BlueRiver86

The Miata is a fantastic platform.

Some racing friends of ran Spec Miata for years before moving up to Grand-Am and many continue to run SM. I don't know anyone who has more fun on the track than a SM racer.

BeerBurner

That may be this one that I wrote. It's out of date, though. Both cars have received many modifications since then and both have also been tracked so I can answer the handling/braking questions that I wasn't able to at the time.

Basically, my initial predictions on the handling were correct. Ultimately, the lightweight Miata prefers being tossed around in the slower, sharper turns whereas the 944 is happier in the high-speed sweepers. Because of that, I can't say that either one is truely superior to the other in their current form, although the Miata is much cheaper to upgrade. Of course, I'm trying to compensate for the fact that the 944 ran on R-compounds and the Miata ran on street tires. Still, I ended up being one of the fastests cars around the Jefferson Circuit during my HPDC when the 944's water pump broke a week before the event. Not too shabby, considering the power differential I was dealing with.



Braking is a little harder to gauge. Again, the R-compounds made a difference and I ended up running the Miata on two-year old brake fluid so I did manage to fade the brakes during the first session. That said, I also faded the 944's brakes during my first session on fresh brake fluid. In both cases, once I got better I no longer had brake problems. All in all, I"d say that they're both about even. When the Miata becomes my track flogger I have no interest in upgrading to the larger brakes. I'll just keep running good pads and fluid (works well for the spec Miata guys) but I may run ductwork, just for grins.

Seriously, they're both great cars that come with their own stereotypes. The Miata is a gay/hairdresser/girly car whereas the 944 is not a real Porsche but rather a VW with a Porsche badge and is driven by people who can't afford real Porsches so that they can compensate for their tiny penises. Once we can agree that all of these stereotypes are lame, we can move on to discussing the cars based on their merits. That's what real car people would do, anyway...

BB.

Fractured

Amen!

Stien

That plate plate just tops it all off!

BeerBurner

The really funny thing about the tag (APEX LVR) was that about a year ago, someone informed me of a gay club in DC called "APEX". I gotta admit that the irony makes me chuckle.

BB.

jstand22

I will admit, in contrast to my other comment, I almost bought a Miata before I picked up the 944, they're an awesome little car. I had even put down a small deposit, but Porsches have always had a spot in my heart. Good luck with it!

bluedevil

I get it, Mazda, Toyota & Honda are what the kids love to pump up. The miata will be great, you can put allot of cash into it, pimp it out and rice it up. Then after college you can drive it to work and show how you have taken a car made it look like the latest hot wheels car at the moment if you can keep up with the cost and changes made every day. That is until the next big crazy happens and then you can jump on that.

Look most people buy the Porsche for the name and status but if you really get into it and understand the engineering, the relationships and club events you begin to see your car in a whole new light.

I got mine over ten years ago, I have rebuilt it and made great friends along the way. People talk to me about my car at work, on the weekend and at events because it is not a flash in the pan for me but a true hobby with a car that will last.
Mazda is a great company but nobody has the history Porsche does, no one. So if you’re looking for a ride for right now go with the miata but if you want something that can grow with go Porsche.
THEIR IS NO SUBSITTUTE.

Stien

Not my plan at all. I just want a cheaper car to maintain, period. I'm a poor college kid, ****. I recognize that a 944 was a bad decision to buy...

Yummybud924

I agree with bluedevil, if you just want a commuter car and cheap daily driver to get you around then a mazda or anything else it better. But to me porsches are also hobby, I like working on mine. Plus the 944 looks great, can't really say that about most other cars. But it looks like you already made your decision.

oh and i know a girl with a miata with 300+k kms on it, it has rust on it but it still drives lol.

and forgot to mention, I'm also a poor full time university student, and still can afford to maintain my 944 and I only work 3 days a week and barely make any money but I spend most of my money on the car.

jstand22

Even after you sell the 944, please post once in a while so we can see your avatar

Stien

Lol sure thing...
Porbably gonna finish my planned brake work and craigslist it.

BeerBurner

Rice 'em up? Possibly, that does happen to a lot of them. But then, once you get into the track scene you'll also notice that they're all over the place and for good reason.

If you look at the club events outside of the World of Porsche, you'll see that the Miata has a huge foothold in organized car events as well, especially on the track. It's kind of funny but I was just at a Mercedes Club track event and half the cars out there were not a Benz... and yet everyone was an enthusiest and everyone enjoyed talking cars. Not just Mercedes... not just Porsches. But cars.

And since you brought up engineering, let's take a look at that... Both cars have front-mounted four cylinder engines and RWD with a 50:50 weight distribution. However, the Miata's engine doesn't have a touchy timing belt that has to be retensioned every 15k miles with special tools. The belts don't have to be replaced every few years regardless of mileage. And if the timing belt does go, guess what? You're merely stranded with no extra damage to the car. The engine is essentially, save for the lighter connecting rods, from a 323 GTX so it's pretty over-engineered for the task of driving and unlike 944s, asking how to turbo one is a valid question because the engine is ready to go out of the box.

I didn't have to replace my Miata's rod bearings nor install a baffle prior to tracking it.

The clutch was never made of rubber.

The hood is aluminum.

The four-wheel double wishbone suspension is far more advanced than the control arm/trailing arm setup of the 944, and the ball joints are reliable. Plus, you have to love any suspension that has timing protractors built in for those on-the-fly alignment adjustments. That's not to say that the 944's suspension sucks (it doesn't, they do a great job with it!), but let's face it... the Miata's suspension has a lot more engineering behind it.

All this in a package that weighs in at about 2,200 pounds soaking wet.

That's not to say that the Miata doesn't have problems. The self-machining crankshaft in the 1990 and early '91 models is annoying (ask me how I know). Oh, and I had to replace the top, 'cuz they wear out and stuff.

I've put a lot of time and effort into my cars as well and have made friends of both Porsche and Mazda people along the way. Plus, other car people because I don't just associate with Porsche owners. People talk about my cars as well. There's no reason why one is more "flash in the pan" than the other. I get just as many kudos for the Miata as I do the Porsche.

Porsche certainly does have a greater racing pedigree than Mazda and I doubt anyone will make a serious argument against that. (Of course, the pedigree doesn't really involve the 944 that much, but since this is a 944 board we'll be sure to ignore that.) But both cars are certainly capable vehicles and they can both fill the same role quite well. Besides, a car's history really doesn't mean much in the here and now with regards to actual performance. All it really gives you is the opportunity to brag over something that you don't likely have anything to do with (did you personally win those races?) and snob appeal.

Edit: and I'm not trying to bash the 944 because it's a truly wonderful car. But still, just because we love our 944s doesn't mean we have to have blinders to other cars. Rather, I'm just trying to inject a little bit of reality.

BB.

Legoland951

Miatas are great cars and who cares about racing pedigree? If your family weren't from a great ancestry, does that make you worthless? Don't answer that....

I made friends in the rotary circle, drag racing (chevy) world, and just about everything else in between. I like the 928 crowd as they are pretty civilized and knowledgeable and most of them don't talk like idiots since few are in their 20s.

The Porsche "mystique" and "presteige" is only for people who don't know their car very well. Once you do your own clutch or cylinder head, the mystique becomes "how can these engineers be so stupid" and the presteige becomes "how can there be so many VW parts in this Porsche?"

The 944s HAVE TAKEN THE PLACE of a poor man's porsche from the 914 since the 914s are getting much more expensive to be comparable to the 951.

BeerBurner

I'm a firm believer that the guy responsible for deciding on where to put the thermostat had probably just caught his wife in bed with a mechanic...

BB.

500

Hey, it's not a sad day! You are really enjoying the Miata, so that is what counts. I saw your other thread... I think parting is the way to go. Your car is project material and there are not that many people really looking for 944 projects.

As far as the 944/Miata thing goes, I think BB nails it: It just comes down to two really good cars with different strengths and weaknesses. I have heard POs for BOTH cars call them everything from bullet proof to POS - there are sooo many variables involved. IMO, either car, in well-maintained shape is very good, and each can bring lots of enjoyment to the right owner.

The Miata (in general) has a number of significant practical advantages however:

1) Initial cost: Even though 944s have become quite cheap, a typical cheap 944 has been run down and will take lots of work (and lots of expen$ive Porsche parts) to put right.

2) The same dollars can get you a much newer, fresher Miata.

3) Parts cost is heavily in the Miata's favour.

Please don't take this to be mean or negative, but when I see your 944, I see a car in need of a lot of TLC. You have already done lots on it, but it will still take a lot more to make a really nice car. And it just won't be practical. I am immersed in a stupid project to essentially restore a 944S. Although it should be a very nice car at the end, I will have put a stupid amount of money into it. Oh h*ll, I already have put a stupid amount of money into it...

You are being wise imo.