1999 Mazda MX-5 Miata (NB) 5-Speed Manual Review / Back to Reality

The NB Mazda Miata is a great car worthy of the nameplate it carries, however, it faces an all new battle due to the skyrocketing price of small, simple sports cars. Today, I am going to try to find out if it is worth the new price.

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Thank you, Royal South Toyota, for providing the Miata for today's review!

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[shimmytube]

I am 35 years old.
The NB is probably the 10th car that I owned.
The NB is the most fun car that I have owned.

[matthewganote]

Have had my NB1 for three years now. It's my daily driver and it's just an absolute blast to drive. The saying "It's more fun to drive a slow car fast" is exactly what the Miata is all about. Wind it out to red line, go through the gears and your only going 45 mph, but the sensation is you are going much faster. I chose the NB because it was just that much more refined over the NA, but still had all the positives. I would have loved the pop-ups, but what are ya gonna do...

[AzPauly]

I have had my '99 for 9 years, has the LSD. 5 spd, cat back, aftermarket SCCA legal roll bar and a few other bits, dirt cheap to register and insure... Has been Civic reliable..couldn't imagine life without it.. it's a bike with doors..

[LARSENBISQUITS]

Has been “undervalued” for many years. As was the NA in 2010s. Had no respect from the youth community who were too busy modding EX civics and 240SX’s. I don’t think they are overpriced now. Prices of $10-$15k are totally fair and will help preserve a lot of them by keeping them out of the hands of 16 year olds that will inevitably butcher them with cheap ghastly mods. Same goes for the fabulous MR2s. Although due to much less inventory their prices never dipped as low as Miata’s. Both are top performer’s in their class and IMO unmatched by the portly European offerings. Simplify and add lightness is concept here.

[ddhsd]

Oh what a fun video I spent a summer in North Carolina in the Mtn West in 2006 with a good friend who had this 99 Miata . He let me drive about half the time and it was so fun on the Blue ridge parkway and all the twisty NC and Georgia roads we could find. This car just made me smile constantly.(Much like Tyler at 2:30 😁)

[BillyBlaze]

On my current NB ive installed rollbar, front sway bar and sway bar brace, coilovers, endlinks, exhaust, strut tower brace, cold air intake, slightly wider wheels and tires, frame rails and butterfly brace, strong arms, silicone hoses, an aluminum skid plate, gates belts all around and a dual core radiator. This fall I will be adding factory aero package and repainting the entire car. My last 99 was a national SCCA champion car, I miss it.

[tmo]

I love the fact he let me know what is supposed to go in my blank switches. Thanks.

[JackieG]

I was extremely lucky to get my daily driving NB1 Miata for $1, 800 exactly a month before the random price spike on the Miatas. It also came from a Miata dealership so it was great taken care of. I do admit, I was initially looking for an NA Miata but there wasn’t any non-modded ones around. I don’t regret my purchase though. I hope to grow old with this car and give it to my next of kin or somebody I trust.

[mikeyoung]

I have an NB2. I prefer its looks over the NA and NC. I prefer the NB's interior over the NA and it has a glass rear window and trunk space that one might even call roomy, if you are coming from an NA. The NB2 has a little more power, and no worries about thrust baring failure. My LS has an OK leather interior and an OK Bose sound system. The LS also comes standard with an lsd, a plus, and larger rims, a plus or minus depending on where you stand on the style vs performance spectrum. Mine is white and has just 36, 000 miles on it. By the way, those NB vents are still available and are inexpensive and easy to replace. New ones make a big difference in the ease and smoothness of their operation.

[grahame]

There are all sorts of reviews of these cars out there and yours is by far the best and most comprehensive. I own an NB 10AE and an NA (Eunos). I agree with everything you say about the NB. I love both of my cars but if I had to keep one it would be the NB. Like you say it has the soul of the NA but the refinements make it a better car and more usable. The NA is now just a fun car for a blat on a sunny day. Thanks for an entertaining video.

[chase]

My buddy actually might go buy this exact miata soon! crazy finding this video

[hiyahandsome]

Tyler in the Trunk always makes me laugh. Superseding the thorough and detailed automotive analysis is the aesthetic of a cinematic auteur, a young Orson Welles, whose "dilemma" made riveting viewing, which is why your videos are head and shoulders above all the others car videos on Youtube. Good common sense, a great sense of humor, encyclopedic knowledge, and the soul of a storyteller make a winning combination. Cheers~

[Sir-Prizse]

In fact, I'm one of the very few people who find the NB nicer than the NA... and the fact that an NB is 2/3 cheaper for the same condition is just the cherry on top.

[TheBishop]

It has stood the test of time and will continue to hold their value because NA owners part out NB cars for parts/upgrades because they are just so similar. They made like 400k+ NA’s and like 100k or so NBs (and prob less than half of that if you further cut down to 99-00 the closest to NA for parts).

[nasman]

This was like the most detailed car review.I always hated it back in the day but after your vid I may give it a another look.You should now go review every car ever made 😜

[tomy]

This is my favorite review of yours so far!

[daveg]

Agreed 100% with this review. Daily drove a 2002 in snowy New England for eight wonderful years. Great car. Would buy another if I found a good one.

[jimschissler]

I've got a 2000 mx-5 nb that I bought brand new. I love it. The car has no other function than to be a fun sports car. I'm lucky I live north of San Francisco I get to drive Hwy 1. Plenty of curves atop 200-300 cliffs. The car doesn't ever feel like it's going to lose traction and I'm driving to my limits and not the car's Thrilling and Fun

[BillyBlaze]

I have owned three 99 models and a 06 model NC, I currently have a 99.
I LOVE the NB's, they are easy to work on, easy to make much much better.
First mod I always do is a real functional roll bar, second is always coilovers.
I have done a lot of suspension and chassis stiffening mods which make the car planted and tight in the handling department.
If you just do those things it makes the car so so much more fun to drive.

[lolsmol]

I have a 2001 Special Edition and I absolutely love it ❤