I’ve been looking at miatas today. Here’s my local Craigslist find: https://bend.craigslist.org/search/cto?query=miata
of these,which is a good deal? Has best options? And has best performance?
Its kind of a learn me thread too. I’ve read the NA,B,C wiki. Now I need the “oh avoid this because...” or the “if you take this year Ecu and put it in that chassis...”, also the “this one is the R package because of red Miata sign...”
my goals: a fun, comfortable, topless, reliable, decent MPG, roadster. Occasional autox, rarely a track day, if ever.
I think the question you need to answer first is NA, NB, NC or ND. The NAs and NBs are very similar and to me the ND feels like an NA after Mazda took a look at an S2000. Personally I'm not that big fan of the NC, but that's a matter of taste.
The NC is IIRC the most comfortable of them. ND gets the best mileage.
Can’t afford the nd. The nc is pushing the limit. I’d finance the rest of what I can’t pay outright.
Also, a disturbing amount of these ads do not contain the year of the car. It’s as if people think that A Miata has always existed in any year
One of the ones that caught my eye was the white one with a hardtop that's got a rebuilt title. Depending on what the rebuilt title was for that might be a cheap "gateway drug" and if the hardtop hasn't got the usual broken rear latches, it's worth close to half the asking price.
Keep in mind I'm somewhat prejudiced because I like the looks of the NA better than the NB, plus I find the NA fits me a little better.
In reply to BoxheadCougarTim :
I agree, I like flipup headlights. The NA does look like a bar of soap though. And the nc at least had some curves.
One thing to mention- I will not consider anything over $8000, simply because that gets into Honda S 2000 territory
Have you read any of Keith's books?
Have you driven any of the different generations?
Knowing which you prefer based on initial impressions of a short drive, might help.
Basically, the newer the better for a DD.
A 1.8L is a lightly better car to drive since it has a bit more umph. Some like the power steering, some don't, for a cruiser/shared ride, the PS isn't a terrible thing to have.
The 5-speed was pretty much the same across the board, expect to change the fluids and service the shifter/oil as its easily forgotten.
They are pretty much legos, so quite a lot will transfer forward and back. This also makes identifying their year a bit more tricky.
The torsens are all pretty much borked at this point, so its not a selling point, really. Nice if they work, but plan on rebuilding/replacing it.
The superchargers aren't the greatest solution, they tend to have idle issues and hot intake temps so their power is limited. If you don't have a OBD car, or have to worry about local emissions testing, you can put in one of FM's ECU's and improve the idle, ignition and fueling a bit. Its still not as good as a turbocharger solution for drivability and power output.
Since you're shopping used, the suspension under it doesn't really matter since you'd have to change the dampers anyway, so a set of springs, bars and bushings becomes a "while you're in there" sort of thing.
The NA/NB at this point really needs a roll bar and a butterfly brace as they are getting a bit old, squeaky and wiggly. This bumps you a class though :/
I actually liked the NC we rented for a weekend trip to the coast. It was comfy, made nice noises and even the 6-speed auto blipped the throttle on downshifts when carving through the coast mountains. That said, the styling isn't the greatest, IMO and its a bit more a cruiser compared to the other generations since its a bit heavier and shares its underpinnings with the RX-8.
Choose the one you like the color and options of, then work on the minor details that you'd want to change (suspension, power, styling, etc.) There's lots of options around to tailor them to your desires, some expensive, some cheap.
Avoid the 1990-1993s. Less powerful 1.6L engine, smaller brakes, chassis with less bracing and a weaker rear diff that only has a viscous limited-slip.
In reply to NickD :
That’s kinda the plan as of now. 1994-up car. Possibly NC. I think I’ll keep mileage as low as possible.
https://corvallis.craigslist.org/cto/d/2001-mazda-miata-ls/6528659646.html
this one is really calling to me. Looks stock and old man owned. 103k. And that tan interior is to die for.
In reply to NickD :
I'd actually disagree. Most of the advances the 1.8 has can be retrofitted. If I had a choice between a really nice 1.6 or not so great 1.8, I'd probably pick the former. That said, most 1.6s are also older and thus not in better condition.
Whatever you do, LS swap it 
In reply to Patrick :
Careful now, I might. Finally starting to see some in my area for cheap.
My vote goes for the red NB with the hardtop or the 01 tan gut old man owned one.
That NB is pretty similar to my Dad's, his is BRG w/tan, he's an old man and its already been on the track :)
It looks like it is great shape and I do love that interior. I'm not a fan of the dark color, but that's a personal thing.
In reply to BoxheadCougarTim :
I have a 1.6L. I ended up upgrading to 1.8L brakes, a Torsen differential, a rear subframe brace and am now installing a '99 1.8L. If I wasn't attached to the Mariner Blue color and OBD0, I'd have unloaded it and gotten an NB1
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