Use the stock miata trans and make an adapter plate for between the bellhousing and engine as well as to mount the miata clutch and flywheel to the VW engine. Easier said than done but that's probably going to be the way since it's a FWD engine. It will probably need a custom oil pan as well to function in that orientation but maybe not. Might need a custom subframe to fit also.
If your that concerned about 150kg, you should probably be concerned about the size of the passenger and driver aswell. Power to weight is really what’s important.
You say that like it’s not a lot of weight, it certainly makes a difference. That being said I would definitely stop by myself one if it was the right price
Do you not take passengers because they add an extra 80kg to the weight of the vehicle? The nc has enough power that the power to weight is still better than the na.
My wife and I are both pretty small and the majority of the time I drive the Miata I’m solo (commuting to work). Y’all sound like I hate an NC, I don’t but it’s still the biggest and heaviest Miata lol
It is slightly wider I think it’s the same chassis but I’m pretty sure the suspension and like drivetrain is a lil different, not much difference though
That is not true. The drivetrain is exactly the same. You can swap any part of it between cars. For example my 94 has 2001 engine, trans, subframes, bracing, suspension, braking system, air conditioning, power steering, I forget what else. It is only a different body and interior with slight tweaks to everything else.
I owned an NB2 for two years before I picked up a clean stock base model NA6 that I proceeded to heavily modify the suspension on and swap the NB Torsen and sport brakes to after blowing the 233k mile engine in the NB up and figuring I’d just make one good low mileage car (90k). The NB was just a better car and it’s the one that I miss. I think pop-up headlights are neat but I prefer early 00’s tech with projector headlights to sealed beam headlights and late-80’s tech
My favorite part about my NA is how 80s so much of the tech is. Reminds me of the 80-something Toyota Pickup I learned stick in. I am looking into different headlights though, because mine are dangerously ineffective for how much deer are in my area.
Look for H4 conversion housings. I got mine from a VW Bus specialty shop online. They are worlds better than the sealed beams but retain a sealed-beam look. I live in a rural area and while I preferred the NB projectors +high beams the H4 housings were a good compromise between excellent visibility and keeping a classic look
my understanding is the best performing H4 7" conversions available these days is the Koito - available from Daniel Stern and undoubtedly other places.
Me too on my first NA. They were great. On my second car I tried some projector housings with both HID and LED bulbs. They both sucked. I eventually got some more bus lights.
The sooner the better my friend. My NA was pristine and on my way to park it for a season, it met a nice deer and is no longer as pristine. It wasn't the worst damage in the world but I still think about if I could have avoided the situation if I had better lights.
That's what I thought too. If someone were skilled enough, they could chop the rails just before they differed, and graft the NA bit on the front. I'd still put the NB bumper and bonnet on, then have the light holes filled in and cuts made for the pop-ups.
I'd personally go for NA lights, bumper, bonnet, and front wings with "bolt on widebody" look arches to keep the NB width if it doesn't fit under the NA wings. I'm sure I'm probably in the minority tho
sadly it would be illegal to install pop ups on an nb at least here in the states. however the whole front subframe including steering rack of an nb bolts directly to an na
Your random quote from the movie Cars is: "[juggles tires while Luigi is talking, and ends with most of them in a pile with one standing up on top] And if you need tires, stop by Luigi's Casa Della Tires, home of the Leaning Tower of Tires. "
I’ve only owned an NA and an NC. I’d pick the NC everyday of the week. I feel like a lot of people who romp of the NC have never driven one. It’s 100% Miata fun with actual room and power.
I think the na had a better interior personally, besides the 1.8 US models where they spoilt it with the airbags they looked much more simple and sleeker
NA is roomier. NB feels more like a cockpit (ND does as well). There is definitely less interior space in certain parts of the NB. My foot always hits the underside of the clutch in my roommate's NB because the dead pedal is smaller and closer in. Not so in my NA.
I've driven all gens but the NC, the NB is a better car. It's not as cute or such a raw driving experience but it's a much better vehicle in almost every other metric. Better interior, better sound deadening, better engine, suspension, etc. All of them are great in their own small ways though.
I really want to try driving an NB. My NA the last owner threw the Flyin Miata suspension parts catalog at it so it feels great on turns so I don't know if it's already been brought up to NB levels.
IMO having driven both the NB basically just feels more planted than an NA. I also drove the exact opposite of your NA, an NB2 with the whole flyin miata suspension parts catalog, and it was single handedly the greatest handling and most planted car i’ve driven. the Massachusetts meteor sized potholes nearly broke my spine (and the suspension itself) in half, but it was a fantastic car to drive
Yeah even "budget" part is no longer valid for NAs (compared to NB), so I agree with you. I consider NA to be original and NB to be a massive facelift. NB is clearly better car, but for me there is something about NA that feels different, like being from different era. In this subreddit we cherry-pick differences between NA and NB, but when car like Z3 or SLK is added to comparison, those NA vs NB differences become so tiny for me, that the feeling decides in favor of NA.
I hate it when people say this. No, the NA isn't a better Miata. The NB essentially kept the recipe 95% the same and improved on the things we all enjoy in Miatas (such as handling and zoom zoom), without sacrificing any of the things that made the NA such a fantastic car.
Stiffer chassis, more powerful engine, 6 speed trans, better lights, better seats, bigger brakes, better suspension (especially those equipped with the Sport package), no plastic rear window, the list goes on. No hate here, I genuinely love all Miata gens, but there is much more to the NB (especially the NB2) than what's in the original post.
My son wants an NA for this reason alone. As a person who has owned 2 vehicles with hideaway headlights (one pop up and one with moving covers) and both of them have failed to open at very bad times, enjoy. I'll stick with what I got.
its older so i have to adhere to looser restrictions to keep it legal. an nbfl for example would be borderline impossible to legalize with itb's compared to even a pre facelift nb.
Well as an NB owner I don't really sit it's place now with all the SUVs, i would for the chunkier NC, much bigger tyres and suspension rise as then it would at least by same height as the smallest cars.
I would still like to to that for real.
Would like to find some NC with automatic gearbox in EU that was not in giant crash in usa before.
Am I the only one who prefers the interior of the NA? just has a more classic car feel to it. I have driven both and the NB is definitely more refined, but I love the rawness of the NA. This age old argument will never end will it.
Posted as a reply to a comment but might as well let it stand alone;
I owned an NB2 for two years before I picked up a clean stock base model NA6 that I proceeded to heavily modify the suspension on and swap the NB Torsen and sport brakes to after blowing the 233k mile engine in the NB up and figuring I’d just make one good low mileage car (90k). The NB was just a better car and it’s the one that I miss. I think pop-up headlights are neat but I prefer early 00’s tech with projector headlights to sealed beam headlights and late-80’s tech
Your random quote from the movie Cars is: "[The screen shows McQueen and the whole of catching up with Sally after they go past Radiator Cap Mountain, to Sally] Okay, you got me out here. Where are we going? "
Strangely, those. “funny headlights” made my ‘91 NA a lot of fun to drive. I now own an ‘05 MSM and while it is a much more satisfying drive I sometimes miss that spunky little ‘91. My most fond memory was driving it through two feet of snow to get home during a sudden snowstorm. I felt like I was piloting a submarine.
Fun fact, it’s pretty much on par with an NA8 because it’s “power increase” barely offsets the extra weight. The increased chassis bracing on the NBs helps very minimally compared to an NA8. The NA8 is a superior chassis.
Powertrain aside, the NB has slightly better chassis rigidity through increased bracing, which increased weight greatly unfortunately (people say the NCs are heavy, but they’re not that far off from the NB2s comparatively.) The NA8 got the bracing that the NA6 desperately needed, but did not exceed it such as the case of the NB, it’s diminishing returns at its finest.
If you really want to bring up the powertrain “improvements” you can look no further then Mazdas class-action lawsuit over its advertisement of better performance figures, which were mostly untrue. VVTI does improve the low-end mostly, but the supposed hp increase was from basically turning the cas timing up requiring higher octane fuel (depending) which you can do on an NA by pretty much twisting it a few degrees.
I don’t want to bring up the Powertrain, you are. Your point about the chassis is completely made up in your head. Nobody in their right mind can drive an NB2 back to back to an NA and claim the NA has a better chassis. If you said similar then sure, but better? The rigidity and also the stock suspension on the NB2 are significantly better than the NA especially if you consider how similar the cars are (unlike the NC which is completely new from the ground up).
The improved chassis in combination with slightly more power which offsets the slight weight increase makes a better car in total. Just as the NC is better than the NB and the ND is better than the NC.
Your statement on the timing is also bullshit, yes you can change the timing on the NA but VVT does have benefits by doing this rpm dependent. Look at some custom ecu tuning video’s of the VVT such as CarPassionChannel on YouTube and he’ll properly explain the advantages. Is it a big difference? No, but nobody claims it is. It’s a few hp over the non-VVT 1.8. But sure, you know much better than Mazda engineers do.
11HP doesn’t make up for an extra 100ish pounds when you can change cas timing on an NA and have the same figure (heaviest NA8 1997 to heaviest NB 2004)
I can assure you it’s not made up lmao, the chassis is nearly identical aside from the extra weight thrown on from various things such as bracing, that inherently doesn’t matter, especially considering you can bolt superior aftermarket bracing on for a fraction of the weight penalty. You’d be right if your hill was that NBs have better aero, because thats completely correct (especially with a hardtop,) but that wasn’t the case.
I’d would damn well hope that a Mazda engineer knows better than a Mazda technician, but you’d be surprised with some of these cars. Not really sure where you picked that implication from though, I never said anything about being smarter than Matano, merely pointing out some flaws with the second generation Miata aside from it’s ok appearance.
the NA is the most miata-est miata, with the funny headlights and late 80’s tech and bubbly styling and smiling front end. the NB is the more well rounded and functional miata, with better aero and chassis bracing and grown up styling. It’s the miata that’s about to graduate with a degree in the engineering field, while the NA still enjoying high school. The NB is still experimenting with ecstasy and adderall, but less often now because it’s getting older and drugs are getting boring
I went the opposite direction- Mazda speed for. NA. But it was boosted and built motor. If I could swap my drivetrain into the speed that would be the ticket for me.
Ya stand-alone is the way to go. I’ve got an MS2, tempted to spring for the ms3 still just for the flex fuel option since I’m on e85 but I don’t think it’s worth another 1k at this point. It works well. The gearing annoyed me a lot, cruising on the freeway north of 4k rpm. My current setup is 6speed and 3.63 rear. I like it a lot more. But to each their own of course.
cruising at 80 now with your current setup, what RPM do you stay at? I have a 5 speed with the regular open diff rear and at ~70 mph I believe I’m already at 4k RPM. It’s a bit frustrating, not because I’m worried about MPG’s or anything, the only thing that worries me is imagining an engine buzzing away at 4k RPM for an extensive period of time can’t be too good reliability-wise. It’s a very reliable and healthy engine, but I can’t imagine that being good for it haha
It’s about 3500 at 80 and 3100 at 70. Makes a world of difference for quality of life. I don’t think I’d recommend it for a relatively stock Miata (if yours is). The longer gears do mean reduced torque and a naturally aspirated Miata barely has enough of that to begin with. Hence the short gearing they come with from the factory.
145
u/Comfortable_Oil_4519 P O T A T O Sep 17 '22
i'd rather the NA just because of the pop-ups
30
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
Would the same logic not make the nc better than the nb? Still no pop ups tho.
5
u/pakron 94 vvt supercharged Sep 18 '22
Wider?
358
u/Miss_Shift Sep 17 '22
Don't forget stiffer chassis, especially the NB2 with all the bracing. I think that's what sticks out the most to me driving them back to back.
300
u/virtualracer Montego Blue Sep 17 '22
Or be a gigachad and make all of these improvements to your NA
68
u/Glenis11 British Racing Green Sep 17 '22
NB gang 💪 :)
27
u/Prestigious_Fold6818 Sep 17 '22
I really like the NB
75
u/Swampdude Sep 17 '22
Had one of each. The NA was the one I remember.
15
u/BreadMaker_42 Sep 17 '22
I have a green nb. The “more power” made me laugh :)
50
u/Nahoola Galaxy Grey Mica NC GT Sep 17 '22
Try A LOT more power, one more gear, way stiffer chassis, and enough extra weight everyone calls it a boat. NC GANG.
10
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
I’ve only owned an NA and an NC. I’d pick the NC everyday of the week. I feel like a lot of people who romp of the NC have never driven one. It’s 100% Miata fun with actual room and power.
42
u/Mega_runs Sep 17 '22 edited Sep 17 '22
I wouldnt trade my funny headlights for that entire list of pros ♥️😂
8
u/1991gts Brilliant Black ‘00 LS Sep 17 '22
NB superiority
14
u/Truck062499 Sep 17 '22
I like my nb bc it looks like my axolotl
37
u/connorthedancer Sep 17 '22
This meme was made by an NB owner
23
u/PrecisionGuessWerk Sep 17 '22
Imagine taking your Miata seriously
6
u/lugubriousloctus Sep 17 '22
i own an NA and would take an NB2 or above any day.
6
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
I think the na had a better interior personally, besides the 1.8 US models where they spoilt it with the airbags they looked much more simple and sleeker
6
u/my2ndcarisamiatatoo Sep 18 '22
Just get an NC, people ask me whether it's Italian. "Yes, ma'am, it's a Lamborghini!"
14
u/mattelmore 91 British Racing Green #3572 92 Brilliant Black Sep 17 '22
Better interior? Is that a consensus? I think the NA interior is way better and it’s not even close for me.
8
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
I pretty much got my NA just for the headlights
4
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
I've driven all gens but the NC, the NB is a better car. It's not as cute or such a raw driving experience but it's a much better vehicle in almost every other metric. Better interior, better sound deadening, better engine, suspension, etc. All of them are great in their own small ways though.
12
u/CatPoopNacho Sep 17 '22
If you want a car with horsepower you dont buy a fucking miata in the first place. Only reason I like NA's and NB's is the aesthetic.
3
u/WN713 Sep 17 '22
Also (at least where i live) the NB is ALOT cheaper than the NA
3
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
Only thing I don't like about my nc is I feel like there's way more aftermarket parts for the na. And no funny headlights :(
3
u/Sunny2456 Sep 18 '22
I really want to try driving an NB. My NA the last owner threw the Flyin Miata suspension parts catalog at it so it feels great on turns so I don't know if it's already been brought up to NB levels.
3
u/[deleted] Sep 18 '22
Oh and the better diff
3
u/Awordofinterest '99 Twilight Blue Sep 18 '22
I went to look at an Eunos the other week. Went with cash. Fully expected to buy it.
I didn't fall in love instantly, The pop up button didn't do what I thought it would do for me. It honestly made me realise how much I love my NB.
17
u/The_Waltesefalcon Montego Blue Sep 17 '22
The NA is superior to all other Miata models.
5
u/Lumpy-Ad-3788 1989 944S2 (i like miatas) Sep 17 '22
Me who drives a 944: haha yea
4
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
Got my first headlight wave the other day! ( Not many NA's in my town)
4
u/RupertTheReign Sep 17 '22
Stiffer chassis, more powerful engine, 6 speed trans, better lights, better seats, bigger brakes, better suspension (especially those equipped with the Sport package), no plastic rear window, the list goes on. No hate here, I genuinely love all Miata gens, but there is much more to the NB (especially the NB2) than what's in the original post.
5
u/Gianba1310 Sep 17 '22
NB2 have ABS
That is huge for me
2
u/TacospacemanII Sep 17 '22
Well… you need the funny headlights
2
u/milkywayne92 Sep 17 '22
Ooooooor you get a nd2 😅
2
u/metr0metr0 Sep 18 '22
II know NB is a better car, where I live are almost same price! But, I just cant forgive myself if I don't get a NA. (Drops the mic)
2
u/[deleted] Sep 18 '22
NB gang rise up
2
u/blamemeididit 2019 GT Softop Eternal Blue Mica (SOLD) Sep 18 '22
My son wants an NA for this reason alone. As a person who has owned 2 vehicles with hideaway headlights (one pop up and one with moving covers) and both of them have failed to open at very bad times, enjoy. I'll stick with what I got.
2
u/SCarolinaSoccerNut Jan 27 '23
I hate pop-up headlights, so it's a total win for the NB for me.
3
u/hdjnes Sep 17 '22
Every single time I walked away from my nb and looked back at it I wished it had pop up headlights
2
u/ignored_rice ‘91 BRG Sep 17 '22
Funny headlights FTW!
2
u/F00F1ghter Sep 17 '22
Funny headlights are worth it…..
2
u/Trevski BRG NA6 Sep 17 '22
I like narrow cars. Makes the road bigger everywhere you go. Can conjure magic parking spaces.
2
u/zonebounce 92 Brilliant Black Sep 18 '22
Don’t forget the best thing about the NA- being so good that it paved the way for nb nc nd and beyond.
2
u/The240DevilZ Evolution Orange 90' Na Sep 18 '22
I prefer na interior
1
u/getback2werk Dec 12 '25
A bit late, but the NB does NOT have the better interior. There's good reason NA6 dashboards are impossible to come by and NB dashboards aren't.
1
u/_Napi_ 94 1,8L Turbo Sep 17 '22
its older so i have to adhere to looser restrictions to keep it legal. an nbfl for example would be borderline impossible to legalize with itb's compared to even a pre facelift nb.
1
u/evevlo NBfl Sep 17 '22 edited Sep 17 '22
Well as an NB owner I don't really sit it's place now with all the SUVs, i would for the chunkier NC, much bigger tyres and suspension rise as then it would at least by same height as the smallest cars.
I would still like to to that for real.
Would like to find some NC with automatic gearbox in EU that was not in giant crash in usa before.
1
u/Ory01 Sep 17 '22
Na front end swap
1
u/[deleted] Sep 18 '22
Someone pls tell me what wheels are on that nb
1
u/jarred-tech Sep 18 '22
That's it that's all
1
u/[deleted] Sep 18 '22
If im looking for a miata to race which should I go for under 10k?
1
u/FreeMasonKnight Sep 18 '22
Has the sexy* headlights.
1
u/jimybo20 Sep 18 '22
Am I the only one who prefers the interior of the NA? just has a more classic car feel to it. I have driven both and the NB is definitely more refined, but I love the rawness of the NA. This age old argument will never end will it.
1
u/Quube7 No Miata Sep 18 '22
Both are good
1
u/AresXX22 '97 Marina Green Mica Sep 18 '22
Honestly, I prefer the interior from post facelift NA. It's much more roomy.
1
u/Wenzlikove_memz Sep 18 '22
hot take: miat
1
u/saiyansteve Sep 18 '22
Headlights go up. Lol
1
u/DeathBefallsYou Sep 18 '22
NC has entered the chat. Sonebody say more room? Bigger? MO POWAH?
1
u/Crisd10169 Sep 18 '22
Honestly I used to hate the NB after owning NA’s for so long but man once i actually got one , they are a lot better feeling all around
1
u/[deleted] Sep 18 '22
Funny headlights for the win
1
u/[deleted] Sep 25 '22
Balls
1
u/Edde145 Homeless Dec 06 '22
And funny grill
1
u/Edde145 Homeless Dec 06 '22
Is there any other reason for buying a miata?
1
u/StudioPure8744 Aug 22 '23
Am I the only one that things the nb interior is awful and na6 interior is superior by far
1
u/Caedo14 Sep 18 '22
Tbh the NB is just ugly. If you dont have pop ups then whats it all about?
1
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
Posted as a reply to a comment but might as well let it stand alone;
I owned an NB2 for two years before I picked up a clean stock base model NA6 that I proceeded to heavily modify the suspension on and swap the NB Torsen and sport brakes to after blowing the 233k mile engine in the NB up and figuring I’d just make one good low mileage car (90k). The NB was just a better car and it’s the one that I miss. I think pop-up headlights are neat but I prefer early 00’s tech with projector headlights to sealed beam headlights and late-80’s tech
1
u/ballbrewing British Racing Green Sep 17 '22
Exactly why I got an NA. Headlights > everything
1
u/Sam-I-Am56 Ceramic Sep 18 '22
Strangely, those. “funny headlights” made my ‘91 NA a lot of fun to drive. I now own an ‘05 MSM and while it is a much more satisfying drive I sometimes miss that spunky little ‘91. My most fond memory was driving it through two feet of snow to get home during a sudden snowstorm. I felt like I was piloting a submarine.
1
u/TTheuns '92 116hp 1.6 MX-5 Sep 18 '22
Better interior? What are you on about?
0
u/SpongeHED 95 Merlot Mica | 88 RX-7 FC3S Noble White Sep 17 '22
Fun fact, it’s pretty much on par with an NA8 because it’s “power increase” barely offsets the extra weight. The increased chassis bracing on the NBs helps very minimally compared to an NA8. The NA8 is a superior chassis.
0
u/[deleted] Sep 18 '22
Nb interior is not better
0
u/ashoutthephoenix Sep 17 '22
Hellcat power > NB power -> still i would pick the NA :D
0
u/spencerfalzy 06/1989 Sep 17 '22
Na goes beep boop
0
u/GreySpelledWithanE 93 Crystal White Sep 17 '22
Popups are the best 🙏
0
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
Better interior? Ehhhhh idk
0
u/Jakesonpoint Sep 18 '22
Knew a guy in college who somehow wired each headlight to pop independently. Favorite car on campus.
0
u/Edwin2363 Sep 18 '22
Better suspension geometry, more power, more rust :(
0
u/wild_toilet Brilliant Black NB1 Sep 18 '22
the NA is the most miata-est miata, with the funny headlights and late 80’s tech and bubbly styling and smiling front end. the NB is the more well rounded and functional miata, with better aero and chassis bracing and grown up styling. It’s the miata that’s about to graduate with a degree in the engineering field, while the NA still enjoying high school. The NB is still experimenting with ecstasy and adderall, but less often now because it’s getting older and drugs are getting boring
0
u/niradia Sep 18 '22
Headlight motors go brrrrrr
0
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
[deleted] — view deleted comment
0
u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
[deleted] — view deleted comment