Ive had my r53 for about a year now. Costs have been high i keep having expectations on mods then my money goes to repairs. Im considering getting an NA miata to replace my mini please talk me out of it

 

well the repairs have to stop at some point after you've replaced everything wrong. What all have you done to it repairs wise so far?

 

did the serp belt, therm, battery, cv, clutch and now im like 2k into the car alrdy and only 70k miles in and still need to do the maintenance in 10k

 

The good news is that most of the other things that will probably need replacing next are also common upgrades. I'm talking about the control arm bushings, and motor mount. You might want to consider checking the supercharger fluid as well if you are capable of doing that on your own. It's not too difficult honestly, just very messy. However, if you can't do that yourself I would just run it until the S/C dies because paying someone to just inspect it will cost quite a bit and at that point you should just replace it.

More good news is that those parts you replaced should last quite a while (approx 100K miles besides the belt).

I would recommend slowly accumulating tools and knowledge of car repair to help save your money so that you can go ahead and spend it on those mods you want.

 

Any car bought should always expect to need maintenance, with the exception of something off the lot brand new. I put another $1,000+ in my wife's car as preventative maintenance, and for things that were neglected from the previous owner (i.e. power steering pump fan) which I'm not at all suprised, it's a European vehicle, as I told her, you want a MINI, you have to pay for a MINI.

But regardless of Euro,Japanese, or American, unless you know the person, they have all the receipts of what's been done, or you buy it new off the lot, there's a good possibility that when you purchase a vehicle, something has been over looked, or is being sold for a reason that may not be cost effective for them, so they dump it off to you, and in the end, something may need to be fixed/replaced. I don't even trust a vehicle and elderly person owns, point being, elderly people are cheap anymore, feel it may be their last vehicle so they don't want to dump a ton of money into it, they feel taken for a ride when it's repaired, or even the way they drive can damage parts, such as carbon build up, so in the end, you'll need to fix something(s)

As for my opinion for Miata, unless you live in an area that's always warm and sunny, and your not a tall person, or have intentions of driving it at auto-x, or open track events, I say don't bother. Noise from the cloth top will annoy you after some time, and if you have snow/ cold weather, prepare to bundle up when you drive, and wait for the roof to leak from the new salt everyone's using. If you still decide to purchase one, get one with a hard top option, unless, like I said, you live in California.

Miata's also don't produce as much power as a Cooper S, and you'll feel disappointed with no torque in the lower end (thanks to the supercharger we have) Yes they have a great aftermarket, and probably are more affordable, but MINI's are a more dignified car to drive. With a Miata, your either driving it because it was $500 on craigs list, or your having a mid-life crisis, and couldn't afford a Corvette.

 

oh yea i did madness poly controll bushings too
also next season im going to try to get track time in at englishtown or poconos is my car going to be able to handle the beating or are things gonna break all the time

 

Noir i dont know about u but i havent been winning many drag races from a dig in the mini and if ur in twistys u can just keep the rpms above 3 maybe i will be dissapointed though the problem is its basically impossible to test drive one befor i make the leap because nobody is going to just let me hop in and drive their cars and i have no friends with them

 

There is no way for me to tell if things are going to break on your car without actually inspecting it. You need to inspect everything before you hit the track. This includes checking rotors and pads for enough meat to make it, checking how old the brake fluid is and replacing if needed because if it's old or original it will probably boil over giving you massive brake fade. Also check the tire tread depth and check for cracks in the rubber. Other things to check are the oil lever obviously and the general tightness of the suspension components. I would also recommend checking the torque of the wheel bolts to make sure they're on there good and tight because I've seen people drive around on lugs torqued to only like 20lbs which is just asking for trouble. Other than that you should be good. Pushing a car on a track is a great way to find the weak spots on any car though so if something does break don't blame it on the car being a MINI, because honestly street cars were never made to take the abuses of the track right from the showroom. Why do you think people "track prep" their cars?

 

I had a Hydraulic lifter go out on a track, but like Sniper said, these things are bound to happen if you're running it hard and they should be expected. The only way I see any real fun to be had with a Miata is either through Turbo or a swap. They are a blast in the corners with some suspension mods and get super good gas mileage but they are just so underpowered. If you want a fun small rwd car like that and don't wanna put the work in I recommend an S2000. It's a Honda so of course it's gonna go and go forever with minimal maintenance.

 

On one of the car websites they did a review of cars most driven by women and the top three were the Volkswagen Beetle, The Mazda Miata and Saturn Ion. That was all I needed to hear.

 

Dude, you need to grow a pair.

Won't talk the OP out of a Miata - I started with one, and now have two ('91 and '92.) As has been said, it's small and way less practical than the MINI (and a lot cheaper.) I've got one stock, and one with a supercharger and suspension. All three are fun in their own way.
Ideally, have one of each.

 

I have an NA and a Mini. Love them both. Hard to pick one over the other....

 

Why when i can drive a Mini!

 

The miata is one of the most raced cars... im not worried about driving a "girl car" the mini in itself gets the "aww thats cute" remarks enough. And i wouldnt mind buying a "girls" car because that gives me a much better chance to get an unmolested car with good potential . and when it comes down to practicality granted i wont have 2 back seats what other utilitys would i lose. I would love to have the miata just for the fact of having the top down roll bar showing flip up head lights up i dunno i just like the way it looks. but ill be loosing the "niceness" my car is in really good shape and its indi blue so at night or cloudy days the color just really pops out and with a miata im basically giving up on that.

 

"If you want a fun small rwd car like that and don't wanna put the work in I recommend an S2000"

I would love to get an s2000 the problem is insurance is almost double considering that i am 18, also for an s2000 with 100k+ miles is still 10k+ around where i live and for that price i could go get a miata with 60k then dump 4k into a turbo for 250+ hp and still have 2k for suspension and wheels

 

Don't mean to be rude, but though a turbo kit may sound nice, if you want to keep that engine together, instead of popping a head gasket each week like all the cheap modders do at our shop, you have to beef up the internals, and change the pistons to lower the compression, so you'll be looking at more then double that price, then after you've added all the extra stuff, you've changed the weight distribution that they are so famous for.....

Also, turbos are better for the mid-higher RPM range depending on the size of the turbo, so now you limit the power band. In the turbo F1 days, yes they produced up to 1200-1500HP, but the turbos lagged so bad, and then kicked so hard, they had about a 3000RPM range for power, a lot of times you'll see the rear skipping from spinning the tires at top speed!!! I personally prefer superchargers for 4 cylinders. Yes they don't make as much power, and their use is only on the lower RPM range, but that is exactly what you need for a torquless engine, while V6's and V8's would benefit from turbos.

Lastley, your 18, do yourself a favor, give yourself a good couple of years of driving before you decide to make a build of that magnitude. If anything, mod very slowly so you can fully understand each and every mod that is integrated into the vehicle. Also, as a dd, keep it that way, NJ's roads are trash, and aren't the best with modded suspensions, ask me how I know, I'm from South Jersey.

 

Car ownership isn't gender specific. If you like a car, drive it and don't worry about some douche bag who thinks less of you because you do!

I know exactly what you mean about costs. I spent a lot maintaining my Mini but I found it worth every penny. If I wanted something with a lower cost of ownership I would have bought a Hyundai or Toyota. I find neither of those comparable to a Mini.

I owned two Miatas before buying my '04 Mini MCS. I sold it at 165k miles. I spent around $7k in repairs over the nine years I owned the car. I also added a smaller pulley, air intake and performance exhaust. Here's my take:

If you live in a warm weather climate where having a convertible and RWD is fine year round, the Miata may be a better choice unless you need back seats to drive people places.

If you love the heritage, character and style of the Mini, you won't have that kind of history behind the Miata.

If you want to take your car to race at a track, I'd go with the Miata.

For me, I live in a cold weather climate and prefer FWD for that. The style and heritage of the MINI, along with the fact that it's engineered by BMW in Germany but has a British character about it s very appealing to me. That stuff may mean nothing to you but if it does, hang with your MINI.

Lastly, I love the MINI community in general. When I owned a Miata, Mazda never hosted nationwide events like Mini Takes the States, and I think the customization options on the MINI far outnumber those for the Miata. Heck, the union jack roof is something that's totally unique to the MINI (I used to have one).

Both great cars with different drive (FWD/RWD) and seating options.

 

i would do it, miata's are cheaper overall and just as fun

 

I would keep the mini. I had a 96 miata, and while it was a very fun car it did not make a very comfortable daily driver. It was noisy and very small. I do Miss it sometimes but the mini for me is a much better daily driver. Sounds like after a little more maintenance the mini should be set for a while. Why complicate things and have to start over with all that preventative maintenance on a miata?

 

maybe it would make more sense for me to keep the mini just save 3k up buy a miata with the mini then go from there and if i find that the miata blows the mini away i can sell the mini

 

I get **** all the time about the MINI being a girl car. It may not be demographically accurate, but it is a small, "cute" car, and a lot of people think it's "girly."

I don't think I'll buy it, but I'm test driving a 2000 M5 manual on Saturday... that should get me some respect

I think Miatas are cool. I've only driven an '06, but I bet a turbocharged NA would be a blast.

 

Maintenance is necessary on any car, and the older, and more mileage, the more maintenance. I have owned 2 Miata NB's, never an NA. The Miata is a great weekend car, but not a great daily driver. Lack of room, poor gas mileage (I got about 22 MPG at best) and not as practical as a hatchback. Also, I am 6' tall, and I really don't fit the the Miata very well. My MCS is just as fun, and way more practical than the Miata. If I was gong to drive a roadster, I would drive an S2000 (had a 2002).

 

Hey all.......I just repeated what CNN wrote after their investigation. They reported it not me. The original poster said to talk him out of buying a Miata. I thought that an impartial opinion may help the cause.

 

I have owned many NA miata's and own a 90 Blue Mariner now there cheap and reliable and a blast to drive. I agree they are no winter sled but most in the northeast just put them away for 3/4 months.

I have been reading NAM for days now and I am scared to death to buy a mini
mini owners have nothing but trouble it seems. Transmission failures, oil leaks, water leaks, Interiors that seam to just fall apart, rattles and squeaks JC !!!!! I get the love affair for Mini Owners, But it is "DISGRACEFUL" What BMW has done to Loyal Mini Owners year after year putting out such an unreliable vehicle! The only thing BMW has is the knowledge that Mini owners will eat what ever you serve them Including paying thousands for that must have EXTENDED WARRANTY.

 

Miata's are great cars, I think a 94-97 miata is a "better" sports car then a mini but a mini is a better car overall. You can't go wrong either way. I'd ask you whats more important to you practicality and comfort OR having a RWD convertible?