Boz Mon's Miata thread. Small update, rants and raves

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Boz Mon

Boz Mon

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What can you guys tell me about this car? Theres 1 for sale locally, where the last NB I was looking at was. Its in excellent condition, red with like 20k miles on it. I found it on cars.com asking 12,500. My main concern is the turbo. I put a lot of miles on my cars so I am questioning the reliability of the unit. Otherwise its just an NB with beefed up suspension, and 6 gears eh?
 
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They are rare, so I'd imagine servicing would be a bit beyond the typical level required for a Miata, but I'd essentially just wait for niky to see this thread if you really want some insight.
 
It costs too much, and it's not worth it. Prove me wrong. There's a used one at the local Mazda dealership that hasn't sold for nearly two years, literally. It's in perfect condition, too. Recently they moved it to the back of the lot because frankly everyone in this city is tired of looking at the stupid thing. They had an S2000 accompanying it a while back, and it was only on the lot a couple weeks. Nobody wants the damn thing.

Good cars, yes. Good performers, yes. Worth the money? No.
 
There's not really any reason to buy it besides the rarity and value factor. One day they may be collectible. If you're looking for cheap fun, the normal Miatas have it in spades, even moreso in the NA generation. They're old, certain years are reliable as tanks, they're slow, and they're just plain fun. Same goes for the NB of course, and they're more civilized. They're less slow, better quality, and equally as fun really. If you're looking to go fast then a Miata of any sort isn't the right car to consider.

I say normal NB all the way for a supremely fun, fairly civilized, and reasonably priced car. Keep in mind the less you pay for the car the more money you have for poly bushings, bigger sway bars, and gnarly wheels and tires.
 
I'm looking for a fun daily driver that doesnt have a million miles, is reliable, and gets good mileage. I dont plan on doing any modifications to the car. I have been mainly looking at NC's until this popped up and caused me to go hmmm.
 
Well it's got the turbo so it is better than the non-Turbo. It's got beefier suspension so you don't really need to upgrade if you just want it stock. It could possiblly be a collector if you can keep it in mint condition long enough until the value goes back up but that will probably after 20 to thirty years. So the ultimate question is if you really want a Miata and will really just enjoy the fun factor of owning one. Is it worth $12,500 to you?

Dosen't really matter what we think. The blue book value seems fair compared to the price. So do you want one or not? and can you afford it at the price? Cuz if you do I'm sure you will enjoy it for what it is.
 
If you buy a Mazdaspeed, you will want to upgrade it in the future. Regular Miata's are easier to keep stock because minor mods (intake, exhaust) don't really add enough power to make it worth while. Much easier to modify a turbo car and have more fun.

I wouldn't really say these things are rare. Well, they could be, but I talk to owners of them all day long so it makes it seem like there's a lot of them out there. Honestly, if you are looking for a "fun daily driver", just get a regular NB. Maybe a 2001-03 Sport or any 04-05 model.
 
They're rare around here, and they hold their value far too well for what they are. The last I saw had about 20K on the clock and they wanted $14,500 for it. I'd say that's way too much, especially when you can get a brand-new NC for not much more. I dunno, they're good cars... They're fun to drive... They're certainly more sporty than the average NB...

But, I don't know if they're really any more or less reliable. Its just a simple turbo setup, nothing special. It will be less-fuel efficient, and it will demand premium fuel. Do you really want to deal with that?
 
Toronado
But why on earth would you do that?
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Oh yeah, I forgot that I'm one of the only people who like the NC.


Toronado
What is the typical NB Miata exchange rate, anyways?
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A pretty well-kept 2005 NB will run you about $10-12K, and it goes down in about $1500 increments year-by-year. Pretty affordable, but still holding their values surprisingly well.
 
So it stands to reason that a Mazdaspeed NB for 12,500 with 20k on the odo would be a fantastic deal, right? Or have I missed something?
 
Toronado
So it stands to reason that a Mazdaspeed NB for 12,500 with 20k on the odo would be a fantastic deal, right? Or have I missed something?
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You've missed something. It's a Miata. They hold their value too well, and therefore they are rarely worth the money. A Mazdaspeed might seem like a good deal at that price, but only compared to Miatas, and not compared to anything else. He says he wants a daily driver. Why does he need a turbo, stiffer suspension, and ridiculous looking 17 inch wheels for that? The Mazdaspeed assumes that the regular Miata isn't any fun to begin with, which is a crazy idea. Miatas don't need to be any better than they are and are already a bit of a waste of money, and so a Mazdaspeed is a colossal waste of a few grand unless you're gonna keep it in a museum for 20 years until its value starts going back up.

It's just a stupid car, man. I would never buy a Speed, and that's something coming from a guy like me.
 
A Mazdaspeed with 20k for $12,500 is actually a good deal, considering it's physically in good shape. (like Keef said, this is compared to other Miatas) They're not bad cars, although may have issues with the stock turbo. (seen several of these blow up) The engine is one of the best Mazda has ever produced. I have seen a stock engined Mazdaspeed with our turbo setup on 93 Octane fuel pull 290hp to the wheels. Compare that to the stock 150hp to the wheels and it becomes one very nasty little car. 👍

edit: On a side note, the 6-speed transmission in the MSM has been beefed up from the factory to handle the extra power. (didn't really need it) But the 6-speeds are known for being weird to shift. Seen lots of MSM owners switch back to a 5-speed because of that.
 
Toronado
So it stands to reason that a Mazdaspeed NB for 12,500 with 20k on the odo would be a fantastic deal, right? Or have I missed something?
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Just as a side-note, that's the TMV pricing given to me via Edmunds. I'm sure that sticker is a bit different in other parts of the country. MX-5s are somewhat common around here, but its more NAs than anything else. Especially the local one I see all the time, even when there is three inches of snow on the road. Awesome.
 
Yea, I figured this was a pretty good deal. I have looked at the car before and at the dealer the sticker says 15,500, but online its 12,500. Maybe I could talk them down?

Another thing about it needing premium, I havent owned a car in the past 5 years that didnt take premium so its not really an issue.

Also, the 15,500 price is almost competitive with similar mileage NC's which I have been looking at mostly because they are a tiny bit bigger inside and I am about 6'2".

When the weather warms up a bit, I may go test drive the MSM just to see what its like, and I'll go from there. That turbo still bothers me though, just another thing to go wrong.
 
I would get a standard Miata and monsterfy it. (Miata with Mustang GT engine and drivetrain)
 
I'd get a Flyin' Miata and have a warranty. (Flyin' Miata GM LSX conversion turnkey car)
 
^^^ Haha, that's us! :D Here's the last car we just finished:

finished%20013.jpg

finished%20004.jpg
 
Boz Mon
That turbo still bothers me though, just another thing to go wrong.
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If the Turbo bothers you then you should get a non Turbo. But if you are worried about it going bad it's a pretty easy fix. The motor itself has been beefed up so it should be okay unless the prior owner did some mods to it like increasing boost. But considering it has very few miles on it it was probably babied and a weekend driver car.

Personally I would preffer the Turbo. It's always more fun to get any extra horsepower and if it came stock OEM turbo you know it was done right.

R1600Turbo
^^^ Haha, that's us! :D Here's the last car we just finished:
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Woaw! thats the first Miata I've seen with a 'Vette motor Kudos to you dude. Usually they use a 5.0 V8 Ford Mustang engine.
 
The only special parts on the NB Mazdaspeed (besides the snail) is the suspension, the 6-speed box and the LSD. I personally don't know if they uprated the engine internals, but much like other turbocharged Mazdaspeed products of the time, I suspect not. It's a low-boost set-up, much like the Mazdaspeed Protege, so all they had to do was cobble together a few parts and reflash the ECU.

The 1.8 can take lots of boost... even in non-Mazdaspeed form... because it's not a lump of refuse like the 2.0.

I'd say... go for it if you think it's worth the money... unless it's been modified and thrashed, there's not much that can go wrong... especially not at a mere 7 psi of stock boost.

If you're buying as a prelude to a monster build... get a regular Miata. The cheaper the better... you're going to swap everything out, anyway. :lol:
 
I think I'm gonna go take a look at it tomorrow and go from there. I still have yet to drive an NC Miata. One other note, I will not be doing any modifications to the car other than probably a K&N drop in replacement filter.
 
The NB drives better. The NC is sharper, stiffer, more capable in the chassis... but the NB has a more "organic" feel to it.

Aside from the condition of the turbo, pay attention to the condition of the gearbox. It's still new enough not to be in bad condition, but old Mazda trannies tend to be kind of crunchy. As it's a six speed, it might be possible that the previous owner has ground a shift once or twice. (yeah, the five speed is often better...)

And check the condition of the hoses and underhood plastics.
 
niky
I personally don't know if they uprated the engine internals, but much like other turbocharged Mazdaspeed products of the time, I suspect not.
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Other than lower compression pistons, it's pretty much a 2001-05 bottom end with a 99-00 head. They did use different cams as well.

niky
The NC is sharper, stiffer, more capable in the chassis... but the NB has a more "organic" feel to it.
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Stock suspension on the 2006-08 NC sucks. That's pretty much the only place Mazda messed up IMO.
 
I'm pretty sure they uprated the conecting rod bolts and maybe added oil piston cooler too. It's been a while since I read the write up on it.
 
If they had uprated the engine significantly, they would have given it over 200 hp.

As it is, it was limited to about 165 hp to make sure the engine lasted long enough for the warranty.

Same thing they did with the MSP. Limited to 170 hp.

Both cars require some modification to take more than 10 psi of boost.

The point of both cars was to give them just enough power to be fun, but not so much as to be unreliable.
 
Radracing
I'm pretty sure they uprated the conecting rod bolts and maybe added oil piston cooler too. It's been a while since I read the write up on it.
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All Miata engines 1990-2005 had factory oil squirters. We actually have not been putting them into our built engines because they were causing problems.
 

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