Used 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata Consumer Reviews
Used MX-5 Miata for sale
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The car that changed how I view cars
thisisnick, 04/08/2021
1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2dr Convertible
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought my bone stock, high mileage, mariner blue '90 Miata last October as a winter COVID project. The plan was to keep it for a season, pull things apart, learn about combustion engines, fix some issues, maybe enjoy driving it for awhile, and sell it off to the next guy. It's a simple little car after all; the perfect learning tool. How quickly I lost the plot and fell in love. It's hard to explain exactly why you can't stop smiling while you're cruising down the road in a relatively unsafe, under featured and s-l-o-w roadster from 31 years ago. Maybe it's feeling the sun beat down on you while you lean your arm out your "just the right height" window. Maybe it's the cute headrest speakers chattering lo-fi 90s tunes in your ears with the same clarity that your mom's Chevy Cavalier used to have. Maybe it's chirping the tiny, wimpy horn in greeting as you run across a C6 Corvette in your aged little tin can, knowing your therapy was a tenth of the price, or flipping your headlights in solidarity when you see another NA. The ground is so close. Camry's tower over you like F150s, and F150s are so enormous you can practically fit your little roadster in their wheel base. The steering is lightning and the car an extension of your body; point it where you want it to go, and off it goes. Whip it around a corner too fast (but not as fast as you thought you were going,) and the back comes loose in a perfectly controlled electric slide. You grab the little plastic but oh-so-notchy shifter, and bring it down a gear through the turn, easily able to whip the growly little 4-banger up to the right speed with your responsive, now extinct cable controlled throttle. Down the road you go in your beater; a ridiculous soap bar with every dash piece creaking, lifters ticking and a small spot of rust on your rocker that you know you have to deal with but it won't bother you now. Not today. It's too sunny. You smile. It's absurd. Why is this so fun? The MX5 Miata is so much greater than the sum of its parts. It has no business bringing so much joy, and yet it accentuates every fair weather day and makes you want to explore every last back road. You want to aimlessly find country paths you never knew were there, grinning like a fool the whole time. Enjoying every minute and living in the present. It's gas powered mental hygiene. For me, a car was always a means to get where I was going. That trip could be enjoyed more or less in a fun or not-so-fun car, but the end of the trip was the means. The little old Miata makes the trip itself a huge part of the joy. Instead of planning to go places for the destination, you're planning trips as an excuse to enjoy the ride along the way. The narrower, slower and twistier the path, the better. Are there problems? Yeah! It's a 31 year old car and not getting any younger! It's surprisingly reliable for what it is and Mazda bafflingly still makes a multitude of OEM replacement parts for their little 90s mascot, but I wouldn't stake your living on it never breaking down. The early models have a flaw with the crank that caused some to break, but mine is in fine condition three decades later so whose to say. The engine is wide open and easy to work on for those inclined. Parts are cheap if you're content with keeping the car stock, and in my own opinion, this is a car best enjoyed without modifications. Is it well featured? Not at all. The base model didn't even come with a radio. Mine's a mid-tier model and still has crank windows, plus some of the features like air conditioning have deleted themselves over the years. But you won't care, because the driving experience is just so sublime. You'll be too busy soaking in the countryside to realize that you don't have a backup camera. The only addition I found helpful was an FM transmitter to let me stream music from my phone. It plugs into the car's only auxiliary power, a single cigarette lighter put just within driver's reach. There are no cup holders, but you get an ash tray. If you have an opportunity to snag a relatively clean early Miata and can safely afford it, don't hesitate. The prices on these are finally starting to match the experience they bring to the driver, and rust has already brought so many of them to their graves. Find a nice spot for it in your garage and treat it well. Do the work on it yourself and, if you're a northerner like me, try to keep it off the salty winter roads no matter how tempting it is to drift it through a snowy parking lot. Enjoy this car. Treat it right. Live in the moment with a smile on your face. You can't buy a cheaper thrill on the open road.
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WOWZERS!!!
redd, 06/11/2009
1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2dr Convertible
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
I haven't had Betty long, but what a joy! I'm a 45 year Young single mom of 4 who did a straight up trade with my 1988 Chevy suburban with 67,000 original miles for this 1990 red w/ White racing stripes, convertible beauty with 124,000 miles. Kbb says I got the short end of the stick. I got the short stick alright... And I'm loving it. Living in so cal with a convertible is the only way to go! Kids can't drive a stick so this is mama's baby!
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Instant Classic Import
Nick, 05/19/2009
1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2dr Convertible
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
I bought this car to get it out of my system and I can't get over it. It's fast, sporty, easy to clean, reliable, and a convertible! I look forward to sunny days when I can get an opportunity to drive. I will never let this car go, the pros astronomically out-way the cons with the Miata. I purchased this car with 90,000 miles on it and the engine still runs smoothly at my 170,000 mark. Buy and Miata and you will not regret it. Its a classic; it will only go up in value as time goes on.
Miata
envelopo, 02/27/2002
1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2dr Convertible
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Super fun reliable sports car. No problems at all.
1990 Miata
wandoriver87, 10/22/2014
1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2dr Convertible
2 of 4 people found this review helpful
So folks this car is amazing. Bought back in 1989 and was the 2,355 built. Mom drove it for 20yrs until coming down with Cancer, so she sat in the garage for 5yrs. Recently, dad gave it to me with just a few minor problems. He had stripped the bolt head on the #4 spark plug..fixed. New tires and a good wax down. Now, I drive this on most days. She has 64k on her and runs great. I replaced the computer and updated that. Cleaned out the drains due to minor clogs. Just love it. I've been told and warned if I sell it I would be disowned from the Family. Now, this is the car wonderful and for the folks that have low miles....bank!!!