I decided to sell my old '94 explorer after pretty much bringing it back from the dead, and have bought a '97 Miata to replace it with. It makes a lot more sense as a DD from the gas mileage alone. I could see myself getting an old truck later just for Home Depot runs, but I digress.

The miata is a very fun little car, but the thing that really gets me about it is how crazy powerful it makes my Crossfire feel! I do have a few mods on the cross so it's a much more drastic feeling than it would be from stock, but dear lord, even at 2k rpms the cross feels like a monster! So any power hungry owners may not need to slap a S/C kit on their cars, they may just need to drive an old miata to feel like their cross pulls just fine!

 

So, how much did the mods cost ya?

 

Everybody talks about how the Crossfire is slow with no power but I don't see it. 215 HP in such a small car seems like all you need. One of the guys at the dealership referred to it as a go-kart with a car engine.

 

Hey Jerk Daniels, we need to get our daily drivers (your Miata and my City Golf) and bring them to the track. Let some other crossfire owners make a pass down the track to feel the power and to experience a 1/4 mile time of 32 seconds! haha
Their crossfire will feel like a rocket!

 

The Miata makes a great beater! Tons of parts, easy to maintain, and bulletproof reliability.

 

Miatias make intense track cars too. just saying. lol
I have been looking at TDI's for DD

 

Haha, yes - my Miata is currently in the process of getting some TLC maintenance work and I have been blown away at how inexpensive parts can be had. I end up getting about the same gas mileage in both cars as a result of trying to make the Miata feel even remotely as powerful as the Cross at 2k rpms .

As far as the cost of mods, I was able to track down a lot of the parts I put on used and at very reasonable prices - I believe I only spent around $900-$1000 for everything.