Mazda MX-5 Miata - Low Budget, Low Tech Thrills
Remember the MGB? How about the Triumph Spitfire and TR6? Ah, I almost forgot the beautiful Fiat and Alfa Romeo spyders. What happened to the affordable sports car? Two-seaters from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi and Honda are wonderful cars, but most of us couldn't even begin to justify spending $50,000+ for frivolous luxury these days. But wait a second. What about Mazda's Miata?
At $27,695 the Miata has no competitors! Could it get any better for Mazda? The closest two-seat roadster in price is BMW's Z3 2.5 that starts at nearly $20,000 more. Who needs a power top, standard leather seats and a fancy brand name? The Miata gets by on simple, back to basics features and straight forward good looks. The original 1990 model's pop-up headlights were dropped in 1999 when it went through a subtle redesign. The new design incorporates a few RX-7 styling cues, including its rounded doors, muscular fenders and rear decklid bulge.
Inside you'll find a well thought out dash, also redesigned in 1999 to flow seamlessly into the door panels. A wonderful leather wrapped Nardi steering wheel frames chrome rimmed black on white gauges, while an AM/FM/CD audio system sits above its user friendly heating, ventilation and air-conditioning controls on the centre console. The Miata incorporates features now expected such as power windows, mirrors and locks, fog lights and an immobilizer alarm. Add the sport package and get a 6-speed manual transmission, 16" wheels with 205/45R16W summer tires, strut tower bar, limited slip differential (with manual only), and a sport suspension with Bilstein shocks.
Remember the MGB? How about the Triumph Spitfire and TR6? Ah, I almost forgot the beautiful Fiat and Alfa Romeo spyders. What happened to the affordable sports car? Two-seaters from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi and Honda are wonderful cars, but most of us couldn't even begin to justify spending $50,000+ for frivolous luxury these days. But wait a second. What about Mazda's Miata?At $27,695 the Miata has no competitors! Could it get any better for Mazda? The closest two-seat roadster in price is BMW's Z3 2.5 that starts at nearly $20,000 more. Who needs a power top, standard leather seats and a fancy brand name? The Miata gets by on simple, back to basics features and straight forward good looks. The original 1990 model's pop-up headlights were dropped in 1999 when it went through a subtle redesign. The new design incorporates a few RX-7 styling cues, including its rounded doors, muscular fenders and rear decklid bulge.
Inside you'll find a well thought out dash, also redesigned in 1999 to flow seamlessly into the door panels. A wonderful leather wrapped Nardi steering wheel frames chrome rimmed black on white gauges, while an AM/FM/CD audio system sits above its user friendly heating, ventilation and air-conditioning controls on the centre console. The Miata incorporates features now expected such as power windows, mirrors and locks, fog lights and an immobilizer alarm. Add the sport package and get a 6-speed manual transmission, 16" wheels with 205/45R16W summer tires, strut tower bar, limited slip differential (with manual only), and a sport suspension with Bilstein shocks.