Ok so let me start off by saying that I am completely new to Miatas, I have been a euro guy for quite some time and had 2 MK4 GTI's before autocrossing one of em and realizing the Miatas are the way to go.
So now that that is out of the way, let me give ya a little bit of details regarding my car. I bought a 1999 Miata with 58k original miles from an older gentleman about a week ago, he had it for 11 years and was the second owner. My goal with the car is to make it a daily/autocross car. By that I mean, sway bar(s?), coilovers, wheels, rollbar, and perhaps an exhaust, all of this in the near future, all the other stuff will come in due time.

After buying this awesome Miata I realized that the 01+ Miatas had VVT which apparently is quite nice since I came across like 100 posts on google about people doing VVT swaps. I also know that the 01+ Miatas have a stiffer chassis, but I will eventually buy a butterfly brace and get that taken care of.

My friend who races for Spec Miata told me that the 99's are a bit more desirable because they are easier to work on, and easier to boost (which apparently isn't an issue anymore), so there's that.

Now, the question, is VVT that much more desirable than non-VVT engines? I know my NB has the torsen LSD and I know that's a great start for autocross and driving in general, but am I losing something BIG by not having a VVT engine or a 01+ Miata in general (minus the stuff stated above)?
Please be nice, this is my second post ever. Cheers.