i'm looking at picking up a newer miata, the 2004-2005 mazdaspeed fit in my price range but i'm concerned the maintanance costs on the turbo as this vehicle gets older. any thoughts on how reliable these will be in the future? i know a lot depends on how the vehicle is driven. the one i'm looking at is in great condition w/low miles. not driven hard. my other choice is to drop down a couple of years on an LS and possibly do some mods to get slightly more umph out of it. thoughts? brian
Two thoughts, expect the MS Miata to be very reliable even driven hard. Secondly, doing the mods yourself (or, maybe to a lesser degree, supervising / arranging the mods that someone else does for you) is a total blast. Think of it as bonding time with your car. Additionally, it can be somewhat more unique which is always a big plus when you're driving the worlds most popular roadster ;-)
The factory-engineered Mazdaspeed will always be more reliable than a car with aftermarket modifications, though both may be an order of magnitude more reliable than the average non-Miata vehicle. I would guess that it would be somewhat *more* reliable if driven sportingly, as intended. AFAIK, the only concern with the MSM is heatsoaking the tiny intercooler. That probably won't happen unless you take it to the track, and the knock sensor should protect the engine--it'll just lose power until it cools back down.
And once you get bored with it stock, FM offers an upgrade path to some serious horsepower.
snipped-for-privacy@gobolts.com wrote in news:1160438123.178385.44720 @h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:
Be sure to get in some good testdriving. Some Mazdaspeed owners have been very uncomplimentary of the gearing in them. A friend of mine had one for a while and never stopped complaining about it. He was always bouncing off the (lower than normal) rev limiter. He had previously owned a Mitsu 3000GT VR-4 tho, so take that for what it's worth. He's not the only one I've heard complain about that tho.
You can get aftermarket turbo or S/C options that will far outperform Mazdas "speed" option.
Also, if you have any interest in a hard-top option, bear in mind the forthcoming retractable hard-top option. Bit more $$, but it's got several of us, here, drooling a bit.
What rpm does the MS rev limiter kick in at? I still have not driven one so I don't know how they feel to drive.
True, my intercooler makes that little thing on the MS look like a toy, but you will need to have the cash or credit on hand at the time, rather than the ability to finance it along with the rest of the car, and we are talking about as much as 25% or more of the total cost of a 2004 Mazdaspeed for a serious FI system, especially if you are paying for all of the labor. If you go with blueprinting and speed-balancing the engine, using forged parts, etc., you could be looking at as much as half of the cost of the entire MS miata.
There are also possibly warranty, insurance and emission issues to deal with, especially if you are modifying a later year model miata, that a Mazdaspeed owner won't have to possibly worry about if they leave it stock. With the kit that FM offers, the MS owners can also upgrade to over 200 hp later if they want, which makes a very fast miata.
Stop it! The hardtop is already here, not forthcoming. They hired an extra guy with a mop bucket at my stealership just to follow us around the car as we stare at the retractable hardtop in operation with a glazed look in our eyes..... I have never seen a more confident salesperson, and he is patient fisherman, just slowly letting out the line until I run out of willpower. :-)
pws wrote in news:Mf_Wg.53069$ snipped-for-privacy@tornado.texas.rr.com:
The new retractible hardtop, like the softtop, has no spare tire which puts it between genital herpes and HIV as something I DO NOT WANT! :-(
Before anyone asks when was the last time I needed a spare tire, it was quite recently that I hit an invisible something on the freeway and completely destroyed my left rear tire, it was cut open from the center of the tread to the bead!
I learned three things from the event:
I won't go out of my driveway w/o a spare, no patch kit would have fixed that tire.
I won't go out of my driveway w/o a roadside assistance card, I learned I can't lift the spare tire from it's storage place in the Ford-On-Steroids.
I learned some people are absolutely GREAT! When I called the Lincoln roadside assistance I was told it would take about an hour to get someone there so I unloaded my scooter from the trunk and figured I'd sit and wait in comfort (it was too hot to wait in the car w/o running the AC.) A young guy stopped to offer aid, I told him help was on the way and he left, next some really nice guy pulled a city bus (!) over onto the shoulder, got out, walked back to me and asked if he could help! I thanked him and he went on. Next was a couple of young ladies who offered help and they went on and finally an older Hispanic couple stopped and refused to leave until the service truck came, they said they weren't in any hurry and didn't want me to have to wait alone!
Not to mention the VERY cute young thing driving the Highway Patrol car who stopped to checked up on me and drove back to see if she could find what it was that I hit. She looked SOOOoooooo good in that uniform and filled it out SOOOOoooooo well that I've sped ever since on that stretch of road hoping she'll stop me!
I don't know if it was the handicap plates that did it for me or if I was dealing with an unusually nice bunch of folks that night but I won't forget them... and I'll NEVER be w/o a spare!
Everyone's situation is different, I have not carried a spare while driving around town for over 7 years. My trunk has the no-spare carpet kit that covers the bare spot that is left when you remove it. (bought back in 1999 or 2000). When I go on a trip, taking the carpet piece out and putting the spare, wrench and jack in the car is as natural as packing a bag. If I am within 50 miles or so of town, I have lot of numbers to call if I break down, several of those people can go by my place and bring me a full-size wheel and the small floor jack, and one has a trailer if things are really bad. Finally, if the car breaks down a a busy roadway, I am leaving it and calling a tow truck anyway.
That is cool that so many people stopped to help. See if you can get that patrol officer's name, I need her to keep me in line. ;-)
4500? I am not even sure when mine kicks in, just well below that, and I can set the rpm limit at an exact number up to 20,000 rpm. (yikes!) I am going to have to drive a MS to see what it feels like. Do you know how much boost they are producing?
Don't do it. Heed my warning and save yourself. ;-)
My 04 MSM redlines at 6500 rpm. It's significantly faster than a stock NA or NB (NC?) Miata and comes with a full 4-year warranty. So far it has been rock-solid reliable. I have a feeling it was left relatively detuned for the sake of reliability. But as you note, all I need to get another 50 horsepower is to replace the intake and exhaust systems. Throw in an FMIC intercooler and an O2 signal modifier and the whole package comes in at probably $1600-$1700. That's getting into the range of aftermarket FI systems but in a basically factory engineered system, and for a lot less money.
I'm not really a gearhead but I'll probably spring for these mods in two years when the warranty expires.
But as-is these MSM's are a great deal. Lots of neato toys on them. Good wheels, good brakes, good suspension, torsen diff, 6-speed, 178 HP, etc.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.