Faults:

When I purchased it the roof clips were not working well so the seller replaced them with new ones.

The ignition pack needed replacing at around 32,000km.

After difficult warm starting I had the cam sensor and crank angle sensor replaced (34,000km) and it has been fine since.

General Comments:

It drives really well. It is not a fast car, but I have yet to challenge it on cornering ... it seems to stick to the road like glue. The range of available 14 inch tyres is very limited so I have quite basic Japanese brand summer tyres on it that seem to be OK in the winter too (dry roads only) ... thus I don't take it out on snow or ice. I am nevertheless tempted to get another set of wheels with winter tyres (if I can find them!).

The 1.6 engine needs to be revved to get power, but I must say I wouldn't mind a bit more zippy acceleration. Still, the car was clearly designed for small bendy country roads, which are in large quantities where I live.

I drive with the top down all seasons, but it has come in handy during the odd sudden thunderstorm. The vinyl top is very stiff in cold weather and is starting to show its age; I will undoubtedly change it sometime soon for a cloth one.

The mechanics at the local Mazda service garage are very enthusiastic about the car as it is the best condition one they have seen, both mechanically and cosmetically.

Given its low kilometres and general appearance, I have been given large offers for it, which of course I refuse.

I had originally looked for an NA model with flip up headlights, but they are generally in poor condition and the only plus they have is ... the headlights, everything else is negative. The NB1 drives a lot better.

Best wishes from the central mountain area of Honshu.

Faults:

I had to get a clutch job done around 90,000 miles. But that is expected, and I don't blame Mazda for it.

Power window slowed down around 90,000 miles as well, but no major problems.

General Comments:

I got in an accident with a CR-V during the first month I got the car. That's when I realized how strongly Mazda Miatas were built. Even with the damage that completely deformed the rear quarter panel, it runs strong without any fixes.

Its reliability is a pleasant surprise.

Performance-wise, most people think that going fast is what determines performance. It is certainly not a car made to be driven fast, but the handling is great.

It has a short shift stick, so it is very fun to drive around.

My Miata has went over 100,000 miles now, and is still running like a champ! A good buy.

Faults:

Door let in a lot of water one rainy day.

Clutch part needed replacing because of 1st gear shudder.

Coil and plugs replaced when car would not restart when warm.

General Comments:

Now that I have had my free repairs it is going well.

The clutch worried me during first month, but the dealer was great and fixed clutch.

The NR is a LTD edition of 500 here in Japan. Wooden steering wheel, leather seats, plum color, cream roof.

It has been well looked after by 2 previous Japanese owners; I am British.

It is all I wanted in my first sports car.

Faults:

The EGR valve and Throttle Body valve were congested with carbon deposits and had to be cleaned as they were causing a rough idle. This was about $200.

At the same time, the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder went out while I was driving down the road. This was another $400 and the towing to get it to the dealership was nearly $100.

A week later, the idle got rough again and it turned out to be the coil pack ignition system which was another $450.

A week after that, the oil drain plug fell out. Fortunately I caught it before it caused any serious problems. This was only $26 for the plug and oil.

The top had to be replaced when I bought it which was about $1000. I knew that, though, getting into the car.

General Comments:

I love to look at this car and it's a blast to drive. After reading several reviews on this site, I thought I was getting into a reliable car to get me through college. fortunately I didn't sell my BMW before I had all these problems so I wasn't left stranded for long. Oddly enough though the dealer doesn't stock oil drain plugs for these cars. It had to sit about 50 miles away from my house while I waited on a plug to be shipped in. once again, the BMW came to the rescue. The windows work still, but they are very slow and the leather seats are wearing out prematurely. The glove box is drooping a little, but it still locks properly so I'm not too worried about it and the console hinge is broken.