I recently sold my '92 (stupidly) and am looking to get another. Now I'm debating between the 94-97 or the 98-05 (I want the 1.8). Aside from losing the barndoor headlights and gaining a little suspension travel in the rear, what are the main differences between the NA and NB?
NB is a better car, NA is a better Miata.
If you want to go FI in the future, go with a 94-95. Oh, and they are cheaper too.
NB's are ugly.
What makes the 94-95 better for bumping up to forced induction?
Woody wrote: NB's are ugly.
+1
i have a sorted 94 for sale....PM me
DustoffDave wrote: What makes the 94-95 better for bumping up to forced induction?
94-95 gives you the 1.8 while still being OBD 1. It makes the ECU easier to sort out.
I've had three NA's and a '99 NB and I loved them all. The NB is a little better road car or touring car, a lot of small things got ironed out. You don't lose much Miataness with the NB.
The OBD-II ECU isn't any harder to sort out - that hasn't been the case for several years. However, emissions compliance can be more of a pain depending on how far you go and where you live.
It's interesting that even though the NA is a "better Miata", people spend all their time swapping all the NB parts into it 
I'd recommend driving them both. The NB's a bit heavier but feels more solidly built in the interior. I wouldn't mind having a 2001-05 someday.
I had two Miatas, a '94 and a '99... I kept the '99. YMMV.
pop up headlights only still look good on the NSX and 944. All other cars I can think of just screams 1980s to me. It is like if you saw someone wearing parachute pants and sporting a Duran Duran hair cut. It may have looked OK at one time, but that time is long gone.
Keith wrote: The OBD-II ECU isn't any harder to sort out - that hasn't been the case for several years. However, emissions compliance can be more of a pain depending on how far you go and where you live. It's interesting that even though the NA is a "better Miata", people spend all their time swapping all the NB parts into it
Actually, the 99 and 00 cars are a little lighter than the 95-97 cars. They seemed to gain a few pounds every year until the re-design then started gaining again.
I'm real happy with my 97. But, the glass window on the 99+ is nice.
A glass window top can easily be fitted to an NA. If you are mechanically Inclined, pick up a '90, swap in a 1.8 (with '99 head), and you will be approaching the best of both worlds.
triumph7 wrote:Keith wrote: The OBD-II ECU isn't any harder to sort out - that hasn't been the case for several years. However, emissions compliance can be more of a pain depending on how far you go and where you live. It's interesting that even though the NA is a "better Miata", people spend all their time swapping all the NB parts into itActually, the 99 and 00 cars are a little lighter than the 95-97 cars. They seemed to gain a few pounds every year until the re-design then started gaining again.
I've never heard this. Always heard the opposite, actually. Where did you learn this?
Joey
Rusnak_322 wrote: pop up headlights only still look good on the NSX and 944. All other cars I can think of just screams 1980s to me. It is like if you saw someone wearing parachute pants and sporting a Duran Duran hair cut. It may have looked OK at one time, but that time is long gone.
The nsx and 944 scream eighties at me as well. (maybe even 70s for the 944, as the 924 is from the 70s...$
Joey
Rusnak_322 wrote: pop up headlights only still look good on the NSX and 944. All other cars I can think of just screams 1980s to me. It is like if you saw someone wearing parachute pants and sporting a Duran Duran hair cut. It may have looked OK at one time, but that time is long gone.
The nsx and 944 scream eighties at me as well. (maybe even 70s for the 944, as the 924 is from the 70s...)
Joey
Eh... I think the NB is one of the best looking cars ever made. I really like them. More than the NA and MUCH more than the current NC... that even after all these years, still hasn't really grown on me...
Unfortunately, I have more of an NA budget... if that... 
One thing about the pop-ups - if you're looking for your headlights to actually toss some photons down the road, the 7" round reflectors in the original Miata are an excellent place to start. Pop some quality optics in there and some strong bulbs and you'll have excellent lights. The lights on the 1999-00 Miatas are pretty poor. The 2001-05 ones are much better, but the best of the bunch is going to be the popups with good glass. As an added bonus, they don't get dirty when they're down so you've got clean glass when you do pop them up.
Mazda claimed that (if you carefully selected the models) the 1999 car was slightly lighter. The official curb weight quoted in the brochures shows the 1999 as being a couple of pounds heavier than a 1994. But that would be a manual steering base model 1999, of which there were probably 10 made.
The 1999-05 top not only has a glass window and is more waterproof, it's also 3 kg lighter than the original and it'll bolt in. Now that is progress.
In reply to Ian F:
I guess that I'm a wuss, but I really appreciate the "I think" lead in. as opposed to "NB's are ugly" . Of course anything aesthetic is only opinion, but stating opinion worded as fact always bugs me.
For aesthetics, I much prefer the 2001-05 cars over the 1999-00.
Just to confirm. The 99-05 top will bolt into an NA?
Keith wrote: For aesthetics, I much prefer the 2001-05 cars over the 1999-00.
Only if you don't go with the Tupperware. The add on front spoiler on the 2001+ and the huge rocker cover things are just ugly. The 2001+ seats also look oddly large if you don't have a roll bar or at least a style bar.
Take your pick either way. Just get the one that is the least money for the best overall condition. That will probably mean an NA.
midknight wrote: Just to confirm. The 99-05 top will bolt into an NA?
Yes, as long as you have both the fabric and the frame.
The front spoiler and "diffuser" on the 2004-05 MSM look pretty good, but generally speaking Tupperware sucks. Look what it did to Pontiac! They were famous for it, now they're gone
joey48442 wrote:triumph7 wrote:I've never heard this. Always heard the opposite, actually. Where did you learn this? JoeyKeith wrote: The OBD-II ECU isn't any harder to sort out - that hasn't been the case for several years. However, emissions compliance can be more of a pain depending on how far you go and where you live. It's interesting that even though the NA is a "better Miata", people spend all their time swapping all the NB parts into itActually, the 99 and 00 cars are a little lighter than the 95-97 cars. They seemed to gain a few pounds every year until the re-design then started gaining again.
Before I got my 99, I pulled some stats off of miata.net. IIRC the 97 cars had porked up to around 2600 and the 99s were a little over 2400.
You'll need to log in to post.
