I drove a 1.6 Miata.

It's named Roland and belongs to my brother.  I drove it the 40 minutes home from my work, where it had been stored for a number of months.  We're going to work on it at my place over the winter.

I get it now.  Even on old crappy tires and a sketchy alignment... what a happy little car.  I also didn't work the engine much beyond 4k rpm because, not mine, and it had been sitting for awhile.

But it was still enough to make me want one, and I kind of actually fit under the soft top with the seat cushion gutted.  That's all.

Oh man, the thing doesn't even come on to cam until 4k :) 

They are fundamentally friendly. That's their secret.

Let me know if you need any help with the work.

Yup, they're such good little cars. Welcome to the club. :)

ROLAND! aka R2 The 2nd crappy miata!

That car is a fun combo, unless your brother pulled the diff.. Roland has a 1.8 Torsen in it..

I miss my miatas.. they're really fun and there's nothing quite like them... especially a car like Roland.. were it's just NOT nice enough.. to really care about it.. but it's not total garbage..... so drive the E36 M3 out of it and enjoy it!

 

I found out I still have the cover from under the steering column if ya'll want it.

And yes this Miata is a good Miata. I enjoyed my brief time with it.

Daylan also reminded me it has the 94? front brakes.... they're larger than what the car had before...

One of the suppliers had their calipers listed wrong on the rock auto website.. so Roland got an accidental front brake upgrade..

I raced a 1.6 Miata in Showroom Stock; I also drove it to work every day. Fun cars.

If it wasn't for me having kids and developing limited use for a two seater I would have kept mine forever.

I will say though, be careful about back support with messing with lower foam and long distance drives. It contributed to me herniating a disc.

In reply to Apexcarver :

I think doing a foamectomy "the right way" involves reshaping the back foam too. Of course I'd didn't do that with mine either and drove it way too many miles.

I'll share my Miata experience.  Way back in 94 I had just bought an 87 Saab 900 Turbo.  A few weeks later I saw an used  Miata in a dealership and test drove it.  I remember telling the salesperson that nope it didn't have power and why would I want to buy an underpowered car?  Fast forward 20 years later and I decided I want a Miata because GRM.  Lil Stampie and I go 3 hours south to buy one and half way back we end up high 5ing ourselves cause yea Miata.  Still have that MIata and have bought and sold 3 more.

spacecadet (Forum Supporter) said:

Daylan also reminded me it has the 94? front brakes.... they're larger than what the car had before...

One of the suppliers had their calipers listed wrong on the rock auto website.. so Roland got an accidental front brake upgrade..

The car may benefit from an adjustable prop valve if it doesn't have one. 1.6 cars were pretty front-biased to start with. Cheap braking upgrade :)

Keith Tanner said:

spacecadet (Forum Supporter) said:

Daylan also reminded me it has the 94? front brakes.... they're larger than what the car had before...

One of the suppliers had their calipers listed wrong on the rock auto website.. so Roland got an accidental front brake upgrade..

The car may benefit from an adjustable prop valve if it doesn't have one. 1.6 cars were pretty front-biased to start with. Cheap braking upgrade :)

Daylan actually corrected me.. we upgraded rears not fronts.. so apparently we already partly addressed that... by accident..

I haven't driven a 1.6 for a long, long time.  All I remember is that they really like to rev . . . and that WOT to redline still keeps you within the speed limit!  Such terrific cars . . .

In reply to ZOO (Forum Supporter) :

So many people underappreciate that facet of slower cars. You can wring the wee out of it without going to jail. 

About 8 years ago I bought an immaculate, unmodified 1992 base model Miata.  I proceeded to throw all the goodies at it- turbo and ECU, exhaust, suspension, brake kit, etc.  Eventually sold it.  If I could do it all over again I would keep it exactly the way I bought it, right down to the steel wheels.  From a pure driving fun standpoint it was perfect from the factory.

I've owned an NB2 and currently have an NB1. I've never driven a 1.6. Now I really want to. 
 

There's a 92 with the original hard top in my neighborhood that's going on six years of "I'm going to fix it." She has my number, if she kept it...

Maybe it's because I live at 5000ft, or that my 1.6 was really tired, but I never really fell in love.  I do love the simplicity of the NA, though.  Now, VVT 1.8 in an NA?  Hell, yeah! 

In reply to Daylan C. :

If you mean this part, and it needs a new home, I am looking for one.

In reply to BlueInGreen - Jon :

Why did they stop making it?   I know bigger is better yadda,  yadda yadda. But really don't you think Mazda is missing out on some  entry level buyers?  
   How about  a modern EV version. Use the existing  1600 sheet metal & Chassis ( as much as possible) and throw a smallish motor and battery set in.  You don't need hundreds of miles of range.  Or blinding acceleration to replicate its willing sporty nature.  

Rodan said:

Maybe it's because I live at 5000ft, or that my 1.6 was really tired, but I never really fell in love.  I do love the simplicity of the NA, though.  Now, VVT 1.8 in an NA?  Hell, yeah! 

Could be. At sea level, they are "boingy".  Light and nimble and quick "enough" while not getting to be overbearingly so, and the engine is a happy little thing and the shifter slots like fine machinery and it's just a giddy little place to be.

Even the doorhandles manage to elicit smiles when you use them.

Here is my new-to-me 1.6 Miata.   I have a high strung turbo build that is pretty ridiculous in every way, but it has harnesses and is a pain to get in and out of.  The purple car is staying stock and gonna be just for cheap fun.  Like 1/2 Challenge money cheap! 

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

You're right, even the door handles make me smile. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I really enjoy the smell of my 90. I don't think that's an attribute that gets discussed frequently enough about older cars. 

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

Yes, exactly. It's kind of all of the senses, if you think about it: the smell of the interior, the sound of the doors latching into place, the click of the buttons. 

I'm autocrossing on Monday, so mine will come out on Sunday to get prepared--which really means just getting it out of the garage since it's usually blocked in. Plus Orlando Roadsters Monday evening. 

NOHOME said:

In reply to Daylan C. :

If you mean this part, and it needs a new home, I am looking for one.

 

I mean I have the one that came out of this car because I forgot to put it back before Bobzilla picked it up and delivered it to spacecadet.

Also this thread made me go drive my NB today, thanks for that.