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Hey guys, I am thinking of selling my Protege5 so that I can pay off some debt and pay for school. I was thinking of getting a Miata. I've been wanting one for a long time so this might be a good time to get one. Basically I just want to know if these cars can be reliable enough as a daily driver and commuter car back and forth to school and work. I appreciate your inputs.
-Matt
They are definitely reliable enough. How long of a commute do you have? Do you easily fit in a Miata?
I have been commuting to work (40 mile round trip) in a Miata for 3+ years. No problems yet. My first Miata had over 216k miles when I bought it and I drove it for 2 years. You just have to maintain them like any other car.
I am 6 foot. School is 20 miles away and work is about 25. I don't think I'll have any issues if the Miata is as reliable as my Protege5 was.
Miata will be more fun to drive, that's for sure!
I bought mine a few weeks ago to be my daily. I have to say, it does an incredible job.
Nah I don't think I would want one as a daily driver. I drive mine quite often but it is nice to have other options available.
On the other hand my wife has been running her '02 Miata as a daily driver since '02.
The Miata will be a blast as long as you fit reasonably. I bought mine as a "toy" almost four years ago, but it was too fun not to be my daily. It came with about 93K on the clock, but I've racked up almost 60K ridiculously reliable miles since October '06. Those miles include lots of worry-free long road trips - including a 4,200 mile road trip to a track day at Laguna Seca, along with a few other hard track days.
Yes, these little bastards are reliable and durable and FUN!
Get one and you'll figure it out... ;)
I have been using my Miata as DD for 10 years. It has not let me down even once (well I did got stranded once after a track day with a broken alternator. A couple good guys from this board came and we put a new one in on the side of I30 with simple hand tools!). The key is maintenance and get to know your car. It is a simple car (NA and NB) and almost anyone can do his/her own maintenance. The best of all is that Miata is a TCB DD!
One of the more reliable motors made, imho. Definitely able to rack up more miles than even a lot of honda and toyota motors. It seems I see more 200K+ miatas than is common for most cars. I had over 190k on my NA.
I DD my NC and love it, but be prepared for some things not fitting. Date a girl with an suv or p/u and you'll be golden.
I agree with gab. My current one isn't completely a DD but could be and I've had two that were. A Miata is as reliable as you could hope for and it is cheap to own, operate, repair, and insure. There are enough of them that the only problems there are have been discovered and the fixes are known and easy, except for the dreaded short-nose crank of the very early ones. Even then the fix (replacement engine from a junkyard) is relatively easy and cheap comared to most cars. Add in how fun they are and it's darn hard to beat 'em.
Can you guys give me some opinions on these 2 cars?
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ctd/1853249402.html
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false
What do I need to look for? What are the best years to have from each generation?
On a quick look the white one has had paintwork on the front the '96 looks fair why only 3 picture???
Good stuff here http://www.miata.net/faq/usedmx5.html & here http://www.miata.net/faq/inspection_list.html
How about this?
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/1854053991.html
I'm 6'2" and over 300 lbs... its not my daily but I fit in it just nice.
Red one looks best especially with the hardtop.
That one looks like a possible candidate. I'd want to see more pics (under the hood is always a plus) and eventually see it in person. Read those FAQ's.Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt V
It's easier to fit when you remove everything from the interior... :wink:Quote:
Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
I bought mine in '01 as a weekend car. Over the next five years it turned into my primary daily driver. These cars are definitely durable and economical enough to use as a daily driver, as long as you can live with the relatively small interior space.
Plenty reliable for sure. I've been driving Miata's since 2001 as a daily and have never been stranded. Also very easy to work on and handle maintenance by a do-it-yourself-er. I currently drive just over 80 miles a day, so I fill up every four days. The only problem I've had is being rear-ended. Apparently people are so enamored with the car, they start day-dreaming about having one themselves and forget that they are driving and ....Boom!
Personally, I would rather have the '99-05 NB Model for trunk space reasons, but if you are looking for an earlier model, I would look for a '96-'97 for the OBD-II. There is a lot of info on the pointy board for info on differences between year models
00+ for the trunk lock (unless you're really careful with a dremel). I'd actually say 01+ for the better stock exhaust and cupholders.
They make excellent daily drivers. Best part about them is if you had a bad day at work, just drop the top and take the long curvy way home and the bad day just washes off you before you make it home.
^ Yes.
Daily driver for almost 5 years, lowered on stiff suspension, no problem. I'm 6'2" BTW. My wife drives our Element for when we need to haul big things from IKEA. Now we have a baby, I have to go pick him up in the miata 2 days a week, that makes life interesting haha. Miata's weren't designed for child seats, and their trunks definitely weren't designed to haul child swings.
Airbags are removed by the way for safety reasons.
I have my kiddo's carseat in the car right now. He likes it :)
have an 00, bought 4 years ago with 35000 miles and now at 112000, use it most days and have been to NE at least 3 times...
my DD and love it. and i'm not small...
good luck, but i would go with a 99-00, just my bias.
...and this guy loves Miatas!Quote:
Originally Posted by CarCar
http://whatigotsofar.files.wordpress...09/raccoon.jpg
I'm 6' and 195lbs my Miata is my DD I fit in it comfortably . Its just as if not more fun to drive than my wrangler, An on top of that it gets nearly 3x the gas mileage !
2 thing I am going to change are the pedals I want a new set with a heel to kicker on the gas pedal, and a slightly smaller or wheel with a squared off bottom so the wheel doesn't feel like its resting on my lap
I commute from south Fort Worth to Addison every work day in my Miata. I have no issues with dependability, and the odometer shows 259,XXX miles at the moment. I have had to do quick maintenance to make it to work the next day on a couple of occasions, but over a few years, it is still more dependable than many of my coworkers' cars.
Isn't that the truth - you can't fit anything in a Miata! I once went to the grocery store and I had to put groceries in every spot in the trunk and inside the car! I forgot what I was driving...it amazes me what will not fit in a Miata.Quote:
Originally Posted by OZMDD
Mine is a daily driver - been rearended 2 times, and hit in a parking lot once. I recommend air horns for those SUV's and trucks and even cars that just don't seem to see you.
As for gas mileage - I only get around 23 mpg.
I've got you beat, I've been rear-ended twice in my NC, and once in my first NA, as was my wife when driving my NA. So 4 family rear-ender's in MX-5's! LOL BTW, you must be a really aggressive driver to only get 23mph !!!Quote:
Originally Posted by cArAzzIE
But really I'm not...((*grin*)) I even tried NOT to be just to see if my mpg changed...even "hypermiling it"...which really just wasn't for me. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by TurboDuane
I get 23-24 and I'm not driving super aggressively or anything. 16 miles up and down the tollway every day. Top up or down or ac on or off it seems consistent.
I averaged around 23mpg in my old '99 Sport as well. The NA/NB 1.8L engine isn't the most fuel efficient in the world, and the short gearing hurts potential fuel economy on the freeway.
I get around 23-25 on average according to my vehicle maint. fuel tracker app. I'm in a 91 supercharged with TDR intercooler.
I rotate between my bike my Saturn and my Miata so I drive the Miata on a semi-regular basis and if I needed to I could do DD duty with that car with no problem. Only thing is right now AC is down gotta get a new compressor in it. And middle of summer in the Miata is not a comftrable proposition during the day and rush hour.
I get 25.3 to 28mpg in my 01 LS depending on how I'm driving. If I use premium I end up with about 25mpg no matter what. Mostly highway and some city.
'92 supercharged, owned for 9 years and about 95k miles... It was my daily driver for several years but now I work from home. For the longest time I thought I was getting 23 mpg with the supercharger. Recently It occured to me that since my speedo is way off (due to change in tire diameter and rear-end ratio), the odometer was also inacurate. After coming up with a conversion ratio by comparing speedo reported speed to a GPS, I now am happy to report that I get around 26 mpg.
The wife also daily drives a '93, but we also have a Tahoe as a backup for when more space is needed.
Trade ya... :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Matt V
OK, you guys are right. I forgot my NA's didn't do as well as the NC's do. I consistently get between 28-30 in it. But if memory serve's the NA's tended to deliver me around 25.
Geez.
I get about 27mpg in my '05 Mazdaspeed version and I have a lead foot.
I think I'm gonna be looking at this 96 here once I sell the P5.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false
Is there anyway to tell from the VIN if it has LSD or not?