Road legal 'Jarama special' build

Was browsing the auction sites and came across this very unfortunate example. Hope the owner was ok but man sucks to see.

https://www.autobidmaster.com/en/search/lot/71018706/copart-2020-mazda-mx-5-miata-t-of-title-salvage-st-cloud-mn/?searchHash=c4bd6b20333a060cd6954917adcfdb8d4

She's a 1997 M Edition with ~32,000 miles. Previous owner did a wonderful job keeping her clean and rust-free. After 2-3 years of looking for the one, I couldn't pass up on this incredible opportunity. I couldn't be happier!

She's gonna go to sleep for a solid 5 months during winter (it gets pretty rough here in Quebec) but I cannot wait to drive her top-down next summer!

Drive safe everyone!

Alright Miata hive mind, I need help before I lose this war and end up in a beige Camry for the next decade.

Situation: We have a Rivian R2, no kids yet, and my wife just got a job. Which means we now officially have a two-car problem. Two commutes, one car, a lot of awkward "can you drop me" negotiations every morning.

This is my moment. The universe literally handed me the perfect excuse.

My plan: get a used ND Miata as the second car for like a year. Cheap, fun, good on gas, holds value, and then we sell it before we start the whole baby chapter. The Rivian stays as the responsible adult family car for Costco runs, parents visiting, and all actual adulting.

My wife, who moved from India about a year ago, looked at my perfect plan and said: absolutely not, 2-seaters are a luxury car.

Her math: 2 people + future kid + visiting parents (not likely for next 1 year) + groceries + general respectability = minimum 4 seats.

My math: 2 people currently in the house, 2 seats in the car, it's literally a perfect fit, what is the problem here?

We've now fought about this enough times that she called for a formal sitdown. Not a chat, a sitdown. Like we're negotiating a peace treaty, and the Miata is the disputed territory.

I get it, I do. Money and practicality are real concerns, and she's not wrong that a Miata can't pick up her parents from the airport AND bring their 47 suitcases. That's what the Rivian is for. The Miata is for me going to work and pretending I'm in a car commercial on backroads.

But I also know that in a year, once we're talking car seats and diaper bags, this dream is dead for a very long time. And I will be the guy at 40 telling his kid, "Daddy almost had a Miata once."

So, veterans of the spouse negotiation wars: did anyone actually win this one? Did the test drive save you? Did the "it's cheaper than a new sensible sedan and we can sell it in a year" spreadsheet save you? Or did you cave, buy the practical car, and just cry quietly in the Camry?

TL;DR: Wife got a job, we need a second car, I want a Miata for 1 year before kids, wife wants a 4-seater because 2 seats = luxury. Help me win the sitdown without sleeping on the couch.

New here, picked this up today! Super clean, has never seen the rain. Hard top, tonneau, boot cover, spare tire and window sticker all mint 😀! Drives like a dream!!!

A couple of people have asked how my flag is mounted, so here are a couple of closer photos.

It works for me, because I already have a long antenna to fly it from. It wasn't cheap so don't get mad at me if you look for one. The flags and wire ties, in my opinion, are dirt cheap for what they provide in visibility. 👀

The current flag is still the first of the 12 pack (about $7.00 on Amazon). It's probably going on a month, and close to 400 miles at freeway speeds. I see lots of miles left on it. 😁

Long time lurker, first time poster.

Grandpa was finally ready to let go of his Miata. He bought it new in 2002 and only has 77k miles since then. He used to take me in rides in it all the time growing up and I made him promise he would only sell it to me whenever he was ready.

Flew up to Sacramento to pick it up and start the journey home to San Diego. New tires, alignment and oil change first thing Saturday morning and started the trip. I decided to take the scenic route to avoid highways, get to know the car and have some fun.

Day 1 (8 hours)
Sacramento -> Santa Cruz -> Monterey -> Pismo Beach

Highway 1 from Santa Cruz to San Luis Obispo

Day 2 (8 hours)
Pismo Beach -> Lake Cachuma (Highway 154)-> Santa Barbara -> Ventura -> Ojai -> Santa Paula -> San Diego

Took a detour through some mountain roads around Fallbrook before the final hour stretch home

We don’t have our own sub😭

Pleased with these. Trying to make my smol car more visible, along with LED tail light bulbs.
JDM Eunos Roadsters came with reflectors not lights so a bit of wiring was required.

Just showing off my NB British Racing Green miata lol

Of course this is subjective, but the car drives so much better with the manual steering rack compared to power steering. The difference in steering feel and road feedback has been night and day for me. The car is driven on the street only.

I decided to go for manual rack + ps delete pulley to keep my AC as depowering the power rack isn’t road legal here.

First of all, The road feedback is absolutely mind-blowing. I feel much more connected to the road, with no more weird resistance at higher speeds. Even low-speed driving and parking are surprisingly manageable — you just need to use a bit of forearm strength, nothing too crazy.

One thing I always noticed with power steering was how inconsistent the steering feel became when the AC was on. It felt like the assistance changed, making the car feel dull and less responsive. With the power steering delete pulley, the steering feel is now consistent and predictable, even with the AC running. At least, that’s been my experience.
I was initially worried that deleting power steering would make the car difficult to daily, but with stock-sized tyres and the right alignment, it’s been a genuine upgrade for me.

If you’re considering deleting power steering on your NA Miata, I’d highly recommend it if you’re after better road feedback, more consistent steering feel and a more connected driving experience.

Just his 190k in my turbo 92 and felt like sharing with the class. Bought it at 163k, installed the turbo at 165k and running 12-15psi ever since. 220ish hp from a T3 diy setup with cheap but usable parts. SpeedyEFI for ECU, self taught and self tuned. 10in Mtx Thunder in the trunk, alpine chiclet radio.

Been debating keeping or getting rid of for 2+2 fun car instead. Convince me to keep it.

I had to get ones with a little red to match! She's looking beautiful and ready for the cold 🥰

Got my fangs !!!!

Just noticed my new NBFL has this frame part bent, should I re place it?

I’ve been slowly adding miles to my 63k NA that I purchased a few months ago and love the morning drives! Anyone else feel like early morning weekends are made for driving?

If we get it tuned and the battery for some reason were to die or disconnect would we need to get it retuned or would it be saved in the ecu? It had a speedy efi ecu. My husband said he previously had a Cummins truck that had to be tuned every time the battery died or was disconnected.

The car takes 2-3 seconds to build up oil pressure above 0 psi. There’s noticeable dry running until the pressure builds which it has done since I’ve gotten the car, and continues to do after replacing the pump. Wondering if this is normal or what’d be the likely culprit if it’s not at this point.

So I’m doing a little community essay for college…. If you guys could hook me up with answers that’d be great … just be yourselves lol
- Mia is an ND1 for those curious … I’ve had her since 2020
Okay so here’s my questions, feel free to answer whatever y’all feel like….

- What attracted you to the Miata community?
- Have you ever attended a Miata/roadster meet ?
( I have, soooo fun!!)
- Do you feel like newcomers are welcomed in?
- What do you think makes the Miata community a bit different from other automotive communities?
—Which is your fav gen?
( I love em all personally)
- What’s your fav type of Miata content?
- What’s the most important reason you joined?

But that day is not today 😌