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Affordable Men's Style

Would you drive it? The Mazda MX-5 (ahem, Miata)

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Dappered Car Correspondent Steven B. developed his passion for cars while growing up with a father who often used his son to help repair, rebuild, and restore makes and models of all kinds.  Like 1973 VW Super Beetle “all kinds”.  They also autocrossed together as a father son team.  Top 2nd Generation Photo credit: R. Traidas

Repeat after me; the Mazda Miata is not a girl’s car.  No matter what your 4×4 driving, flannel wearing buddy tells you.  The Miata is as close as you will get to a road legal go-kart at a reasonable price.  It’s practical to boot.  The roadster has enough room for you, your better half and a weekend bag.  What else could you need?

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is like that J.Crew Factory suit hanging up in your closet.  It is simple yet classic and if you were patient you got a great deal on it and best of all you will find any excuse to drive it.

The accessible, affordable, dependable (Japanese) MGB.  Left:  1st generation.  Right: 3rd generation

The Miata was released in 1989 as the spiritual successor to the classic British sports car.  Think MG’s MGB without all those pesky electrical problems.  The formula was simple: light weight, great handling, fuel efficient, reliable, and best of all affordable.  For 23 years Mazda has stuck to this formula just like your favorite pair of shoes.  There is nothing flashy and driving with the top down will never go out of style, unlike those square toed shoes you bought when you got your first job.

Miatas aren’t just used for lollygagging into work at an administrative assistant’s desk.  They’re built to be driven.
With a 50:50 weight balance, the Miata is a hugely popular car for amateur racing.

The current generation has been on sale since 2006 and with a new model coming in 2014 there are deals to be had.  A clean 2006 model with less than 70,000 miles can be purchased for less than $15,000.  If you wait until the late Fall or Winter you can get an even better deal and if you want to save even more then broaden your search to areas that don’t get much convertible weather.  Best of all these many of these were bought by older people that babied them and only drive them to the Early Bird Special at their favorite eatery.

With so much about the Miata to like it is easy to ignore the naysayers, and if the secretary jokes get overbearing just drop the top and step on the gas.

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So would you?  Does the Miata deserve it’s bad reputation?  And what do you drive?  Leave it all in the comments…

Comments

  1. At age sixteen, when everyone else wanted a mustang, the miata was my first real dream car. No regrets.

  3. I’ve have six acquaintances that have owned Miatas since they debuted in 1989. None of them were girls. And one of them was a large, super macho, bodybuilder-type guy (who admittedly looked a bit funny squeezing himself behind the wheel of this little roadster). As a counterpoint, I know a LOT of girls that drive Mustangs.

  6. Of course I’d drive it, and I’d have a ball doing it.

    I think a lot of us could benefit from growing out of the ‘But it’s girly! Ew!’ banality.

  8. Would I buy it? No. Would I drive it for an afternoon? Sure, and it’d probably be fun, too. But in the same price range you could find an S2000 or Z3 and get the same pleasure without wondering if you look silly.

  10. I know exactly zero women that own a miata. However I know 5 guys with a miata.
    They are the among one of the best driving cars. Very capable performance wise. You see a lot of guys at the track that make fun of them and dismiss them easily but they don’t know what they are talking about. They usually shut up after their 911/350z/M3 gets passed by an mx-5. A lot of time it’s because they don’t know how to drive but those are the types of people that diss the miata.

  11. I know exactly zero women that own a miata. However I know 5 guys with a miata.
    They are the among one of the best driving cars. Very capable performance wise. You see a lot of guys at the track that make fun of them and dismiss them easily but they don’t know what they are talking about. They usually shut up after their 911/350z/M3 gets passed by an mx-5. A lot of time it’s because they don’t know how to drive but those are the types of people that diss the miata.

  12. I know exactly zero women that own a miata. However I know 5 guys with a miata.
    They are the among one of the best driving cars. Very capable performance wise. You see a lot of guys at the track that make fun of them and dismiss them easily but they don’t know what they are talking about. They usually shut up after their 911/350z/M3 gets passed by an mx-5. A lot of time it’s because they don’t know how to drive but those are the types of people that diss the miata.

  13. RWD… light… perfect weight balance… easily turbo’d. Heck yeah I’d drive one. They’re the perfect SCCA car.

  14. No, I got over my “ricer” phase in college. Drove a civic for a couple years. After buying my Wrangler I don’t think I’m ever going back.

  15. Look – its a great car. Handles well, has good power, and is fun to drive. The guys on Top Gear even love it. Personally, I think it looks just bland. I want a fun car to look slick. Maybe its a factor of the 90s body styles, but it just looks generic. Plus I feel ridiculous driving it b/c the thing feels too small for me. Really like a go-kart. Bottom line, good car, but I wouldn’t drive/own one.

  16. Definitely yes. I too used to think it was a woman’s car, but over the years I’ve learned how much affection authoritative voices (like the car magazines) have for its balance of cost and drivability. Would it be the first roadster or small coupe I’d choose if I had the money? Probably not. But part of me would always wonder if I made the wrong choice.

  17. Definitely a girls car. The only “tracks” these things dominate on are tiny autocross courses where the most important factor is the smallest wheelbase and less weight. Otherwise they are too underpowered to really compete.

    The Mustang argument is also moot. Girls really only drive V6 Mustangs, which isn’t really the same thing. They should just call it a Rear wheel drive Taurus.

  18. I know exactly zero women that own a miata. However I know 5 guys with a miata. They are the among one of the best driving cars. Very capable performance wise. You see a lot of guys at the track that make fun of them and dismiss them easily but they don’t know what they are talking about. They usually shut up after their 911/350z/M3 gets passed by an mx-5. A lot of time it’s because they don’t know how to drive but those are the types of people that diss the miata.

  19. I have an ’07 MX5. I love it. I’d highly recommend it if you were in the market for a reasonably priced, high-performance car. No better bang for your buck. Even good on gas.

  20. No, I would not drive a miata, I considered it and all that rest of the roadsters when i was looking for a roadster/convertible last year. I ended up with a z4 because it offered the best combination of looks, reliability, ease of maintenance (i do my own work, dealers steal your suit money), trim level, features, and more. the miata got x-off for the stigma and the look, otherwise it’s awesome. nobody says, “wow, look at that miata.”

    rest of list:
    [car]: [reason it was x’d]
    sc430: no manual
    slk (pre 2012): no comment 2012 is mindblowing
    911(996): enigine reliability/ ability to maintain (see above)
    boxster: engine reliability, engine under car, ability to maintain
    s2000: missing style and creature comfort (outstanding car 240 hp from a 4banger!)
    tt: missing the… Je ne sais quoi
    sl: too big/ no manual
    m3: too big
    z roadster: i just don’t like them, harsh and Cro-Magnon approach

    @pooh I have a wrangler too- best $ i ever spent on a vehicle. i’ll never get rid of it.

    all my “poor man’s” toys
    http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i24/cvaria/20120830_170009.jpg
    My faves
    http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i24/cvaria/20120822_071307.jpg

  21. it’s not a pretty car. it is awesome but not the total package. I thing the boxster s is the best performer but maintenance is recockulous

  23. Girly-shmirly. My Dad loved the old British covertibles, like the MG. So he got a G1 Miata when it came out, and when my ’91 Integra passed, he sold it to me cheap. I added Eibach springs, Koni shocks, nice, wide 16″ wheels and had a blast in autocross. If you haven’t driven a small RWD around the cones, you’re missing out on as manly an experience available. And you would not believe the number of compliments–and requests from the ladies for a ride–when I had it.
    Fond memories…

  27. Also, with manual transmissions becoming rarer, a 6 speed manual sounds pretty nice. I would take my 5 speed Corolla over most automatics with a V6.. An automatic transmission just takes all of the fun out of driving.

  28. There is a reason that the Skip Barber racing school uses only Miatas and open-wheeled racers. They are amazing track car. Rear-wheel drive, perfectly balanced, great center of gravity….put a set of coil-overs and some strut-tower braces on one of those pigs and have a blast!

  29. Ever since I graduated college (has it been 7 years already?), I’ve been involved with amateur racing on-and-off as my schedule has allowed. I’ll second that the Miata is hugely popular on the amateur racing circuit, both in road racing (Watkins Glen, Infineon Raceway-type tracks for you Nascar types) as well as weekend-warrior autocross (SCCA Solo) competitions. I love my Corvettes as much as the next guy, but when I have the funds available for a toy car, a Miata will probably be at the top of my list.

    The car’s capability was really driven home to me some years back, when on an Acura NSX forum discussing autocross, one poster stated “If you really want to go fast, buy a Miata.”

  30. Not sure which Z you are talking about, but a 370 is anything but harsh. The very last couple hundred RPMs of the engine could be maybe referred to as “tinny”, but not really harsh. The ride is incredibly smooth and the performance is spot on. At least in the coupes. I’ve never driven a convertible Z and not sure why anyone would want to, but I guess those are the same folks that consider a miata “manly”

  31. I had a 1991 Miata, the first year they were no longer “MX-5 Miata.” I got it at a dealer auction (I have connections, it was technically illegal for me to be on the floor at the time since I was 17). It came with a little metal shifter and the thinnest Toyo tires I’ve ever seen (one would blow out, and teach me the hear lesson of keeping your tires inflated, especially low profiles). It was like driving an adult go-kart, much more fun on the open road than on the highway where you could rev it up and take some corners. 3 weeks after I sold it the brake rotors apparently rusted and cracked on the dude that bought it, so I guess I got off the drug at the right time.

  32. Miatas are a freaking blast to drive, and if I had the money to buy one for strictly racing purposes I would certainly consider it. However, for a daily driver (or even weekend car), I just couldn’t do it. My 6’4″, wide shouldered frame would never forgive me (plus I look pretty ridiculous getting in and out of one)

  33. Others would say when it comes to daily driving, a standard turns driving into a chore. You give your Corolla too much credit I think.

  37. I went with a Boxster, and have no regrets. I do my own work as well, and it’s really not bad. I just get the back end up on a big set of jack stands, and it’s quite roomy under there. I also replaced the IMS bearing and RMS, which (hopefully) will negate the engine issues. I do like the Z4s as well.

  38. No doubt that the Miata is a great handling car, but I went with a Porsche Boxster instead. The prices on the Boxsters have dropped so much, it’s hard to pass up. Porsche > Mazda.

  39. My issue with the Miata has been one of aesthetics I will admit. To me it looks like it was designed after a ballerina slipper. Nothing against it personally, but I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to get one.

  40. Style doesn’t have to = clothes. Plus, takin’ this week off mostly, so, we’re having some not-so-usual posts fire off. Be kind my man. I think you’ll like many of them.

  41. While I get the appeal–cheap, pretty good handling, fun with the top down–and I’d be the last person to discard a fun little roadster as a “chick car,” as others have pointed out I’d rather have an S2000 or a Z4. At 6’3″ and fairly broad-shouldered, though, I think my shoulder might be in my passenger’s ear in any of them.

    The real killer is the lack of power. If you want to take it to the track, or just open it up on an empty highway in the desert, a Miata will disappoint hugely.

    I drive a (tastefully) modified BMW M3 in steel grey with a black interior, and I have a hard time imagining driving anything else (except maybe an older BMW or Porsche to wrench on).

  42. While I like the MX-5, and agree that people who “make fun of them” are foolish, I have a hard time picturing a 911, 350z or M3 getting passed by a (stock) MX-5 under any circumstances, if driven by anyone more capable than a small child.

  43. I have the 2005 MazaSpeed edition of it. It’s fast, responsive, a blast to drive and easy and inexpensive to maintain. Driving around with the top down I have no doubt about my masculinity.

  44. It’s not a girl’s car, but it’s not a car for everyone either, or even for the masses. If you consider yourself a *driver* then you’ll be at least aware of and accepting of the MX-5.

  45. Indeed, but it’s not always about raw speed off a stoplight. The MX-5 is a car you drive for the fun, rather than any blistering speeds.

    That said, since you dropped some names, I personally would prefer a 370z. If I had the budget, of course a 911. But an MX-5 makes a great driver’s car for someone who already has a daily driver; it’s cheap and gives that driver’s thrill.

    Ok, so for the money one may spring for a BRZ now… 🙂

  52. My ex had a Miata and it was a blast to drive. More fun to drive than my TT, Z4, 328i, 78 VW Scirocco (really close with the VW but top down is the tie breaker), and almost as much fun as my 135ic (but at half the price new the Mazda is a way better deal). Cheaper to maintain than most, great car. ZOOM ZOOM!!

  53. A stock MX-5 is only an acceptable option after every S2000 has been demolished. More reliable, more speed, better looks, at around the same price, that’s why I bought my 2004 ‘S.

  55. I’d drive it, if there wasn’t a Honda S2000 in my garage. Reliable, quicker, and nobody has ever asked if its a ‘girl car’. Where the MX-5 loses me is the automatic option… should never have been made. If you want a drivers car, you need to learn stick. If you can’t commit to using another foot, a RWD two seat convertible probably isn’t a good choice either.

  56. The Miata’s problem is that it lacks character. It’s the Camry of sports cars. My wife and I have three 2-seat convertibles – a Boxster S, ’75 Triumph TR6 and a ’71 Corvette. Other than the Boxster, which is my wife’s daily driver, I rarely find myself parking next to the same model in a parking lot. It’s an ideal race car, though, and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive one out of fear of someone questioning my masculinity.

  57. Douchiest car ever. All I can think of when I see these are “poor person midlife crisis” or “middle aged female smoker:. Maybe I’ve just seen the wrong people driving them, but I feel like many would agree. Also known as the only other car in “little miss sunshine” besides the old VW van.

  58. I would drive it. It’s a fun, well-handling little car that would be fantastic in the city. Reminds me of Kafka in the Shore by Murakami. Side-note: The host’s attire at 8:00 into the video is great business casual!

  59. My friend has a 95 Miata and it is easily one of the most fun cars I’ve ever driven. We used to always take it out for night drives but alas it has to many problems to maintain it considering the net worth of the car

  60. Well if it means anything my buddy drove one in high school and we never stopped giving him shit about it. Granted he was 6’4 and his head stuck over the the windshield. As far as a car goes they are cheap and fun to drive. You see more Miatas at track days than any other car. The thing is when I think of a Miata I think cheap sub $5,000 sports car; but at the $15,000 price point the author mentioned I would certainly be looking at S2000’s, 350z’s, z4’s and other more masculine roadsters.

  61. I have owned a ’91 for about 10 months now.

    I’m 6’5″, and about 250lbs. I’m certainly the opposite of what you’d assume would crawl out of one of these things.

    I bought a car that had been well cared for by an older couple, and only used on weekends, with 74k, for $2100. I get about 29mpg, insurance is a song, and it’s become my daily driver.

    As an account manager, I drive up to 80 miles a day working with clients here in Chattanooga. It gets me around for less dollars than almost anything out there.

    If you’re concerned about looking girly, then you’re missing the point. But, I’ll grant you that I probably can’t change your mind.

    If you want (Jeremy Clarkson style) POWERRRR, then you’re not gonna like it. I can get beaten from the light by a recent Accord with an automatic. I realize this, and it doesn’t bother me. If you live in Iowa, I recognize that this will be a boring car. However, if there are any roads that curve nearby, you haven’t lived until you try to find out how much grin this little car can smear on your face.

    For smiles per dollar, I don’t think you can do better. Your Shelby GT500 will beat me off the line, but I’ll see your car payment and raise you my financial freedom. And, I’ll be smiling all the way to the bank…

  62. Would I buy it? No, only because I don’t care for Asian car styles much. I do love a convertible though, so drive it? Sure.

  63. , , , , , ;

    Here’s the punctuation you left out of your article. I agree with you 100%–I’d totally have a Miata if I wanted something impractical–but this was really poorly edited.

  64. Z3 = German = maintenance $$$$$$$$$$$$

    An S2000 is a great choice if you can afford it, though. A friend of mine had one when we were young and it was a friggin’ ROCKET.

    But a Miata will always be cheaper.

  66. “Douchiest car ever. All I can think of when I see these are “poor person midlife crisis””

    Douchiest comment ever.

  67. I’m guessing that I’ll be in the minority here, but I actually have very little interest in cars beyond their basic utility of getting from point A to point B. Now at the same time, I completely agree that a car can in some instances be a part of a guy’s style (for better or worse I might add).

  68. I would drive a miata…except for NA Miatas. Not really a fan of them. Although they are fun when they’re equipped with an upgraded suspension and wider wheels/tires.

  69. Drive it? I owned a ’92 that was the single most fun car I’ve ever owned…and I also owned a Jeep Wrangler and wore flannel.

    I’m all about respecting opinions, but those that dismiss the Miata because it’s too girly or douchy either don’t appreciate a driver’s car or they’re too hung up on appearances…and that’s unfortunate.

  71. I would never own one because they look a bit female and a Subaru brz is nearly the same price, but i wouldn’t judge a guy driving one. I’ve driven my mom’s 2008 miata and had a good time, so if you like them more power to you.

  73. As an ex-Miata owner I’ll say this: Stay away from these cars, please. Not only will everyone assume it’s your wife’s, they’ll mock you endlessly for driving it.

    Plus, if y’all start buying the used ones, I’ll be forced to pay more when I get around to picking another one up for myself.

  74. I always thought it was a girls car. Then I drove it. I knew after that I needed a roadster. But I was too tall for the Miata. Luckily, germans are apparently bigger than japanese, so I got a BMW Z4. I’m in love!

  75. I wouldn’t own one – even as my fun car.

    I own a ’77 MGB and have only ridden as a passenger in a (late 90s model) Miata. The Miata may have been inspired by the B, but I think the comparison is a poor one. Just on looks alone, slap a couple of eyes on the window and it would look straight out of Cars.

    Comfort was also an issue for me. I’m only 6′ and 165, but the Miata had the most uncomfortable and cramped passenger seat I’ve ever been in. A friend of mine is 6”10″ and regularly rode in my MGB. He couldn’t believe that he fit so well in it for being such a small car.

  76. Maybe no POWERRRRR, but I bet Captain Slow and Hammond would have a blast. And really, the enjoyment is what matters in the long run.

  78. Would I buy one as a street car? NO WAY. Are they proven track animals in their own class(es)? Absolutely! Joe, Steven, and any man that isn’t scared of a wrench needs to take note of a kit car called the MEV Exocet. Its based on the running gear of an MX5, which is obviously fantastic. Build a turbo motor, buy a scrap MX5, and you have yourself an open wheel, 300+hp, 1500lb rocket. This is at the top of my winter projects. IMO its the only way to make a MX5 both street and track worthy (although you will get wet in the rain, but who cares at that point).

  79. i own two of them :p a 96 and a 2010 : ) not my daily driver, but the most fun you can have on a weekend when living in the Appalachian’s : )

  82. you clearly have not heard of spec miata races..
    you could also buy a miata, for less than 3k
    put a turbo or supercharger for 6k and have it produce about 220whp or so.. most people get a lot more from them.. with the 1.6 liter engine