“So whats your favorite generation Miata?”

The cam in the 1.6 is a good cam. Add a bit of compression, some throttle bodies and a great cam and a 1.6 wakes up in a way the 1.8 never did. It’s not as fast but it’s enormous fun. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

thr NC isn't a miata.. I can't remember where, but somewhere someone made the comment to the effect of 

"There are 3 Generations of the miata.. NA, NB and ND. and Mazda also made a convertible RX-8 called the NC"

The NC is not a bad car by any means, but the NA, NB and ND all are very light on their feet.

the NC to me feels substantial and it's not a bad car, but it lacks what makes the other Miata's I've driven special, and it's subpar to the also substantial S2000 which drives waaaay better. 

 

I don’t like the S2000 on the street myself. It’s not playful. And for the asking price, they had to be good!

The NC is a decent sports car. It’s just not my preferred option. Throw the Fox suspension on it and it turns into a very good car. Heck, if the 2013 Club has been available in 2006 instead of that sad sack suspension Mazda bolted on, we may have a different opinion of the NC. But it is missing a little joy. 

Keith Tanner said:

I don’t like the S2000 on the street myself. It’s not playful. And for the asking price, they had to be good!

i understand the sentiment 

The NC is a decent sports car. It’s just not my preferred option. Throw the Fox suspension on it and it turns into a very good car. Heck, if the 2013 Club has been available in 2006 instead of that sad sack suspension Mazda bolted on, we may have a different opinion of the NC. But it is missing a little joy. 

I've never loved the NC in any stock spec. 

I immediately get into a NA and ND and yes, they're playful little cars. 

After owning multiple NA, NB, 1 NC, and renting a ND for a week my vote goes for the NB. I do love the flip up headlights. 

This was my first Miata, and the reason I love Miatas.

$2013 Challenge NB put close to 30k miles on it. Not sure how or why the NB fit me best, especially after the Chinese water torture on the way home for the $2013 challenge. The memories of the every 5 second drop of water on my left arm will never be forgotten.  
 

Purchased this NC as a hail damaged car from auction in 2014. Put around 10k miles on it, one extensive road trip across the country. My friends father still drives the car around. I think this NC was the most comfortable to sit in and soak up miles. Also felt like a capable car, yet it lacked the something special the other generations have. 

ND RF I rented for a week to cruise up and down the California coastal highway. Also ran autocross at the challenge in one. I think they are great fun but more than 2 hours in one and I couldn't seem to find a comfortable position. Maybe I'm just getting old. 
 

After owning other cars I can definitely tell I'm a convertible guy. 

I still own the front two (92 and 99 (auto)) the back red is my brother's (94) flipped the white one (90) in the spring and bought an e30. My dad also had a 94 auto for a bit. Love them all.

Keith Tanner said:

I don’t like the S2000 on the street myself. It’s not playful. And for the asking price, they had to be good!

The NC is a decent sports car. It’s just not my preferred option. Throw the Fox suspension on it and it turns into a very good car. Heck, if the 2013 Club has been available in 2006 instead of that sad sack suspension Mazda bolted on, we may have a different opinion of the NC. But it is missing a little joy. 

I will respectfully thumbs down your comment about being fun on the street. I find my S2000 to be an absolute blast on the street even when it's not in VTEC yo. I go back and forth between DDing it and an E36 M3 and the S2000 wins hands down everytime. It could be because it never leaves me stranded or with broken door knobs or a random array of error lights but hey ithat's part of the fun. 

Also Miatas are starting to price creep towards what S2000s were selling for even with inflation included. I drove an ND, AP1, and AP2 back to back to back and well the best one came home with me. Busted ass clear coat and all. 

Happy Honda Days. 

I wouldn't want to narrow it down to one;

- NA/NB mix, super light

- NC Super 20 replica except with a six cylinder na instead of forced and lightened, different color

- ND, never driven one but modern engineering.

Owned a 95m and a ND1 RF and the ND was my favorite.

2nd favorite:

My favorite:

I have to be honest enough to say I don't have a lot of experience in an NC or ND.   As much as I loved my NA, the NB is just a better car.  My NA never had the chassis stiffness of the NB, even with the roll bar installed.  The interior is much better quality, it has more power, better controls (especially the cruise control) and better seats.  At autocross, it's significantly faster.  I suppose it doesn't have some of the "charm" of the NA, but for my money, I'll take the better car.  I've never liked the looks of the NC, so I'll probably "skip over" that generation and pick up an ND sometime in the future.

DirtyBird222 said:

I will respectfully thumbs down your comment about being fun on the street. I find my S2000 to be an absolute blast on the street even when it's not in VTEC yo. I go back and forth between DDing it and an E36 M3 and the S2000 wins hands down everytime. It could be because it never leaves me stranded or with broken door knobs or a random array of error lights but hey ithat's part of the fun. 

Also Miatas are starting to price creep towards what S2000s were selling for even with inflation included. I drove an ND, AP1, and AP2 back to back to back and well the best one came home with me. Busted ass clear coat and all. 

Happy Honda Days. 

I think the thing with S2000s is that they're very intense, serious cars to drive.  I can see why that's appealing, but I can also see why it turns some people off.  For me, with a street car, I like something that's a little more pleasant to use when I'm not in racecar mode.  The S2000 is too focused in it's purpose and it just doesn't check that box.

DirtyBird222 said:

Also Miatas are starting to price creep towards what S2000s were selling for even with inflation included. I drove an ND, AP1, and AP2 back to back to back and well the best one came home with me. Busted ass clear coat and all. 

I'm gonna check that math.

MSRP of the S2000 in 2000: $32,000. I don't know if there were any options available.
Equivalent in 2019 dollars: $48,785.97

Most expensive Miata I can spec out on Mazdausa.com: $37,555 (RF with an automatic transmission, Soul Red paint and the appearance package). The base model is $25,750. So that means the S2000 is still 30% more expensive than the most expensive 2019 Miata, and nearly twice the price if we compare the starting price.

I put the S2000 in the same category as the FD RX-7. Fast, impressive, but the performance is not really accessible on the street and the car just doesn't feel as fun. It's heavier than the Miata and you don't really get to appreciate that engine in normal use. That's my takeway, anyhow. If we all had the same opinions, the world would be a much less interesting place.

When will this idea that the NC is a porker die? It's very comparable to an NB2.

I've tracked NA/NB on different suspension and brake setups. Had an NC as a DD that was stock for except I think the PO put an FM or GWR muffler on it and I used an OFT to put a tune in it. And haven't driven an ND, either flavor.

I think the NC makes a better DD, and I suspect for me, it would be a better track/race car. I drove my friends WRL NB....Halo seat, full cage, nets, etc. I'm not a huge guy but I felt very claustrophobic in it.

Under Emilio's advice, I have not driven an ND. His take has basically been, "Don't go buy one if you aren't prepared to buy it."

That's MY advice!

I've only driven these two.  My first one was the orange NB2 sport, sold after I bought the NB1 sport.

For me, the NB generation hits the sweet spot of affordability and competitiveness for autocross.

I'd like to own an NC to daily, but family of four...

I haven't driven, or even ridden in an ND, but I don't doubt that they are fantastic. 

I really miss my white 94 R, and almost bought it back with a salvage title due to a very minor wreck.  I had very nice 16x7 SSR integrals on it, and Harddog rollbar with a voodoo shift knob....  almost perfect.

spacecadet said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

thr NC isn't a miata.. I can't remember where, but somewhere someone made the comment to the effect of 

"There are 3 Generations of the miata.. NA, NB and ND. and Mazda also made a convertible RX-8 called the NC"

The NC is not a bad car by any means, but the NA, NB and ND all are very light on their feet.

the NC to me feels substantial and it's not a bad car, but it lacks what makes the other Miata's I've driven special, and it's subpar to the also substantial S2000 which drives waaaay better. 

 

I'm with you there.

We own NB2s for autox and rallyx, have NAs that are just enjoyable to drive and my new DD is a 30AE that I am in love with.  I've never driven an NC, but the looks don't do it for me.  

If you haven't driven an NC on sorted suspension and good tires, you need to.  It's a much better chassis than people give it credit for, and as a track car (gutted/caged), it's not much heavier than an NB.  And you can fit 255 rubber with a fender roll...

I never liked the looks of the NC until the NC3 came along, which IMHO looks pretty good once lowered a bit with decent wheels/tires.

Keith Tanner said:

That's MY advice!

You both share the same advice!

Which is why I have refrained thus far. It will likely be 12 months until I get rid of the Mazda 3 and who knows what I will find interesting by then. 

I haven't driven an NA or an ND but I owned a couple NBs and my wife had an NC.  For me the NB was a much better fit as the cabin, though narrower, seemed longer.  In the NC I was never able to get enough seat rake to be comfortable and there was a hvac vent that would either bake or freeze my right knee (I figured if it wasn't there I could maybe position myself better in the car too). 

The front of the ND is the best Miata.

The back end of the ND is the worst.

Drops and pinches too much for my eyes, in much the same way 90s Taurus' or Buick Rivieras do. It needs a bigger booty.

NB looks the best, but I’ve never driven one.  Currently own a 96 NA, and love driving it, but the 2010 NC I used to own was a much better daily, even though it’s the ugliest looking generation.  I’ve been casually looking for an automatic NC as a potential year round daily.

I adored my 1995 NA when I had it. First car I bought myself, age 18. Agreed the NA is something special. It was a great college kid car. I have friends who still have NAs kicking around, in nice condition, and I have no idea how I used one as my only car. I'm tall, they're small and buzzy on the highway and I was driving up and down I-81 a lot. But throwing the top back and hitting a back road in a NA Miata is still a great memory.

The NB is... fine? It's a nicer NA but never fully resonated with me. 

My dad has a PRHT NC2 with the LSD and upgraded OEM suspension package. Six speed. Original muffler got a hole in it so it's got a catback on it. It's a fun little thing and a better "whole car" than a NA could ever be. Less Miataish in some regards but I think it works.

Mazda is about to drop off a ND2 Miata RF this afternoon, for a week. I drove a ND1 when they first dropped and liked the drive, if not the looks. Curious what a week with an RF will make me feel. 

NA8 owner here. It's the headlights. I will do a NA6 dash replacement at some point because it looks better.

Robbie said:

Patrick said:

In reply to wheelsmithy :

Me.  I have driven an ND and strongly dislike it.  I like 1.8 NA's with hardtops.  

What!?! At the general tire challenge?

ND on an autox course i thought was sublime.

I either want all the power or a visceral driving experience(or both).  The ND gave me neither.  The NA gave me the experience.  I miss driving the NA.