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Mazda MX-5 Miata (2005 and earlier)

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#2487 of 4340 added lower cross brace by lngtonge18 Aug 12, 2002 (7:22 pm)
I added my lower front cross brace this weekend. A very simple job, especially since I bought some ramps to get under the car easier. It took maybe 15 minutes total. After 30 min of my time and $120, I have brought my 92 Miata up to 94-96 standards. Not bad at all! I love how easy it is to upgrade this car. The lower brace didn't make as noticeable a difference as the cabin crossbrace did, but it still made the structure tighter. With the hardtop on, it now feels just as tight as any 2 door coupe under $18k of the same era. With the hardtop off and the convertible top down, it still has some cowl shake at highway speeds, but it's much smoother now. It definitely was worth every penny and I highly suggest anyone who hasn't added these things to do so.
#2488 of 4340 2001 Leftover deal by thel Aug 13, 2002 (5:56 am)
Well I went into the dearler Monday to look at a left over 2001 base white Miata with the convenience package and the "small" appearance package.   The test drive went fine. The dealer was given $2000 by Mazda, and the dealer went down another $1000 for a total of $18,056. He offered me $17450 for my 2001 CRV. I think that 8-9 months ago this would have been a fine deal but with the 2003's coming out soon, this car will be hit with 2 years of depreciation.   It seems to me that in a couple of months I could get a similar deal ($18,000) on a 2002 Miata but without the years worth of depreciation (about $2500 I figure). It seems to me that the dealer should eat some of this depreciation with me. I know they won't make any profit on the deal and may even take a loss if they don't get "All the money" for my CRV when they resell it.   If I can't do any better than their offer, I will probably wait a few months an get a 2002 LS and cash in on the 0% financing to offset the difference in price.
#2489 of 4340 by ateixeira Aug 13, 2002 (11:20 am)
Don't bite until you feel comfortable with the deal, and it sounds like you don't.   Jonathan: sounds sweet, now you need bigger front brake rotors and a 1.8l, or something else to boost torque.   -juice
#2490 of 4340 juice by lngtonge18 Aug 13, 2002 (6:44 pm)
Speaking of larger front rotors...I asked this before but no one responded. Do you happen to know if the larger rotors used on 94 Miatas are a simple bolt on replacement for the smaller ones? I know I would also need to use the larger calipers and pads. If all these parts simply bolt on in place of the old ones, I would love to do it, because I think the brakes suck on my car. They don't have much bite and the pedal feels a bit soggy. I'm sure part of the problem is old calipers and rotors, but I'd rather get bigger brakes if I'm gonna replace everything. I'd also rather not deal with cross-drilled rotors or aftermarket big brake kits because they are either way too expensive or I have concerns with the longevity and usefulness in ordinary street driving. Anyone have any insight on this?
#2491 of 4340 lngtonge18 - brakes by freddy_k Aug 14, 2002 (5:05 am)
A lot of people replaced the brakes of the 1.6 Miata with those of the 1.8. It is not a difficult job to do, though I personally don't mess with my own brakes any further then the pads. Keep in mind though that even the 1.8 cars don't have the tightest pedal in the world.   Drilled pads are a terrible idea for street use. They look great, but they don't have any performance advantages for public street driving and they eat through the pads at a faster rate.
#2492 of 4340 by ateixeira Aug 14, 2002 (5:31 am)
You can get the rotors from a '94 or later and put them on a '90-93, and it's funny that you mount them on opposite sides. You can use the same calipers.   Hakuna had instructions printed a while back, and they may be in the Miata.net Garage. He had a PhotoPoint account but as you may know they folded.   I bet you could find used rotors cheap, since many people autocross and replace the brakes.   -juice
#2493 of 4340 juice and freddyk by lngtonge18 Aug 15, 2002 (5:52 pm)
Thanks for the info! I found the hakuna website and discovered the 1.8 brakes are indeed a simple upgrade. I will have to put that on my to-do list, along with TT-style chrome vent rings, leather shift boot and emergency handle boot, braided steel brake hoses, new rear shocks, new top, and possibly new paint job. Boy, these cars are addicting to fix up! This is not good because I am now considering buying a new car and putting the Miata back on weekend duty.
#2494 of 4340 by ateixeira Aug 16, 2002 (5:40 am)
The key is to find one in the junkyard and then yank all the parts you need out of it.   -juice
#2495 of 4340 New MX-5 Owner by asac Aug 16, 2002 (8:32 am)
For anyone that's interested in what new 2002 Miata's are selling for, I just purchased a base model MX-5 for $18,910 plus tax and tags. That included a $1000 cash rebate. I paid cash for the car and also had a trade in. If not for the trade in, I'm sure I could have gotten an even lower price on the MX-5. The car is awesome. It handles better than any car I've ever owned and it puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it. I live in Texas and use the MX-5 as my commuter car. It makes the drive to work everyday very enjoyable. This car is as fun to drive as my previous 1969 Triumph GT-6, except I don't have to worry about the Miata not starting when it rains. If anyone is considering buying a Miata to have a fun car to drive, I highly recommend it. After all, life is too short to not have fun!!
#2496 of 4340 braided steel brake hoses - Ingtonge18 by pgl1 Aug 16, 2002 (12:23 pm)
FYI - My auto cross and rally car buddies tell me that while they do noticeably improve braking ability, they also rust very quickly and therefore need frequent replacement; and if they are not replaced as needed they lead to a complete braking failure. So, I've crossed it off my list of mods.

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