Thinking about an NB

Hi all,

It's been a fun year with my Ranger - hauled my motorcycle around a few
places including the Rockies and Black Hills, and driving a vehicle so
invisible that it has yet to draw it's first comment - but I'm starting to
miss my '96 NA and thinking about making some Miata-size room in the garage
again.

I had a '96 as a year-round only car for five years. This time I'm thinking
about getting an NB and using it for summer and vacation driving only (I
like the Ranger and will be keeping it too). I'm thinking NB mostly for
availability, don't really like the new ones. The main thing I didn't like
about my NA was the noise level with the top up.

So, comments on moving to an NB? Any special things to note? Good/bad years?
I just sat in a '99 Aniversary and the seat seemed quite different than I
remembered in the NA, true?

TIA

miker

On Dec 31 2010, 2:06*pm, "miker" > wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> It's been a fun year with my Ranger - hauled my motorcycle around a few
> places including the Rockies and Black Hills, and driving a vehicle so
> invisible that it has yet to draw it's first comment - but I'm starting to
> miss my '96 NA and thinking about making some Miata-size room in the garage
> again.
>
> I had a '96 as a year-round only car for five years. This time I'm thinking
> about getting an NB and using it for summer and vacation driving only (I
> like the Ranger and will be keeping it too). I'm thinking NB mostly for
> availability, don't really like the new ones. The main thing I didn't like
> about my NA was the noise level with the top up.
>
> So, comments on moving to an NB? Any special things to note? Good/bad years?
> I just sat in a '99 Aniversary and the seat seemed quite different than I
> remembered in the NA, true?
>
> TIA
>
> miker

I have a '97 M Edition, my second Miata (first was my '92 that my
eldest son still owns and drives wiht close to 200k on it) and my
favorite Miata of all.

I put the hard top on it in early December, and it is quieter and - to
my eyes - better looking in the winter with the factory color-matched
hardtop.

The oem stero still works great; though I replaced trhe speakers with
aftermarket items last summer.

The car gets 26-27 mpg with almost exclusively around-town driving
with my foot habitually to the floor.

I have a Chevy Silverado for hauling and towing an dseeing over
traffic and quieter highway trips.

I was curious enough about the current retractable hardtop Miata that
I just went and sat in one at the showroom yesterday, in fact, and
didn't even test drive it as I found the interior not to my liking.

Getting back into the '97 was like putting on a favorite, comfortable
pair of shoes!

I'm trying to get my other son (a professional mechanic) to install
the Koni adjustable shocks that he took off his street Miata when he
converted it to a race-only spec Miata two years ago. My oem shocks
are shot, even with only 64k miles on my car; being almost 14-years
old at this point.

Good luck and buy the nicest, lowest-mileage example you can find,
because they're cheaper to buy nice than to make nice. And I highly
recommend the factory hardtop, unless you live somewhere where it will
never, ever, be needed!

Tim

ps Happy New Year to all you Miata owners and Miata lovers out there!

"Tim M." > wrote :

<<Good luck and buy the nicest, lowest-mileage example you can find,
because they're cheaper to buy nice than to make nice. >>

Good advice, which I've finally learned.

miker

"miker" > wrote in message
m...
> Hi all,
>
> It's been a fun year with my Ranger - hauled my motorcycle around a few
> places including the Rockies and Black Hills, and driving a vehicle so
> invisible that it has yet to draw it's first comment - but I'm starting to
> miss my '96 NA and thinking about making some Miata-size room in the
> garage again.
>
> I had a '96 as a year-round only car for five years. This time I'm
> thinking about getting an NB and using it for summer and vacation driving
> only (I like the Ranger and will be keeping it too). I'm thinking NB
> mostly for availability, don't really like the new ones. The main thing I
> didn't like about my NA was the noise level with the top up.
>
> So, comments on moving to an NB? Any special things to note? Good/bad
> years? I just sat in a '99 Aniversary and the seat seemed quite different
> than I remembered in the NA, true?
>
> TIA
>
> miker
>
>
Miker, My first Miata experience was ~75k in a '92 and currently about 75k
into my ownership of a '99 so hopefully, I can give you some good compare
and contrast info.

92 PROS: Seats (far better than 99's and better than most NB's imho)
'Design' some think it's better looking, I don't agree but, this is totally
subjective / personal.

After that. I would have to say that the NB is better in every way. Far
better in my opinion. Here are some examples; Far fewer squeaks / rattles
(better plastics?) in the interior, especially on cold days. Everything has
a more solid feel (I'm thinking mostly doors). As for interior noise, I
notice much more of a difference with the top down, being able to carry on
conversations at higher speeds in the NB. With the top up, I don't recall
noticing a difference. The 1.8 motor is a big advantage though, I understand
that is not NB specific. As for 'design', to me the NA looks more like
you're driving an old classic car and, there's nothing wrong with that but,
the NB still looks like a modern / current car, to my eye. If I had my
'druthers', I'd transfer a good set of NA seats into an ND and be a very
happy boy. You have to switch some seatbelt stuff around but I'm quite sure
that it's totally do-able. Would have done it but they interfere with my
roll bar more and I couldn't lean them back far enough.

As for the NC, the interior doesn't get high marks from me either except
that they seem to have gone back to seats that are pretty much as good as
the NA's. The rest, I could probably live with to get the PRHT, if the funds
come available some day.

NB bargain's are plentiful. I agree with Tim; it's allot cheaper to buy a
nicer Miata than to make a Miata nicer yourself. Drive a few and see what
you think. Don't just drive one or two examples and figure that's it, there
are allot of NB's out there with worn out shocks. And, for comparison sake,
I like to check air pressure in the tires when I test drive to be sure I'm
not being confused by a low tire or something like it.

Have fun, the shopping is great.

Chris
99BBB

(99's have a potential '#4 thrust bearing failure' problem to watch out for
but other than that, I don't know of any big issues)

Thanks Chris, exactly the kind of comparison I was looking for. I see my
impression of the seats being different must have been reality-based. Your
thought of putting NA seats in the NB is something I'd want to do, I can't
imagine getting used to the seats in the '99 I sat in.

Good idea on checking tires when testing! Thanks for your comments.

miker

> After that. I would have to say that the NB is better in every way.

I had a 1994 M-Spec miata that was stolen and destroyed in July 2010. This
particular '94 miata was a rare and peculiar version of NA that was a
factory higher performance model that rode very harshly and had quite a bit
of cowl shake. After being stolen, I replace it with a similarly equipped
1999 LS model with hardtop. I would have to say the power level seems lower
on the new car. The new one gets a tiny bit better gas mileage. The interior
is likely nicer but two things bother me about the new car: 1) the power
window switchs sit horizontally behind the gear shift so the dog constantly
moves windows and 2) the seat seem harder, slippery and lack bolsters. The
exterior of the NB is quite a bit more stylish than the NA. The trunk seems
smaller because it is a bit shallower although it may be a bit wider because
the battery is under the trunk in the NB, rather than in the trunk isn the
NA . The biggest single difference is the considerably improved OEM shock
and spring rates of the stock NB. There is no harshness to the rear
suspension and only a bit of cowl shake from the front suspension. For that
reason alone, I would recommend the NB. If you get a chance, keep the seats
from your NA (particularly if they are the style with the forward extended
seat base). I do not like the newer models for several reasons.

Brian Minto
Calgary, Alberta, Canada


"miker" > wrote in message
m...
Hi all,

It's been a fun year with my Ranger - hauled my motorcycle around a few
places including the Rockies and Black Hills, and driving a vehicle so
invisible that it has yet to draw it's first comment - but I'm starting to
miss my '96 NA and thinking about making some Miata-size room in the garage
again.

I had a '96 as a year-round only car for five years. This time I'm thinking
about getting an NB and using it for summer and vacation driving only (I
like the Ranger and will be keeping it too). I'm thinking NB mostly for
availability, don't really like the new ones. The main thing I didn't like
about my NA was the noise level with the top up.

So, comments on moving to an NB? Any special things to note? Good/bad years?
I just sat in a '99 Aniversary and the seat seemed quite different than I
remembered in the NA, true?

TIA

miker

My dog was constantly opening windows in my NA - always wanted to stand with
his front legs on the console. Then he would suddenly make a surprise surge
and wind up in my lap. Based on his relaxation level I'd say he liked the
Ranger a lot better. You can't curl up next to daddy's leg in a Miata.

Are there aftermarket seats for the NB worth getting?

miker


"Brian Minto" > wrote in message
...
>I had a 1994 M-Spec miata that was stolen and destroyed in July 2010. This
> particular '94 miata was a rare and peculiar version of NA that was a
> factory higher performance model that rode very harshly and had quite a
> bit
> of cowl shake. After being stolen, I replace it with a similarly equipped
> 1999 LS model with hardtop. I would have to say the power level seems
> lower
> on the new car. The new one gets a tiny bit better gas mileage. The
> interior
> is likely nicer but two things bother me about the new car: 1) the power
> window switchs sit horizontally behind the gear shift so the dog
> constantly
> moves windows and 2) the seat seem harder, slippery and lack bolsters. The
> exterior of the NB is quite a bit more stylish than the NA. The trunk
> seems
> smaller because it is a bit shallower although it may be a bit wider
> because
> the battery is under the trunk in the NB, rather than in the trunk isn the
> NA . The biggest single difference is the considerably improved OEM shock
> and spring rates of the stock NB. There is no harshness to the rear
> suspension and only a bit of cowl shake from the front suspension. For
> that
> reason alone, I would recommend the NB. If you get a chance, keep the
> seats
> from your NA (particularly if they are the style with the forward extended
> seat base). I do not like the newer models for several reasons.
>
> Brian Minto
> Calgary, Alberta, Canada
>
>
> "miker" > wrote in message
> m...
> Hi all,
>
> It's been a fun year with my Ranger - hauled my motorcycle around a few
> places including the Rockies and Black Hills, and driving a vehicle so
> invisible that it has yet to draw it's first comment - but I'm starting to
> miss my '96 NA and thinking about making some Miata-size room in the
> garage
> again.
>
> I had a '96 as a year-round only car for five years. This time I'm
> thinking
> about getting an NB and using it for summer and vacation driving only (I
> like the Ranger and will be keeping it too). I'm thinking NB mostly for
> availability, don't really like the new ones. The main thing I didn't like
> about my NA was the noise level with the top up.
>
> So, comments on moving to an NB? Any special things to note? Good/bad
> years?
> I just sat in a '99 Aniversary and the seat seemed quite different than I
> remembered in the NA, true?
>
> TIA
>
> miker
>
>
>
>

"miker" > wrote in message
m...
> My dog was constantly opening windows in my NA - always wanted to stand
> with his front legs on the console. Then he would suddenly make a surprise
> surge and wind up in my lap. Based on his relaxation level I'd say he
> liked the Ranger a lot better. You can't curl up next to daddy's leg in a
> Miata.
>
> Are there aftermarket seats for the NB worth getting?
>
> miker
>
>
Hey, get the base model NB like I did and have old school roll up windows.
It's not a bad thing and it's less to go wrong / wear out. I like that.
Problem is, it has no cruise control, that's a problem!

Good luck,
Chris
99BBB

On 3.1.2011. 16:54, miker wrote:
> My dog was constantly opening windows in my NA

I had a dog and a cat (not at the same time in the car). they made a few
scratching marks with their claws

dog was small (cat sized), so she always stood up and had to see
everything, cat too. soooo http://icanhascheezburger.com/

miker wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> It's been a fun year with my Ranger - hauled my motorcycle around a
> few places including the Rockies and Black Hills, and driving a
> vehicle so invisible that it has yet to draw it's first comment -
> but I'm starting to miss my '96 NA and thinking about making some
> Miata-size room in the garage again.
>
> I had a '96 as a year-round only car for five years. This time I'm
> thinking about getting an NB and using it for summer and vacation
> driving only (I like the Ranger and will be keeping it too). I'm
> thinking NB mostly for availability, don't really like the new ones.
> The main thing I didn't like about my NA was the noise level with
> the top up.
>
> So, comments on moving to an NB? Any special things to note?
> Good/bad years? I just sat in a '99 Aniversary and the seat seemed
> quite different than I remembered in the NA, true?
>
> TIA
>
> miker

My first Miata was a 1990 and the second is a 2004. Pluses and
minuses on the NB are as follows:

I really, REALLY hate the seats. They look like surfboards and I
cannot get both my arms and legs set comfortably. It feels as though
the front of the NB seats are raked up too high. Of course, I had the
1990 for 12 years so the seats had definitely taken on the shape of
*my* seat by then. I'm looking for NA seats in reasonably good
condition with headrest speakers to replace these NB seats.

There are no headrest speakers in this NB. Instead there are some
cheapo speakers in the wind break that point directly at the back of
the seats so they're useless. The door speakers, on the other hand,
are much better in the NB.

I do like the extra horsepower in the NB and the ride is much
smoother. This car has the front shock brace and an after-market roll
bar so there's next to no cowl shake and a lot less body flex than in
the '90. Prior to adding the roll bar, the wind break did provide
some rigidity to the body.

I miss the pop-up headlights and the "bare bones" old-time sports car
look of the NA. That said, I have to admit that my aging bones do
like the additional creature comforts of the NB.

While the NB does a lot better speedwise on track days, the NA held
the road better in turns.

Gas mileage is comparable although the 90 liked the lower octane blend
more than the 04 does.

Hope that helps!
-----
Iva & Vixen (yes, I'm still around!)
2004 Classic Red
No more winkin' Miata