So I just bought a '99 Miata.

Very cool. Looks like it got the Leather and Popular Equipment packages. No A/C (controls are there but it's only a heater). It does have the Bose system, cassette player, and floor mats. Any reliable way to tell whether it has the limited slip diff or ABS?

Also, that's helpful info on that little ding. It drives me nuts but I didn't have any clue what it might cost to repair.
 
If you call Mazda customer service, they can decode the VIN for you and tell you if you have LSD and ABS. I suppose you could also just rev it up and dump the clutch and see if both rear wheels spin or just one, then slam on the breaks and look for pulsed patches of rubber or straight skid marks. Smart option is to just call mazda, as they are surprisingly helpful.

1-800-222-5500
 
Also, for ABS, you can just pop the hood and see if there is an ABS module under there. It should be near the firewall on the passenger side. It is the gold colored box with three nuts on top of it and brake lines coming out of the front….just behind the tower brace in the picture below. If you don't have ABS, there is a washer fluid tank in this spot or it is empty, depending on the year.

abs_hood.jpg
 
dmn23 said:
Very cool. Looks like it got the Leather and Popular Equipment packages. No A/C (controls are there but it's only a heater). It does have the Bose system, cassette player, and floor mats. Any reliable way to tell whether it has the limited slip diff or ABS?

Also, that's helpful info on that little ding. It drives me nuts but I didn't have any clue what it might cost to repair.
Click to expand...

For 1999 (Torsen II): If the car came with cruise control, power antenna, windblocker and power door locks and/or tan leather interior/top, it has the LSD.
It it is a 10th Anniversary Edition (10AE), it has a LSD.
If it is a Sports Package, it has a LSD (see How to ID a 1999 Sports Package below)

http://www.miata.net/faq/99central.html
 
The closest thing I'm seeing is the assembly close to the firewall on the driver's side.

DSC_0002.jpg
 
That part is the brake master cylinder. It looks to me like your car doesn't have ABS.
 
FWIW, most guys who race these things want the non-ABS model. I think part of that is due to spec racing rules prohibiting ABS, and partly because the pedal feel is supposed to be better on the non-ABS cars. Of course, that is with the ABS on your era mazda, and the new version is quite different and is supposed to feel more like non-ABS. For a road car, I wouldn't really care one way or the other, especially in the desert. Just remember to pump those brakes on lock ups in poor traction situations.
 
bsman said:
I like Miatas a lot, but my son tells me that if I get one, I'll have to start wearing daisy dukes and a crop top...
Click to expand...
This. My kid said basically the same thing when we were car shopping. Not tough enough, evidently, to prevent some gender bender aspect of the car from spoiling its appeal.
 
Pitar said:
This. My kid said basically the same thing when we were car shopping. Not tough enough, evidently, to prevent some gender bender aspect of the car from spoiling its appeal.
Click to expand...

Be happy with your gay self.

What do you care, anyway....you're kicking ass in a little convertible roadster!

:lol:
 
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