$8000 for a turnkey swap is a bargain. It took 6.5 months because I didn't do the work myself. Am I an idiot? Nah. But if that's your opinion, I'm cool with it.

 

I think that is a deal for such a badass car,and a bargin compared to some people spend on slower cars. I have a 95 Miata for my get around car and I love it. it is a gas sipper and reliable as hell. i eventually want to work onit but I will just enjoy it for what it is right now

 

I built a 450rwhp turbo miata with 7k including the car.The car lasted me 13,000 miles. When i blew the head i decided to go ls2. It cost me roughly $1200 for everything besides the motor/tranny/rear end. That alone was going to be at least another 4k.

Now with that being said, upon completion of my project i would have had 400hp/400tq n/a. Sure it was going to cost me a hell of a lot more money to build, but in the end the potential was limitless. Getting the power to the ground was another obstacle all in it's own. My suspension/wheels/tires/bracing was about 4k itself.

I love the mazda miata. i am not the biggest fan of the first gen 1.6l (89-93) but from (94-2005) they are great cars. The newest gen is garbage in my opinion, i drove it and wasn't impressed.
the car was made to be simple, efficient, fun, and cheap. That it is.

 

of course the acceleration isnt anything crazy super fast, but it made up for the lose of top speed.

 

theres a guy in lakeland that has a monster miata(real name)with a swapped in 5.0 mustang motor that some aftermarket company apparently made a few hundred of.if you happen to race a yellow miata and lose badly youve probably met him...

 

This thread is full of fail.

90-97(flip ups) is 1st gen, 90-93 NA got the 1.6L which is made for boost, with 9.4:1compression ratio, Factory oil squirters. It came out of the old 323 gtx. It loves to rev and is very peppy. While they have the weak rear end and optional clutch type lsd. The rear end and 5speed are good for about 250hp before there done although can be broken in stock trim. In 92 they added a simple rear brace to the suspion.
The 90-93 cars are also the lightest of the bunch.

A 90 shell with a 94 1.8block 99 head, intexhaust cam swap and you have a 2200lb(full stock body with ac and ps) with 135whp.

The 94-97 1st gen NA got the 1.8 which isnt as peppy got less agressive cams and isnt as responsive. But they make way better power With an intexhaust cam swap it gives the motor new live gaining upto 20whp. They got a larger diff they also got an optional Torsen lsd that is alot stronger then the 1.6l models. They also added better chassie braces, one behind the seats and a U shaped one on the rear diff and crossmember, and a brace up front under the tranny.

Then the 2nd gens NB 99-05 are non pop up cars with the 1.8 which in 99-00 had the best flowing head but you couldnt change the timing. everything else is the same as the other 1.8s. In 2000? they got VTC and the intake butterflys to help with low end power and torque. The optional 6speed is pretty much bullet proof while the 5speed is just like the older ones.

02-04 mazdaspeed were a 1.8L turbo car which in stock trim they were good for 180-190whp, Upgrade the intercooler and tune you can make 220-230hp. They also got the stonger 6speed tranny.

Then the 3rd gen NC 05-present got the 2.0L and they suck the car sucks i hate it.

As for aftermarket support its about the same for all 90-05 cars, from motor to brakes you can get anything you want.

 

this thread doesnt fail, the point of it was to share opinions, you of course know more about them me, thanks for all the info. realy thats what i wanted.

which model do you think i should look into? i want to get a 1st get, not sure if i should get a 1.6 or 1.8, i want a 2nd gen but if I get that i wont have as much money to invest into the car. you know.

 

2nd gens arnt that expensive. but drive all 3 and see which you like.. all 3 are diffrent.

I have 1.6 but miss the torque of my old 2.4 i had so i wish i had a 1.8.

 

Oh and i didnt mean to knock anyone just some incorrect info in the previous posts, about gens and what motor and such.

I hate when people claim to know stuff they dont, But Its late and im tired so alittle harsh with that post.

What kind of budget ? I know of a nice MSM forsale.

 

If you really want a first gen, get a 1.6 unless you can get a 1.8 for a comperable price. There is hardly a difference in feel between the two. The second gen feels awesome in just about every situation, it's such a better chassis, and the drivetrain, even though it's the same hp as the first gen 1.8, it feels ten times better. Get a second gen if you can. I had a 99 sport a few years back, it had the bilsteins and torsen lsd, what a great car! My only complaint is highway driving... Because they gear these cars for acceleration, when your doing 80 on the highway, your turning over 4000rpms, which makes the car feel like it's straining, and your fuel mileage suffers. Oddly enough, the ls-1 is at about 2000 rpms at 80, and gets 30mpg!