Car lovers?

Traded in my Miata.
For another Miata. Love this car.

Your tag

Mama Miata let me go

Hah!

New!
IMAGE(https://i.ibb.co/SwQrynM/MVIMG-20200809-133628.jpg)

UpToIsomorphism wrote:

Your tag

Mama Miata let me go

Beelzebub has a Mazda put aside for me
for me
FOR MEEEEE

I want a roadster but probably won’t happen while my kiddo is still home. Will there be roadsters in 2036 when she graduates?

F-type...

A Miata has always been my dream car. Any year. I like them all.

r013nt0 wrote:

Hah!

New!
IMAGE(https://i.ibb.co/SwQrynM/MVIMG-20200809-133628.jpg)

Looks sharp, how big of a model year upgrade are you doing?

mguenther wrote:

Looks sharp, how big of a model year upgrade are you doing?

Thanks!
Not huge. 2017 RF to 2020 soft top. Skyactiv-G engine in the 2019+ has 26 more horsepower and a higher red line though. Also they fixed my largest complaint with the ND1 models which is that the GT trim got you a nicer interior but didn't have the limited slip differential, which it does now on the ND2s. So it'll save me a bit of money and effort down the road.

Blind_Evil wrote:

I want a roadster but probably won’t happen while my kiddo is still home. Will there be roadsters in 2036 when she graduates?

F-type...

Well "coupes" are now 4-doors. So maybe in a few years minivans will be "coups" and sedans will be "roadsters".

r013nt0 wrote:

Hah!

New!
IMAGE(https://i.ibb.co/SwQrynM/MVIMG-20200809-133628.jpg)

Man! My old '91 NA looks terrible in comparison!

Lester_King wrote:

Man! My old '91 NA looks terrible in comparison!

Hey, that's a classic car there, depending on who you ask and what state you're in.

Any car still running after 30 years gets a thumbs up from me.

I think we can all agree that your NA looks better than an NB or especially an NC

Love NAs.

I just wanted to agree with the appreciation for the original MX-5. Lightweight, simple and with the exactly the right amount of power for British B-roads. The gearshift in particular is a delight.

I've just had a browse through the classifieds here in the UK in prices for the Mark 1 and Mark 2 models seem to have firmed up in recent years. I suspect that's a function of desirability and rust-induced scarcity. I'd imagine they thrive in the hot, dry US states.

SPEC Miata racing has really reduced the available inventory of NAs.

I had one of the few Mazdaspeed turbocharged versions of the NB. That was a brilliant fun car to drive, your NA puritanism be damned! I missed the hell out of it (right up until I got the WRX, which aside from the lack of a soft top, is an even more fun car to drive).

I had a 2014 STi hatchback that I adored right up to the moment a drunk driver in a 90s dodge ram turned left right in front of me coming from the other direction and totaled it. Couldn't replace it either. Still miss that car.

r013nt0 wrote:

I think we can all agree that your NA looks better than an NB or especially an NC

Love NAs.

I know it's not a popular opinion, but for styling, I find:

NA > early NC (oval headlights hated by many) > NB > later NC (slanty headlights preferred by most) >> ND.

I find the ND to not look like a Miata at all, I find it's styling to be very aggressive while Miatas are supposed to be happy and friendly. I also feel that it suffers the same problems as the Z4 (particularly the first generation, but significantly with the 2nd generation too, much less with the 3rd gen): it doesn't look agile. I saw a billboard when the Z4 first came out with a picture of the Z4 with the text "Land Shark", and all I could think of was "Beached Shark".

They wanted me to think this:

IMAGE(https://www.allhorror.com/public/uploads/2018/03/land-shark-2017-movie-1366x445.jpg)

or this:

IMAGE(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjFiYjBiNDUtMjJhYi00YWE0LTg3YTEtMzEwZmVlOWE2NzQ0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTM3MDMyMDQ@._V1_UY268_CR9,0,182,268_AL_.jpg)

but all I can see is this:

Spoiler tag for image of presumably dead beached shark.

Spoiler:

IMAGE(https://boston.cbslocal.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3859903/2015/09/shark1.jpg)

Edit to add that a Miata is first and foremost about handling/fun driving, and while I haven't driven an ND, I have only heard good things about them, and I don't begrudge anyone who likes or even loves the styling as most seem to. Styling is a mater of personal taste, and the ND and Z4 do not fit my personal taste. there is nothing wrong with them fitting yours.

You're not wrong that the ND looks like a Z4 - I was looking at r013nt0's picture and thinking: "What Miata?"

I like the look of the ND, especially the RF, but it is the first one that really wants to be called William instead of Billy.

I don't care for Z4s at all, never have, and don't really see the resemblance personally, but it's all subjective, as you say. Mazdas in general definitely have a very specific design language in their respective generations. All of the [current] KODO design Mazdas are fairly aggresive looking. The aim appears to be to capture motion even at rest. I think they accomplished it.
The previous generation was apparently all about having ridiculous wheel arches, which is why the R8 looks terrible. And why I have never liked the NC Miata personally.
And I do agree that while a flappy rubber tongue looks hilarious and awesome on an NA, it would look wildly out of place on an ND.

But at the end of the day the Miata is a driver's car, and the ND has the lowest curb weight since the NA, and the best suspension, engine, and differential ever offered to go with it. So I'm happy enough.

r013nt0 wrote:

I don't care for Z4s at all, never have, and don't really see the resemblance personally, but it's all subjective, as you say. Mazdas in general definitely have a very specific design language in their respective generations. All of the [current] KODO design Mazdas are fairly aggresive looking. The aim appears to be to capture motion even at rest. I think they accomplished it.
The previous generation was apparently all about having ridiculous wheel arches, which is why the R8 looks terrible. And why I have never liked the NC Miata personally.
And I do agree that while a flappy rubber tongue looks hilarious and awesome on an NA, it would look wildly out of place on an ND.

But at the end of the day the Miata is a driver's car, and the ND has the lowest curb weight since the NA, and the best suspension, engine, and differential ever offered to go with it. So I'm happy enough. :lol:

The current Mazdas definitely are going in that aggressive styling direction and away from what was once a very happy/friendly design language. My personal preference is strongly biased in the happy/friendly direction but I can appreciate an aggressive look on a car. It's the juxtaposition of a car I think of as the epitome of happy getting a super aggressive look that turns me off. I didn't like the change from the first generation neon to the second generation for the same reason (I'm weird, I know lots of people who have owned neons, but they were all manuals including several ACRs, so I remember the neon as the great car that it was not as the terrible transmission most were saddled with)

Being a Mazda tech for a living, there isn't a bad choice in any of the generations. There is something for someone somewhere
NC is the only gen I'm not too familiar (I went to GM land for about 8 years) but from what I've seen they are very solid. Used to be my least favorite but after driving a few good examples they grew on me. I still would kill to have a Mazdaspeed Miata, or another Speed Protege.
The Sky engine in the newer Mazda's for some reason it really reminds me of the 90's and early 2000s 1.6, 1.8 and the 2.0 engines. Easy to work on, simple engines, yet somehow very efficient.

Honestly if Mazda spent a bit more on marketing they would be selling cars like hot cakes, the product is very solid and has a very good look to it.

Apparently the CX-5 is massively popular. Not surprising, the 2020s are insanely nice inside with full-on luxury features for an incredibly reasonable price.

Totally, CX-30 is selling like hot cakes too, but what I'm saying it could be so much more then what they currently doing.

Perhaps they should bring back the Mazdaspeed Miata....

And also provide an option for a manual gearbox in the new 3 Turbo, which seems like a no-brainer to me.

Why would anyone buy the CX-30 over the 3 hatch? I thought it was weird when they came out with a "SUV" that size when they have the 3 hatch.

Sadly because it's labeled CUV/SUV, because cars are lame now

Due to the heat and humidity I've only been working on my car for maybe half an hour a day, so the radiator replacement has been taking some time. Not knowing what I'm doing and not having my usual car friends around for advice is making it take even longer. Making steady progress though.

The lower radiator hose has some sort of electric heater attached to it, and a spring was poking out of the hose. I just pushed it back in. I thought about pulling the whole thing out and replacing the hose, but the hose that's there is springy and new looking, so I'm not going to worry about it. I've got enough to do.

I've got the new radiator in place, and it fits almost perfectly, the only issue is the plastic fan shroud that sits behind it. If I reinstall the radiator support bracket on top, the radiator will be firmly held in place but the fan shroud will wobble around.

This fan shroud has been the bane of this entire project. I couldn't get it out of the car so I just had to work around it, and it's been very difficult to work around. Googling for more help just tells me 'don't break it; they're nearly impossible to replace', which is good to know but unhelpful.

Still, like I said, making progress. Once I get the hoses and transmission cooler lines hooked up I'm going to flush everything with some cleaning stuff I bought. The old radiator was full of nasty brown sludge and I bet everything needs cleaning. Then I install my new battery tray (old one was rusted through, took forever to get out, looks ok underneath though), reinstall the battery, then start her up and begin the process of getting the air bubbles out of the system.

Anyway, thanks for reading my mild rant. My family are non car people and they're tired of hearing me talk about it.

BuzzW wrote:

Due to the heat and humidity I've only been working on my car for maybe half an hour a day, so the radiator replacement has been taking some time. Not knowing what I'm doing and not having my usual car friends around for advice is making it take even longer. Making steady progress though.

The lower radiator hose has some sort of electric heater attached to it, and a spring was poking out of the hose. I just pushed it back in. I thought about pulling the whole thing out and replacing the hose, but the hose that's there is springy and new looking, so I'm not going to worry about it. I've got enough to do.

I've got the new radiator in place, and it fits almost perfectly, the only issue is the plastic fan shroud that sits behind it. If I reinstall the radiator support bracket on top, the radiator will be firmly held in place but the fan shroud will wobble around.

This fan shroud has been the bane of this entire project. I couldn't get it out of the car so I just had to work around it, and it's been very difficult to work around. Googling for more help just tells me 'don't break it; they're nearly impossible to replace', which is good to know but unhelpful.

Still, like I said, making progress. Once I get the hoses and transmission cooler lines hooked up I'm going to flush everything with some cleaning stuff I bought. The old radiator was full of nasty brown sludge and I bet everything needs cleaning. Then I install my new battery tray (old one was rusted through, took forever to get out, looks ok underneath though), reinstall the battery, then start her up and begin the process of getting the air bubbles out of the system.

Anyway, thanks for reading my mild rant. My family are non car people and they're tired of hearing me talk about it.

You'll feel great when you're done, though. Because you did it yourself.

Nope.
IMAGE(https://i.ibb.co/wpXfp8R/doesntwork.jpg)