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Mazda MX-5 Miata (2005 and earlier)

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#602 of 4340 Miata! by WarpDrive Aug 28, 2000 (2:32 am)
Hey there, I own a '97 1.8T Audi A4 and you can guess what my answer is: The Miata! As nice as the BMW is (and I'll be frank...it is one car that seriously had me considering trading in my almost new Audi), it AIN'T NO MIATA! As far as your listed factors, the Miata wins by a big margin on these: Fun, Cost of ownership, simplicity. More questionable is safety as the BMW is a much larger car and size matters. As well it has more safety systems (but that goes against the "simplicity" factor) The BMW is a big sedan/conv weighing 3000+ pounds. The Miata is a two seater weighing 2300+ lbs. The driving feel is vastly different due to this fact. Very few cars offer the driver involvement of the Miata at any price. The BMW coddles you quite a bit but is also a better all around car. That's why it makes sense to have a sedan and a Miata, there are times when the sedan is just more appropriate. However, after owning a Miata, there is very little reason for me to *want* to take my A4 (necessity dictates that I do sometimes). With the A4 and Miata, you have the best of both worlds. The Miata will be far more reliable and cheaper to run than any German car. I firmly believe, although German cars are highly desirable, the cost of that privilege is high in general. The Miata is more fun than any other car that I can afford (ok, the S2000 is another great fun car). I could live with a 330 conv but I still don't see that car as an adequate replacement in terms of fun compared to a Miata. When the road gets curvy, shifting through that close ration gearbox, tossing the Miata in curves is one of life's great pleasures. Even if I could buy a 330, I would still want to keep my Miata.
#603 of 4340 Miata as second car by motoriety Aug 28, 2000 (7:25 pm)
I went through the same mental exercise last week. That is whether to trade my 99 M3 for the M roadster or keep the M3 and buy a Miata. So I drove both, and guess what? The Miata wins hands down. For about $60,000 you can have a sport sedan or coupe and a true roadster- in my case both being on everybody's Ten Best Car list- which is the amount you pay for a luxury European import. The point is if you can afford a 5 series or a MB or Lexus sedan your are going to be much better off with a sport sedan around $30,000 and the MIATA! I wonder what % of Miata owners bought it as a second car? I am definately treking down to my Miata dealer next month for a '01 and keeping my M3: the ultimate driving combination! By the way, I traded my '95 RX7 for the M3 'cause knee surgery kept me from getting into the RX7. I wish now I had seen the light and kept the RX7 and bought a Protege or something that would have tide me over.
#604 of 4340 Motoriety by WarpDrive Aug 28, 2000 (8:02 pm)
I understand how you feel....I traded a sporty two door for a sedan for practicality reasons. Regretted it since then!
#605 of 4340 Any hot tips for a new Miata driver by dsun1 Aug 28, 2000 (9:41 pm)
Hello friends: I 've been reading all the msgs posted here,which grow the Miata more and more into me, finally I decided I will go get a Miata. Then the big question comes: Auto or manual? I have never drive a manual before, and I 've only got two years of driving experiences.Plus the traffic in Bay area is very heavy in the morning, I originally wanted an Auto one. Then I read all your msgs about the fun of manaual Miata and that 90% of the fun will be taken away if you have an auto Miata, plus other factors(auto ones are really hard to get). I finally made up my mind and bought a manual one this past weekend. (Another happy owner!)   As I begin to practice on the shifts in a parking lot,I realized it is not an easy thing to change my auto transmission driving habbit: I always tend to push the brake to slow down especially during parking, but this will stalled the Miata engine.(Or what shall I do to achieve this very slow speed when I am parking ?)And I find it needs specialal attention that every time I come to a stop, I have to downshift to 1st gear before I get moving again.(is this right?). I do not have anyone in my family who knows how to drove a Manual , so I kind of lern from the web and coworkers and practice myself through trial and errors. BUT, every time the car jumps or gives noises, I felt like my heart broken: will I hurt this baby? Miata Lovers: can you share some hot tips with me on how to get all the fun of driving a Miata without any frustration? I hope I can soon join you all in enjoy drving on the curly roads and clutch , shift like a breeze...... any thought will be appreciated(but please don't tell me I made a mistake by getting a manual one)
#606 of 4340 dsun by dgraves1 Aug 28, 2000 (10:03 pm)
Hang in there. You definitely did not make a mistake. It will take you a little while to get the hang of it, but eventually it will become second nature. Your question about braking when parking leads me to think that you are used to braking with your left foot. If that's the case, that is the first habit you need to change. The left foot is for the clutch only. That way when coming to a stop, you push in the clutch with your left foot and brake with your right. Practice a lot in parking lots or uncrowded, side streets so you don't feel the anxiety of impatient people behind you at a stop light. Do lots of slow starts. Without using the gas, slowly lift the clutch until you feel it starting to grab. I would sit there and just do that over and over until your leg has "memorized" the engagement point. Once you feel it starting to grab, slowly give a little gas and slowly let the clutch up more. If you keep practicing, you'll get it. And I don't think you'll hurt the car, especially if you taske it slow while you're learning. Your clutch may suffer a bit faster wear than it would with an experienced driver but not a lot.
#607 of 4340 dsun1 by postoak Aug 29, 2000 (2:06 am)
I agree with the others! Just keep with it and you'll get the hang of it. I remember when I was teaching my stepson to drive, he was also learning how to use a manual. At the end of the 3rd session he was close to tears -- I could tell he was thinking he didn't have what it takes. 3 months later he was shifting without giving it a second thought.
#608 of 4340 DSUN by WarpDrive Aug 29, 2000 (2:36 pm)
dsun Another voice of encouragement here. HANG IN THERE! Learning a manual is about one thing....practice practice practice. In a short time, you'll be doing fine and it WILL become second nature. Are you using your left foot for braking? You'll have to unlearn that habit first. Don't be afraid to ask one of your friends who know how to drive a manual come alone with you to give you some pointers. You can also hire a driving school by-the-hour lessons and you get to practice on their car if you really want some outside help. 1st gear is really meant for pulling away from a start. It's usually hard to get into unless you are stopped or almost stopped (in casual driving, I never downshift into 1st unless I am going less than 5 mph). When you are inching along (i.e less than 5 mph), or need to move the car a few inches at a time, you will have to use your clutch as an on-off switch (a combination of giving it a bit of gas, and simutaneously using your left foot to alternately apply/release the clutch to keep your speed low). This is only necessary when you need to back up slowly or inch into a garage for example. When you come to a stop, you know that you have to push in the clutch to keep the car from stalling. You need to learn the reflex of clutching out just before you come to a stop. Everything seems awkward at first, but DON'T GIVE UP. Learning a manual is about unlearning the old habits and picking up a new one. I had a hard time shifting smoothly until I learned that I was taking too much time between gears. I learned that when you shift, the revs on the engine automatically drop when you release the gas to shift. Since I was taking too much time, the revs dropped way too much and the car jerked when I let out the clutch. I learned to speed up my upshifts and everything smoothed out considerably. One other thing that I learned is that when I push the clutch, my heel doesn't touch the floor. My whole leg is in the air when I push the clutch. You can "feel" the clutch better that way. It actually took me a month before I felt that I wasn't thinking about shifting any more (ok, I was slow). I didn't have ANY outside help though. So don't get discouraged. You are not likely to damage your car. I learned manual with my brand new first car. And it is still running very well ten years later. Grinding the gears is not a good thing (you HAVE to push the clutch all the way in when you move the lever), but I stalled the car plenty when I was learning. Also, don't rest your foot on the clutch when you are not using it.
#609 of 4340 can anyone translate these? by chumps Aug 29, 2000 (6:26 pm)
here are scans of the japanese car and driver article on the 2001 miata: http://user.icx.net/~mrmiata/2001/
#610 of 4340 learn 2 shift by jwilson1 Aug 30, 2000 (12:24 am)
dsun, I admire the way you are willing to admit you just plain don't know. And what everyone here has told you is absolutely true, except you don't need so many words as you do just plain time, in a parking lot or vacated roads, to practice. When I was teaching my kids on a standard I recall that they were anxious and would rush everything (they'd seen me doing other things you can learn later, heel & toe etc.). Here's a clue: DON'T RUSH! The key is to keep everything smooth, easy, both shifting up and down. It takes time, but someday you'll notice that you can shift just as smoothly as an automatic ... then you can start learning to do it real quick! Let us know how it goes. What a great car to learn on ... the trans and clutch are very precise and forgiving. I learned on a 57 Plymouth Savoy w/ a column shift; what a pig! Take care. Joe W.
#611 of 4340 miata as 3rd car by jwilson1 Aug 30, 2000 (12:26 am)
re: the question of whether to buy BMW or Miata as second -- in our house the Miata was a third car. My wife now agrees with me that a sports sedan is, by definition, an oxymoron (and a compromise) even if it's a BMW. Not to say it isn't a great car, but like all these other folk have said ... it's not a sports car, let alone a Miata! You said your first factor in choosing was "Fun." Later you said you have no children, etc. I guess I'm not clear on why you have a question ... have you driven one lately (apologies, Ford). Take care. Joe W>

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