Mazda MX-5 Miata

"Somewhat pokey in acceleration. Model year 2008 had syncromesh problems with the gears, which shows particularly when starting out. Gears are too closely spaced, resulting in poor gasoline milage; unable to obtain a 2009 European gear system,which had much better ratios."

"Pure, unadulterated pleasure."

"All around the most fun car and best driving experience I've ever had! Even on long trips we can tolerate the firm ride because it handles and drives so well. About as much fun you can have legally in a car and very reasonably priced for the style and performance. Highly reliable, too, and we get "thumbs up" almost every time we take it out."

"handling"

"Superb handling coupled with very good acceleration, fun to drive."

"Adequate accelerating and first rate handling"

"The MX-5 is the best-handling and most fun-to-drive car on the market at an affordable price. My dad had an Austin Healy 3000 and I was always upset I never got to drive it. That is, until I bought the Mazda."

"Handles like a dream, excel keratin great."

"Continue to be impressed with the acceleration and handling. Joined a local Miata Club and very much enjoy tours in the country side to experience the available twists, turns and elevation changes that bring out the best in this vehicle!"

"Great responsiveness and acceleration"

"Handling on the Miata is outstanding. I changed the anti-sway bars several years ago and that fixed my one complaint of excessive body roll."

"I am not a boy racer at 71, but I do enjoy winding the Miata out on the back roads. It is a manual and that leaves me in full control. Top down and windows down it makes a great sound and grips the road for real confidence."

"The car is really fun to drive."

"Handling is excellent, acceleration a little lacking."

"This car really SCOOTS!! It's very quick from a start."

"Acceleration is terrific (six-speed ratio is spot on!). Handling is terrific; nimble in the turns, love S-curves!"

"The hadling and acceleraton make this car an absolutejoy to drive."

"Zippy, smooth and glued to the road. Very agile and GREAT turning radius."

"The most fun ever driving just driving"

"You already know the answer. It is great fun to drive with excellent all round performance."

"Handles like a true sports car. Acceleration is adequate."

"This car is VERY fun to drive. I love it."

"Its is really fun to drive, responds well on acceleration and suoer stable on corners."

"The handling is excellent, but the acceleration is acceptable but not exceptional."

"Steering response is like driving a go cart, very responsive, fun to drive"

"The Miata truly drives like a sports car with quick acceleration and easy handling. It can literally turn on a dime. Great fun car to drive."

"Quick car, neutral handling. Well designed and built"

"VERY QUICK, CORNERS AND HANDLES WELL, TOP WORKS WELL, NOISY WITH TOP UP"

"I had a BMW Z4 that didn't handle as well as this car"

"A FUN car to drive."

"This car is a joy to drive. Its responsiveness and the way to sticks to the road around curves, etc is excellent. Most fun."

"Excellent acceleration and handling. Fun to drive, especially with the top down in the spring and fall, tho here in the South, not so much in summer."

"Great - the whole reason to buy this kind of car is the handling."

"It's not fast, but it is VERY quick and agile - exceedingly fun to drive!"

"I did have its suspension enhanced with Progress springs and Koni adjustable shocks, but even before then, the MX-5 is the most fun car to drive I have ever had. Its lightness is a huge factor."

"The car is oerfectly balanced msking turns at speed easy. The brakes are the right suze gor the weight. It excels easily with nanuel transmission."

"Fun to drive, excellent steering, good acceleration"

"quick getting up to speed"

"The most enjoyable car I have ever driven. Exceptional handling and driver response. Very good acceleration."

"Excellent handling and manueverability. Love driving it. While it's not the fastest car, I'll take it any day over a higher priced muscle car"

"handling"

"Good acceleration with exceptional handling."

"The Miata has always been a fun to drive and great handling car! I was happy that I got the manual transmission because running through the gears is a big part of the experience. Even though the noise factor is always there, the driver's seat is very comfortable for me and adds to the overall driving experience."

"It is just fun to drive! The power to weight ratio makes it a quick and powerful vehicle."

"Great fun to drive, very responsive,. Doesn’t particularly like wet or ice but still handles surprisingly well for such a light rear wheel drive, if you have experience."

"The car is very personal. You feel like you are one with the road ."

"The car is well known for great balance front to rear with good acceleration"

"fun car"

"Strong acceleration six speed balanced suspension"

"Handling- it's like driving a go kart. as for acceleration, it is more than adequate for a vehicle of this size."

"It's like driving a very fast go cart. Lot's of fun with a feeling that no matter how hard you push the car you never loose control."

"Miata has great handling and acceptable acceleration. Fun car to drive."

"Overall fun to drive. Extremely reliable. Everything is EXCELLENT except manual transmission and gear ratios. These are design flaws, not the reliability of transmission. I own the car for 10 years, and everything is still original except fluids and tires. I did not even have to change the fluids, but changed them only because of the age of the car. Of course, I have only 34000 miles on it in 10 years"

"Road-handling and acceleration - very good. Comfort and storage - not the best"

"Very fun to drive!"

"quick, stable, responsive handling. Smooth shifting transmission."

"Six speed manual transmission is very easy to use. Acceleration is brisk, handling, tracking is excellent."

"My first sports car as an old guy. Love the acceleration and handling. The "hugging the road while turning" is especially nice with a secure feeling."

"Peppy and fun to drive"

"A fun-to-drive little car that really "scoots" and hugs the curves."

"Drives like a sports car should. A little lag from a standing start."

"I've never owned or tried anyone else's car that is as much fun to drive. It sticks to the road like a go kart, accelerates in 6th gear and fells like you're going 50 when going 25. I completely LOVE this car...which I only drive in the summer when the weather's fine. The rest of he time it's stored in my workshop."

"I can't say enough about how quick and responsive the Miata is. I have the six speed manual transmission, and have yet to run out each gear, as there are no roads that allow speeds over 100 mph."

"Great response in steering and acceleration"

"Rides like a go-cart!"

"It is a manual shift which works quite well for a sports car."

"I really like the handling of this car. It seems to hug the road both on straight ways and turns."

"retractable hardtop, handling"

"Very sporty, accelerates well & handles twisty roads like you would want it to."

"This car lives to accelerate quickly and hug the road in the curves."

"Handling and driving experience are outstanding. Acceleration is excellent despite modest power."

"a superb sports coupe with only complaint of outside ambient noise when top is up."

"Fun to drive"

"Incredible handling -- better than a 1992 & a 2001 Miata that I owned previously."

"This car is not a Porsche, nor did it cost as much to purchase. However, it is most fun to drive, handling all situations with ease and aplomb. It never makes you nervous when driving. When I get out I always have a smile."

"Handling and reliability"

"It's a sports car, top down fun. If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand."

"Acceleration is adequate, but what really stands out compared to almost all other cars I have driven is the feeling I get from driving such a light car. I compare it to playing basketball with only a tank top and shorts vs. A winter jacket and ski pants. The manual shifter has short throws and very satisfying mechanical feel. Handling, of course, is excellent and the cloth seats are very comfortable. The feeling of man/machine interaction is highly accentuated when the power retracting hardtop..."

"Quick and responsive. A true sports car in handling and quickness."

"The Miata is very fun to drive. It has great handling and acceleration."

"Road handling is the thing I like most."

"The MX five Miata is a very fun car to drive because it has exceptional acceleration and handling on winding country roads."

"This third version of the MX-5 is the best. Ode to buy for handling and acceleration"

"Fun to drive"

"Great handling."

"Love the handling, tight turning circle, the manual transmission, and overall put a smile on your face factor"

"It's fun! You know exactly what the car is going to do. All the time. Can’t ask for much more."

"feels like a sports car!"

"somewhat noisy, very tight inside"

"It is noisy and the gearing is such that, when travelling at highway speeds, the fuel economy is not as good as should be the case for a car of this weight. In my view, it should use no more than 6.5 litres per 100 km, not close to 8.5, which is the case now. Chalk it up to final drive being biased to performance rather than fuel economy."

"I love everything about the car except for the noise level with the top up. It's very loud."

"Love everything about the car except the road noise. More than I expected. I guess that's what a sports car is all about."

"definitely prefer leather seats"

"Seats are uncomfortable and cramped. Foot reach for brake, clutch and accelerator are all different. There is a very annoying vibration noise emanating from behind the right front panel."

"It's a roadster so I understand it will not be as comfortable as something else, but it is a bit noisy for longer road trips (2+ hours). I had a much more expensive Mercedes C-class and definitely prefer the Mazda MX-5. So fun to drive!"

"Very comfortable seats. Great HVAC. LOTS of road noise. Very rough ride"

"I enjoy driving my six speed manual tranmission"

"Comfortable for a very small car. Would be tough for a longer trip. (One step above a motorcycle.)"

"The ride is not smooth. Getting in and out of the seats is like getting out of a bathtub. it is a challenge. The noise factor is such that conversation or listening to podcasts is difficult"

"The only negative about this vehicle is the interior noise level/cockpit comfort in the soft top. It's acceptable for short distances but becomes wearing on longer drives. Otherwise a great car."

"Top goes down. Handling is solid. Noise is just what I want to hear."

"Legroom on the passenger side is fair - too short for me and I am only 5'10""

"Aftermarket suspension has improved car dramatically"

"Could use a bit more sound insulation."

"It's a roadster. It's suppose to be this way."

"When cruising at 60 mph the level of road noise is too high to listen to the radio, however the thrill of the driving experience can help you forget this inconvenience."

"Road noise and rattle in dashboard that comes and goes."

"Rides hard like a little sporty car"

"Engine noise is the thing I dislike most about my Miata."

"For a two seated vehicle, the seats are fine, the noise is what you would expect, and the ride is solid with a sports care feel in the suspension system."

"Fun to drive, looks and reliability"

"I bought the Miata just before winter in 2008 and the great recession was in full swing so the dealer was happy to unload it for $8000 off the list and got a great car, the fully loaded GT with the automatic hardtop."

"I got a low price when purchased with full options."

"Dollar for dollar there isn't another car that gives as much fun driving experience. it goes wherever you point it. Engine/transmission combo just plain works together seamlessly."

"I'm about to replace the convertible top for the second time. That's an extremely poor value. This is my third sports car with a soft top. My parents owned two Ford convertibles in my childhood. This is my first experience ever having to replace a top."

"CD player stopped working and was very expensive to fix although the car was 8 years old when this happened."

"Great fun to drive considering the low cost to own."

"I bought the Miata in November, 2008 when winter was beginning and the Great Recession was in full swing. Dealers were fighting over the opportunity unload their Miata and I got 20% off list on my ideal Miata."

"If you want a sports car that is fun to drive you can't find a better value."

"Peppy sports car for 20K, fun to drive convertible with all that brings with it"

"I used to own a Porsche. This car is 80% as much fun and 30% the price. Great value."

"Fun to drive, solid car, no repairs"

"Runs well for a 10 year old car. Would buy another."

"few expenses other than routine maintenance with exception of blowouts due to pot holes has been reliable and dependable without any maintenance except routine"

"reliability create value"

"One of best and most reliable of sports cars, yet near the bottom in price."

"Lots of interior room, great handling, small turn radius, excellent visibility, excellent gas milage and very comfortable for under $20K."

"An extremely enjoyable sports car for a modest price."

"It's such a great-looking car--and many people comment about that. Such a classic roadster-style!"

"Always turns heads!"

"I had a Porsche 912E before this cAr but think the Mazda mx5 is just as good at handling and I think it looks better inside and out."

"It looks great. I still get compliments at the gas bar and elsewhere."