Latest generation Mazda Miata

[LittleLebowski]

I didn’t know… We rented one for a weekend and now we are ordering one. Good lord, this thing is more fun than my Raptor and feels just as fast. Most fun I’ve ever had with my pants on. Sips gas at 31.5MPG, even the automatic transmission is always ready to party with the engine on tap in an instant. I’ve driven Porsches and Corvettes, I’m good with a latest generation Miata 😁

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[FrankB]

My wife and I have been tearing up the roads in a 2010 Miata for nearly 5 years. It just never grows old! 👍
I’m nearly 6’2”, so the ND wasn’t very comfortable for me. Also, we have an awesome Pioneer Apple Airplay head unit installed, and the ND’s head unit is on top of the dash. The ND is a cool looking car.
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A glimpse into my maturity…🤣🤣🤣🤣

The Correct Video! YEEHAA,


https://youtu.be/G41AKpbcSJo?si=WLrQcAYxOWqLF9UB

[Joe in PNG]

I'm quite attracted to the RF hardtop myself.

[Borderland]

The first Miata was a reincarnation of the MG and Triumph. Except they fixed everything that was wrong and it's been a success ever since. I remember when they first hit the market. Dealers were selling them for 20% over MSRP.

I guess if you have to drive you might as well have some fun while you do it.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g26111823/mazda-mx-5-miata-history/

[FrankB]

LittleLebowski
I hope you have a great time in your new ND Miata! They are simply great fun, and have more than enough power to provide thrills, without going 140 mph. Our Miata has the Manual-Matic transmission, as almost all sports roadsters do now. There are people who say, “You should have bought the manual”, but they haven’t driven this transmission.

[HeavyDuty]

I sold my 2006 (same NC generation as Frank’s) and miss it. My left ankle doesn’t get on with clutch anymore, and it was just too small for all the trucks down here in TX. The ND is gorgeous, enjoy!

[Gary1911A1]

If you want to communicate with other fans of the Miata here's a link to a forum where you can read all about them.:) https://forum.miata.net/vb/

[RoyGBiv]

Sat in the MX-5 at the dealer on Saturday while shopping for a CX-50... Getting in/out is a looooong way down and a stiff poke in the ribs from a G19 :o, but I can see where it might be worth it... Looks fun just standing still. I'll be looking for a chance to rent one for a few days to find out... is there room in there for a rollaboard and backpack briefcase or would those need to ride shotgun?

[FrankB]

Sat in the MX-5 at the dealer on Saturday while shopping for a CX-50... Getting in/out is a looooong way down and a stiff poke in the ribs from a G19 :o, but I can see where it might be worth it... Looks fun just standing still. I'll be looking for a chance to rent one for a few days to find out... is there room in there for a rollaboard and backpack briefcase or would those need to ride shotgun?

I learned to get in butt first, and getting out requires a tug on my size 13 right shoe. People must think I have a wooden leg.

We’ve had my wife’s jumbo rollaboard in the trunk many times. Mazda deleted the spare tire completely, so there’s more than enough room. It’s been my only car for years, and she doesn’t use her Subaru Forester at all.

[vcdgrips]

Sat in one for a bit while debating a CX-30 v CX-5.

I have always loved the Miata for everything it is- ie a grown up MGB/Fiat 124 that works well and reliably.

At 6’ 3’’ 205 ish, I feel like I am at the edge of my lane getting in and out on the daily.


Once in, feels like a cockpit in a good way.

To me, along with the Toyota/Suburu BRZ, it undoubted exceeds the intersection of quality/value/performance/looks if you fit and can get in/out.

[LittleLebowski]

I'm quite attracted to the RF hardtop myself.

That's what I am getting.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Sounds like fun. However, an older friend of mine got into one to try it on. He couldn't get out and had to have the salesperson and another dude maneuver him out.

[ragnar_d]

Running joke on car forums/pages was "Miata Is Always The Answer". That ND with the retractable hard top looked good. I had a buddy with an NB and an NA Spec Miata racer and then got to test out an NC back what feels like ages ago. Absolutely great cars for spirited driving.

[awp_101]

Great video on the history and philosophy of the Miata


https://youtu.be/pdKLZtS2QVY?si=EAch9WtHvZuZ6HzR

[Totem Polar]

If you want to communicate with other fans of the Miata here's a link to a forum where you can read all about them.:) https://forum.miata.net/vb/

But, are their mods shit™️?

[Spartan1980]

I didn’t know… We rented one for a weekend and now we are ordering one. Good lord, this thing is more fun than my Raptor and feels just as fast. Most fun I’ve ever had with my pants on. Sips gas at 31.5MPG, even the automatic transmission is always ready to party with the engine on tap in an instant. I’ve driven Porsches and Corvettes, I’m good with a latest generation Miata 😁


I just looked at my daughter's new MX5 last night. Holy shit they are small! And it was really hard getting in, but getting out was not a problem. They do look fun, I need to go drive it. I'm still jonesing for a BRZ though.

[rob_s]

Ugh, I still want one of these so bad and threads like this don't help...

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/37wZkLoR/2001-mazda-mx-5-miata-special-edition

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[Flamingo]

I just looked at my daughter's new MX5 last night. Holy shit they are small! And it was really hard getting in, but getting out was not a problem. They do look fun, I need to go drive it. I'm still jonesing for a BRZ though.

My wife has a Toyota 86 (I am sure that is pretty similar to the BRZ) and it is a hoot to drive.

[Spartan1980]

My wife has a Toyota 86 (I am sure that is pretty similar to the BRZ) and it is a hoot to drive.

Basically the same car as far as I know...

[taadski]

I bought my dad a cherry NA model Miata a bunch of years ago for Father’s Day. It has some suspension mods and a roll cage added. The custom work was done at Flyin’ Miata. If you haven’t seen their site or their YouTube channel, buckle up for a deep dive all things Miata.

https://flyinmiata.com

https://youtube.com/@FlyinMiataVideo?si=N1KZohqERCeSyDfl


Pure stripped down driving fun. 💕

[FrankB]

I rode a motorcycle between my junior and senior year of high school, and drove my mother’s MG Midget during the Fall of my senior year. This isn’t that Midget, but it is a Midget. Looking back, I can’t remember how I fit in that tin can!

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Miata Luxury! This was a test drive, but I didn’t buy that Miata.

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[Half Moon]

I rode a motorcycle between my junior and senior year of high school, and drove my mother’s MG Midget during the Fall of my senior year. This isn’t that Midget, but it is a Midget. Looking back, I can’t remember how I fit in that tin can!

Well, there's sort of an origami fold you do getting in and out but otherwise the Midgets are roomier inside than you'd think. At least until you add a roll bar...

[Totem Polar]

Somewhat OT, but, a buddy of mine—now deceased, sadly—built a replica of a Lotus 7 on a Miata chassis. He even kept the ABS brake module. His build was partly from a kit, but he formed the body panels himself, using an old school vintage planishing hammer. The result was a Miata-powered roadster that weighed around 1400lbs, with an open pipe right by the driver’s elbow. The sound, braking performance, cornering, and raw sensation of speed was unparalleled. I’ve driven ‘vettes, 70s muscle cars, air-cooled 911s, and a host of motorcycles ranging from liter class sportbikes to musclebikes (eg V65 magna with a kerker exhaust), to stripped down air cooled cafe racers: nothing else has come close to the sensation of that wide open miata thing.

Zipping up a curvy suburban road at 50, with the howl from the pipe and the wind tearing at my sunglasses over the mini-windscreen felt like an unholy cross between going 100+ on a naked bike and that infamous mille miglia race where the Ferrari navigator got cut in half at 150mph. Holy shit. And the braking; 60-0 in the space of a few of Tom Given’s “average SUV lengths”—I literally lost my shades in the driver’s side cockpit when my buddy told me to stomp the brakes while showing the car off.

That thing remains the most vividly memorable car I’ve driven, in part because of the power-to-weight, both starting and stopping, but mostly because of how raw and exposed it was. I mean, the pavement was right there, screaming by under your elbow, with next to no wind protection. Brutal.

[pangloss]

I really want to test drive a Miata. My wife said I could buy any car we could afford as long as I was able to pick both kids up from school, so I bought a BRZ last June. Having the BRZ has increased my curiosity about the Miata.

[theJanitor]

My brother bought a BRZ last year and he’s happy as a clam. Of course he’s already got suspension mods and new wheels and pilot sports under it

Me, I’ve been daily driving an s2000 since 2005. I met my wife cause she was driving one at the time too. If you can swing a small sports car like the Miata/s2k, you’ll have tons of pure fun

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[Archer1440]

Miata for non-hairdressers…


:D

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[mmc45414]

[I]IGood lord, this thing is more fun than my Raptor and feels just as fast.
I’ve driven Porsches and Corvettes, I’m good with a latest generation Miata 😁
I have a 2016 Focus ST I bought new and have enjoyed for 140k so far, and it is about the same performance spectrum as the new Miata, and IMO this is great for a street car you actually drive a lot.

[LittleLebowski]

I have a 2016 Focus ST I bought new and have enjoyed for 140k so far, and it is about the same performance spectrum as the new Miata, and IMO this is great for a street car you actually drive a lot.

My wife wants the Miata, that’s what we are getting.

[APS-PF]

I think you will love it. I have a 2011 with ~ 50K miles. 95% of those miles were just taking the car out and driving down the back-roads around here for fun. A trip up route 56 over the Blue Ridge Mountains and back during the 3rd week of October with the top down is the highlight of the Fall season.

[Salamander]

I guess if you have to drive you might as well have some fun while you do it.



This is why I bought a '99 Miata, a long time ago. At the time I was working on a project 3.5 hours drive south of here, 50% of the time, back and forth every other week for a year, Northern California coast range. Figured if I needed to drive that much.... ended up keeping the car for seven years. Very reliable, traded it in with 180,000 miles on it, replaced a battery, an alternator, and brakes during that time. And tires, good road handling tires are fun but the softer rubber can wear more quickly. Worth it, because winding mountain roads became distinctly fun.

Not only was it fun to drive, it was very forgiving. Once driving back late at night on a four-lane, a dog ran out in front of me and then froze. Went around it easily, when the back tires break loose just back off the gas a little and it straightens right back out. No other car I've owned would have been able to avoid that dog.

Miata's also encourage minimalism and simplicity. Pack smart, the trunk is big enough. Barely.

[mmc45414]

My wife wants the Miata, that’s what we are getting.
I guess I did sound like I was promoting an alternative...
I was just sayin that the performance of something like the Miata (that is about the same as my car) is fast enough to be a buttload of fun on the street.

[Doc_Glock]

I didn’t know… We rented one for a weekend and now we are ordering one. Good lord, this thing is more fun than my Raptor and feels just as fast. Most fun I’ve ever had with my pants on. Sips gas at 31.5MPG, even the automatic transmission is always ready to party with the engine on tap in an instant. I’ve driven Porsches and Corvettes, I’m good with a latest generation Miata 😁

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Hasn't it been out for like a decade now! Miatas are hecking fun.

[littlejerry]

Current gen Miata is about as close to driving perfection as you can get these days. It's the automotive equivalent to a suppressed .22lr that never jams.

Word of caution on the RF: wind noise sucks. If you plan to drive with the top down the soft top is a lot better. Highly recommend you drove both before deciding.

[HeavyDuty]

I always kept earplugs in my Miata for when my ears got full.

[LittleLebowski]

Current gen Miata is about as close to driving perfection as you can get these days. It's the automotive equivalent to a suppressed .22lr that never jams.

Word of caution on the RF: wind noise sucks. If you plan to drive with the top down the soft top is a lot better. Highly recommend you drove both before deciding.

We found the wind noise fine and the RF will be warmer in Wyoming.

[Welder]

I had a genuine 95 R Package Miata years ago with a Hard Dog roll bar, FM suspension, etc. It was tons of fun. Bought it for $4500 and sold it for $7500 after owning it for 2 years. I'm 6' and it barely fit me.

We bought an 01 for my stepdaughter last year; pretty sure I related it here. The NB, not surprisingly since it's basically the same as an NA, also barely fits me. Anyhoo, we found the current car a couple hours away on CL for $800, it hadn't run for 2 years. Winched it up on a Uhaul trailer, toted it back home, put it on the lift, tightened up a floppy crank position sensor using a credit card as a spacer, and poof! Fixed. It had 265K or so on it at the time....I think it's approaching 300k now and is still doing fine. I taught her how to drive a manual with it, still on the same clutch and she's driving like a pro. Hoping to take it to an auto-x sometime this summer so she can see what that's about.

For me personally, the Miata is just too small to feel truly comfortable. My car is a Scat Pack Charger....talk about polar opposites! I actually really enjoy C4 Corvettes for eating up the miles, they're like a Miata that fits.

[Archer1440]

It seems these days, a six-speed shifter is sovereign proof against certain types of car theft.

[LittleLebowski]

I had a genuine 95 R Package Miata years ago with a Hard Dog roll bar, FM suspension, etc. It was tons of fun. Bought it for $4500 and sold it for $7500 after owning it for 2 years. I'm 6' and it barely fit me.

We bought an 01 for my stepdaughter last year; pretty sure I related it here. The NB, not surprisingly since it's basically the same as an NA, also barely fits me. Anyhoo, we found the current car a couple hours away on CL for $800, it hadn't run for 2 years. Winched it up on a Uhaul trailer, toted it back home, put it on the lift, tightened up a floppy crank position sensor using a credit card as a spacer, and poof! Fixed. It had 265K or so on it at the time....I think it's approaching 300k now and is still doing fine. I taught her how to drive a manual with it, still on the same clutch and she's driving like a pro. Hoping to take it to an auto-x sometime this summer so she can see what that's about.

For me personally, the Miata is just too small to feel truly comfortable. My car is a Scat Pack Charger....talk about polar opposites! I actually really enjoy C4 Corvettes for eating up the miles, they're like a Miata that fits.

Try switching from a Ford Raptor to a Miata, that’s interesting too 😁

[mmc45414]

Try switching from a Ford Raptor to a Miata, that’s interesting too 😁
In about 1979 I had a lifted shortbed 4x4 Chevy with a 4spd (creeper gear) and an Austin Healy Sprite... :cool:

[LittleLebowski]

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[vcdgrips]

A Raptor and a Miata- You clearly DO NOT know how to have any fun.

[Lex Luthier]

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Nice. Mazda is using some really good color schemes over the past few model years. They remind me of some of the better late 60s VW and Saab colors.

[RoyGBiv]

It seems these days, a six-speed shifter is sovereign proof against certain types of car theft.

I'm a 5-speed guy... that last gear is worthless, at least in the two I've owned... more shifts for the same top gear ratio... pointless.



Try switching from a Ford Raptor to a Miata, that’s interesting too 😁
I had a company station wagon (Taurus) and a Fiat Spider (and a couple of motorcycles)... not quite a truck size gap, but I did have more than one date checking my wagon back seat for a car seat... Not a great first date mobile... but handy when you get to know me better.. :cool:

[Bucky]

Not gonna lie, now that I am getting into autocross, I’ve certainly been considering getting one.

Running a 600+ HP Vette in Autocross is like shooting steel challenge with a .45 ACP with +P loads. Doable, but not ideal.

[Half Moon]

I'm a 5-speed guy... that last gear is worthless, at least in the two I've owned... more shifts for the same top gear ratio... pointless.

It's only more shifts if you use all the gears 😀

Our '06 GTO was effectively a 4 speed with the gear spacing...

[LittleLebowski]

A Raptor and a Miata- You clearly DO NOT know how to have any fun.

#WatchThisSpace (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=WatchThisSpace) 😁

[mmc45414]

the RF will be warmer in Wyoming.
Are you gonna get to relocate?

[theJanitor]

In about 1979 I had a lifted shortbed 4x4 Chevy with a 4spd (creeper gear) and an Austin Healy Sprite... :cool:

I currently run an 84 K5 Blazer and a honda s2000. They're on opposite ends of the spectrum, if they're even on the same spectrum LOL

[Edster]

In 2019, people said I would hate having a Miata as a daily driver.

People were wrong.

Every boring drive to work or the store turns me into an 8 year-old with an all-day go kart pass. Putting the top down on a pretty day is an instant mood lift.

[mmc45414]

In 2019, people said I would hate having a Miata as a daily driver.

People were wrong.

Every boring drive to work or the store turns me into an 8 year-old with an all-day go kart pass.

I think the key here is it is keeping it under your butt instead of under a cover. I got my modest Focus ST in 2016 and proceeded to drive the snot out of it, much of it for work. Now it has 140k on it, while I am working from home MrsMMc is driving it daily, and long ago it was paid for with mileage reimbursement.
Another friend owned a GT500 for a while, drove it occasionally, sold it.
Another close friend has a fantastic (lowered, supercharged) F-150 sitting in his garage. The next lucky bastard is going to have a blast with that truck for pennies on the dollar.

[randyho]

Had a mazdaspeed with a YJ for a bit. My favorite pair of vehicles ever. One of them had a top made by people who knew what they were doing. The jeep, not at all.

Superb choice! I really miss mine.

[jandbj]

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So much room for activities!

[LittleLebowski]

Are you gonna get to relocate?

That’s been a done deal for a while, ever since I told my agency that I’m retiring or working from Wyoming. And NO salary adjustment for locale 😎

[LittleLebowski]

So much room for activities!

It’s a nice garage, but it’s sold and we moving out for an upgrade.

[FrankB]

Today was my wife’s birthday, so we tore up roads in above the New Hope, PA area. Some of these roads were still new to us, and we’ve been exploring them forever. I have new leather upholstery coming for the Miata tomorrow, so we drove through our favorite fountain today. The is the first time we’ve seen it on since WuFlu struck. The second trip through was top up…lol!


https://youtu.be/N6uMUpDhbng?si=KXESMXO3A_DqtriP

We used to do that all the time in our 1997 Celica GT, but the craziest stunt in that car was driving it across a barely frozen lake.

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[awp_101]

https://youtu.be/7NYLoMwnies?si=ezrH7a23iFNd6aq5