1999 Mazda MX-5 Miata consumer reviews

Once upon a time, the fifth grade to be exact, my friends and I loved nothing more than to spend our recesses playing full-contact soccer. We didn?t touch the ball with our hands, because that was against the rules, but we had no reservations about laying hands on each other. Pushing, grabbing, pulling, even full-on tackling?. It was all just a part of the game. As fierce as the competition may have been, it was always in good fun, and I will forever remember that friendly violence with fondness and, increasingly, a sense of awe. The older I get and the more I think about it, the more it amazes me that none of us ever got hurt. With age comes heaps of size, strength and speed, but only modest gains in durability, which is why such all-out horseplay is better left to those who are small and close to the ground. Like a hyperactive ten-year-old who lets off steam by bouncing off his friends like a bumper car, the Mazda Miata is very much a kid at heart. It may not be as big or as fast as the grownups, but, boy, does it know how to have fun. Redesigned for the 1999 model year (?98s were only available overseas), Mazda?s Zoom-Zoom poster child ditched many of its Lotus Elan specific styling cues in favor of a more modern and curvaceous look. Gone are the pop-up headlights, replaced by ones that are both better looking and better functioning, and gone are the mostly flat body panels. This second generation Miata looks less mechanical and more like an animal hunched on its haunches ready to pounce. Up front, a smooth hood bulge matches its increased fender flares, flowing contours adorn its sides, and an upward sweeping trunk lid completes the look in the rear. The end result is a slightly larger Miata that looks more fleshed out than its predecessor. Inside the cozy cockpit available leather seats and premium Bose speakers lend a surprisingly luxurious ambiance, and the glass rear window (complete with a defrost button) further distances this convertible from its more Spartan first generation offerings. Under the hood, horsepower is up by 7, and handling is improved thanks to a stiffer chassis and optional 15-inch wheels. That?s basically where the changes end. Considering the MX-5?s substantial fan base, Mazda was smart not to take the restyling too far. Even when it first came out, there was no mistaking this car as anything other than a Miata. From the driver?s seat, this cheerful two-seater has many things going for it, but let?s start with what isn?t there: namely about 1,000 pounds, which is the weight difference between the spry 2,299-lb Miata and the typical sports car. A more powerful engine will make a car faster, stickier tires will make it handle better, and bigger brakes will make it stop sooner, but all of these things cost money, whereas a strict diet accomplishes everything free of charge. Also what isn?t there is a computer altering your inputs like a worried mother riding shotgun. No standard ABS, no stability control, no traction control, no rev match mollycoddling, thank you very much. In the Miata, driving is as it was meant to be: man and machine, not man, computer and machine. Such a lack of technological interference means that the driver?s every success and failure is his, and his alone, and that is precisely what makes the minimalist Miata so much more rewarding to drive than a cutting-edge sports car. The latest and greatest may be faster, but few, regardless of price, behave with such delightful transparency. This quaint roadster?s charm is bolstered by its small, but eager engine. Try prodding a lazier power plant and the resulting sound can be akin to a groan, as if the car is complaining, ?Aw, do I have to?? Mash the Miata?s accelerator and the response you?ll hear all the way to its 7,000 rpm redline is, ?Oh, heck yes!? That?s not to say that the Miata is a speed demon; it?s not. The 1.8L four-banger can?t measure up to the competition in terms of sheer performance, but fortunately, the enthusiasm with which it offers what little it does have ultimately keeps the driver involved. ?A? for effort, as they say in school. 140 hp and 119 lb-ft of torque look insufficient on paper, but in practice the Miata?s ?less is more? approach pays some surprising dividends. With a chassis that is so much more capable than its engine, the Miata is one of the few sports cars that be safely driven at its limits on public roads. Think back to early films in which actors ridiculously pantomimed chase scenes by sawing at the wheels of stationary vehicles and you?ll have some idea of how aggressively the Miata can be driven on an everyday basis. This is a car that not only tolerates such feverish inputs, it craves them. The steering wheel is a masochist that doesn?t mind being slapped and yanked around. The perfectly spaced pedals have a foot fetish. And the shifter, like a dog hungry for attention, welcomes and rewards the pat on the head you give it with every shift. Try playing rough with a high-strung supercar and you?ll wind up in a ditch. The Miata, on the other hand, has just enough power to deliver serious fun without landing its driver in serious trouble. Serving as the engine?s dancing partner is a short-throw, five-speed manual transmission which effortlessly changes gears with a crisp flick of the wrist. (Do yourself a favor by forgetting that a sluggish four-speed automatic is also available.) Of all the Miata?s strengths, this is the one that comes as the biggest surprise. In base trim the ?99 sold new for $19,770, but its mellifluous transmission would be at home in a car of any price. Together, the engine and the transmission can two-step to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds. Not fast by today?s standards, but peppy enough, and that time would be peppier still if an upshift to third weren?t required. The tranny?s low gearing provides brisk acceleration up to about 45 mph, but that?s where the diminutive drop-top begins to break a sweat. Power is still adequate at 75 mph, but by that speed, even in top gear, the engine drones at 4,000 rpm, and wind and road noise are impossible to ignore. Hoping to listen to some smooth jazz or a book on tape? Better join the grannies and their Buicks in the slow lane. Two other compromises owners will need to make are also necessary evils: interior space and ground clearance. The seats are snug for an average-sized man, so don?t go subjecting six-foot-plus friends to prolonged road trips, and the small trunk, while fairly versatile, only offers 5 cubic feet of storage. Regrettably, since the Miata rides just 4 inches off the ground, cringe-inducing chin music is sometimes unavoidable over steep driveways. Of course, the Miata has never been about straight-line performance or serene touring. Commonly, the first words uttered by friends when I introduce them to my ?99 are, ?Wow, it?s small.? followed by, ?Oh, gosh it?s low!? as they half lower themselves, half fall into its passenger seat. It?s true, any car this light and this close to the ground must have been built with one thing in mind: corner carving. With only its willing engine and slick transmission the Miata would have at least been a fun car for putting around the right-angled streets of the city, but it?s when the going gets twisty that this wide-mouthed Peter Pan really comes alive. With front and rear double wishbones and near-50/50 weight distribution, handling is reassuringly neutral and predictable, making this a great choice for first-time sports car owners. Enter a turn too fast and the car will reliably understeer, but, with enough throttle in first or second gear, the tail can be coaxed around. With a quick 2.7 turns to lock, turn-in is immediate and the steering is practically telepathic. Furthermore, the Miata?s compact dimensions and excellent sight lines make placing it on the road a guess-free process. (Those same two traits, combined with a scant 30.2-ft turning circle, conspire to make this one of the easiest to park cars you will ever drive.) There is definitely more body lean than in a more serious sports car, but the Miata corners flat enough, and the trade-off is a decent ride, on smooth pavement, at least. Over rougher roads, especially under hard cornering, the chassis becomes unsettled and can even give the impression that it is ?about to take flight,? in the words of my mother, said while holding onto the inside door handle for dear life. Surely the light-as-a-feather curb weight, otherwise a blessing, is largely to blame here. To anyone who calls himself an auto enthusiast and who hasn?t been living under a rock for the last 25 years, none of this should come as a surprise. Such is the extent to which the Miata has cemented its reputation, not as some wild horse that can gallop through the quarter mile, nor as some ghostly Phantom that can float by more quietly than the ticking of a clock, but as a grin-inducing fun machine that goads its driver into childlike heroics. Such carelessness might kill a man in a faster car, but in the ever-forgiving Miata the only consequence is a slap on the wrist and an easily ignored, ?Now you be careful next time.? Yeah, whatever.

Small, low to ground. Cheapest, most fun car to own ever. Light. Gas mpg about 25 all around. Revs high. Corners like a Porsche. Heater works great for winter but wouldn?t recommend driving in snow.

We use it for trips to the pool and beach or just for a fun ride around South Florida. Extremely reliable and runs and handles like a dream. Hate to sell but we are moving back to Europe and I have one vehicle I really want to take with me.

Fun to drive. Economical to own. Great styling and performance for the money! Mechanically bulletproof!

Fun car. Like a fast go-cart it's SO simple. Handles very nice. Loud though. And can't drive on ice, it's too light. You can find a very good one for less than $9,000 used.

Classic roadster, with great lines that is really fun to drive, outstanding handling, and driver response !!

The miata is a great sports car. It is an amazing first car. It is easy to drive and a blast to throw around on back roads and racetracks alike.

I don't really want to sell but I have Honda S2000 also and if that sells I will keep this. We will see what happens.

Excellent Car, owned for 18 years, it just had routine maintenance, excellent reliability! Manual was fun to drive w/ lots of pep and great gas mileage. Top easy to put down and flip up. Golf clubs fit in trunk, easier than in the newer Miatas. Liked so much we purchased a 2008 Miata a few years ago. Would highly recommend Miatas! The tops on the newer ones fold down flat not requiring a cover.

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is without a doubt one of the best sports cars for money ever built. So much fun to drive. Great on gas mileage and maintenance free.