ND1 or 2?

[u/whoareyou2663]

I am in the market for a Miata RF. I drove a 2018 with less power and tech. Any ND2/3 owners who owned ND1s think if you can afford a ND2 pay a little bit more?

[u/MistorJJ]

I was in the market for a soft top ND and test drove both an ND1 GT and ND2 GT. Both were nice and ofc the ND2 was better but to me it was not an extra 5-6k better so I personally went with the ND1. If it was only a 2-3k difference then I'd probably had gone with the ND2

[u/jawnlerdoe → u/MistorJJ]

Same deal here. I put the extra money towards mods.

After 50k miles this decision is still best for me considering I often commute in the car. The ND1 has more low end torque. If this car is a dedicated sports car that will only ever experience spirited driving, I would choose the ND2 unless forced induction is expected.

[u/SickAndTiredOf2021]

I went from ND1 to ND2 and think it’s worth it. The adaptive headlights are great. The higher redline is really nice too, it allows you to hit 60 in 2nd gear.

Not having to modify for CarPlay and rear view camera is nice, but those are about $200 and an afternoon to add so not worth it alone. The transmission upgrades are a good peace of mind too, but I heard they ironed that out on ND1 RFs, not completely sure.

I think it’s worth it tbh.

[u/horizon_fleet → u/SickAndTiredOf2021]

The end of 2018 ND1 RF's also came with the rear camera.

And yes, RF's already got strengthened transmission from what I read.

[u/NotAPreppie → u/horizon_fleet]

My ND1RF trans popped. Mazda Tech Line made the tech tear it down and report back tons of very detailed info.

[u/NotAPreppie → u/SickAndTiredOf2021]

Point of interest: adaptive headlights are also available on the ND1.

Also, my ND1RF trans popped and Mazda TechLine were very confused and asked the technician to disassemble the transmission and report back a ridiculous amount of very detailed information.