I just recently got a 1996 Miata. It has 110,xxx on it. When I got it I immediately changed the oil because it was very dirty and about 2000 miles over its due date. When I changed the oil it made a noticable difference and now it runs strong. The issue I discovered today ( 5 weeks later) was a light ticking coming from the engine and about a quart of oil missing. I had a friend drive me to the store after work so I could buy some oil to replace the missing quart. The engine still ticked all the way home. I took it to Belle Tire and they said everything was running perfectly, there was just a slight tick in the headers. They said the oil could have just been from the engines natural oil consumption. The day before all this happened I went about 30 miles on the highway at 85mph. The RPM's are very high even in the highest gear. They guy at Belle Tire said that can burn the oil quicker. The engine is still ticking, but you don't notice it when it's idling, just when accelerating. The ticking also speeds up with the acceleration. Also, there's no indication of oil leaking anywhere nor a smell of burnt oil. I have full synthetic in it. Any idea what might be wrong? You can listen to the sound here... http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8E0LoMcX5x4