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I really like the Miata - it's my hip to head height that prevents me from owning one. If only there was room to lower the seat.
A lot of people perform a foam-ectomy on the driver seat. You can remove about 2" of foam and still make it look good. Mine has a racing seat bolted to the floor with an inch of foam removed.
If you have a chance - what is your seat height measured from the seat bottom (without weight applied) to the: (1) bottom of the windshield assuming the shade is flipped up and (2) inside top cover (where a tall person's head might "rub"). Just curious about your setup. Thanks.
Yea, I have to be honest -- the RX-8 is a great car, and as close as four-seats will ever get to a Miata, but the Miata definitely has the edge in my heart. I had an ND before parting ways to help ease purchasing a home, and almost had an MB Mazdaspeed many years ago. I'd prioritize another ND over getting another FD, it is that much better of a car, to me.
Just this weekend, while having warranty work done (wrong because dealers are the devil!) on my brother's FIAT 500 Abarth, I took the chance to drive an NF 124Spider Abarth again.
It was fantastic, bringing forward all of the fond memories of the ND, with a little bit of that 500Abarth growl, and even highlighting how far divided the RX-8 is from the Miata's short wheelbase, low weight, and drop top. When I had my ND, short of rain/snow, I was top down all the time, even when the temperature dropped into the 40's (f); I forgot how much I enjoyed the no roof experience as it just became second nature with the car.
Indeed - my memories of how much fun the Miata is was having a friend's NA for the weekend in Arizona late fall back in 1997. It was a blast. He encouraged me to drive it like I stole it and I even had the oil changed when I returned it to him.
Yea, I have to be honest -- the RX-8 is a great car, and as close as four-seats will ever get to a Miata, but the Miata definitely has the edge in my heart. I had an ND before parting ways to help ease purchasing a home, and almost had an MB Mazdaspeed many years ago. I'd prioritize another ND over getting another FD, it is that much better of a car, to me.
Just this weekend, while having warranty work done (wrong because dealers are the devil!) on my brother's FIAT 500 Abarth, I took the chance to drive an NF 124Spider Abarth again.
It was fantastic, bringing forward all of the fond memories of the ND, with a little bit of that 500Abarth growl, and even highlighting how far divided the RX-8 is from the Miata's short wheelbase, low weight, and drop top. When I had my ND, short of rain/snow, I was top down all the time, even when the temperature dropped into the 40's (f); I forgot how much I enjoyed the no roof experience as it just became second nature with the car.
There is 20+ years of technology gap between FD and ND, so I wouldn't doubt the ND is better handling wise, and the ND2 isn't even that slow, while having good reliability and fuel economy.
FD is a great car, but like everything that's hyped, there is a bit of debate how good it truly is.
There is 20+ years of technology gap between FD and ND...
FD is a great car, but like everything that's hyped, there is a bit of debate how good it truly is.
Owned one for eight years, and loved it dearly, still one of Japan's most beautiful car designs. I'll always love FD's, but the hype is part of what killed my enjoyment in owning one. They were great when they were reasonably priced and not just $20k shells as candidates for 3-rotor swaps.
For awhile I thought I'd get another FD, even when going through the motions of procuring the ND, I thought it'd be a stop-gap to another FD. After a month, I realized nostalgia never speaks the truth, and what I was experiencing in the present had surpassed what I loved in my past.
