1996 Mazda MX-5 Miata - POV Driving Impressions & Ownership Discussion (Binaural Audio)

Curb weight: 2,293 lbs
MPG: Up to 23 city / 29 highway
Horsepower: 133 hp
Engine: 1.8 L 4-cylinder
Fuel tank capacity: 12.7 gal

The audio in this video was recorded with in-ear binaural microphones. If you wear headphones, your mind won't be blown, but it will go, "woah, that's cool."

I'm also the producer for the Winding Road YouTube Channel:

Here on TheTopher, I'm known for putting a camera on my face and driving cars. Whether it's about any of my personal cars or reviews on weekly press vehicles, the goal is to give you an idea of what a certain car is like to drive or live with. Most of my videos are filmed in POV, with my clothes on, and (for like the 5th time) with in-ear binaural audio. Which, if I haven't made it clear yet, is why you should wear headphones. Because of the whole "woah" factor. It's there, trust me. Try it, it's pretty nuts. Or don't. As long as you whitelist me on your adblocker I'm okay with whatever you do or don't do with regards to headphone usage. That is all. Oh and I guess you should also probably subscribe. Why are you still reading this, you should be watching the video. With headphones! Hah, had to sneak that in there one more time. Later!

[justsumguyu]

He's a smart man---leaving it stock.

[drumerguy]

That's an incredibly clean NA. Worth every penny

[TedwardDrives]

For a moment I thought you were gonna use second for the donut! the suspense leading up to that downshift was immense!

[treevilllage]

A 3000 dollar miata, the good days are behind us 😢

[LetsJamMan]

A Miata as nice as this would go for around 7k in my area. I'm jealous.

[Matt_A]

Man hearing the stock exhaust gives me nostalgia when I first picked mine up, love the content

[ChunkyBunny]

This is one of my favorite videos on the internet. The in-depth discussion and pure joy of driving a Miata made this so entertaining to watch. If I wasn't longing to own an NA already, this video would have changed my mind. Prices suddenly went up in my area just as I was almost able to afford one.

[hobocharlie]

Watched this video when I was looking at NAs. Got a 96 a few months ago a lot of it was thanks to this video

[JJF]

But oh, in my previous post I didn’t say anything about how great this review is! Seriously, this is great, great work! You let the sound of the Miata speak for itself. Perfection! You’ve gotten a new subscriber today because of this video. Keep up the great work!

[MrBananaman]

This is one of my dream cars, I just wish I could find one to get my hands on

[mindspinn]

Wow. This reminds me so much of my 1997 leather package. Bought it with 25k miles and should have left it stock and never sold it. I agree with everything he’s saying about what modding does to these vs leaving them alone. This video reminds me of my first drives in it over ten years ago!

[NeillChannel]

One of the best car ever made ! Lovely.

[yankeeyankee]

"There's a reason why they're so popular, " and it's NOT because they are the only game in town, even if they ARE the only game in town! They started out being the best small, front engine RWD roadsters ever, and amazingly, after 30 years, they are still the best. Even the originals, the NAs, are still the best! They are of course specialized for driving, so they don't do everything else quite as well, but they're also cheap, tons of fun, bulletproof and also quite pretty! What more could one want?

[Biggles]

Great video. I haven't had an MX-5 yet, but I think your really demonstrate what the magic is here. It looks like so much fun to drive!

[hobocharlie]

I just picked up my first miata today and its a 96. Such a fun car

[mattryan]

Such high quality, love watching your videos!

[UceyJuceyJey]

Literally just bought a ‘96 Miata a couple days ago. Without a doubt, it’s one of, if not the most fun I’ve ever had driving a car. Can’t wait for this project. 🤞🏽

[Stargun-vjuh]

I love the NA generation, I've never driven the 1.8L engine and never gotten to experience the extra stiffness of the car. I owned a 1991 and a 1990 (maybe might own a 1992 in a couple weeks!), and I adore it! Sure, the 1990-1993 has less stiffness in the body and less horsepower, but I love how it both sounds and feels. It's fun, engaging, and kinda sketchy in a way! A good way. The less stiff body makes it more exciting to me in the corners, as it feels like you are riding on the razor's edge, but the car feels so lively. It feels like it wants you to push the throttle down more, put it in a lower gear, throw it into that corner, and grip the wheel with excitement and daring. It's a sketchy feeling car in the corners, but it also feels exceptional in them too. Love the styling, it is both a homage to the British Sports car, and the definition of the early 1990's bubbly Japanese cars I so adore. I can't wait to own another, as my 1995 Honda Del Sol Si is fun enough, but it falls so far from the Miata in feeling. It's a nice car, it's debatably better in every way to live with, if you don't value experience. But the Miata? You can never get the memories of how it feels away from you, it'll haunt you if you don't have it, it'll excite you for your next time in it if you do. I love these cars, oh I love them. NA6, NA8, any NB, they are wonderful. Own one if you can. I like the NA6's revving, like I said, never drove an 1.8L, but they've been known to rev faster. It's very lively.

[Gtdubsterx]

I want a lsd in mine and do a few mods, but nothing crazy like turbo. It's good to know it has enough power to spin the tires. My friend was giving me grief about it not having the power to spun tires on asphalt. I love my car to bits. It doesn't have much of a rattle or squeak only when you go over the occasional bump but not anything major.

[JackieG]

I love my stock NB Miata 💜. Idk why people complain about the speed, it’s very fast, but then again I drive like a grandma so. I really wanted an NA but they are expensive where I live now.