My wife's dad bought her mom an 05 Mazdaspeed Miata last night, and left it with us for today (we're taking it up to her tonight to suprise her). It's the first Miata I've driven, and I must say I'm fairly impressed with it. Extremely well balanced, great steering feel, and it's pretty quick. I'm also fairly suprised that there's no noticeable turbo lag, and if I didn't no it had a turbo, I'd think it was just a regular high output small displacement 4 cylinder. The Mazdaspeed version comes with the added turbo, the six speed manual, upgraded suspension, wheels and tires. Very nice overall package, and would be a great little autox/track car. Might be a little too stiff for street use for some people, but I like it, so if my wife's mom doesn't care for it, we'll offer to drive it for her.

Overall, definitely a fun little (big empahsis on little) car, but not something I'd want for everyday use. It does have a useable trunk, and the ergonomics are excellent (especially the top, it only take about 10 seconds to drop it, and can be done sitting in the car). The catch is that there's very little space in the car, and even with the useable trunk, you aren't going to fit much.

My ex had a 2002 Miata and loved it. It traumatized me. I had to get out of it at a toll booth to get change out of my jean pocket. With the top down, you are about eye level with the axles on the semis. Driving it in fast rush hour Dallas traffic with top down gave me nighmares for several weeks.

Next time you drive an f-body on the road, look around a little. On second thought, don't.

My camaro feels like it's driving around in a trench. Upside is that I can get the hell outa there now! if there's a problem. Not so much in a miata.

BE,

I was kinda OK in the Miata with the top up. There was a big ol' boy at Big Bend with a 4th gen that had doorbars on the cage. He had to pop the T top to get out.

Nah, I meant get me and the car outa there. IOW I have power/torque on demand. I can't get in or out of anything short of my Silverado all that quickly, well maybe with the proper incentive

I've driven one at a couple autocrosses, and I thought it was a blast to drive. I'm used to f-bodies and it's so different to drive. It's exhilerating; small package, no top and a long increasing slalom was just a thrill to drive. So odd not wrestling a car. It was the first turbo car I'd driven, but I didn't notice it kick in per se, but it got up and went. Shifting was quite smooth too. Still not spacious enough for me, but it makes me tempted to look at the Solstice GXP in a year or two.

I wouldn't plan on the Solstice having much more room, but still something to consider.

I drove a friends SM at Buttonwillow for a session - it was my first time driving a 'momentum' car, and it sure was fun. Took about 2 laps to get comfortable and find the limits - a lot finer edge between traction and sideways than a CMC car, and just no power at all, tho I think I was driving it a gear down from optimum in several places.

I've got a 2002 Miata in the shop now for an ITE buildup ie: no rules ;-). This one will get a blower of some sort on it, some CF and some aero, and a minimalist dash. Target dry wt is 2100#.

You get some cool projects!

Oh yeah, probably my biggest complaint on the car was I felt like I was almost eye level with the top frame of the windshield (and I'm only 5'9"). Every time I'd pull up to a red light, I'd have to tilt my head way over to watch the light.

Ahhh...miatas...what great little cars. I had a 93 for about two years. I beat the crap out of it on track and off and it just came back for more. Requirements to be an HPDE car? Hmmm...tires, brake fluid and brake pads. Thats it! Nice. Looking straight at the windshield frame is easily solveable by cutting out about 1/2 the seat bottom and back foam.

They are god awful small, tough to get in and out of, lots of road noise and binary throttle positions...but man are they fun to drive.

Funny you mention the binary throttle positions. Saturday I let my brother (Miata driver) take my car for a fun run. He promptly spun it on the exit out out of the first slow corner. "Throttle Modulation" just isn't in their vocabulary