Pretty nimble handling. Small size makes quick lane changes and squeezing in and out of tight places a breeze.

Underpowered engine has horrible acceleration. Air conditioner broke, cost $300 to repair. Back window is extremly cheap and broke several times.

Pretty well balanced overall. Fun to drive. Top comes down easily although it is manual. For the most part satisfied.

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Speed, Stability, Looks

cargo space

This is a car that is a blast to drive. I have had many cars in the past but none has captured my attention like this little roadster. I have never been what you can call a car person, but my Miata has changed all that. Now all I seem to want to do is drive. the handling, speed and overall enjoyment is something that belies it price. This car is defintely on of th best things I have ever acquired.

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Structural strength
Value
Great, easy to use convertible top; no leaks
BOSE sound system-easy to use and compact
Uses regular gas in '99; new models use premium
It is one of the few true sports cars left - Drive a two seat convertible before arthritis sets in. You won't regret it.

Paint is really chintzy; in a car this low they needed to use a higher grade that wouldn't chip with every stray piece of gravel. Solution: Keep a touch up stick handy or just wait a few year and have just the nose and hood repainted

I can only second the comments of others on this site. A terrifically balanced car with great value for the money. The LS is the way to go with ABS and Thorsen limited slip differential. With the leather seats and BOSE sound system you have in this little package just about everything you could possibly need. I had considered a C-5 Corvette but when I considered traffic around here, I would end up using about 40% of its potential. With a Miata, you can zip down to the 7-11 and use 100% of the car and return home with a loaf of bread and a smile from ear to ear. By the way, I hit 58 mph in second gear in this car without mods. What more do you need.

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Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo-Way too much torque steer to be a true sports car
BMW 635 Csi-Repairs cost out of sight; dangerous in rain and snow
Lexus SC 400-Terrifically reliable but can't feel the road

Handles corners well. It's fast -- step on the gas and you're outta there. Nice lines. Feels tight and is responsive. Great gas milage, about 26 in the city. I got the leather package so the interior seems more luxurious. I like the option of using a hard roof or convertible roof. Great for this Florida sun and rain.

As with most sports cars, it's low to the ground -- can't see beyond the bumper of the car ahead of you. Sometimes find myself tempted to touch the lugnuts of the tractor-trailer sitting next to me at a light. Interior storage space is very limited. One size fits all seat room. Tall folks wouldn't like this arrangement. Would like to have a roll bar. I feel a bit vaunerable in this car.

If you like sports cars, this is a great deal for the money. I've had NO problems with this car. It's fun, it's fast, it's sleek, it's great on gas and it's a convertible.

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Nissan 280z, Nissan 240z

The overall performance and handling are awesome. It's fast enough to still be a LOT of fun. The new body change increased the overall interior width so it doesn't feel cramped. The Bose stereo is awesome. The hard top makes it (silver) look like a totally different car--really cool.

The high end speed could be better. The location of the cup holders gets in the way of shifting. The tires aren't cheap. The plastic front bumper chips very easily, and touchup paint doesn't want to stick.

Awesome. The handling is great. The car has the suspension package which coupled with the 16" tires make for a great ride that isn't too stiff and uncomfortable. The limited slip helps in the rain. The 6 speed is mandatory-- it really helps to stretch out the speed range, since the hp still could be higher. Actually, the car feels like it's going faster than it is which helps with the cops. The trunk reconfiguration decreases the depth by a lot. You may have to lay the grocery bags on their sides. My gas mileage of 29 for HWY/City is great. I absolutely LOVE this car. FUN FUN FUN!!!!!

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Base model--Spend the extra money. It's more than worth it.

Handing on it is beautiful, nice and tight, and responsive, the perfect match between road and driver, this car is the Oscar Meyer between to slices of bread.

The shifting is a dream come true, lets see you try and not to smile when going from 1st to 2nd and feeling that kick :) My friend drove me home in it one night after a very good party and while driving i asked him how he liked it "beatufiul" he said "this car just begs for you to give it more"

Sporty looking. Yes, this car still make people look at it and say "nice"

Endless upgrades - there are so many products out there to customize your miata its ridulous, there are alot of automotive sights out there that just sell equipment for the miata.

Even though this car is perfectly balanced, a slightly more powerfull engine would be nice, but easily solved by a super charger or a turbo.

Space is a concern, but never really a problem with me since I'm single and only 21 years old. The only real problem the space provides is if you gotta lug around nice sized objects all the time, or you want to make a trip out somewhere with more than a weekends worth of clothes, espicially if another person is coming along with you.

Since this car is very light it doesn't take much for to peel out and a feeling of it not gripping the road that well, which is solved again but getting tires that are more "sticky"

I've always admired convertables, always loved sports cars, and the miata was a perfect blend for this. I originally started looking at 3rd Generation RX-7's, but going for $20K used, it was out of the question. So, in 99 I bought my used black 96 for $10K. THe only option on it was AC (I live in vegas, between june and august, it's required), had some very minor dents and 65K miles on the odometer, but she still drove like it was brand new. Before I got this car I drove my dads acura 2.3tl around alot and was constantly driving a 4runner, the Miata beat these cars in pure fun hands down. Of course, my friends teaze me about driving a girls car, even thought they drive SUV's, hmmm..what do most soccer mom's drive these days? :)

Would I recomend a miata, absolutely, but only as a secondary car if you live in a place where it snows. I've driven this in the rain alot, and being a light car it didn't appreciate it that much, so i can only imagine how it would do in the snow. But since I live in Vegas, it's my only vehicle. Even if you can affored the more expensive roadsters, go and and give a miata a test run, it will really make you think is that extra $10K worth it for more power?

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Haven't driven anyother Roadsters yet. Mercedes, Honda, Porsche, BMW have their roadsters, but pricing starting at $10K+ more than a miata they are in their own league, plus why do the newer BMW's look more like Miatas :)

Closest competition i see to the miata is the new Toyota MR2 Spyder. From what i've read is that it matches it almost every catagory, except looks and that it's slightly more powerfull (almost same HP, but slightly more twork) but from what i've also read that the 2001 miata is going to have 15hp more than the 2000 model (thanks to some new tweaks), bringing it up to 155hp, while the spyder is at 139hp. And almost anybody can agree, the miata is a much better looking car, while the spyder looks like an ugly Boxter.

It really turns me on. Once again bumpin music! It is also a convertable, Yes! Mazada Miata real cool!

My friends tell me the miata is a chick car, but don't believe them this car rocks. It only is available with 2 seats, I guess thats why they call it a coupe? It is also manual transmission, but I guess that was the way I ordered it because automatic is optional. It get gets hot until I roll down the windows even when I have the top down.

Can you fall in love with car, yes. Can you not afford to buy car, sometimes. Can you afford no miata, Never! Scootchy Bootchy Noochy.
Price pay $32,156.00 with 3,000 down 1225.00 per month.

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The Mach 5 you know the cartoon on the cartoon network. Oldsmoble Firenza (my prevous car) I use to drive it.

Cheap to buy

not enough power, not enough comfort, not enough reliability, and anyone that weighs more than 180lbs can't fit!

Worst car I have ever bot, terrible reliability and low power. Sure you can drop a V8 in there but if you ever get in an accident you'll die! It's very unstable at high speed and not enough room for comfort. Did I mention that its unreliable?? Must be that Ford factor...

Wery simple,well designed,durable little car.It has a suspension(double wishbone on all four corners)that you find on more expensive sportcars.Very well supported by the aftermarket.

The styling is a bit on the soft side.It looks like a classic bathtub on wheels.The engine operates on high RPM's 4000@60MPH and its anything but refined.Driving space is very limited due to the cramped interior.

The miata is a sporty car due to its excelent roadhandling carracteristics,but its not for everyone.I don't recomend it to folks who demand comfort.Mazda designed the Miata with the driving enthusiast in mind.

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Toyota Corrola,Tercel,Honda Delsol,Mazda MX-6.

Gorgeous body (to our minds), especially in the emerald green exterior that's offered w/ the tan (not the more yellowish color of old) top and interior. Apparent high build quality and nice tight feel, overall, that communicates what's going on at the road, and thus provides for excellent handling. Six speed transmission really contributes to a more relaxed cruise, when you have to be on one of those dreary "expressways" or interstates. That's especially true compared to the earlier five speed versions we drove. Nice integrated security system that actually immobilizes the engine. A great place for two to be, in your own "little" world (though the cockpit is redesigned to be more roomy than its predecessors), enjoying the view from a jaunty perspective. Actually, the interior size could be considered as a "strength", since it might well be an inhibiting factor to the development of too much of a middle age pauch (if you want to be able to drive your Miata). In fact, it's downright romantic, with your (the right) significant other. Nothing quite like a crisp sunny afternoon, or a moonlit night, and drivin' with the top down and the heater on to keep ya nice a warm.

That my wife and I didn't buy one much sooner in our relationship. Having to wait for late spring in the Rockies, when the snow and, more importantly, the gravel from this winter will mostly be gone (there's always a rock waiting somewhere, though, especially with a newer car, to propel its nasty little self from an exposed truck tire toward your unblemished hood or windshield). Lack of door guard protective strips, though they'd be less than attractive on this body. Guess we'll just have to learn to park creatively and securely, to avoid those mindless door dingers. Could use just a tad more seat travel back for my 5'1l" frame. Causes a bit of an awkward right leg angle that I've not yet adapted to. Cup holder(s)are really designed for "shorty" drink containers, as they can interfere w/ working the six speed to its potential. Instuctions for installing the OEM mudflaps are a bit cryptic, probably due to the quality of the translation from Japanese, making the job a lot more lengthy than it should. And while they're color-coordinated, they sure are pricey ($125 suggested retail, but most dealers mark that up $20, to even $50 more, here).

I repeat, life is way too short to not have a two seater, and the Miata is clearly, in our minds, the right car when you consider all the factors (fun, quality, value, looks, cost, etc.). It may not be classic, yet, but it's certainly made a place for itself in the world, as the most prolific sports car to date (is it 500,000 + sold?). We can't wait to figure out how to take on the little puzzle of packing our essentials into the recently enlarged trunk, and heading out for a real vacation drive, the way it should be, without all that extraneous "baggage" (actual and otherwise) that we clutter up our lives with. Two lane roads, and a Miata or a good motorcycle (BMW or Ducati) - that's were it's at.
.

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We started out considering the world of classic british car ownership (TR6 or MGB). No doubt we were influenced by the highly infectious fun that some of the Triumph and MG club members exhibited at their area car shows/gatherings. After several months of looking and thinking, we realized that we had neither the time nor the energy to devote to operating a piece of history, and that the Miata (a used one, originally) made the most sense. Then we were smitten by the green six speed. It's a second car to our Jeep Wrangler (that will carry four in reasonable comfort, out to dinner, etc.). We were actually thinking about getting back into a VW GTI, but this time in a 1.8 Turbo (to compensate for the elevation, here), with a "brit" car as a third, occasional drive. That (VW) certainly would have provided for a fun, yet practical bit of transportation, as it did previously, but thankfully our passions prevailed. Life is way too short, already, to not have a two seater in it! And this go-round is far superior to the brief experience I had years back with Triumph TR7 ownership. It's also not as convertible "creaky" as VW Cabriolets that we tried, whose body just can't be as structurally rigid as the Miata.