Well, now that the brakes and suspension are basically done on my car I can focus my attention (and money) on the tiring a6. I basically have two options. I can do a complete performance rebuild of the a6 (all new bearings and seals, 11:1 CR, P&P head, cam, cam gear, all new valves and valvetrain, shotpeened rods, ECU mods) and rebuild the tranny which would cost about $3k and net me 160-170hp, or buy a 99 Miata and leave it mostly stock for a while. I can get a super low mileage 99 for around $12k. BTW, don't tell me to go b-series because I am not at all interested in making my car a hybrid for a number of reasons, none of which are money.

The Miata wouldn't be as fast or handle as well as my CRX does currently (but it does have the potential to out do my CRX), but I am kind of getting tired of worrying about an aging car (eventhough it has been nothing but reliable-nothing has broken in the 20k miles I've had it). I just know that there are all kinds of things that will need replacing in the suspension and the CRX never rode well and is even less comfy now with a modified suspension. Plus the rattles and whatnot get to me sometimes.

I like the idea of having a completely straight newer car, plus something a little more comfortable. But I also love my CRX. I wouldn't sell the CRX either way, but the CRX would go on the backburner (probably eventually turn into a dedicated racecar in 4-5 years) if I got the Miata.

What would you guys do?


[Modified by tylerdurden, 9:33 PM 1/25/2003]

 

Someone asked something similar not long ago, although I can't find it in Search. It really depends on what you want to do with the car and how much you're willing to invest. I would stay stick with the CRX, you've already invested time/money in it and it will be cheaper than buying a miata.

 

 

CRX ... miata??

 

I love my rex but a Miata wouldnt be a bad little companion for the rex. A real wheel drive car about the same size with a motor that is basically turbo ready. All you have to do is drop on a turbo since it basically the same motor that is turboed in Japan. Not a bad deal at all. Miata's can haul ***, especially when boosted. ALSO, they are great little auto-x cars. IMO, if you arent swapping then get the Miata.......Sorry guys, not a fan of building up D series motors.

 

miata with a 302 swap

 

HAHAHAHA a miata is your alternative?

Get the miata.

You don't deserve to drive a crx.

 

wow... i'm really surprised to see so many of you raggin on the miata. they're great cars. 140hp engine stock and RWD. slap on a SC and you've got yourself a fun car. only reason i dont have one is because its a convertible. oh well...

 

I have a friend that works at a Dodge dealership. He's one of the lot attendants. He drives all kinds of different cars (trade in's/new). He even got to drive a viper to fill it full gas for a customer. He said the Miata was the funniest to drive out of all the cars he's driven. I not recommending you get the Miata. I would rather mod the Rex. But that's my personal preference.....


[Modified by RoadRage, 8:24 PM 1/25/2003]

 

Thanks for the replies, guys (most of you anyway). For those of you who seem to think the Miata isn't a worthy competitor for the CRX, you obviously don't know anything about them and haven't driven one (incredibly fun, well balanced, great platform, takes boost better than most).

I'm sure some of you think the Miata is a "girly" car, but this is one of the few cars in the CRX's class that will hand a CRX (stock for stock) its *** in the tWisteEz, yo. Not to mention the CRX isn't the manliest car in the world (if you care, you should be driving a Camaro).

Still not sure what to do. . . . .

 

miata with rotory.

 

I used to sell cars at a Ford/Mazda dealership and I will vouch for the fun driving experience of the Miata. I loved driving it during the summertime with the top down through campus. It was great teaching an attractive young blonde how to use my stick I mean drive a stick in a new special edition. I had a fun time driving 90 down the highway while delivering one to a customer a making $450 commission that day then taking the rest of the weekend off. Well, maybe it's just the memories of the car and not the driving experience but as I recall it was a good platform. I though about picking one up as a nice summer weekend roadster. I say go for it though, and keep the CRX as your FWD beater.

 

From what ive experienced I can tell you that miata is a Nice car with quite a decent amount of power for its size but personally I would stay with the CRX and put some money away for something better (S2000 maby hehe) unless your in dire need of a new car but thats just my 0.02

 

exactly what he said, put on the s/c and let the games begin

 

Ya know what i can't stand, people who think Honda's are the only good cars on the road. Granted i've owned plenty of Honda's and loved them all. I currently own 2, my 91 hatch with a fully built boosted zc and a 2002 crv for my wife. But i also own a Nissan 300zx (if you've never driven one, do it, then you'll buy one) and my daily driver is a 95 GMC Sonoma 4X4. I love that truck more than anything, 112,000 miles....NEVER had to replace a thing. Other than regular maintanence thats it. And i beat the hell out of that truck and it comes back askin for more. I say go for the Miata, my buddy bought one last year and that thing is a blast. Great power, great handling, all in all a great car.

 

man up and make the decision yourself.

my crx is my toy. i would never drive one daily. especially when i just got a 350z.

hondas arent the best cars. best 4cylinder by far. they make **** v6's
ive had an acura TL 99. ditched it. i own a mustang, also a vw passat. 98, my girl drives my infiniti q45. also have a honda odyessey or however u spell it.
i did own a miata. i used to commute to vegas and back almost every weekend. thing took a ****. got it fixed. somehow the head gasket was leaking coolant. jus from normal freeway driving. no sporting it around. cuz i dont consider it sporty. it got great gas mileage. i gave it away to my ex. it was a 97. had it about a year. before it starting doin that. i did put around 98k miles on it in that year. did do a couple cross country jobs.

and i do consider it girly. as every girl i knew called it cute. and my ex wanted it soooo bad. i was giving it away and only female friends wanted it.

my crx is 12 years old. your comparing a 99 to a 91 or 90 or 88 or whateva u got.
of course its a better car. depending on year of your crx its 7-9 years NEWER.

want a technical pov. they handle great with slight mods. and handle fine stock.
no ***** when on the gas though. i worked for mazda almost 4 years now. so i can kinda say ive driven my share of miatas. alot of maintenance. but usually on how the driver takes care of it. i rather u get a protege than a miata. i dont trust mazda. get toyota/nissan/honda

my opinion states otherwise. dont ask public opinion if u cant handle the response.
u hate this u hate when guys do that. i hate when u girls get your panties in a bunch.

again my opinion. dont take it to heart

 

miata = gay, ugly, girly car

sorry, just not a very big fan of the miata, what does MIATA mean anyways?

nothing compared to a crx. crx looks better and will be cheaper fixing it. if you love it then you should give it some TLC and help it along.

 

well it's one thing to flame other makes of cars in this forum, but to flame your own kind??... i think YOU should sell your crx to someone more appreciative of it and get the miata, since it will hand a stock crx its *** and it boosts well and all... but if it was ME, i would keep the rex


[Modified by neutron89, 3:59 PM 1/26/2003]

 

you're asking this question on a honda forum? dont you think the people here are going to be a little biased? if you went to a mazda forum they would tell you to get the miata. but if i was you, id keep the crx.

 

It's flaming to face reality? I wasn't knocking the CRX (I love it, have put a lot of work into it, and will never sell it no matter how many other cars I have), but the fact is, Miata's do handle better than CRX's stock.

Modified all bets are off, it just depends on what the cars are setup to do best. In ITA where the 2nd gen CRX and 1.6 liter Miatas both compete, the CRX is usually dominant, but class rules always muddy things up as to which car is actually better.

Quit being a brand loyal **** and realize all cars have strengths and weaknesses. The Miata is better balanced than the CRX, but if I had to own only one it would be the CRX because it is more practical. The CRX has way more potential for NA tuning, the Miata has more potential when boosted just because it can realistically put down more power due to RWD traction. Maybe you should get out and drive more cars.

And for the last time, if you care if your car is girly, why are you driving a CRX?

 

Shibby, I suppose you're right, I just thought people could be a little more open minded. Just because I drive a Honda doesn't mean I think they are the greatest cars ever and everything else sucks. There are lots of cars I would recommend other than my CRX eventhough I do love it. Different strokes, y'know?

 

Miatas are in a class of their own. All you have to do is drive one, and you'll know what we are talking about (especially the new models). A RWD car has a big performance advantage compared to a FWD. The only reason I drive a Honda is because they are cheap to buy, have an large and cheap aftermarket, and they get good gas mileage.

Definitley look into Miatas, also one of the most underrated car is the 89-98 240sx. That's what I really want to be driving right now....mmmm...sr20det...

 

Hahaha, Honda makes "**** V6's"? 240hp from a 3.0L in the new Accord and 260hp in the CL-S.

**** indeed.

 

I agree that the 240's have a lot going for them on paper (I really want to want one), but whenever I drive them (I've only driven S14's) they don't feel like a fun car. They don't feel like a well balanced entertaining car like a CRX or Miata does after driving them for 5 minutes. The 240 has a somewhat lazy engine, somewhat sloppy shifter, light steering, and less than great interior (for me). I could've just been driving beaten examples, but in my experience I can't see owning one.

 

pick up a miata. it would be nice to have something newer, at least with less rust on it. i discovered yesterday that my passenger rear lift point is rusting away, and even though the quarterpanels have been fixed, the car has a lot of rust underneath. miata's are cool, if i had one, i would get a headlight conversion so that they are sunk flush into the front end, as opposed to pop up. these conversions are commonly seen on RX-7 and mr2's.

as for a daily driver, the best one i have had was my dad's old 90 plymouth voyager mini van. it had the weakest 4 cylinder ever made, got decent gas mileage, and quietly drove itself to death. the last 50 miles were pretty rough!
however, it kicked *** for doing swaps. i could fit my cherry picker, air compressor, tool box, lawnchairs, and the old motor at the end of the day.