So I've been out car shopping with a friend, and while at the Mazda dealer, I looked the Miata Club. I really hadn't looked at one before, and I liked it far better than the average NC. Didn't get a chance to drive it though.
Opinions on the Club vs. the twins? If I were to buy a new car today, which I'm not however, it would be one of the these two.
What do you think? I would think the Club might be a good stock class autocrosser along with the BRZ/FRS.
both good cars.
drive them and see which one you like 
Motor Trend did a comparison recently, there's a video out there.
The Club is a nice package. We have one in the shop, and everyone's been really impressed.
Never seen a Club, but have driven a standard NC twice--once modestly prepped for CS, and once modestly prepped for STR (same car 2 years apart). I daily drive an NB, and I have taken a BRZ on a test drive.
I found the BRZ to be underpowered. It still might end up being my next car, simply because it is much more practical than a Miata, but I was still disappointed with it.
To quote Alan quoting me in another thread:
Alan Cesar wrote:mtn wrote: Big one for me was the BRZ/FRS. It really felt underpowered to me, and I'm not quite sure why--I currently drive an NB Miata with only suspension mods (and a cat-back), the car before that was a SAAB 9-5 linear (lowest power one) and before that a 4 cylinder E30 convertible. I should be the guy screaming that it doesn't need more power, it is supposed to be that way, but nonetheless I was disappointed in it.I'll second that. Rev the piss out of it and the engine never really comes alive. It just pulls along and hits the rev limiter with a mighty blah. I kept expecting the power to come on at some point, and it never did. The chassis is well set up, making the car fun. It's easy to drive and drift. But it feels slow.
In other words, I would go with the Club unless you need the space.
Keith Tanner wrote: Motor Trend did a comparison recently, there's a video out there. The Club is a nice package. We have one in the shop, and everyone's been really impressed.
What's the big difference with the Club vs. say a Grand Touring with the suspension package?
I remember you or Jeremy mentioning the NC Club to me when i was out there, and i just went on the Mazda website, and i'll be damned if i can't figure out what the real differences are.
Is the Club that much lighter due to the cloth interior?
Ask Mazda or send me one of each so I can weigh them both. I don't think leather is that heavy, really. But it's a good, affordable package that's got all the stuff we want. And it looks like Mazda finally figured out the stock suspension calibration for the NC.
When I was looking at the Club, the first I noticed is that it's spec'd exactly like I would want it. I'm not really looking for another car since I just bought the Mustang and still have the Cooper S, but I really did like that car. I've owned maybe half a dozen Miatas in the past, but never a NC.
Do they make a hardtop for these that isn't the power version?
Yes, but they're unicorn poop.
How much stuff can you realistically fit in the back of a FRSBRZ? It seems that both would be equally impractical. One just allows for open air driving.
I'm also curious as to whether or not there are real differences in the suspension between the Club and the other Miatas. As said owner of the NC that mtn drove, I hated the stock suspension so much that I refuse to recommend an NC Miata to anyone remotely interested in enthusiastic driving unless they're willing to some basic suspension work.
Unless there was a change to the newest NC Miata's rear roll stiffness, I can't see how the car could be fun to drive as a stock class autocross car...
PHeller wrote: How much stuff can you realistically fit in the back of a FRSBRZ?
LOTS
It was designed to let you haul a set of wheels plus tools to the track...which it can easily do.
Especially if you stack them:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3748
jleez wrote: I'm also curious as to whether or not there are real differences in the suspension between the Club and the other Miatas. As said owner of the NC that mtn drove, I hated the stock suspension so much that I refuse to recommend an NC Miata to anyone remotely interested in enthusiastic driving unless they're willing to some basic suspension work. Unless there was a change to the newest NC Miata's rear roll stiffness, I can't see how the car could be fun to drive as a stock class autocross car...
There have been 3 variants of the NC now.... each better than the last.
I don't like the stock suspension on ANYTHING, but the "NC3" as i'll call them, are entirely decent.
Decent. Not necessarily a hard-core track setup. And they get a bit floaty in the triple digits.
I'll admit that we did have a set of FM sway bars on this car, so I can't comment on the roll stiffness. Since the biggest problem of the NC was always the damping, that's what had my interest.
GameboyRMH wrote:PHeller wrote: How much stuff can you realistically fit in the back of a FRSBRZ?LOTS It was designed to let you haul a set of wheels plus tools to the track...which it can easily do. Especially if you stack them: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3748
I stand corrected. That certainly is much better than could be done in a Miata, although a trailer would solve the problem pretty easily as well.
PHeller wrote:GameboyRMH wrote:I stand corrected. That certainly is much better than could be done in a Miata, although a trailer would solve the problem pretty easily as well.PHeller wrote: How much stuff can you realistically fit in the back of a FRSBRZ?LOTS It was designed to let you haul a set of wheels plus tools to the track...which it can easily do. Especially if you stack them: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3748
Yes, but this is still easier. Not to mention that in a pinch, the Breeze twins can fit 3 people.
PHeller wrote: How much stuff can you realistically fit in the back of a FRSBRZ? It seems that both would be equally impractical. One just allows for open air driving.
Tons more. The backseats are useless in the FRS, but it allows for a big hole to stuff stuff into as long as that stuff does not have legs. The seat folds down and I can vouch for the 4 wheels and tires thing.
I don't really get the slow bit, its more a matter of perception. I often get the minivan that insist on pulling away from the light just to prove that he is faster than a FRS. The car iself is more than able to get me into legal trouble without breaking a sweat and the handling is ever present at whatever speed you travel.
My Miata was a 1990 and still stands as the best vehicle I have driven. My sister has a 2006, and on a trip to Minneapolis, my conclusion was Meh, its done the same as the 240Z did on the way to becoming the 300ZX. Bit harsh maybe, but my opinion.
Keith Tanner wrote: Ask Mazda or send me one of each so I can weigh them both. I don't think leather is that heavy, really. But it's a good, affordable package that's got all the stuff we want. And it looks like Mazda finally figured out the stock suspension calibration for the NC.
Took them long enough!
I HATE the suspension on my '06, otherwise love the car. I'd like to do a few mods to it (like the FM recipe for handing and an I/H/E + tune).........just really hard to justify spending money on it, while saving up for BBK and XIDA's for the track car.
I'm not convinced that there is any difference in the suspension between the NC1, NC2, and NC3. I bought my '09 in hopes that the suspension was different from the NC1s, but I experienced the exact same handling issues that all of the non-MSR cars had.
Once you get past the shocks, the biggest problem with the NC Miatas, in my opinion, is that the rear of the car is very soft, biasing the car to extreme understeer when pushed to the limit. Miatas aren't supposed to lift the inside front tire off the ground when cornering, are they?
I don't want to bash too much on the NCs, considering that I've fixed the suspension in my car and now love it. But I can't, in good conscience, recommend an NC Miata unless the owner is willing to at least put on different sway bars. There were many times when driving my bone-stock NC at an autocross that I wished that I had kept my also bone-stock NA instead.
z31maniac, what might help make the suspension more tolerable is just putting a bigger rear sway on the car. Your car will still squat during acceleration like a puppy taking a dump on the asphalt, but I think it will make the cornering more bearable. Hell, I've got two yellow dot RX8 rear sway bars in my garage; if you want one, I could send you one for the cost of shipping...
2009 is an NC2, it feels a lot like the NC1 although it's a bit better. I'm guessing the decent calibration came in with the NC3 facelift in what, 2012?
I agree, every NC needs a set of upgraded adjustable sway bars 
Who runs a stock suspension in a Miata anyway? Pfft 
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