Used 2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata Consumer Reviews
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Most fun of any car ive ever been in.
Ive had a 2000 vette, two mini coopers (which I loved), multiple Chevy ford Lexus Nissan Mitsubishi land rover Honda Toyota cars and trucks (I'm old!) and this is the most fun of any car ive ever had. Its my daily driver. The handling is phenomenal. Its sweet spot is 90-100mph but even at slower speeds its a blast. The cornering is fantastic. Its like driving a comfortable go cart daily! Could it use a smoother ride and more storage ...yes but it would add weight and size and its perfect size now for anyone 6'2" and under (I'm 5'10"). 32 mpg and I drive it like I stole it! Had it 6 mos now. I suspect I will trade it in for every new major update until I die or until the other companies make something similar. Havent had a "stick" since my 20's but stick is the way to go here. Very easy to shift. Mark hoyle Dallas Texas.
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an enjoyable ride
This is the first car that I look forward to driving every day. The small size makes it very agile and the car feels like an extension of the driver, and it's easy to ignore the compromises made. With the top down, visibility is great and the wind creates of a feeling of speed, even when driving moderately fast. With the top up the car feels cozy, but rear and side visibility are very limited and the noise from the soft top is excessive at highway speeds. The addition of aftermarket wide-angle side mirrors, noise cancellation earbuds and a clear wind deflector (why not include it upfront?) helped. Acceleration is good with room for improvement. Fuel economy averages about 29 mpg although savings are negated by the requirement for premium gas. The ride on my Sport trim is sporty but not hard, so I am glad I didn't go for the stiffer suspension of the club. Body roll is acceptable when the electronic control is activated. The cloth seats were quite comfortable but retained moisture so I had them upholstered with marine leather - a must in a convertible. Mazda apparently also decided to punish buyers of the Sport by saving a couple of dollars on a padded armrest, but that wasn't enough for me to upgrade to the Club. I did pay $450 to get an Android Auto but ultimately found that I didn't really use it. Gear shifting is good. The entertainment system is sub-par and the speakers failed after 3 years, the first car that I have that happen. On removal, they were $5 paper speakers, so shame on Mazda for installing garbage in a $30K car. My AC had a leak that took 3 years and many trips to different dealerships to get diagnosed and fixed, and even without the leak it is pretty useless, making driving in the summer in Florida an ordeal. Overall, I am happy with the car and it remains by far my favorite vehicle but wish Mazda wasn't pennywise and cared a bit more about their drivers.
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- Club ConvertibleMSRP: $23,970175 mi away
- Sport ConvertibleMSRP: $22,998In-stock online
- Grand Touring ConvertibleMSRP: $25,998In-stock online
2006 MX-5 updated to 2020
What an update! Hated to trade my 2006 after 14 years but glad I did. My new 2020 GT is fantastic. Love all the tech , the increased HP, the exhaust SOUND, the ride, the look, and the drive. One feature that I was not aware of is the picture of the latest speed limit sign displayed on instrument panel. Can’t believe the MPG of 37+ combined with jackrabbit starts (0 to 60 5 seconds) and 70 to 80mph with the top down! Only draw back is my 81 year old legs need seat all the way back to get out. Little different ride from my Genesis G-80 and GMC Sierra.
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Best Miata Yet!
I just recently bought a new Miata grand touring manual shift. I should mention that I have driven only Miatas since they first came out in 1989, and this will be my sixth. My first very pleasant surprise was the appearance. I wanted the Soul Red Crystal but based on the pictures on the dealer's website it didn't look too good with the gray top which is all that any of the dealers had in the grand touring. I went to test drive one, and when I saw the red with the gray top in person I almost fainted. The color combination looked just fantastic in person and nothing like the picture. My car until then was a 2016 soul red special edition with the tan interior which looked great, but this looked even better. The red is deeper and more beautiful than before which I didn't think was possible. In fact I think this is the most beautiful red I have ever seen in a car including Ferraris and Corvettes, and other people tell me that when they see my car. (I got the first compliment on the color on the test drive from another driver at a stoplight who said he loved the color.) I tell people it looks like a $100,000 car, but I honestly can't think of a $100,000 car that looks this beautiful. With the gray top it adds a sense of elegance. I had been a little concerned, because this car has a sports suspension which now comes with the grand touring manual, since I have always had the regular suspension desiring a smoother ride. However with the sports suspension it is just fine and in fact better overall. It felt a little bit rougher on a not so smooth road during my test drive, but then I decided I had better check the tire pressure. Mazda recommends 29 psi which is inside the driver's side door. Sure enough the dealer had 50 psi in all four tires which I then corrected. I have had the car for a week now and have driven 500 miles. All I can say is that as much as I loved my 2016 Miata this one is better in every way. The added horsepower added in 2019 is very noticeable and just puts the driving experience on a higher level. And on a decent road the ride quality is better than ever. It is even smoother than my 2016, and there's something about the overall feel of the car on the road that is just sensational. You feel this on the freeway at high speeds but even at just about any speed unless it's a really rough road. It's 0-60 time of 5.7 and it's quarter mile time of 14.4 is comparable to the former Honda S2000 and to the 2013 Porsche Boxster which were formidable cars. I used to love the Boxster, but I test drove one a couple of years ago and in the manual shift I was really disappointed. You almost couldn't drive it normally in the city, because you would be going 70 mph in second gear. I like the Miata better which is more like the Boxster use to be. When I say everything is better with this Miata than my 2016 that includes the clutch which is even easier than before and something, about the integration of the manual shifter and the clutch which seems even more seamless. With all of my Miatas I always thought they couldn't be improved upon, but each one is noticeably better than the one before. However this ND2 is really something else. The subjective enjoyment factor in driving this car is really off the charts. If you watch some of the current YouTube reviews with young guys who say they had never driven a Miata and had some negative preconceived ideas about it, they are noticeably blown away when they are test driving it. It's also nice to have the Apple Car Play which can be connected wirelessly on the grand touring, and the black leather with white stitching looks really nice. This Miata is the best ever and is truly a remarkable car. Given the looks, performance, and overall driving enjoyment there really is no car I would rather have.
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Best bang for the buck!
I’ve owned several high end exotic sports cars and this car is more fun to drive than any of them. It’s unpretentious and a great value for top down sporty motoring and one of the few cars you can still buy with a fully manual transmission. Impeccable quality, fit, and finish - better than our BMW or Lexus and reminds me of the surgical precise feel of my Porsche C4S.
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Sports Car Most Eligible to be an EV
The new styling makes me think "Mazdarati", with hood sloping down to a low air intake and those curvaceous fenders, sloped for a more muscular look than the "Fiata" 124 version. The accommodations are marginal but adequate for those under 74 inches tall. The rocker boxes are small enough for reasonable entry and exit effort, so there is actually room for a center console, unlike other small mid- and rear-engine cars. The available package of BBS wheels, Brembo brakes, Bilstein shocks, Recaro seats, and an aero kit makes for a diminutive, lightweight car that means business. IMO, the MX-5 strikes just the right balance between driving excitement and creature comforts, and the quickdraw soft top is just more icing on that cake. It's perfect as a daily driver or as a weekend fun car. Mazda somehow managed to capture the essence of the classic roadster in a car that is also robust enough to handle modern roads full of aggressive SUV and pickup truck drivers.
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2019 Miata the best
This 2019 is my 4th manual Miata sport. The new improved engine power, infosystem,new rear camera, side indication, lane indication and driving experience is awesome. The new 2019 model is faster, easy to manuver and safer. I have owned other much more expensive top brands but keep coming back to the reliable Mazda Miata. Anyone who has not driven a miata could never describe the excitement , speed and ground hugging fun. I find only 2 downsides but both are to be expected. The trunkspace is minimal but owners know how to fill it certain ways to accommidate much. The passenger side is smaller in the 2019 model with less leg room because of the larger engine. Price, driving experience and reliability is above all.
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Special Feeling
Athletic and sporty,This is a drivers car.Does everything you ask it to do, from quick starts to quick stops,not recommended for the tall burly type as seats,getting in and out are tight
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Test drove both this and the Fiat 124
I test drove both the Fiat and the Miata. The Miata delivers its power in a more linear fashion. The Fiat needs to get up in the Revs before it really goes. So, it feels slower off the line. A little more like a Honda S2000. So it is really down to which one appeals to you more. I would rate the Fiat at a 4 and the Mazda at a 4.5 from an everyday driving standpoint. However, I am considering this purchase for weekend pleasure drives and I find the Fiat is more exciting to me. I like the bit of quirkiness that it has over the Miata. To me this gives the Fiat a bit more excitement. If you are deciding between the Mazda and the Fiat you really need to spend some drive time in both. The interior is similar in most ways. It's really about do you fit and are you comfortable enough to enjoy the car. Also, I would mention that the edmunds review of the Fiat is a 3 and the Mazda a 4.5. This seems to me to be because of different editors approach to the car and because the Fiat review, I believe, is for the automatic which I agree is not very good with this engine. If you want an auto the Mazda is the better choice. I took a brief drive of each car with the auto but for me the manual is the way to go. I would recommend reading each edmunds review with the mindset that it applies to both cars outside of the engine. I am disappointed that Edmunds editors seem to have written these reviews in a vacuum ignoring the relation of the cars to each other.
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Provides maximum driving engagement
The Miata has two very different buyer types: hard-bitten sports car junkies like me, or people who want their car's cuteness to reflect back on them. I'm in the first group, and so my base Sport model has no fancy options like automatic wipers or a folding steel roof. No, my Sport, the base model with 6-speed manual transmission and bargain priced at under $25,000 in 2019, provides me with the most intense engagement between man and machine that modern driving can deliver. It's a given that any Miata is a blast to drive on the back roads. What it lacks in horsepower it makes up for in feather-lightness and brilliant handling thanks to an all-alloy independent suspension. But what sold me on my Sport was the involvement it requires of me in day-to-day driving. Most people probably won't relate, but even a trip to the local grocery store is immensely rewarding in this car. I think the kindred spirits of sports car guys are pilots -- they are just so intimate with their flying machines, from biplane to 747. First, you get into it -- I'm 5'10" and 168 lb. and it fits me like a glove. I get settled in the cockpit and yes, it feels much like an airplane cockpit. The Start button brings the highly tuned 2.0 L engine to life with a burst of revs. A few moments to get the oil circulating and then I ease the gorgeously tactile stick shift into first and feather the clutch to get me out of the parking garage. While cold I nurse the engine, easing into the slow lane of a nearby freeway. One exit down and I'm on a feeder road, the close-ratio 6-speed always providing me with the perfect gear., This car is so light (2340 lb.), I can lug along at idle in first gear at a walking pace in stop-and-go traffic. I get to the store and park away from the door-dingers in their SUVs. Fifteen minutes later I'm back, and that surprisingly deep trunk accommodates a week's worth of groceries for two. The weather is warming under a California sun so on a whim as I exit the supermarket I put down the top, an one-handed, two-second operation. Ah, yes, to be in a roadster with the sky as your ceiling. I can hear the cadenzas of its sporty exhaust as they rise and fall through the gears., Pulling back onto the freeway, engine fully warmed, I wind it out to 7,000 rpm in third and fourth gears, with another two upshifts and 500 rpm in reserve. The twin-cam, 16-valve engine is naturally aspirated, so there is no turbo lag or supercharged sudden rush of power. All is smoothness and light. I get home, nurse it into its underground parking spot, put up the top, and retrieve my groceries, The car has been programmed by me to lock itself once I'm away from it. At the garage door, as always, I can't resist a backward glance at what is not only the best traditional sports car on the planet, but also the most beautiful.
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Mazda Miata 2017
Fun fun fun till daddy takes the Mazda away! The Miata is greatly enhanced over the pre-2016 in fuel economy and sporty feel and appearance! My first sports car! Love it but it is a pain to get in/out of the car. That’s my only real gripe. Otherwise, the Miata is fabulous.
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Mazda Epic Fail
Hello Mazda world! I wanted to let you know of an issue that I am currently dealing with. I need to preface this that I am 51 years old and have been driving a manual since I was 16. Furthermore, I am a 20 year veteran of the automotive industry having worked on the retail side and as a client retention management consultant, having traveled around the US consulting with various dealerships from BMW, Mercedes, Subaru, Honda, Toyota etc.... In September of 2019, I purchased a new 2019 Mazda Miata Club edition with a manual transmission from my local dealership. It had 56 miles on it when I purchased the vehicle and was so excited because it was my 2nd Miata after a number of years. I bought a Miata because the last one was my favorite car and I had the opportunity to buy a new one. Almost two weeks ago, the clutch went. I had the vehicle towed to the local dealership. I received a call that the warranty company declined the claim. After a long discussion with the service department they went to bat for me again. I subsequently called the Mazda Customer Experience department. I have now spoken to 3 different people. The second person I spoke to was great at handling my concerns and listened. He stated that the claim was still open. Within 5 minutes of hanging up, I received am email stating that the claim is denied. I called the Customer Experience Department again to speak with Oscar who sent the email to me. I received someone else who was not at all empathetic and sounded more like a robot than anyone I had spoken to. It was awful. I hung up the phone more frustrated. I have asked to speak with someone in the warranty department but I have been told, twice, that they do not speak with customers. I am now being expected to pay $2,200 to have a new clutch put in the car. The arguments I have heard are baseless. They stated that this is not a recall issue or a common issue. What makes this baseless is that it does not mean that one car can not have defect. Having worked for various manufacturers, I know that the fact that this car has such low miles on it, would be a red flag that maybe there is a defect. Instead, Mazda Warranty is not budging, no good will or anything. Especially in this time of need. The sad thing is that this is my 2nd Miata and I LOVE this car. I am just disgusted at Mazda's lack of customer service. This is the 3rd Mazda that my family has owned and unless they step up to the plate, will be our last. I also have many friends who come to me to assist them when it's time to purchase a vehicle. Although I love how the car drives, I can not, in good faith, recommend Mazda at this point. Corporate Mazda does not care about their customers.
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Wow
I just purchased 2020, club auto convertible in sol red this little rocket has plenty of power for city driving, the handling is incredible, it’s a sung fit I’m looking for years of fun.
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Wow great go cart type fun
For 34k u can't beat this little rocket! Quick and incredibly maneuverable. I had a corvette that wasn't this much fun. Storage limited but as a daily driver its a blast.. Tech is good too. I've got a one ton Chevy truck a suburban and now this and I love this little rocket. I get 32 mpg and I drive it like I stole it. Very smooth at 90-110 mph. The manual tranny is a blast. This car is just pure fun.
Miata Is Always The Answer
My 2019 MX-5 is my third Miata. Obviously, I love the Miata, and the the 2019 MX-5 is the best of them all. Get a Club version with a manual transmission, and you will have the time of your life. They are SO much fun.
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Sweet ride
Very smooth ride, very fun to drive. Handles great and looks sharp. Top down hair blown! A year later and it’s still so much fun. Ready for spring!
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Fun driving on twisty roads
Drive the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ and you will see the MX5 is the better choice
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Just got my convertible and love it
I just got my Mazda MX5 convertible and love it. I got the sport trim as I thought it was the most driver focused vehicle. So far it has been a blast and meets the excellent Edmunds review. Handles well and has good acceleration. Driving with the top down is fantastic The entertainment system needs a bit more time to get used to. I have apple CarPlay and think other versions of it were better integrated. Full disclosure it is a small car and doesn’t have a lot of trunk space or storage space Perfect for 1 or 2 people on a beautiful day or evening
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Lots of Fun
This vehicle is not only fun to drive but gorgeous. Total quality.
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Nice drive, very light steering could be tighter
I have the 2021 MX-5 Grand Touring RF. Let me start off by saying I am coming into this 2 seater from having a BMW Z3 forever. Let me talk about the cons first - 1) my battery died for no apparent reason 4 days into ownership (not a good feeling but, at least, I was stranded at a friend's house who could jump me. 2) It is the Grand Touring model and Mazda has not figured out how to give you a full multi-way power driving seat! For us short girls, the seat needs to have the ability to lift and not just your knees. My 24 year old BMW has that, Mazda needs to catch up. 3) The steering is not as tight as I am accustomed to. I think in time I will install a brace to see if I can't get it a little better. 4) It has a large blind spot behind the passenger seat. 5) The apple carplay is iffy on connection - even when hardwired. Those are my observations that are disappointing. The pros are 1) she is a light feeling, peppy drive. 2) I like the shifting on the sport mode. 3) Braking is good. 4) I like the fact that in my model it is more like a T-top and not a full convertible. 5) and I have the Soul Red which is really beautiful and gets so many compliments.
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Well-equipped for "Costco Run"
"Second Most Fun You Can Have with Clothes On." There's an "Aftermarket package" that'll VASTLY improve the day-to-day usability by adding "car-GO" capacity. The Surco trunk rack is really quick and easy; they're often available on craigslist for a hundred bucks or so. The trailer hitch is more work and expense, but FAR more capable. Careful, though. "Giving Friends a Lift to the Airport" is hard to decline if they know you've got a trailer... 1. Surco removable trunk rack (See https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=surco%20miata%20rack ) 2. eTrailer "Class I" hitch (See https://www.etrailer.com/vm/Mazda/MX-5+Miata/hitch ) Plus one or more of the following: 3a. Harbor Freight "Mini Trailer" (See https://duckduckgo.com/?q=!harborfreight+mini+trailer&t=ffab&ia=web ) 3b. Harbor Freight Mini Carrier (See https://duckduckgo.com/?q=!harborfreight+alumminum+carrier&t=ffab&ia=web )
Little red GT
The Miata GT is a bit small and pricy, but it's the best little sports car out there for the money.
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Exhilarating
I have 20 club, I’ve own her now a 1 1/2, and she’s just a fun as the day I brought her home, no problems, jus miles of smile and fun, she’s a daily driver, a little noisy at highway speeds, and I’ve learn how to pack her for trips, this is a great sports car at any speed.
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Woohoo!
That it’s a truly great car
Automatic but Still Fun to Drive
My wife and I bought this car in January and still haven't put 1,000 miles on it. The coronavirus will do that to your driving. It's fun to drive. The gas mileage has been about 25 or a little more mpg in a combination of city (mostly) with a little highway mileage thrown in. I love the color, the top is easy to raise and lower, and it's awfully rough riding on the road surfaces in our small town.
Not As Good As a 124 Spider
We looked at both this vehicle and the Fiat 124 Spider. We bought the 124. Slightly more cargo space. Better sound dampening. And, no matter what your reviewers say, better interior (did they even compare notes before publishing their reviews?) But, most of all, a better driving experience. Definitely the better of the two for longer trips. And a tad better on the track, too. The MX-5 is certainly a nice vehicle. But, for the same price, the 124 is better overall.
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