is a 97 Miata "M" any bigger than other models ?

Completely.

The "M" editions are a special color unavailable on non-M models (at least for that year) and a few other trim options (e.g. embroidered leather seats, headrest speakers and door-mounted-tweeters, alarm, different wheels, stuff like that).

Yeah, that's what I thought....

My "BS" meter was already teetering on med-high when I asked him if it was a stick, or an automatic, and he declared that ALL Miata's were sticks...

I knew that was crap, because I had seen several autos for sale (yech) So I was already on yellow alert!

I might go look at the car tomorrow just for giggles, and to see if he tells me it has a fusion reactor or something :)

Don't forget to take into account that the special color of the "M" edition accelerates light bending it so that the "M" looks the same size as a regular Miata when in reality it is bigger.

Gus (91 BRG)

The only possible good side to this is that sometimes you can get quite a buy from an ignorant sales person.

Not often, but hey it's worth a try!

Chris

Yeah, I don't know.... I think it's already priced too high, and his "opinion" of the car is that it is some Uber-rare, pristine specimen that is worth over book.

Of course Time usually slaps these types around. After he still has the car at Thanksgiving, he may consider adjusting the price.

Generally right. I believe the M1 cars are almost identical externally; since the M2 came out they've fiddled with the front fascia a bit each year.

A few bits of info: The M2 (fixed headlight) and M1 (folding light) Miatas are almost identical in size, although I do believe they share no body panels. The new body is stiffer, but just a reinforced version of the old (the extra weight was partly offset by eliminating the headlight retraction mechanism). Critical structure dimensions are similar.

Now then- I have no personal opinion, but have frequently heard that the M2 vehicles seem to some drivers, apparently because the seats are bulkier and more padded. The dimensions of the physical cockpit (pedals to rear bulkhead, floor to roof, and width) are identical. There is an additional transverse stiffener behind the seats which I believe slightly reduce storage back there; however the M2 trunk is a bit better due to a tighter packaging of the exhaust and spare tire.

There was an size change in 1994, when the displacement went from 1600cc to 1800cc. Engine changes since appear to have added more horsepower, but no displacement. Its hard to be specific because Mazda has had problems with publishing inaccurate HP ratings.

Miatas have always been available with automatic transmission (I've actually seen one) but 97% of the cars in the US are stick- the highest proportion of any car sold in here which offers the choice.

Joe Silver '99 (Stick!)

That's definitely true. The doors on the M2 (particularly at the rear) seem to be thicker, and there's significantly less outside elbow room in the M2. The M1's door panel went more straight back and the M2's curves inward. Or something like that.

My left elbow sure thinks they're not.

jchase wrote in news:cZKZc.18$ snipped-for-privacy@fe1.columbus.rr.com:

There is definately a difference in the sitting height. I have a 94 in which my line of sight is just a bit high of mid-height of the windshield. I have sat in many M2s and in *almost all of them, my line of sight is almost at the top of the windshield.

• I put an asterisk by "almost" above because I sat in a Mazdaspeed recently which seemed to sit lower than the other M2s, closer to where my M1 is. I don't know if I was just having a short day.. or if there's a true difference there.

-Scott

Absolutely. Just like the Tardis, it is much bigger than it appears outside. That is why each wheel costs $1000 a piece: the pull of gravity they have to withstand is enormous!

If it could go back in time, it might even be able to defeat white Miatas despite their superior performance.

Leon

Leon,

I almost made reference to Dr. Who and the Tradis in my original post. I've spent many an hour enjoying that show ever since I first ran into it over twenty years ago. My personal favorites were the Tom Baker years.

Gus (91 BRG)

P.S. Everybody knows that BRG Miatas are the fastest. Why else would they have put "racing" into the name of the paint color.

I think it stood for "Brake Relief Green." The photon drag of the car taking some of the stress off the brakes.

Leon