Miatas in the land of rain

With my wife considering staying at home with the kids, and a new longer commute for me, I am thinking about replacing my RX-8 with something more....fuel efficient. I really love the 8 and want to get something similar from a "fun to drive" prospective. As usual the answer seems to be "miata".

My previous experience with convertibles is my wife's Mercedes 560SL. That thing leaks like crazy when it rains, despite my best efforts to seal it up. It even leaks with the hard-top on.

Living in the Pacific NW it rains most of the time. The Miata will be a daily driver and will probably have to live outside since my locost project is taking up the 3rd bay of the garage. Am I going to end up with a soggy miata, or do they stay dry inside?

What generation miata? It really depends on the year and how old the top is.

They'll stay nice and dry as long as they're in good shape. If your rear window is held together with packing tape, the drains are all clogged up and there's a 1/2" gap between the rubber seals on the windows, well, don't complain. This is true of all Miatas - my 1990 kept me nice and dry when I lived where it rains.

The one big problem they have (in good shape) is a lack of rain gutters on the roof. So, if you have a nicely treated top with a water repellant coating, you'll get a little shot of water on the leg when the car sinks under your weight when you get in. It's even better with a hardtop.

Unsurprisingly, Mr. Tanner tells the truth.
I bought mine just as summer was ending, and run a hardtop almost all the time.
Other than the splash to the leg when you get in, no problems.

I also live in the NW and own a Miata. I wipe the top above the window before I get in. Not perfect but it helps. I haven't had a leak in my top. I feel that any car left outside in the NW will pay a price. The worst that can happen is you will own a Miata

I don't like drive my Miata in the winter. The rain gets crazy and in ice I feel a uneasy.

I think long term the best solution is to move where it doesn't rain for 10 months of the year!!!

Wet left ass cheek, shoulder, pants leg: these are the signs of open top driving enthusiasts. That's just how we recognize our own.

I had a hardtop from a 91 on my 96 and all original seals. No leaks found. Drove the car year-round for 2 years.

A little off-topic, but do you really think the switch from an RX8 to a miata is going to save you significant amounts of money? I would bet that it's a few hundred bucks a year tops. To me, the RX8 is well worth that especially for the extra utility of back seats.

My NC had problems with a leaky trunk, either the dealer or the PO stripped out the trunk carpet, and a had rusty jack. Retorquing the taillamp nuts to spec and cleaning out the drain tubes that don't look like they ever had been before seems to have sorted that out.

I commuted with a '92 in Seattle for three years and the only issue I ever had was that one of the channels that drains the water away from the back deck/top area clogged with pine needles and caused a little sogginess and I had my taillight seals go bad and get a little water in the trunk. Other than that, I had no issues with the top itself leaking (it was a high-quality, glass-windowed replacement that was only a few years old, however, so YMMV). I even drove it in the winter and through some rocker-deep snow in the Christmas of '08. I finally got rid of mine because the rocker rusted through on one side (not because of that snow driving, but because the car grew up in Utah where it was subjected to salt for most of its life).

Figuring 30 mpg for Miata and 20 mpg for the RX-8 at 200 miles per week and a fuel cost of $3.40/gallon equals a difference of $600 year. ($1178.67 versus $1768).

Keith Tanner wrote: The one big problem they have (in good shape) is a lack of rain gutters on the roof. So, if you have a nicely treated top with a water repellant coating, you'll get a little shot of water on the leg when the car sinks under your weight when you get in. It's even better with a hardtop.

That just means you need stiffer springs so that it doesn't tilt as much when you get in. :)

You know, I thought about making that exact suggestion

DustoffDave wrote: Figuring 30 mpg for Miata and 20 mpg for the RX-8 at 200 miles per week and a fuel cost of $3.40/gallon equals a difference of $600 year. ($1178.67 versus $1768).

You forgot to factor in that the RX8 uses premium grade fuel so that will go up for more savings for the Miata. Not even counting the maintenance costs. Things for the RX8 costs more.

Of course, I went the other way. Went from a Miata to an RX8. Wanted the extra room.

I've owned the following convertibles. A '66 Corvair in '86-'87, NA and NB Miatas and a VW EOS, hard top convertible. The Corvair leaked like an old battleship. I used all kinds of crap fighting that losing battle. I remember getting caught in a torrential downpour in Texas and the Miata did not show a drop inside. The EOS has been excellent, the only issue with it is to keep the hardtop seals lubed.

The Miata top is well made and designed. And it's small and simple. The only issue I could conceive would be abuse or neglect.

Thanks for the info guys! You are probably right about the cost savings... Automotive ADD strikes again!

I've been daily driving a miata since 1995. I lived in the Seattle area for 10 of them, and now I live further north. I have had no problems with leaks, and I have never owned a hardtop (maybe some day I can afford one). I also still get 30mpg even with my supercharger putting out 250hp! Man is it a great car; I'll never get rid of it! Funny, I think I've been spoiled with the nicely designed soft-top, because my Spitifire's top is frightening in comparison.

-Hamid