riredale

So here I am, an aging male a bit past the magic age for starting Medicare. I've had a couple of great motorcycles, a nice little '67 Mustang, and while I am the proud owner of a 2010 Lexus RX450h, a '69 427 Corvette sits under a car cover in the garage (needs some work, but was once a daily driver).

Our daughter is now 26 years old, but the joke was that ever since she was a little girl I told her that one day she would have a Miata and drive around with the top down and a scarf blowing in the breeze. Hasn't happened yet, but I've always admired the Miata, which has been around for many years now.

Are there some "best years" or conversely some years to avoid? No doubt all the cars are pretty reliable when compared to the MGB-GT a girlfriend I dated back in the 70's had. But are there some that, for various reasons, just stand apart?

ISFPOWER

iTrader: (20)

yeah the 2016

SW17LS

Just helped a friend swing a deal on a new one just like that one above. I'd get a new one as cheap as they are...great little car.

mmarshall

Bitkahuna, one of our moderators, having owned at least one of them (maybe more?) and driven them regularly, may (?) be a better critic on this than me, but my vote goes to the latest version....the one shared with the American-spec Fiat 124 Spyder. The latest one has benefitted from over 25 years of engineering, but has kept its relative mechanical simplicity, slick-operating short-throw clutch and manual shifter, ingeniously-designed and easy-to-use fabric top, good overall reliability, neutral handling with quick response, firm but not overly-harsh ride (by sports-car standards) and simple cockpit layout for those who dislike a lot of electronic gadgets. Newer versions also offer a folding hard-top for those who would prefer it.....though the ragtop is so easy to use that the hardtop is probably unnecessary, unless one has a physical injury/disability or needs more security in high-crime areas to guard against theft. Fortunately, however, though still rather cramped for large people (and somewhat awkward for them to get in and out of because of its very low stance, each major redesign has added at least slightly more space-efficiency inside for larger people, so one is not packed in quite as sardine-tight.

dseag2

I had an '06 Miata with a 6-speed stick and it was a fantastic car that drove like it was an extension of me. It was fun, top-down driving. It also had halfway decent trunk space for the size. I think that particular model was very reliable as well.

I only traded it because of the road noise on highways with the top up. It definitely needed another gear. Depending on your daughter's needs, and if you don't want to pay the price of a new one (which is still inexpensive), the last-gen model is a gem. Haven't driven the new model. They may have improved the road noise at high speeds.

SW17LS

Its still really loud.

dseag2

LOL, oh well.

SW17LS

Yeah, kind of par for the course lol

mmarshall

Not sure what you're getting at here. A taller gear wouldn't have anything to do with road noise, which comes from the tires and/or the amount of sound-insulation in the wheel wells (which, believe me, you won't find much of in a Miata LOL). All the gearing would do is quiet down the engine some by making it spin a little slower.

But Miatas aren't designed to be quiet. A fair amount of wind, engine, and road noise is the name of the game with a car like this....although the built-in wind-blockers do a good hub of calming some of the turbulence in the cabin. Nor, obviously, are Miatas designed for long trips, where the noise and Al-Fresco conditions can wear you out after an hour or two.

dseag2

And that's why I traded it. Part of the "road noise" is that the engine is loud in the higher RPMs. That is definitely due to the lack of gears. I didn't expect that it would have dual-pane windows, LOL.

Aron9000

Well the best Miata depends on your budget. The new ones are sweet, if you've got $30,000 to blow.

Personally for used ones I like the NB(1998-2005) models. The NC(2006-2015), the styling isn't quite right IMO, plus they're the heaviest Miatas, the new one is lighter, along with the older ones as well. You can find mint condition garage queen NB models all day long with under 50k miles for $5,000 to $8,000. Really those hit the sweet spot because they've fully depreciated(you're going to lose your *** buying a couple year old NC at 15-20k when you sell it), yet they don't have some of the age related problems yet that can plauge even nice NA(1990-97) Miatas, mainly things like paint issues that will effect most 20+ year old cars.

mmarshall

Oh, I agree that the engine noise you describe is the lack of a taller gear. But that is not what is commonly defined as "road noise"...which is noise coming from the tires interacting with the road surface.

Coleroad

The Miata has stayed with keeping the car light. In keeping the car light there is less sound deading material. The weight of that stuff adds up fast. It's a slow car that is a blast to drive fast.

mmarshall

It's a car that's a blast to drive, period..........though it's more of a blast if you can easily fit in, which a number of people, including myself, don't. Still, the newer ones have a little more space inside than the older ones.

Coleroad

All of the lightweight, low center of gravity cars are a blast. Doesn't matter how much or little power. MG, Alfa 4c, lotus, sunbeam, triumph, Boxter, the original mini all are based on the same idea. I know there are others that fit this category too.