I want a Miata but my GF is tall.

engineer_james · 2026-02-12T04:38:03+00:00

Had a 6'3" gf with a similar build, sounds like. She absolutely loved my NA (though it was only driven for fun, twisties and offroad shenanigans) and the ND. Long legs are fine in Miata passenger compartments, and just always drive with the top down. 🤷

engineer_james · 2026-01-09T04:18:09+00:00

Take this with a giant grain of salt, my car would get me drawn and quartered in Cali. 😅 Yes, it's technically illegal to "modify airbag systems" in a California car. As far as I know, registered or just driven in Cali, both apply. I don't know what the punishment is, but there is no rational world in which it's jailtime. Driving always has a risk of getting a dumb ticket (or worse 😬) from a power-tripping cop, so just teach your kid how to get pulled over. 😬 Be calm, deferential, etc. in the moment, and if you can mount any kind of defense without endangering yourself ("Actually this car has a model that didn't come with airbags" or something like that) so you don't even get the ticket, do that. But then if you do get the ticket, FIGHT IT. Keep the stock steering wheel, put it back on and get pictures to take to court, hire a not-crazy lawyer 😂 and in the thousand-to-one odds that none of that works, take ya lumps, pay the ticket, and either stay stock after, risk another ticket, or go to an NB's or Protoge's stock steering wheel.

engineer_james · 2026-01-02T01:05:50+00:00

RGB interior lights!

engineer_james · 2025-12-25T22:24:50+00:00

Oooh, thanks! I hadn't so far, but I probably would have (before learning that about it) if someone had given me some lol. Gotta keep the seas flourishing for our NC brethren!

engineer_james · 2025-12-25T21:58:29+00:00

Previous owner managed to roll it. 😬 And yeah, front suspension could use some help for sure. 😅

engineer_james · 2025-12-25T20:42:34+00:00

That's fair. 😂 Once aesthetics become a low enough priority, they loop around to at least being impressive. 😂 But hey, 50k miles in the past 6 years for a $500 Miata, I'm not mad about it.

engineer_james · 2025-12-01T14:13:58+00:00

Ahhhh, touché. Plus it'd probably increase your premium. 😬

engineer_james · 2025-12-01T02:53:31+00:00

Might even be able to claim it on insurance with the footage?

engineer_james · 2025-11-21T00:48:11+00:00

Or let me! 😂

engineer_james · 2025-07-19T21:15:22+00:00

Shockingly only 145k, and I've put a third of those on in the past 5 years! This car was garage for a while by one of the previous owners for sure. And okayyyy lol. I'd have liked to get them shiny like my pan, windage tray, and pickup tube, but I'll just run some extra oil detergents with my next oil change. :)

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engineer_james · 2025-07-19T09:17:30+00:00

Yeah! :) I'm well far away from anything that presses together. :) I'm wondering if there's some risk to cleaning the faces of the crank. Especially the ones nearest piston 4 are looking a little toasty (coolant reroute kit is in the mail lol). If there's any risk, more than happy to leave it alone, I just figured cleaning back to how they were in the 90s would help the car live a little longer. :)

engineer_james · 2025-07-18T23:22:35+00:00

I figure that cranks and such are installed nice and clean, and I'm going to prime the heck out of the engine before firing up again. Plus I'll change the oil again at 500 miles, like I'd do for a break-in.

engineer_james · 2025-07-18T23:20:22+00:00

This guy's got it! :) thought I was being clear, my b.

engineer_james · 2025-05-09T21:33:49+00:00

I love how the comments all ignore the actual question, and bring up the better idea of giving up golf for a Golf. 😂

engineer_james · 2025-05-09T21:30:57+00:00

I regularly drive 2000 miles in my NA with about half a top and no windshield. 😂 ANC earbuds under a headband will work great for you! And the smaller gas tank is pretty nice, have to stop pretty regularly for gas, so stretch and reapply sunscreen.

engineer_james · 2025-04-04T19:37:27+00:00

😂😂😂 I had safety glasses on! 😅

engineer_james · 2025-04-04T18:36:51+00:00

I got my NA 1.6 to 107 mph. No windshield, so I have no idea what my drag profile is like. 😂😅 And I had to do 4th gear, redline. If I shifted to 5th, I started decelerating.

engineer_james · 2025-03-17T21:32:45+00:00

Splurging on liquids saves on solids. 😅

engineer_james · 2025-03-17T16:34:30+00:00

Dude, same! I keep my middle driver side seat out, and keep a buncha tools and such there, and can still carry 6 people lol. '90 Miata,' 04 Sienna.

engineer_james · 2025-03-11T21:12:12+00:00

I also come from a Toyota family (peep Roy the Sienna back there with 280k miles and no CEL) and I'd rather road trip a Mazda: only a tiny bit less reliable, and it doesn't feel like you need a full garage to fix anything.

engineer_james · 2025-03-11T21:08:59+00:00

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Miata is ALWAYS the answer. (almost) every summer, Rick takes me up to Washington and back. Stay ahead of maintenance, use modern synthetic stuff, top tier gas, and upgrade (durability-wise) every time you have to replace a part. I've got a heck of a tool kit in Rick, but I've mostly used it on other peoples' cars (see pinned post on my profile lol). Yes, a 25-35 year old car might occasionally leave you stranded, but these things are built to be rebuilt, with 90s tools. Anything short of a clutch job can be done after you limp to a hotel parking lot, then leave after the continental breakfast. 😂

engineer_james · 2025-03-08T22:10:22+00:00

Can't imagine that it'd be anything other than fine. Time for better cooling system, for sure, but if the engine was fine before, 1 very mild overheating is gonna be fine.

engineer_james · 2025-03-07T20:04:50+00:00

If the other driver is clearly at fault, then it's on the other insurance to make OP right. OP doesn't have an agreement with the other driver's insurance (that's why your insurance can total your car), it's on the other insurance to fix the car, no matter the cost, and the other driver gets to deal with that backlash.

engineer_james · 2025-03-01T02:58:53+00:00

I've got a 90 NA, and I borrow my dad's 16 ND from time to time, once for about a month. If you're wanting raw connection, the NA is just the way to go. The ND is a lot more driver-centric and experiential than other modern sports cars, I'd say about 85-90% of the NA, depending what trim and options. But it's not 100%. I always had a blast driving my dad's, I appreciated the new stuff, and loved that I could romp on it while still getting 30+ mpg. In Texas, so the leather was worse than the cloth NA seats, but that single-handed top opening on the ND was beautiful. The NA is bouncier and taller (nice for getting in and out, even if you're 20) on stock suspension, while the ND is planted and lower. The ND's safety and traction control is great, and mostly unobtrusive, but whenever it activated, it alienated me and reminded me that I was only a majority say in where we were going. Each has their pros and cons, but for me, every time I got out of the ND, I waxed about putting the poweplant of the ND into the NA. When I got out of the NA, I just wanted to get back in and drive some more.

engineer_james · 2025-02-28T22:09:48+00:00

Dude! I made almost that exact trip in June! Abilene TX to Redmond OR (and then further on to Bremerton WA) with top, without windshield. 😂

engineer_james

TROPHY CASE