First MX5
 

Hey everyone,

First time Miata owner here, just purchased a 92 recently. Owned several sports cars in the past, and once again had the itch for something to enjoy the summer with. Having never owned one, but subconsciously wanting once since they were introduced, I decided the timing was right. It's pretty much stock with the exception of the paint, it even has the original top in great shape! 132k on the ticker and previously enthusiast owned.

Was introduced to a local club that looks to be quite active in my area, definitely plan on checking them out.

It's a little on the cooler side today, but the sun is shining and I think it would be a good day to find some winding roads :)

Welcome to the forum! That's a nice looking car.

'92 is better than the earlier 1.6 engines because the earlier ones had a short nose crankshaft and often had keyway problems. You should be aware that the 1.6 cars had a notoriously weak rear differential that often fails at stock power levels. If it becomes necessary, it is an easy swap to upgrade to a 1.8 differential and axles and they are nearly impossible to break.

Thanks sixshooter, that's good to know! I'm planning on doing all of the maintenance and/or upgrades I can myself with this car, within the limits of my tools. If there are any other somewhat inexpensive upgrades I can make while keeping it close to stock i'm all ears!

If you ever find yourself running out of brakes, there are some really great choices for pad upgrades and 1.8 cars ('94-'05) had larger rotors and different caliper assemblies that will bolt right on. But the reduced rotational mass of the 1.6 system is a benefit if you don't need the additional braking capacity.

The 1.6 cars also used a lighter flywheel and smaller diameter clutch assembly, which is a benefit due to reduced mass. There are upgrades to even lighter weight flywheels and more capable clutches and pressure plates available, but I wouldn't consider going to the larger 1.8 size because weight is the enemy of these cars.

I see you have a single hoop rollbar with no downlegs or diagonals. That is a good idea and is much better than the "style bar" that many people choose. Is it a "Hard Dog" brand from Bethania Garage? If it is, they make a very nice high density padding and custom cover kit for it that will keep it from splitting your noggin open if you get rear ended. It is a serious problem because the stock seats are made to give and let them bend backward a bit to absorb an impact.

If you ever decide to take advantage of open track days at a road course, a roll bar with two rearward downlegs and at least one diagonal is typically required. If what you have is already a Hard Dog, the track legal one will use some of the same holes.

All good information, thanks again! I am not sure of the rollbar manufacturer, but I do know it is functional. Is there typically a brand marking somewhere on them?

I did notice it has an aftermarket exhaust, by I believe ANSA... at least that is what it says on the top of the tail pipe. It has a nice classic roadster sound to it, which I admit puts a smile on my face.

Under the hood everything looks stock with the exception of some new wires. These cars have an interesting airbox, are there any suggestions with using a drop in K&N or replacing the stock setup with a cone filter or anything else?

Also, my biggest question is that of fluids. The car has 132k and has never been rebuilt as far as I know, at least the carfax says nothing of the sort (and yes I got a full carfax) I was told it had been running a blend for oil, but other than that I'm not sure what these cars prefer. Back in my Subaru WRX days we found Rotella T6 to work fantastic along with a couple of select filters. Now obviously this is a completely different car, but I know enthusiasts will often find a combo that works best, so I am curious about that.

As of right now I plan on keeping this car mostly stock. I will drive it to work on the nicer days (nice winding road, 16 mile commute) and we will have it out on the weekends and on select club outings. It will get driven, but not planning on any track use as of now. As a former turbo guy I'm actually rather surprised at myself for liking this car exactly the way it is. It's not fast at all compared to some of my past cars, but there is something to say about the balance this car provides that keeps me quite content, and out of speeding tickets ;-)

My rollbar has a sticker with the brand by the mounting base behind the driver.

I use Rotella T6 religiously in every vehicle I own. Most turbo Miata guys run it. The Miata's hydraulic lifters stay quiet and cleaned out because of it.

A K&N or cone won't matter. The AFM (air flow meter) flapper door will be the restriction. And the only way around that is an aftermarket ECU that will let you ditch it. You can bump the base timing from stock 10 degrees up to 15 degrees for a little bump, if it hasn't already been done. A lightweight aluminum flywheel or even a twin disc from 949 Racing will net the most seat-of-the-pants difference short of a turbo. Good-win Racing has some nice goodies as well.

Welcome, super jealous of the exterior condition!

Thanks again for the reply Sixshooter, I'm trying to soak up as much info as I can about these cars and I appreciate all of the info. Looks like some 1.8 upgrades are in my future plans as ultimately I'm looking for reliability. We have a number of little road trips planned for this summer, and the club has some multiple day rally's that we would like to attend.

Thanks Redcap, after looking at multiple cars I really lucked out with this one. Out of all of them this one was the closest, hiding in a barn the next town over from me. The previous owners were meticulous and it shows. The original paint was faded as one would expect, but the car was still completely rust free, which in Minnesota is an anomaly. Car was originally purchased in Wisconsin and spent some time in Colorado but ultimately spend most of its life here. It also helped that they went to a top notch body guy here in my area and spared no expense on the paint. I can hardly believe this is a 30+ year old car the way it looks and drives. Really enjoying it, puts a smile on my face every time I climb behind the wheel. My only regret is that I did not buy one of these sooner!

LOL 30+ years old, I meant 20+!

Upgrading the suspension, adding the turbo, and improving the seating each gave me more smiles than I had beforehand. There is always something to kick it up a notch.