2008 MX-5 Mazda Miata, what you think?

[240nspec]

Test drove on the other day. Didn't seem to bad a little car but from the short time I drove it (driven lightly given a salesperson was in the passenger seat) the suspension seemed very unforgiving.

Any one with opinions on the car's looks, testimonials, or maybe even ability and ease of modification?

http://www.edmunds.com/pictures/VEHICLE/2008/Mazda/2008.mazda.mx-5%20miata.20150456-396x249.jpg

[Irish]

prime for an ls1 swap!

[shoooo32]

I wanted to buy one for the wife but she felt claustrophobic with the top up. The car I test drove was a sport/6 speed/ limited slip car and it was a riot. The miata isn't a chick car anymore and with mazdas racing program (mx-5 cup) there are quite a few mods available.

[885.0stang]

i like the looks of the new ones over the old ones for sure. they are a pretty sporty car and can be a lot of fun

[Flicktitty]

you know how i know your gay?

lol

there alright, i'd rather have a 1st gen with a LS1.

[boostin350z]

for the price of those, theres so much more out there.

[shoooo32]

for the price of those, theres so much more out there.

Like what? What NEW convertible offers the same performance and handling for less than 21 grand? And yes, there is a million used cars I would buy before a new miata but maybe the OP needs a car with a warranty.

[boostin350z]

Like what? What NEW convertible offers the same performance and handling for less than 21 grand? And yes, there is a million used cars I would buy before a new miata but maybe the OP needs a car with a warranty.

true, but when i see 21k for s sports car, theres alot better options that can still be had with a warranty.

[Exitspeed]

I prefer a Sky over the Miata. It's kinda lost it's way and the styling just doesn't do it for me anymore.

[Exitspeed]

Oh, and the facelifted 2009 looks better then then 08's.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/10/01_mx-5_live_450op.jpg

[Flicktitty]

true, but when i see 21k for s sports car, theres alot better options that can still be had with a warranty.

slightly used Z :thumbsup

[boostin350z]

slightly used Z :thumbsup

yea except to mod a z.... = teh $$$
im broke...but a happy broke lol:(

[wrath]

Sky GXP.

[shoooo32]

Sky GXP.

The Miata has a timeless British roadster look. In two years the Sky will join its Pontiac counterpart in the "I can't believe I thought that car looked cool" category.

[wrath]

The Miata has a timeless British roadster look. In two years the Sky will join its Pontiac counterpart in the "I can't believe I thought that car looked cool" category.

Timeless? I thought it looked older than time. It looks like any two-seater engineered from outside of the United States. The SLK R170 series, Miata, MZ3, Honda Slow2000, et cetera all look pretty similar. The Mercedes is definitely more classy. The S2000 is a piece of shit, they should replace the dampers in the suspension with black pipe.

The Sky and Solstice have been around a while. Since GM keeps redesigning the interior they apparently think it's a worthwhile product. And have you seen the resale on them? They hold their value like you wouldn't believe.

[Exitspeed]

Sky GXP.

Bingo. Or Solstice GXP Coupe when it comes out next year. :drool:


The Miata has a timeless British roadster look. In two years the Sky will join its Pontiac counterpart in the "I can't believe I thought that car looked cool" category.

I'm going to have to disagree with this statement.

[shoooo32]

I just think the sky/solstice looks cheap. The fit and finish on the miata is 10x better and for 27 grand I would buy neither. used BMW Z4 M roadster for the win.:headbang

[Exitspeed]

I just think the sky/solstice looks cheap. The fit and finish on the miata is 10x better and for 27 grand I would buy neither. used BMW Z4 M roadster for the win.:headbang

Def can't argue with you there. Good choice.

[whitehatch]

Timeless? I thought it looked older than time. It looks like any two-seater engineered from outside of the United States. The SLK R170 series, Miata, MZ3, Honda Slow2000, et cetera all look pretty similar. The Mercedes is definitely more classy. The S2000 is a piece of shit, they should replace the dampers in the suspension with black pipe.

The Sky and Solstice have been around a while. Since GM keeps redesigning the interior they apparently think it's a worthwhile product. And have you seen the resale on them? They hold their value like you wouldn't believe.

you are one ignorant person to say the s2000 is a peice of shit.... faster, handles better and looks better than then the solstice or sky. the s2000 is on a totally different level than those gm shit boxes.

[wrath]

You must be looking at a different S2000 than me. The S2000 is a piece of shit. It's for old white women to buy for their boytoys to drive them around in. Bang for dollar it's the biggest piece of shit out there. Handling is all it's got because a fscking Silverado and Titan beats it to 1320'.

The fact that you can get a blinged out GXP for four grand less than a strip-model S2000 is rather amusing.

http://wrath.com/es/s2000_where_is_torque.jpg

[Exitspeed]

You must be looking at a different S2000 than me. The S2000 is a piece of shit. It's for old white women to buy for their boytoys to drive them around in. Bang for dollar it's the biggest piece of shit out there. Handling is all it's got because a fscking Silverado and Titan beats it to 1320'.

The fact that you can get a blinged out GXP for four grand less than a strip-model S2000 is rather amusing.

http://wrath.com/es/s2000_where_is_torque.jpg

I have to agree. You are dead f*ckin wrong on it being "one of the biggest piece of shit out there". That really truely is an ignorant comment.

The S2000 is very long in the tooth and needs a redesign very bad, but the fact that the car has been on sale for 8 years and is STILL a damn good vehicle proves how good it really is.

Handling IS THE POINT of the car. Not EVERYONE cares about 1/4 mile times.

Wow that post is seriously one of the most ignorant posts I may have ever read on the internet and I spend a LOT of time on forums.

[shoooo32]

are we really comparing a honda to a pontiac for biggest POS? I know wrath loves his grand-ams but WOW.

[wrath]

I have to agree. You are dead f*ckin wrong on it being "one of the biggest piece of shit out there". That really truely is an ignorant comment.

It's a POS. For $34,000 for the bottom-rung model you'd think you'd get something a lot better. If it was a $24,000 car it wouldn't be such a POS. But it's a $34,000 car with $20,000 worth of performance.


The S2000 is very long in the tooth and needs a redesign very bad, but the fact that the car has been on sale for 8 years and is STILL a damn good vehicle proves how good it really is.

It's for old people that are prejudiced against domestics, can't afford a Corvette, and don't like BMWs. The 18-26 year olds that drive them are RiceNation goofballs who grew up on Hondas. The 50-70 year olds (the most popular demographic for these piles) must not have been able to afford a NSX or the far more civilized XLR. I'm surprised the geriatrics like it so much since in order to get it to move you are constantly rowing the boat. It's not like you can leave it in sixth gear to pass anyone on a lonely country road.


Handling IS THE POINT of the car. Not EVERYONE cares about 1/4 mile times.

I hear that a lot. Kind of like BoyRacer and when he goes to the strip he says his car is set up for Autocross. And when he's at an Autocross event he says his car is set up for the strip. It's the only redeeming feature of the car is it has decent handling. It's not like has a whole lot of opportunity to make it faster since it's already in a pretty high state of tune. Not like a LS7 fits under the hood.


Wow that post is seriously one of the most ignorant posts I may have ever read on the internet and I spend a LOT of time on forums.

Tell me what is so great about the car? It's $34,000 price tag? Its slalom time that isn't any faster than anyone else's? It's "Honda" reliability? The buckets of ragtop leaks? The interior that was mediocre in 2001 now looks as bland and outdated as a 2004 Malibu?

I mean, honestly, the S2000 makes the Solstice look like a bargain even with its plethora of squeaks and rattles. If you think of it this way: the price difference between the Solstice and S2000 is enough where you can insure and put gas in the Solstice for free for what it costs to buy the S2000.

[Exitspeed]

I will give you that there are better bargains out there. There always are. I'd personally much prefer a GXP Solstice or Redline Sky over an S2000. But calling it a POS is just plain wrong. It's def outdated in today's market. But still far from a POS. I'm no expert on the car so I can't tell you ever nuance of it and why it does what it does so well.

Have you ever been to an auto-X event?

[shoooo32]

so the S2000 is outdated and slow. how about that miata for $21k?:rolf

[wrath]

I will give you that there are better bargains out there. There always are. I'd personally much prefer a GXP Solstice or Redline Sky over an S2000. But calling it a POS is just plain wrong. It's def outdated in today's market. But still far from a POS. I'm no expert on the car so I can't tell you ever nuance of it and why it does what it does so well.

It's kind of a price thing for me. Kind of like the G6 GXP. Kind of neat but still a POS. It all comes down to dollars. Kind of like a BMW M-series roadster. There's a reason why everyone buys Miatas instead of BMWs.


Have you ever been to an auto-X event?

Yeah, never around here though. Never ran a car of my own in them but I've run all my trucks in them. Do they even let people run trucks here?

[Exitspeed]

It's kind of a price thing for me. Kind of like the G6 GXP. Kind of neat but still a POS. It all comes down to dollars. Kind of like a BMW M-series roadster. There's a reason why everyone buys Miatas instead of BMWs.



Yeah, never around here though. Never ran a car of my own in them but I've run all my trucks in them. Do they even let people run trucks here?

Yea, you can run trucks. Although I;ve only seen one and it was a Tacoma.

G6 GXP is a POS. God dang do I hate the Big Beaver Edition grill too.

I was actually pretty excited about the rumors of the Pontiac lineup going RWD. A RWD G6 (restyled though) would be exactly the kind of car I'm looking for.

I'll have to hold out for the new smaller RWD Caddy slotted under the CTS to more directly compete with the 3 Series.

[boostin350z]

wrath, you are very very biased. i drove an s2000, and i loved it. everything about it was right on par (minus the lack of torque) and the transmission was one of the smoothest i have ever felt. and the craftsmanship/quality of materials far surpasses that of the sky/solstice. i drove a sky redline, and yes, i love the looks and the torque at lower rpm's, but no, i didnt really care for its peaky motor. IMHO, for the s2k being a 2.0/2.2l n/a, it holds up very well consiering it runs faster times then the sky redline and solstice gxp, which as you are well aware of, have a larger displacement, and a turbo. true it is getting old, and honda is planning on redesigning it, but theres a reason why its been out for 8 years, and the sky/solstice got canned after 3. every car has its flaws, and you seem to be putting your pontiacs on the pedestal that it doesnt deserve.

[Exitspeed]

and the sky/solstice got canned after 3.

Sky/Solstice have not been canned. Their future at this point is sketchy, but they are far from canceled. The Kappa platform is going to be used for more vehicles in the next few years which means the odds of them continuing on with both cars are very good.

[wrath]

Solstice has already been around for four model years. The S2000 has had periodic updates over its life, IIRC.

The transmission on the S2000 has to be smooth, you're shifting constantly. And this is why so many have burnt up clutches under warranty, and they revised it twice.

The Solstice is a bunch of leftover parts from other vehicles.

The GXP has a turbocharged 2.0L direct-injected variable valve timing I4 (LNF). It's pretty bling. The "base" model is a normally aspirated 2.4L MPFI variable valve timing I4 (LE5). It's moderate bling. Not bad for 173hp@5800rpm and pretty much 160ftlbs from 2,000RPM until redline.

LNF J1349 dyno sheet (http://www.wrath.com/gmengines/2009_20L_LNF_Solstice.pdf). I wonder if there's some ECM power management going on...
LE5 J1349 dyno sheet (http://www.wrath.com/gmengines/2009_LE5_Solstice.pdf)

Dyno sheets for the S2000 are pretty rare. IIRC, from all the stock chassis dyno sheets I've seen they barely break 100ftlbs at the rubber before 6,000RPM. But, they do make like 195hp at the rubber and it does build pretty smooth. The funny thing is that they actually peak after redline with the updated motor.

[240nspec]

Yea, definately not a fan of the s2k's looks, and as for the miata, took another test drive, it really does handle like shit. Nothing you couldnt fix, but I'd like to get something out of the box and keep it stock for awhile, I mean thats what your paying for...

now if it was a 350 or possibly even a 370... :shades

[240nspec]

agreed though on say a g8 gxp, laying some decent NA power there.... what was it 402/402 matched with a six speed? too bad I'm not big Pontiac fan. wouldn't say I'd turn it down tho be it offered to me :popcorn

[Exitspeed]

The Solstice is a bunch of leftover parts from other vehicles.
.

Except the the ENTIRE platform that was made JUST for the Sky and Solstice...:goof

Yea, the engines are shared, but that's the standard in the industry.

[shoooo32]

Yea, definately not a fan of the s2k's looks, and as for the miata, took another test drive, it really does handle like shit. Nothing you couldnt fix, but I'd like to get something out of the box and keep it stock for awhile, I mean thats what your paying for...

now if it was a 350 or possibly even a 370... :shades

I drove a miata and "handles like shit" didn't cross my mind. It's no s2000 but does very well for itself without being too punishing over the potholes. Nothing a set of coilovers wouldn't fix. Now I don't want to compare racing resumes, but I have thousands of miles of track time in numerous types of vehicles. And when I say track time I don't mean in a parking lot.

[wrath]

Except the the ENTIRE platform that was made JUST for the Sky and Solstice...:goof

And more importantly, the Opel GT.


Yea, the engines are shared, but that's the standard in the industry.

The manual is out of the H3. A lot of the interior stuff like the steering wheel is out of the Cobalt/G5/Delta platform. The door handles look like the ones on my G5. The backup lights are out of an Envoy. I'm sure there's more. It was GM's attempt at getting back to the olden days--reusing parts instead of the Chrysler model of having a special everything for every model of vehicle.

[Exitspeed]

And more importantly, the Opel GT.



The manual is out of the H3. A lot of the interior stuff like the steering wheel is out of the Cobalt/G5/Delta platform. The door handles look like the ones on my G5. The backup lights are out of an Envoy. I'm sure there's more. It was GM's attempt at getting back to the olden days--reusing parts instead of the Chrysler model of having a special everything for every model of vehicle.

Of course it's going to use some parts from the ol parts bin. That's an industry standard. Anyone who doesn't do that well today suffers.

God I hope the rumors of the Kappa and Zetta platforms being dead turn out to be false. So sad.

[240nspec]

I drove a miata and "handles like shit" didn't cross my mind. It's no s2000 but does very well for itself without being too punishing over the potholes. Nothing a set of coilovers wouldn't fix. Now I don't want to compare racing resumes, but I have thousands of miles of track time in numerous types of vehicles. And when I say track time I don't mean in a parking lot.

Yeah, I speak with what an hour driving in the car, the second time around I was able to put it through some paces a bit more, some progressive braking and accelerating through turns. I'm used to body roll from stock susp setups. Im sure if I spent time with it, it would be the setup of choice (in comparison to stock as a rock soft springs) . Agreed on the Coil overs. Shouldn't let stock setups stop me from purchasing a vehicle. Besides reviews commend the miata's handling and near 50/50 weight distrib.

Your talking with a guy who started on the lowest level dsm you could buy, anything is better. :shades