1999 Mazda MX-5 Miata Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I live and work in the city and have enjoyed having this as my only car. Manual transmission is a must. I suppose my next car will probably be a little more practical, but I've managed to fit (on separate occasions) $300 worth of Costco goodies, a set of (4) wheels & tires, and myself and a passenger with enough luggage for a 4-day trip. Hard to imagine a better fun-to-drive value-for-money proposition. Get a Borla dual exhaust. You'll thank me later.Sep 09, 2014

The car lacks room for just about anything but it doesn't matter. My wife and I only drive it on sunny days here in Oregon which are few and far between but getting out on the mountain roads is what this car is all about. The wind,sun and fun is what we are after. There are plenty of better sports cars out there I'm sure but I'm happy with this one. I love this car, can ya tell?Oct 15, 2012

Performance-wise, the Miata has a rather small 1.8L engine, but because of the weight of the car, the little amount of power is enough to make the car fun to drive. Originally modeled after the Lotus Elan, the MX-5 has a pretty basic but stylish design. Despite the stereotype that comes with driving one of these cars, I bet the Miata could kill a lot of other vehicles on back roads. Oct 21, 2010

This is a really fun car to drive. Very quick in the corners and handles like its on rails (even on all season tires in 10 degree weather). Its also very easy to control when you get a little sideways. It gets off the line quick, tho the 0-60 is not that amazing (7.9secs), and stops on a dime. The seats are comfortable and hold you in place nicely while doing some spirited driving. The inside is easy to navigate and all controls are within arms reach. The space can be a bit cramped for a tall person. I'm 6'2" and just fit in with the roof up. My head does tend to bump the top occasionally but its worth that for the experience you get driving a car like this. I just put the top down (yes even in the winter. its down right now in fact and its 25 degrees outside) The gas mileage is low for a small 1.8L engine, i get 27 combined city and highway (with the occasional spin up the revs for a few mins). But this car is a sports car, tuned to perform, not to sip gas like a prius. Overall i would recommend this to anyone who wants to move fast on the backroads and/or cruise on the highway. This car can be beaten like a honda and it won't break. I got mine with 63k miles on it and i'm expecting it to last to 200k+. I've seen plenty for sale over 200k miles, and still for a pretty good price.Jan 27, 2009

Dollar for Dollar, the Miata is the best performing, most neutral handling, mechanically reliable sports car on the road today. Paying homage to sports car heritage, like the MGA's and Austin Healey's of the late 50's and early sixties, it is a DOHC 1.8 liter front-engine, limited-slip rear wheel drive, light-weight two seater sports car. It's perfect for weekend jaunts to the Russian River and Sonoma coast, or Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur. Mine is a fine example of the first year of the Miata's second generation. It's triple black; exterior, interior and top. Cloth seats which are cooler and less slippery in the twisties. It's a "weekend car" with low milage, and it's stored in a dry wharehouse under a cover. I hope it lasts forever.Nov 22, 2008

good paint color for this special model, more appealing style of the NB generation miatas. excellent handling, 6speed, MPG, low maintaince, fun to drive. rather cheap feel interior, rattles, brakes could be better, soft paint. seats arent as comfortable, high rev on freeways. overall its an awesome car to have, just wish my was in better exterior condition.Aug 25, 2008

This is my second Miata (first one was a 1991 British Racing Green with tan leather interior). This one is the dark blue metallic with tan leather interior and tan convertible top. Miatas are amazing cars to drive and they are one of the most reliable cars on the road. I never get tired from getting the "thumbs up" and hearing "Nice Car" from people on the street.Jul 02, 2008

It made me feel like I'm 18 yrs old. That's a brut roadster with barely few electronics. No ABS, no Traction Control. All is mechanical and when behind its wheel, it's you who decides how to drive and what to do. It has a great exterior design (I added those 17 inch chrome wheels with high performance Michelins). From the inside, it's cosy and everything is within reach. I changed the steering wheel and put a new Pioneer sound system. It handles great and has good performance. It slides whenever you want and as much as you want. It's the car and I would never replace, except for an Aston Martin V8 Vantage but I don't have the nomey for that now or... ever ;)Jun 03, 2008

Great car. Fun to drive and just great to take a trip in on a sunny day. In this model I have a glass rear window, worth having over the plastic one. I'm quite tall and fit in the car fine, although I enjoy the electric windows in this car as space is a little tight for the wind up ones with my legs. I have not had problems fitting stuff in my car which I use every day. I always look forward to driving this car, even just to work and back, it's great.Apr 14, 2008