[quote=spdrun]It’s a 2200 lb car. Can you depower the stupid thing and call it a day? Some cars even mount the motor on the column, not in the rack, making it even easier to convert to a manual system (if you have a reasonably normal level of arm strength).[/quote]
Conversion, yes. depower easily no. People tried disabling, but it was an awful experience going through slaloms..
Flying Miata did conversion to a hydraulic system. But they did that as part of their V8 LS3 conversion. Mazda reprogrammed the steering for some cars starting my year, so I personally like the feel. purists complain about it though. I would prefer if Mazda spent their time fixing the weak gearbox. The Fiat 124 isnt bad. It’s basically Miata with a Fiat engine. And they are pretty cheap new now that Fiat is on the verge of being extinct in the US. You can pick up a new Fiat 124 for around $21k, and there’s now a pretty decent tuning option for them. Untuned, they are kinda sluggish.
