Fun with minimal maintainance
Needed to replace the top at 58,000
The seats wear out on the side edge.
This car is great for around town. I have taken it on a couple of road trips and it was noisy. I got a wind screen for between the seats, a good idea for lowering the noise level.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 28th December, 2004
Incredible performance for cheap
I have added a large Garrett turbo and am making around 300whp (about 330-350 crank). Although I upgraded the clutch to compensate for the increased stress, nothing has broken and the car doesn't overheat or break down. The engine, transmission and rear differential are completely unmodified.
The spark plugs and plug wires wear out slightly faster than on a normal car.
I had to wrap the brake reservoir in insulation after adding the turbo.
Otherwise completely bulletproof.
Stock, the car could hold its own around a track against much higher hp cars. The car handles incredibly and loses very little speed going through even the sharpest corners.
The car's only real weakness is a lack of accelerative ability. Cars that are much slower through the corners can still pull away from a stock Miata very strongly.
With the hp tripled, there are few cars that can keep up on the straightaways and thanks to racing tires, still fewer that can keep up in the corners. The car is a monster.
My only complaint is that tire sizes are limited due to suspension geometry and fender size and the car has poor aerodynamics, becoming slightly unstable above 130mph. Still, there aren't any comparable sports cars in this price range. Total cost to complete car (including car itself) was about 15000 American dollars.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 28th August, 2003
I totally agree. Being a part of an MX-5 club has really taught me HEAPS about my black '96 model. This is definately the most fun I have had in my driving years. I have owned 9 different cars and this is by far the most fun. No complaints from me, I would recomend an MX-5 to anyone. As for the turbo thing, forget about it... unless the car comes out with it as standard its really not needed if you know how to take the car to its limits. In this day and age, what with speed camera devices, why would you need to add anymore power when you can't use it anyway.
I own a '97 Mazda Miata Speedster. Now let me tell you the joy about these automobiles: the fact you can have such bundles of fun WITHOUT the excessive power. If you want to max-out fun and enjoyability of this car, take advantage of its slick shifter and nimble steering and brakes. If you want power, you're looking in the wrong place. Slow and steady wins the race...
20th Jun 2004, 14:59
Before rushing out to put a turbo on the Miata, invest in a driving school. Check on the web for your local Miata club and they can advise where to go. If you know how to use the power this great car provides, you'll be very happy with the Miata in stock form.
For this person, sticking a turbo onto any car requires a lot of work to other parts of the car, not just putting on tires.
Note, this isn't a car that was designed to go over 130. If you want to go that route, invest in some serious suspension upgrades.