1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata User Reviews

Big Rewards - Small Dollars — Absolutely pin-sharp track or road car. Who needs bags of horsepower if you're not actually racing anyone?

Great Little Roadster, Short On Power To Be A True Sports Car. — The early Miatas truly embodied the "jinba ittai" design philosophy that the engineers had in mind. It melds horse and rider as one. It also has the styling of a Lotus Elan and the light tossability of an MGB with the reliability of a Civic. As the Miata progressed through the years it became less roadster and more sports car, and this first Miata wasn't much of a speed demon. It's a roadster at heart, and it performs that function admirably. 116 hp demands driver involvement to keep forward motion at an entertaining level. Fortunately the ultralight curb weight of around 2200 pounds helps get the most from the 1.6 liter inline four. Handling is very solid, weight balance is 50/50, and the brakes are perfectly sufficient with fade only in the most extreme situations. The joy to drive factor is about as high as it gets.

The Most Fun Driving A Car I've Ever Had — My buddy (co-driver) and I effectively re-built this car by the time it was all said and done. He bought it for a steal and we went to work on it prepping it for CSP class in Autocross. What a blast! I won 2nd Place for CSP in the Atlanta Region two years in a row, '05 and '06.

Driven It For 5 Years, And Loved Every Minute But Is Now A Little Small For Me — great car, covertable, a last to drive fast around the twisties and loves to go cone hunting (autocrossing)

A Modern Incarnation Of An Old British Roadster That Won't Leak In Your Driveway — I loved this car-- it was an absolute blast to drive. Perfectly balanced handling, good performance, and a perfect exhaust note. Very tossable... my wife always said I steered with my right foot too much.