hrk

I live with them both.

Name one part which is cheaper in 944 than in Miata?

Frigging Falken Azenis autocrosstires are same price as one decent 944 tire.
Miata all the way if you need to drive at all. It is fun and cheap. Just check part prices on ebay.

944 if you have lots of money and need to bring groceries home. I have returned some since I couldn't carry them home with my daughter in Miata.

pete944

The best advice is to drive them both, then buy what you like.

capndar

whew! You guys out of breath yet? Look forward to seeing many of you at the Auto Show in Charlotte this weekend.

Devia

I'm a gal, and I prefer 944s, so, I'm biased.

As for the Miata looking like a chick car, well, I saw Tom Petty in one, behind my other 944 on the 405, and I bet NO ONE ever told him that!

The rock singer, people, the rock singer.

- Julie

mbonner

Well I thought about a Mazda Miata, but, it's just not manly enough for me, I'm afraid. I drove RX7s for years, would like to have a snarly 1993 twin turbo, but a Miata is a girly car to me.
Mike

Micah

I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree as well. I'm not sure how a Corrado got into this argument, so I'll get to that in a minute.

A stock 944NA has at least 10 MPH on a stock Miata (all but the very latest incarnations) in top end. Morever, from starting from 70 up to ~120 a stock 944NA will simply walk away from a stock Miata - no contest. Considering a stock Miata would have trouble breaking 120 in the first place, after this it is a moot point. Of course, I am speaking from both an 83 944NA and an 85.5 944NA vs a 97 Miata perspective... at least in my own experience. The newer Miatas have more horsepower, yes... and they cost twice as much as an excellent condition 951.

Assuming your Corrado was a G60, perhaps your friends had "tired" NAs. Again, from first-hand experience as well, a stock 83 944NA vs a G60 Corrado is a dead-heat up to mid 120s.

Anyway, as I said before, the Miata is a neat car, and he should get it over the NA simply for mait. alone. However, a 944NA is faster in all respects aside from an AutoX course.



Micah

Yabo

maybe im missing it in this whole thread.. but just to clarify.. say a 97 miata vs 86 944 NA... which has better handling stock?

BeerBurner

I used to think of Miatas as "chick cars". Then my dad decided to buy one to supplement his Carrera. After spending some time with that car, I have decided that it is the single most enjoyable car that I have ever driven. Sure, the P-cars were faster and all, but they just didn't put the same kind of smile on my face that the Miata did.

The particular Miata ('92, bought in '96 with 60k miles) never had any significant problems in the 5 years/70k miles my dad owned it. I think the most expensive repair he ever had was $500 for a new roof.

When I'm done with school, I would like to buy a convertible. Assuming it actually happens (a lot can happen over the next three years) it'll either be a 914 or a Miata. The passion lays with the 914, but I can't knock the relative-practicality of the Miata which wouldn't cost nearly as much...

More thoughts from one who's spent a lot of time with both...

BB.

ERAU-944

you make it sound like it'd be a problem in the 944. i guess you never know till you try

not to say i've had the a$$ hanging out per se, but these cars are VERY stable at high speed (HELLO!!! they were made for it!), and with the window open it doesnt make much of a difference regarding the insulation.

i'm with the crowd that says drive both, buy what you like.

-Mike-

Frank944S

Get a Corrado!

L8 APEKS

All my Corrados were G60's. VW built the G60 Corrado specifically to beat the 944. 0-60 in the 944 is about 8.5 secs. It's about 7.5 secs in a G60 (with a decent driver...gearing was less than optimal on the 1990 G60's). The G60 also does an honest 137 mph...mine all stock was radar verified at 136 and change. A stock G60 will also turn a 15.9 ET; I have seen it twice first-hand. (it's very hard to find a stock one in decent shape now). The 944 can't match that 0-60, that top speed, OR that ET. Unless it's a fluke perhaps. I would say the G60's you saw were tired IMHO...typically they are poorly cared for, and that means few of them are actually making full boost anymore. I have seen so many stock G60's making only 5 psi compared to the stock ~9 psi.

As a matter of fact, it's pretty much general knowledge that a G60 is just as fast as a VR6 Corrado at freeway speeds...in a 5th gear pull from 75+, the G60 is actually faster than the SLC Corrado. So unless a stock 1983 944 will pull on a 178hp VR6, it can't touch the G60 at speed. Just not enough power.

Back to the Miata debate...here's the numbers I came up with. Take them for what it's worth. None of these seem to stray much from the generally accepted specs according to owners of both makes, and I found similar results from many sources online.

1990 Miata
0-60, 9.11 secs
0-100, 26.76 secs
1/4 mile, 16.73 @ 81.31 mph
Time to top speed: 121.1 secs; 118.94mph

2001 Miata LS
0-60, 8.1 secs
0-100, 22.59 secs
1/4 mile, 16.11 @ 86.93 mph
Time to top speed: 145.48 secs; 129.86mph

1986 944
0-60, 9.33 secs
0-100, 27.3 secs
1/4 mile, 16.85 @ 82.83 mph
Time to top speed: 63.18 secs; 119.68mph

1989 944
0-60, 8.34 secs
0-100, 22.9 secs
1/4 mile, 16.14 @ 84.33 mph
Time to top speed: 143.96 secs; 131.04 mph

So basically...
^ That isn't necessarily true~!^


1989 VW Corrado G60 (just for reference); 158hp/166tq
0-60, 7.56 secs
0-100, 19.64 secs
1/4 mile, 15.59 @ 88.36 mph
Time to top speed: 113.07 secs; 137.53 mph
(...as you can see...the 944 is quite a bit off from these numbers!)

Hope that helps. With a $400 "Stage 3" kit (the most common upgrade package...chip, cam, FPR, pulley), G60 owners hunt down 951's, not 944's.

Also...I just caught the new MazdaSpeed Miata...wow, looks sharp! Get this...1.8L turbo four, 6-spd, 178hp/166tq, 0-60 in 7.1 secs! $25,5 for cloth interior. Not a dragster, but not half bad! Starting to shed that chick image it seems!

Micah

Your numbers (more about these below) seem to indicate that this is certainly the case, Sean. As I see it, a top speed of 118 is certainly less than that of an NA. As for a 2001 Miata, it looks like it's top speed is right on par with that of an NA. Likewise, if you'll have a look at the subject line of the first post, I think you'll notice the price of $5000. You're not going to find a 2001 Miata for $5000, Sean - so it looks like we are talking about, at the latest, 94-97 gen Miatas. These cars, once again, are at least 10 MPH down on top speed to a 944NA. That's about as clear as it gets.

For the record, I don't think that an NA does 0-60 in 8.5. The factory quotes I have seen read 8.3, and I'm fairly sure that people on here have done considerably better than that. Your numbers (particularly for the 944) are pretty far off. The notion that a 944NA's top speed is 119 is laughable, pure and simple.

Although again, this doesn't have anything to do with the Miata/944 debate - that G60 was not getting away from a stock 83 944. It's as simple as that. Whether it was a one time occurence or not, at the very least we came out dead even. Again, just personal experience talking. As for the above quote... IMHO comparing a G60 to a healthy 951 is ridiculous.

Ehh, if I were looking for a vehicle "like this" then for the money I'd probably go after a Neon SRT-4. 25k just seems ridiculous.

As a side note, Sean - I appreciate your commentary on all of this, and it's important to note that we are just expressing our own opinions on the matter. That having been said, I think that claiming an early Miata is as fast (in a straight line) as a 944NA is just as inaccurate as claiming a 944NA is as fast as a 944S2...

I was just wondering, Sean - have you owned a 944?



Micah

Yabo

i couldve sworn i saw the spec in the cd manual saying that the 85.5 944 did 0-60 in 7.7

Mike C.

I feel somewhat qualified to voice an opinion here since I do own both.
I've got a (bone stock) 91 Miata in very good condition and a stock 85-1 944. Both are high milage but well cared for. First, there is no denying both cars are great fun to drive on a twisty road. If the weather is optimal, it is hard to beat the fun factor of the well balanced open roadster and there is no doubt these cars hold the edge in any tight turn handling situations (auto-x). Properly set up, they acquit themselves well on the track also.

I think the choice really comes down to what is the primary use of the car. Is it a toy that only gets used on nice days for auto-x, track or spirited driving? If so, the Miata is probably a better choice (especially if economics are part of the decision).

Or is it going to be a daily driver? If the latter, how often do you do long distance drives (say more than 2 hours)? And what weather do you contend with in your area, road conditions, etc? I think the 944 is much better suited to the fun daily driver role. I know it's far more comfortable on a long drive, the body structure is far sturdier than a similar vintage Miata (- not a trace of scuttle shake on poor roads) and I feel more confident in it in bad weather (rain and snow). Plus, you can still have do auto-x and Driver's Ed (with the Porsche club) without shame. Now if you live in San Diego, some of these things won't really matter to you. For most of us, they do. Finally, in the daily driver mode, take into account the cargo capacity - it's obvious who wins on that score.

All in all, I think the Miata is a great car but certainly not as versatile as a 944. If it's Boy Racer you want, the Miata is much cheaper to get there hands down.

*Michael.*

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