Hey everyone, I'm new to the world of Miatas, but have always had a soft spot for them. Currently I'm driving a 1999 Camaro z28 LS1 6 speed, which is a fun car, but I've definitely been wanting something more light, fun, agile, etc...basically Miata.

Got a straight up trade offer from a local guy for a 1996 M edition, FM Turbo, full FM exhaust + all the suspension and wheel goodies.

Mileage/condition on the cars is very similar, and after swapping each for a test drive, neither of us could tell which was faster.

What should I do? I dig both cars, but who would be getting the better of the deal here!?

 

Yup...I'm a newb. Inserted images are below, thanks!

 

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Having driven both, I'd say the Miata was more fun all around.

That one looks to be well sorted, so if you want it, do the trade. A couple hundred bucks either way is not gonna change your life, so don't let that be an issue.

 

Personally I'd say you're getting the better deal, but this is a miata turbo forum. Not a camaro forum.

What ecu is running it? Tunes are the one thing that'll kill these engines if they're no good. If it's been running for a while it's probably fine, but I'd personally plan on some dyno time.

 

Also, where are you?

 

location.

If you're lucky, you might be near a forum pro who can look at it with you.

That car, as configured, should be able to walk a WS6 without breathing hard.

 

The camaro is probably worth more money, but NA's are coming up and in terms of fun I'd say the Miata is far superior.

I swapped from a 2005 GTO to my turbo miata, about the same acceleration (currently) and about the same value. The only thing I miss is that soundtrack...

 

Hey - thanks all for the info. I'm located in VT, but the car spent most of its life on the west coast in Oregon, so no salty roads and winters!

The FM setup has been on the car for a while, so I'm sure it had a decent tune at some point. Everything seemed to run great. The boost was set to 10psi from what I'm told, and it has the Voodoo II + FMIC. Install looked really clean. I'm definitely leaning towards the trade.

 

Voodoo box is aids. Make the trade, install megasquirt, tune, ????, win at life.

 

From what I see in the pix, car looks reasonable. +1 on getting a standalone ECU ASAP. It might sound funny, but having an intact dipstick is a good indicator that the car has been well-maintained.

 

Well I went for the trade, definitely liking the Miata! I used to think the Camaro was a bit cramped, but that thing was a F'ing boat compared to the Miata! So far very impressed with the handling (obviously) and acceleration on the straights is probably on par or a step ahead of the Camaro, which really surprised me.

What type of ECU is recommended for this setup? The car has the Voodoo box installed, and I've read some decent reviews of the setup, but obviously I'm new to the Miata world. Any info would help, thanks.

 

You need a MegaSquirt. They're the easiest to put in, and lots of support here.

 

I broke my dipstick ring...which shows that my car is well-maintained .

I don't know much about Camaros, but I am craving to see a picture of the Camaro. The Miata looks very clean and put together with quality parts.

 

Welcome to the site Luvs2spwg, thanks for joining up!

 

Just to be clear - the tune currently on the car is good, not running rich or lean (at least not from what I can tell) and has been in place for a few years now. Would the MS just get me more control over the tune, and potentially more power?

I'm not necessarily looking to upgrade at this time, as it runs pretty awesome right now. And also not interested in spending more $$ !

 

The voodoo box doesn't actually "tune" anything. It just tricks your stock ECU. From FM: "The on-board MAP sensor measures the pressure in the intake manifold. If more fuel is needed, the Voodoo Box intercepts the signals going from the stock ECU to the injectors and lengthens it."
With a stand-alone, you have complete control over... everything. It takes a lot of reading and a little effort to figure out, but you are leaving a lot of power on the table without it.

 

Gotcha, and thanks for the info. Future project for sure, right now I'm just learning and enjoying the car.

I already learned from owning the Camaro that MOAR POWR doesn't exactly equal more fun on the street, just more trouble to get into lol.

 

Congrats in what looks to be a really nice car.

The Voodoo is basically dog crap. It is very limited in its capability and is far, far from ideal. As said before, you should very strongly consider getting a Megasquirt (preferably 2 or 3) and some bigger fuel injectors as soon as you can.

Like, for serious

 

Wow are you guys sales reps for MS or something?

Am I risking something by running the setup I have now? Like I said, the mods were made at least a few years back and the car runs great. I'm not interested in huge upgrades at this time. Everything I've read has said the the FM setup is "fine" for what it is.