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Coupes & Convertibles Mazda Miata Mazda MX-5 Miata (2005 and earlier)
4340 messages, Last post on Aug 25, 2009 at 9:51 AM
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Pontiac has a lot of dealers to help sell them, go ahead and add Saturn dealerships while you're at it. GM will have a hit with it, IMO. They priced it right, question is can GM make a profit at those prices? They already had production delays and top fit/finish issues so don't expect too much quality or reliability. I think people who usually buy imports will stick with the MX-5. -juice |
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One big weak point for the Pontiac is the fact that the car was not designed and built from the ground up as a roadster like the Miata.. It's built with whatever spare parts GM had laying around. It has a GMC truck transmission with the same gear ratios, seats from some other GM car and a long list of other things. Here is a list of a few Miata advantages 400lb lighter better power to weight ratio better fuel economy 25/30 vs 20/28 one hand top operation more cargo space standard ABS and side airbags available 6 speed manual and auto with paddle shifters better turning radius 30.8 vs 35.1 available run flat tires available advanced keyless system better leg room more shoulder room and the big one....a spectacular proven track record. and historical heritage. I'll come up with a few more once I have my morning coffee...
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Replying to: audia8q (Sep 10, 2005 6:11 am) As for parts cars, remember the greatest success story of all times for a car release, the Mustang, is a Falcon chassis. The MX-5 remains a great little car for sporting around in. The pie however is getting cut into so many pieces, it is hard to believe sales will skyrocket for the latest Miata. All though say a Mustang is not the same class as the MX-5, it's convertible sales will eat into MX-5 sales. To increase sales, I would think a hardtop version of the MX-5 would be in the cards. If Pontiac dealers get too greedy and overprice their cars, that would help Mazda. If it creates a frenzy to own roadster sports cars, the rising tide could raise all boats. One way or another, October sales numbers for these two cars should be interesting. Loren |
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Don't see it as competition in any way. Never even crossed my mind to look at a Mustang. Big, flabby, ungainly, ford engineering. no thanks.
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Replying to: blueguydotcom (Sep 10, 2005 3:11 pm) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::END QUOTE::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: First of all, it is competition to the Miata. All sporty convertibles have the potential to siphon sales from the MX-5. Second, someone else may never think to look at a smaller car like the Miata, but nonetheless it is taking a piece of the pie. The Mustang is looking a bit fatter these days, just like the jump from '68 to '69. It is not a whole lot bigger than say the '94, but yeah, it does look it. If they stop there - not too bad. Looks are great, but perhaps a little too close to the original of '69 and thus slightly too retro / replica car. But I do like it. Last and I guess lest to say, don't forget Ford owns a large chunk of Mazda. That 1.8 engine was also used in Escorts and other econo cars, like a Kia Sephia. Loren
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Replying to: m1miata (Sep 10, 2005 6:34 pm) Totally different markets. People generally don't test drive 4000 lbs 4 seaters v6s/v8s against 2 seat 2500 lbs roadsters. Just like I can't think of anyone even comparing a z4 to the mx-5. The mx-5 is in its own niche - until the solstice. That 1.8 engine was also used in Escorts and other econo cars, like a Kia Sephia. What 1.8? The MX-5 has a 2.0. |
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Replying to: ryanrec (Sep 09, 2005 11:35 am)
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| The miata is not a comfortable freeway car. I'd suggest the Civic, Corolla, or Mazda3. All get good gas mileage and have decent comfort. | |
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Actually, it first appeared in the 1990 Mazda Protoge. The '91 Ford Escort GT borrowed that platform, so that car ended up getting the same engine, which was a gem by the way. I owned one and drove it for 107k miles. The powertrain was great, but the body fell apart around it. The engine was also used in the Mercury Tracer LTS. Later on, the '94 Miata got the 1.8l engine, but it was tuned differently and laid out longitudinally. It made 128hp from the start, 125hp in the Pro and 127hp in the Escort. But the layout, trans, and drivetrain were all so different, it really only shared an engine block. After that, Kia did make use of some of the Mazda engine designs because they didn't have the resources to build the engines by themselves. The Miata's 1.8l evolved, well beyond any of the others. Pro went to a 2.0l and Kia started using the Alpha engines made by Hyundai. So that's like saying the '05 SSR was a Corvette because it used the same block. Clearly it's not a Corvette, even with the extra power it gets for '06. -juice |
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Replying to: audia8q (Sep 10, 2005 6:11 am) In fact, the Kappa frame is a ground up Roadster frame. It's built with whatever spare parts GM had laying around. Almost all manufacturers share components among the cars they make. It has a GMC truck transmission with the same gear ratios Wrong. It uses an Aisin sport 5 speed manual that is not used on other GM vehicles. The Solstice does share the round back up lights with the Trailblazer. |
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