Most popular Mazda MX 5 Miata for sale

Yeah, the Miata isn't the fastest sports car on the market and it isn't the most comfortable, but it's hard to think of another affordable car that makes the average trip to the store so much fun while providing such reliable service.

I've owned my 1991 Miata for eight years. To put my experience in perspective, I've also owned MGs, Triumphs, and Porsches over the years so I know sports cars. Miatas are readily available used for not much money... even cars with very low miles on them. Parts support, both factory and aftermarket is superb and they are really inexpensive to maintain.

I replaced my original top with a Robbins glass-window top which is a huge improvement in visibility. Otherwise, I haven't had any reliability issues to speak of. I think the only mechanical failures were a power window motor and a switch. Not bad for a 16 year old car.

I've taken mine autocrossing a few times and I've done two cross-country trips. The trunk is small by SUV standards but I can fit a full-sized golf bag in mine and it's perfectly fine for weekly grocery trips unless you have a family of 6 to feed... in which case you likely won't be driving a 2-seat roadster or will need to put some groceries in the passenger's seat.

The bottom line for me is I can't drive this car without grinning ear to ear. I can appreciate 400 hp, but the Miata's power is really usable on the street and you can really row the gearbox and rev it hard without breaking the law too badly... definitely fun.

As Boston's indy SubaruGuru, I've been disappointed with prior iterations: underpowered, tight cabin, too short-geared for touring.

Not so the 06 MX-5. Larger cabin seats the long-legged well; non-adjustable seat's been dropped, which IS a problem for those who are short-torsoed. Thus 5'8"-6'2" until adjuster added (2009?)

The cloth seats are plebian; the leather, by contrast, VERY nice. The steering wheel is hard and thin; when set low harmlessly cuts off gauge tops.

IMPORTANT: The 5/6sp manuals are VERY short-geared... useless for highway cruising. 3k rpm yields only 60mph... cruising at 80mph is way too buzzy. The 6th is NOT added above the simpler 5th's ratio. This is a real shame. Tricking tires 205to215 only +3%...might affect balance.
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Conversely, the 6sp auto is WONDERFUL! Algorithms are eco-smart to covertly shift up gracefully, yet throttle provocation picks the right gear for pushing twisties. Thus paddles quite optional.

The auto's gearing a full +30% over the manuals! Mazda's trying to keep the sticks as thrashy as possible, giving up any sense of eco-touring potential, in order to maintain a very slight performance advantage over the auto. Yet the auto is a BLAST to drive, and MUCH faster off the line!
23c/30h mpg ratings for the auto most conservative; I get 28 mixed and 33+ fast hwy.

Handling is simply superb (no surprise). Turning radius is a goofy 30ft.... The opt DSC flashed once in the rain, but felt NOTHING abnormal.

The BS RE-050 Runflats are famously HARD, yet lack centerline feel unless kept at 40psi! They're VERY sticky, not YET noisy, 1/3 down at 8k miles. Ideas for all-season?

MAZDASPEED/EIBACH's swaybars are a cheap DIY mod that instantly removed the excessive roll. Just do it! TireRack, $300. Stock struts are stiff enough, so I don't want Bilsteins or coilovers.

Engine torque is wide 'n flat...hard to believe as only 2.0L. Power/weight ratio is high, so that response is much quicker than stroked 2.3L version in heavier nice Mazda3, for example. More fun than tiring Honda S2000 or RX-8; more reliable than Z4, TT, et al.
Thus a VERY FAST urban guerilla, only giving up its oats on the highway, where noise and short wheelbase thrashing gets tiring (npi) anyway.

My stock in trade are 2.5L '01-04 Subaru AWD Legacies...extremely well-balanced chariots. My "toy" is a chipped 2k Audi S4 2.7T 6sp... better than the Subies (or A4/330xi) at very high speed, of course. It's now most satisfying to have a tossable open-air thrasher that's great fun at legal speeds...at least until winter. We'll see how the DSC works in light snow. The S4 and MX-5 are interesting complements....

Trunk is surprisingly usable (despite hidden release cable).

Cabin plasticware is borderline acceptable. Tan (saddle) console should've been black. Door sills scuff easily, so I added DIY metal covers, as well steering wheel cover to thicken.

IMPORTANT: Bose uses topless cheap 3" drivers! I added Subaru/Panasonic 1/2" dome tweeter pods to the small glass"triangles" to easily improve timbre and soundstage geometry. (Write me if you want these cheap.) Tuning counterintuitive, but wheel commands nice.

Chassis is quite stiff and solid...bravo! Ragtop far better than vinyl, and quick. Forget the PRHT's +$2k, waitlist, and +77lbs. That's M-B fatuosity.

AC chills even topdown; ditto heater, as vents are well-positioned. Small perforated draft visor marginal.

Fancier lowbeams and DSC great, so get Prem2.











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I have owned all 3 models of Miata, now that I've bought this 2006 (which only has 6,000 miles on it). It is the largest, smoothest, quietest (especially with the top up)and most powerful of the 3. The 2 previous were almost bulletproof in their durability - will be interesting to see if this one holds up as well. If anything, this 2006 handles better - it takes curves faster than the older models without feeling like you are pushing the limits of the car. Took it on a spirited 125 mile drive over Grand Mesa in western Colorado (over 11,000 ft altitude) last weekend, and seldom had to use 100% throttle - clearly has more torque than previous models. More impressive is that it got over 35 mpg on that hard-charging high-altitude drive.
Some of the changes in controls are not improvements, like the parking brake located way over on the passenger side of the console and the new dash-mounted trunk release button that any passerby can use to open the trunk. And, no one will think that eliminating the spare tire for a tire repair kit is an improvement. The high-gloss plastic band across the entire front of the dash looks nice when new, but serves no other purpose and will surely get scratched and show every mark. And, who ever thought up the red interior dash lights should go back to working for General Motors. Still, important features like a smooth short-throw gearbox and gauges easily read remain, and the headlights are superb. The cloth seats are comfortable and give good support. The only serious defect apparent in this car so far is that the style bars behind the seats are not valid rollbar protection, and the design of the folding top means a real frame-mounted rollbar will be difficult, if not impossible, to install. Speaking of the top, it is much easier to open/close than previous models, and the way it folds into a flat lid behind the seats is a nice touch. In summary, this seems a better sports car than one might expect for the price, and if the durability is equal to Mazda's past models, its a true bargain.