I Drove a Mazda Miata 10,000 Miles: Here's What I Learned

#personalfinance

After losing my beloved 2018 Mustang GT to an accident, the best course of action to save money was to drive a fuel efficient and fun two seat roader. The Mazda Miata NA with its iconic flip up lights is desired by many race car drivers and enthusiasts alike - but what is it like when you are forced to daily drive something so small? Let's talk about it.
#mazda #miata #mx5

[nickallain]

You need to take care of that radiator. The brown-top means that the plastic has aged out and it's about to let go. It takes about an hour and it's one of the few weaknesses ;)

[cuchutrain]

If you buy a miata while using rocket money, the app kicks you out

[MidnightMiata]

That piece about your clutch switch is the little switch that's in front of the top of your clutch pedal. It's supposed to control your cruise control and most likely the spring is broken and it just reading that the clutch pedal is always disengaged. You can fix it with a mechanical pen spring.

[TR.Pixels]

Daily drove my NB1 for almost a full two years and loved it, yes there may not be alot of trunk space BUT thats why you have a parcel shelf and a empty passenger seat AND a drop top.

[kurtwashere]

Daily drive my ND2 and love it. Just took it on a two week 4, 700 mile road trip and other than the inevitable road noise at 80+mph, it was perfection. As for it getting attention, the one thing I noticed on the trip (being at a lot of national parks with families around) is that little kids couldn't stop staring at it.

[chainringcalf]

I'll never get tired of the variety of people that want to talk about the car. Old ladies who just think it's cute, old guys in corvettes, kids in M3s and MkV supras, even motorcycles

[eclipsethesun]

The 6 speed didn’t change much from the 5, cruising on the highway, the rpm’s in top gear is about the same, it’s just an extra gear with a similar ratio.

[Cs]

The Miata community really is like a third of the fun of having the car. Been to Miata meet ups several times and it's a blast. Great drives and great vibes the whole time.

[justinallan]

A tree fell on my NA, now I drive an NB. I think it's better looking, but it gets less attention. My approach is to drive a Miata like you drive a motorcycle, that is to say as though nobody sees you. You have to be aggressively defensive. It's too hot to drive it here in Maryland rn (no AC).
I agree that Miata's make great project cars because they're so easy to work on

[blvk_sky]

90 days? I've been doing it for 7 years lol

[zakvilanilam]

10:20 Hey David! The clutch switch might refer to the sensor that detects whether the clutch is fully depressed. If the switch breaks or stops working, you might not be able to start the car since the computer only allows the car to start if it registers the clutch as fully depressed.

Edit: Speaking from experience. Had clutch switch fail on my NC and the car did not start as a result. Started right up once switch was replaced.

[Thinginator]

I drive an NA 1.6 and I've never felt like it doesn't have enough torque or power, in fact it's very easy to drive and difficult to stall. I shift at around 4k rpm usually, and I've gotten used to knowing that it's designed to rev so I don't have to worry about the engine on the highway. It's completely stock, only change is an aftermarket radio. The way Mazda built it, it has the perfect balance of great handling and reasonable comfort - as far as I'm concerned, stiffer/lower coilovers and bigger rims will only make the car worse. All I gotta do now is replace the original R12 air conditioning with a modern system so it isn't a total oven, because right now it's too hot to even put the roof down.

Everyone either loves you or hates you in a Miata, and many of both groups want to mess with you or make their opinions known. Muscle car guys love you because passing you with V8 roaring makes them giggle, and pedestrians hate you because even if you're going the speed limit you appear to be speeding so they assume you're a dick and yell their disapproval. But, I did recently take the car to a classic car show, and I expected some boomer hate but to my surprise everyone loved it and shared their own Miata stories. I like this little car a lot 😊

[jabari_jamaal]

I daily my NA8. It's been almost 2yrs now of 56 miles round-trip, 5 days a week, in Houston traffic (bad, but not as bad as ATL), in Houston heat. David, you nailed it: driving my Miata is an event every time. Even in traffic, it is more fun than any other car I've been in. BTW I'm in my 40s, overweight, and my body feels just fine in the Miata.

[TheGeordietheWitchandtheWench]

Miata Is Always the Been daily driving my 92 BRG I am 50 years old.... It has a fully forged 1.9 engine with ITB's and huge cams. Red line is 9, 000 RPM. The noise is EPIC

[crazyframes]

I bought a 97 miata last month, and have a very similar experience.

I was absolutely taken back by how much love they get, and people say stuff to me.

Stock motor, it's slow, but it's fun to drive.. and track.

This was supposed to be my dedicated track car, but I daily it every chance I get and no longer want to strip the interior.

[CJsOutOfRum]

When I daily drove my 03 miata and then would drive my supercharged C7 it was such a drastic change and I have to say each is so enjoyable. And I still have the miata, there's something so special about these cars and honestly best car community bar none

[mazda_miata_]

I’ve been daily driving an NB1 miata for just over 4 years and it’s so damn good man! I have a blast every time I drive it. A regular drive to the grocery store becomes a top down blast through back roads. My only gripe is… the other people we share the road with. I need to stay cautious of almost always being in other people’s blind spots. Just 2 days ago, a big box truck almost pushed me into a barrier while we’re in traffic. Of course they didn’t signal or check their mirrors so how much of a difference would me not being in their blind spot have made, I’m not sure. However this has happened a couple of times, though it’s not enough to make me scared to drive it. You do have to be more attentive of others, because you’re just one step above a motorcycle pretty much. Other than that, I’ve driven through snow storms, rain storms, over 100 degree heat, and below 0 (I love Massachusetts) with close to 0 issues. Though a new radiator and FM coolant reroute is to thank for no more overheating on the highway anymore.

[REDDOTMIATA]

ive owned my miata for almost 5 years now, and it never gets old! mostly get people coming up to me at gas stations, drive throught and a lot just cruising in traffic. i just got back from rougly 500 miles of driving this week, mostly highways but was also driving the car very hard just having fun, and i ended up getting about 24mpg average and the engine has some mods to it like cai, full exhaust and timing adjustment so id say thats pretty good numbers for a 20+ year old car. at my hotel i parked where i could see my car from my window, and every evening i would see people coming in and stopping around the car to check it out, take pictures ect. everyone i saw was respectful and didnt touch it thankfully, but its such a cool experience to have all kinds of people enjoy seeing this car, hearing their stories of what they or a family member have/had or even coming across a group of kids saying this is a dream car for them. the miata is such a fun car in so many ways, and every day its a pleasure to own one.

[lknowledge]

Daily drove my 1990 NA through nordic winters and everything. Put the hardtop on and its nice and warm, put some good winter tires under it and you will not get stuck in the snow more than any other car. It slides around so nicely and progressively so its not scary at all. It just reminds you that YOU are in control of a vehicle, not the other way around. Only sketchy thing is plain ice with strong sidewind or trucks passing you or you passing them and the fact that compared to new cars, the lights dont do much in the dark up north nights.

[HaloFan]

My 1994 NA is my daily driver and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love that thing.