anyone ever driven a miata?

[spitz7985]

what did you think of it? how's the handling vs. a 240sx?

[tex240]

i love miatas they handle GREAT. i think that they are a little more responsive then a 240. they are small but tons of fun.

[Bunta240]

nope, never. want to though

[AZhitman]

Best shifter in the business, and will outhandle damn near anything.

Also, more fun per hp than anything else I've driven....

[574-240sx]

I love the handling but they are a little small. Wouldn't ever want to get in an accident in one. My cousin has one.

[rydwhite]

They are a blast to drive. Handles like a go-kart and quick too. I wouldn't buy one, but still fun none-the-less.

[nametakennow]

I considered them for a while. My uncle has a 5th Anniversary British Racing Green one, he hardly drives it, it's beautiful. He's about an inch shorter than me, but he definitely still has trouble fitting in it (he's a little wider though). All the same, I'd definitely get one if I could, even if I could only drive it with the top down. Anyone seen the new Mazdaspeed turbocharged ones? God I want one...

[VimyJ]

You hear nothing but good things about the Miata. British handling with Jap reliability. Tried to talk the wife into getting one but she wants a Mini.

[Get240DiZzY]

You hear nothing but good things about the Miata. British handling with Jap reliability. Tried to talk the wife into getting one but she wants a Mini.

Hey, hey, hey. A Mini is nothing to about.

Personally, I'd take one over a Miata also.

[VimyJ]

I like the Mini but I lke the Miata more.

[daniel240]

i agree on the shifter, they are sweet. not the fastest cars stock but their fun to drive. my good friend has one thats turboed running 20psi. its one of the fastest cars ive ever ridden in. its scary.

[elbles]

I've driven a few Miatas . . . they're fun cars, very "tight" handling/steering feel, great shifter. Personally, for the same money, I'd get the MR2 Spyder though, it felt more like a go-kart to me. I drove quite a few 'verts when my dad was looking to buy one, the MR2 Spyder was one of my favorites, 2nd only the S2000 he bought. :-)

[rydwhite]

I was wondering how the MR2 Spyder compared to the S2000.

[elbles]

The MR2 Spyder seemed to have tighter, more accurate steering, especially on-center (the S has a small dead spot on center), and I love the way a mid-engined car seems to slice through corners like no other can. Of course, the power of the S is great, and the handling is also great, but if I had to choose between the two, it would be a difficult choice, especially when you factor cost into the decision. The original S was great, and they seem to be moving more towards the luxury side, and away from the all-out race car in a sports car body, which I think is a mistake. The Spyder is still all-out sports car . . . heh, I can never decide. :-)

[spitz7985]

so you prefer the mr2 spyder's handling over the miata's? how's the understeer and snap oversteer i hear about on the spyder? how's the spyder's balence? the miatas? i'm considering buying one of the two. pros/cons of each?i'm going to drive both when it warms up a little, but you can only drive it so hard with the sales person in the passengers seat, ya know?

[Bubba1]

I've driven a few Miata's both on the track and on the street., and I'm a former long term former S-13 owner. If you're 6' or under, there are not many cars that give you as much fun for the buck as a Miata. Both the Miata and 240 are extremely predictable, well-balanced, forgiving (but frustratingly underpowered) understeering RWD cars. I'd say the Miata feels a little more nimble with its handling, and it does feel a little more sporty than the 240, but if I went on a long trip, I'd prefer the slightly softer riding 240.

The Miata is a very small 2 seater sports car. Very little luggage room. The 240 is bigger in comparison (sporty coupe, not a sports car) with a back seat and holds a decent amount of luggage as well. If the car is to be your sole means transportation, I think the 240 is a the better choice as its more versatile. But if this is a second weekend sports car, and you're not tall, I 'd look closely at a Miata. If given a choice between an MR2 and a Miata, I;d actually take a miata. MR2's have even less room than a Miata and are more expensive to fix. MR2's are nice too, just not my preference.

[Phax]

I drove a 90 Miata (1.6L) for a while. The first thing you will notice is the shifter. The throws are super short, and the whole gearbox just feels tight and right on.

The car handles very well, no doubt about it. The 1.6 was a bit under powered, and didnot make very much torque. I have yet to drive the 2.0L / 6-speed version. I bet those are a blast though.

[Supafly]

my previous car was a turbocharged 1990 base model. the suspension and handling is wonderful, and even better if you add a 4 point rollbar (stiffens the car a LOT). the engine in stock form was a bit anemic, although the newer 1.8L versions are much better in the power department than mine originally was. as for a turbocharged miata vs. sr swapped 240 (my old vs. new), both are great but the miata was definitely more fun to drive. we'll fix that with a bit more power out of the 240, but you get the idea, pound for pound it's a tough little car and hard to beat.

and BTW, i'm 6' tall and never once had a problem with size in the miata, even with the rollbar.

[elbles]

Well, I had either my dad or a salesman in the car when I drove either the Miata or MR2, so I was pushing it, but not trying to find the limits. :-) Fortunately for both my dad and the salesman, I never did break the limit, but the Miata felt like its limits would be a little lower, though believe me, this is very speculative based on what driving I did. MR'ed cars do have a tendenancy for hard-to-recover oversteer, but the limits also tend to be higher . . . YMMV. It's really hard to go wrong with most of the RWD 'verts on the market today, they're all pretty damn good, with the Miata being the most "old-school" and most underpowered, though with the new Mazdaspeed variant, that might change too . . . all else I'll say is test drive both, push them in a safe manner (even with the sales guy in the car), and see which you like better. :-)

[MaineExport]

I wasn't overly impressed with the power. I drove one for two days while my friend had my 240. We pretty much both agreed that the Miata handles like a DREAM... but it lacks power big time! For a car that handles and looks so sporty... it should have more power....

The 240 can be built to out-handle a Miata for less than $1000... and without any actual stats to quote or races to refer to... I think the 240 is faster stock vs. stock.