You're over the Miata... Now what? V8? Turbo? Super? Or new car?

[Jeff Goji]

I was contemplating something tonight...
You guys all know how the Miata is a fantastic car for what it is, it's a lightweight fun to drive roadster at a very reasonable price point.
However, there will come a time eventually, when you crave something higher up on the food chain... We've all been there at one point or another.

Louis traded in his NA for a NB. Then he turbocharged it.
Scott traded his 93 in on a very lovely 2000 SE.
Stan upgraded from a turboed 91 to a 99 Sport.
Jack and Julia traded up from their NA to a NC.
I traded up from my 91 to a Mazdaspeed (yes I still have the 91.)

But where does one go from that point?
I have to wonder, what is it going to take to keep me interested in Miatas when I've had my fill of the Mazdaspeed MX5 and crave something a step up?
Naturally, my first instinct is to mod the car.
And I've been thinking heavily about my Mazdaspeed's future... Originally I planned to keep the car and drive it to the 100,000 mile mark and then sell it to avoid having to replace or recondition the turbo.

And now I'm thinking a V8 swap would be in it's future once the Turbo explodes into a million pieces and is ingested by the engine and destroys it. 

So short and sweet, I'm thinking my car is going V8 in about 5 years...
What are your future plans with your cars?
And what will it take to keep your attention in the Miata world when your interest starts to drop off?

[Jeff Goji]

And you actually own my dream car Bruce.
If I had the green, oh yeah, Viper all the way. 

[beritek3]

Pres
You want a V8 and a rag top that you can throw around?  You want some more power.  You like to tinker, don't mind getting hands dirty.  Maybe go find a TR8.  Just maybe there are a few around the US.
 
And I can't stop myself lusting for S2000s.  I have no idea how they drive or how they handle but that desire for more drives this insatiable desire.

[Jeff Goji]

Pres
You want a V8 and a rag top that you can throw around?  You want some more power.  You like to tinker, don't mind getting hands dirty.  Maybe go find a TR8.  Just maybe there are a few around the US.
 
And I can't stop myself lusting for S2000s.  I have no idea how they drive or how they handle but that desire for more drives this insatiable desire.

Thought about the TR8, but the rarity of them and the lack of a tried and true Corvette LS engine under the hood scared me away...
I would literally want to swap in the engine, and never look under the hood again except for regular maintenance.

The S2000 is a really awesome car.
It's quicker, handles at a much higher limit, and the brakes are phenomenally good.
The steering ratio is also REALLY quick by comparison to the Miata's steering ratio, it takes some re-adjusting to get used to it.

Everything including chassis responses happen much faster too and the car breaks traction at higher limits, so you'll find yourself doubling your speed through your favorite twisty road.

And that engine, nice and smooth with a firm kick up top.
Despite popular belief on other Miata boards, the S2000 is quicker than every other Miata ever produced and has more usable torque in just about every gear by comparison.
Yeah... I do like the S2000. 

[MX5]

S2000 may be quicker on paper, but it's also heavier than a miata... Throw on an intake, and you can pretty much hang with a stock s2k. Throw a few more mods, and you will start to pull away.

[Jeff Goji]

Not entirely...
The only Miata that MIGHT have a chance of keeping up with the S2000 with minor modifications like intake and exhaust and with the boost turned up to 10 lbs, is the Mazdaspeed.
As is, my car is quicker from a rolling start than the latest RX8, which is slightly slower than the S2000.

I would still more then likely get blown into the weeds by the S2000 as the speeds reached north of 100 mph.

[jnshk]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned something like a Super-7 or Ariel Atom. :-P  More power to weight and possaibly even more tossable!

Or perhaps an FD with an LS1 swap.  The FD should feel like a minor upgrade from the NB all around, right?

[MX5]

Not entirely...
The only Miata that MIGHT have a chance of keeping up with the S2000 with minor modifications like intake and exhaust and with the boost turned up to 10 lbs, is the Mazdaspeed.
As is, my car is quicker from a rolling start than the latest RX8, which is slightly slower than the S2000.

I would still more then likely get blown into the weeds by the S2000 as the speeds reached north of 100 mph.

Yes, I was talking about a Mazdaspeed, or a turbo'd miata. My point being, the s2k is a more expensive car, but with minor modification to, say a mazdaspeed, it'll have a much tougher time winning. I was able to beat a stock s2k by a nose with just an intake and a leaky DV. Basically the s2k is not all that...hence why it's no more. 30+k for a car that you have to ring it's neck to get some power...no thanks. Many roadsters have come and gone...but the miata still stands! 

[ying, chung]

Westfield

[Bryce]

When I am done with my current build, my Miata will be faster than S2000s, and most Corvettes, at a fraction of the price of those cars. When I am no longer satisfied with it, I would probably do a turbo LS1 swap with an NB. After that? I'd pick up a used C6 Z06 and enjoy the reliability.

[cc76]

A 911 will be my next play car.  I may look for early 80s 911 SC, or the most recent low milage water cooler 911 that is in my price range.  I would like to hang on to my miata's but I may need to find a metal building to use as a shop/storage place.

[Jeff Goji]

Mmmm, a nice old-fashioned air-cooled 911. David Duxbury has one that he autocrossed last year at a Beamer event, REALLY nice car!

[cc76]

I did not know Dux had a 911.  That seems like a big departure from the 1st gen RX 7 and the 2nd gen MR2 that I have seen him drive in the past.

[matt kock]

I was at PowerFab this afternoon with Jeremy contemplating this same thing, do I do another motor build (2.0L) and GT30R Turbo next or LS3 swap? I'm leaning toward the LS swap just because after 500whp everything on the miata is suspect (trans, diff, axles, etc.) but if I swap all that gets replaced with stuff that can handle it. I'm gonna beat the Crap out of it for now and probably start over next Summer, unless come June I can't stand it!

[jnshk]

If I were going for power goals that high, I would definitely got with the LS engine swap rather than trying to force everything through the Miata drivetrain.