX-5, I was never srs about one until they came up with the RF. I'm just not a fan of ragtops and actually would prefer a coupe but understand it's probably pointless since the car started off as a convertible, and would probably still weigh slightly more (if I recall correctly, the E86 was markedly heavier than the E85, which was disappointing).

The smaller and lighter the car, the better for me, so even though the Twins may or may not have some advantages, it's gonna be pretty hard for them to knock off the Mazda for me if I'm really thinking of buying. The RF is just too good-looking of a car.

[radm]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Interesting and good thread. I guess I kinda had similar expectations as the OP having still not driven a MX-5 yet. I know there is bodyroll but from what he described, wow, doesn't sound so hot, and I'm one who definitely doesn't care for straight-line speed and prefer light weight and great handling on curved roads. Maybe OP should try the GR86/BRZ, the Elise/Exige or 4C.

Yes, 4C, a spider for the open roof experience. About the same size as Miata, with a turbo and very short gearing. The M3 is faster on faster curvy roads and doesn't run out of steam on straights but in tight curves where I take the 4C regularly, it can't be tossed around as much as the 4C and when going uphill the 4C is faster on exit due the low weight and very short gearing, although on paper they have similar 0-60 times.

If I got a Miata, I would stiffen the suspension, add a turbo, and consider changing the final drive ratio to shorten the gears for the roads where I would drive it most.

[baege]

OP, I get it.

when I had my 2016 Cayman S, I test drove a MIATA RF manual buying into all the hype

it took me about all of 2 minutes to know that I could not live with a buzzy gutless 4 cyl engine after living with a big NA flat six

and its not just about speed, its about the sound, the feel, throttle response and emotion of that flat six

sure the miata might be a little more fun around the curves

but does that make up for the STARK difference in the drivetrain experience?

not even close for me

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by radm

Yes, 4C, a spider for the open roof experience. About the same size as Miata, with a turbo and very short gearing. The M3 is faster on faster curvy roads and doesn't run out of steam on straights but in tight curves where I take the 4C regularly, it can't be tossed around as much as the 4C and when going uphill the 4C is faster on exit due the low weight and very short gearing, although on paper they have similar 0-60 times.

If I got a Miata, I would stiffen the suspension, add a turbo, and consider changing the final drive ratio to shorten the gears for the roads where I would drive it most.

Congrats on the Spider, both versions are great but it comes with a carbon tub, so just like flat tvs ought be hung on the wall, cars w carbon tubs ought to go topless.

Did you ever test drive a ND2/3 or is it pointless since you have the Alfa? Other than it having a stick, I would imagine there's no real point since the 4C is more planted and has better power-to-weight?

[Alfisti]

I'd love to drive a 4C, I hear such conflicting reports of the experience.

[freakystyly]

Just got an article from last night. Mentioning that Mazda and Toyota are teaming up for a partnership sportscar!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterly...mx-5-and-gr86/

Warning, lots of ad spam.

[radm]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Congrats on the Spider, both versions are great but it comes with a carbon tub, so just like flat tvs ought be hung on the wall, cars w carbon tubs ought to go topless.

Did you ever test drive a ND2/3 or is it pointless since you have the Alfa? Other than it having a stick, I would imagine there's no real point since the 4C is more planted and has better power-to-weight?

No I haven't but the time will come when the lack of parts may mean I won't be able to enjoy it as much as it will be waiting for parts - like my friend's Elise that he sold just recently, so I have been thinking if there is anything else. When I was shopping for the 4C almost 6 years ago, I test drove a Cayman but it was too precise, not exciting on acceleration, basically a German scalpel they do so well, but without the excitement 4C provides in spades. Even the smell of the carbon tub is an experience...

To Alfisti's point, you need to drive a 4C to know if you love it or not. I was lucky to be able to get one on Turo for a day before I got mine.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by radm

No I haven't but the time will come when the lack of parts may mean I won't be able to enjoy it as much as it will be waiting for parts - like my friend's Elise that he sold just recently, so I have been thinking if there is anything else. When I was shopping for the 4C almost 6 years ago, I test drove a Cayman but it was too precise, not exciting on acceleration, basically a German scalpel they do so well, but without the excitement 4C provides in spades. Even the smell of the carbon tub is an experience...

To Alfisti's point, you need to drive a 4C to know if you love it or not. I was lucky to be able to get one on Turo for a day before I got mine.

Hopefully someday I will test drive the MX-5, 4C and others. I just don't wanna do if I'm not srs about getting one rn. I'm pretty sure I'd love it, small cars seem built for me and all those silly 'complaints' (from ppl who prioritize them) not having storage space, armrests, the latest infotainment, 1,000hp, etc are from ppl who aren't really driving enthusiasts. Maybe they want a hotrod, but they definitely don't want a sportscar, i.e. excels on the curves.

[ShocknAwe]

I'd love to have a 4C. Wonderful car. But no manual gearbox so...

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by baege

OP, I get it.

when I had my 2016 Cayman S, I test drove a MIATA RF manual buying into all the hype

it took me about all of 2 minutes to know that I could not live with a buzzy gutless 4 cyl engine after living with a big NA flat six

and its not just about speed, its about the sound, the feel, throttle response and emotion of that flat six

sure the miata might be a little more fun around the curves

but does that make up for the STARK difference in the drivetrain experience?

not even close for me

What about the stark difference in price, maintenance, parts, repairs etc? For many people, myself included, yes, yes it does make up for the difference in the drivetrain experience.

[allinon72]

We need to be a little humble....we are sitting here in BMWs and discussing Porsche's, evaluating the performance of a Miata. We are at an elevated level in our consideration of the Miata. The average Miata driver does not have the kind of luxury that we have.