Mazda made only minor upgrades to its popular MX-5 Miata roadster for 2002, with an optional in-dash six-disc CD changer being the biggest news. In addition, a high-end SE (Special Edition) trim package was added during the model year.
The new SE version joined the existing Base and LS trim packages. All Miatas came with a 142-horsepower, 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder engine. A five-speed manual transmission was standard on the Base and LS models, while a six-speed manual was standard on the SE version. A four-speed automatic was optional for all three models.
Standard features for the MX-5 Miata included air conditioning, power windows, dual airbags, and an audio system with a CD player. All models except the Base also received power door locks and cruise control, while the LS and SE versions were equipped with leather seats. All models came with a standard soft top with a glass rear window, while a removable hard top was optional.
There's no doubt that the Miata roadster was popular with drivers, since it was a throwback to the classic British roadsters of the 1950s and '60s, and it offered a definite fun factor to the driving experience. The Miata's handling, styling, and Zoom Zoom factor were cited as positive points by drivers, while the sometimes cramped interior and stiff ride, especially over the long haul, were cited as negatives.
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If you like to drive, you will absolutely love driving the Miata. The little car hugs the road around turns, isn’t so powerful that it will get you in trouble, but it’s sufficient. I wouldn’t drive a Miata without a 5-speed manual transmission. Love to have complete control of the car. Gas mileage is excellent! Parking is amazing. I miss my 2002 Miata, because I gave it to my grandsons! Hope to get another one. You’re never too old to drive one. I’m a 77-year-old female, and still love it!!Apr 16, 2024
by Anonymous
Apr 19, 2022
The Miata is cute and fun car but a tight fit. I havent ruled it out though. Ive owned a Mitsubishi Eclipse thats also a fun car with much more leg room, a back seat, and an adjustable steering wheel. The Eclipse is also a great car to consider.Apr 19, 2022
by Theresa M
Jul 21, 2021
I have owned 4. It is the finest car I have ever driven.Jul 21, 2021
User rating:
by Anonymous
Apr 16, 2024
If you like to drive, you will absolutely love driving the Miata. The little car hugs the road around turns, isn’t so powerful that it will get you in trouble, but it’s sufficient. I wouldn’t drive a Miata without a 5-speed manual transmission. Love to have complete control of the car. Gas mileage is excellent! Parking is amazing. I miss my 2002 Miata, because I gave it to my grandsons! Hope to get another one. You’re never too old to drive one. I’m a 77-year-old female, and still love it!!Apr 16, 2024
by Anonymous
Apr 19, 2022
The Miata is cute and fun car but a tight fit. I havent ruled it out though. Ive owned a Mitsubishi Eclipse thats also a fun car with much more leg room, a back seat, and an adjustable steering wheel. The Eclipse is also a great car to consider.Apr 19, 2022
by Theresa M
Jul 21, 2021
I have owned 4. It is the finest car I have ever driven.Jul 21, 2021
by Fred J
May 03, 2021
I think its priced too high and had a few issues that need addressed May 03, 2021
by Michael G
Mar 26, 2021
I like small cars....... and the Miata is definitely small Mar 26, 2021
by Ryan B
Dec 26, 2020
Much improved from the NA, first series of MX-5s. More horsepower, nicer radio-CD with speed sensitive volume control, perimeter alarm w/keyless entry. Added a couple of special edition cars. I think it is more attractive. Sorry the one I had my eye on got away. Still looking.Dec 26, 2020
by Bill S
May 09, 2014
This car is great fun for anyone you enjoys driving. Designed with the British sports cars of the past in mind. Rear wheel drive, short shifting, handling is fantastic. This is the best British Roadster ever made. (without the British leaks and electrical problems)May 09, 2014
by Tony G
Nov 25, 2013
Love driving on hot summer days with the top down. Great for back country roads and AutoX. Very reliable good on gas can use as a every day driver. Rear wheel drive make for more fun. If you want a fun car the Miata is it!Nov 25, 2013
by Jamie Z
Aug 26, 2012
Most fun car I have had. Great to tool around in the summer. Very sharp, unusual metallic yellow...only 1000 of these ever made!! Turns heads all over town. Great mileage, easy maintenance, regular gas. Always highest Consumer reports rankings.Aug 26, 2012
by Anonymous
May 23, 2011
Previously owned Triumphs-75 TR6, 5 yrs. TR7, 3 mos., 80 TR8-22yrs.
Miata is the spiritual successor to those cars, but with reliability and no
rust. As I approach end of my 50's, a used C6 has been calling ... May 23, 2011
by Anonymous
Apr 05, 2011
Fun convertible car to drive with a 5 speed manual transmission. The exterior is dark blue and the interior is tan leather, it also has the factory AM/FM radio CD player with Bose speakers.
Great gas mileage and with only 62,208 miles it is in excellent condition! Apr 05, 2011
by Jim L
Aug 04, 2010
fun car for weekends, drives with top down are a blast, excellent mileage average around 34.5 everywhere. Wife loves to drive it and she hates to drive. Ilove to take it shopping as she can't buy too much [limited storage]Aug 04, 2010
by Jason S
May 31, 2010
good car for around town and track days. not so much for longer trips. anything over an hour hour and a half the drive is a bit rough. suspension is tight really sticky in the corners small engine not the greatest in light to light racing May 31, 2010
by Dustin S
Oct 20, 2009
a little TOO small but it handles amazing and has been extremely reliable for the past 2 years ive owned it. I would definitely reccomend it to anyone i get alot of compliments on it, i just wish it had a little more powerOct 20, 2009
by Kevin M
Oct 20, 2009
Excellent performance from a fairly inexpensive car. Fun to drive, a real pleasure to drive that puts a smile on your face. Made by a proven company with good prices for parts and it is a car that will keep running.Oct 20, 2009
by Soraw C
Aug 12, 2009
I like this car a lot because of its lightweight-ness and the simple cockpit. The convertible soft top is a blast too! some wind in your ear and you will never forget about driving this car. It is so joyful and you always feel safe! it feels like nothing can go wrong with it. and because it is so small you can park it very easily.
The engine does seem a little underpower though and the noise when the roof is up is also quite irritating if your doing a long distance drive.
This is not a fast car but it handles so well, you will feel as if you are driving a go-kart and when you have the roof down it is a joyyyyy to drive!Aug 12, 2009
by Meghan C
Jul 30, 2009
Its an amazing little car, gets great gas mileage and
fun to drive. The only drawback is if you are in a
wreck, it could be pretty dangerous. Overall though, I
totally recommend it to anyone that is looking for a
good car.Jul 30, 2009
by Erik E
Feb 23, 2009
Performance: Acceleration, especially with the manual is speedy but not rocket-sled like. Braking is excellent with stock brakes. I have Riken Raptor HR tires on right now which are functioning great in all types of weather except snow/ice. Handling is like your on rails. Every little nudge of the steering wheel is translated to a change of direction. One of the best handling cars I've ever driven. To sum it up, it swallows corners. Supercharger planned in distant future (i.e. when I have money)
Build Quality: Excellent craftsmanship and everything is laid out very simply. Would be a very easy to work on car. Modifications require little effort. Few squeaks and rattles on interior, but that is acceptable with the stiff suspension. No repairs as of today.
Appearance: Fantastic looking car, but could do with some more muscle. Some say it looks like its smiling, which just reflects how one feels when tossing this thing through corners. The "Classic Red" combo with the tan top is very british sports car like and is a good look for the car.
Cost of Ownership: The Miata commands a premium over similar models made by other manufacturers because of it's excellent build quality, good gas mileage, and high demand. I got a good price on the car, and so far, all regular scheduled maintenance has been relatively inexpensive.
Fun factor: VERY FUN! I'd probably give it a 9/10, just because it could use a little more power.
Feb 23, 2009
by Ziad A
Feb 11, 2009
I love everything about this car.. absolute blast to drive. Very well put together, extremely good handling, price is great, nice interior too. Only downsides are size, I went to this car from an Audi A4 and the interior space difference is pretty extreme. I guess it could be faster too, get the Mazdaspeed version if you are into stop-light grand prix'sFeb 11, 2009
by Kimberly A
Feb 09, 2009
This car is fun to drive, it corners amazingingly well - accelerates great. plenty of power for my needs.. inexpensive to buy & own (in realation to most sports cars). Twelve more words and I can submit this. why?? because it is face book & one tends to waste there time here doing things like this.Feb 09, 2009
by Catherine B
Jan 03, 2009
this was given to me by my mom. shes driving it at the moment cause shes looking for a new car for herself. i like it, its very small you can def. drive under an 18 wheeler with it. you do feel the road when you drive, very rough, so i wouldnt recommend it if you want a smooth ride, its a rotary engine vehicle. Jan 03, 2009
by Travis N
Nov 17, 2008
its more than i can explain, the ride is stiff but fun. Engine has good potential, driving with top down is underappretiated unless personally experienced, maybe an expensive payment monthly but well worth it, car is a street legal go-kart, so many aftermarket parts available i had to buy itNov 17, 2008
by Jerry V
Oct 26, 2008
My all time favorite car,
if you consider looks, fun driving it, build quality and price or cost.
For now, I want no other any more.
Mazda, when you think of making something better ...
same size as first miata, similar ooks as second miata NB-fl and smaller 1.5 but powerful +110 hp engine.
This must work.Oct 26, 2008
by Matej P
Oct 07, 2008
Športni avto Japonske izdelave z dobrimi
performansami. Kot se spodobi za Japonca se
mašina
vrti do 7200 obratov, kar da avtomobilu športen
zvok. Avto zaživi ko ga pohodiš in prekoračiš 4000
obraton na minuto.
Najboljše pri tem vozilu je odzivnost pri vožnji in
atraktiven izgled. Ker ima zadnji pogon lahko z
njim
počneš vragolije, ki se jih drugače ne da. Ker je to
najbolj prodajan kabrio vseh časov obstaja
ogromno spletnih trgovin, ki ponujajo dodatke in
rezervne dele po ugodnih cenah.Oct 07, 2008
by George A
Sep 04, 2008
My mazda mx5 is the car i have always wanted to buy. Not very fast but great built, Very beutiful looking, babe magnetwith low maintenance cost (despite Mazda's very expensive parts!) but with great fun factor because its low weight very good balance, rear weel drive and many aftermarket tuning options.
Very cheap fun machine for big boys!!!!! Sep 04, 2008
by Stace J
Apr 07, 2008
Front engined, lightweight, rearwheel drive.
What more can you ask forApr 07, 2008
by Sarah E
Apr 04, 2008
Had it 4 years, longest I've ever kept a car, would only swap it for a Brera. (well realistic car anyways)Apr 04, 2008
by Jason C
Apr 04, 2008
i missed u 2nd gen PIPIApr 04, 2008
by Ed C
Feb 18, 2008
I saw the new Miata and HAD to upgrade. It was some kind of special edition bluish-gray-pewter color with a gray ragtop, 6-speed manual. Whoa. This thing ROCKED. Unfortunately, I had too many near-death experiences in the wintertime with the Miata and decided to grow up. I didn't keep this car for very long.Feb 18, 2008
by Casey T
Feb 06, 2008
Absolutely outstanding handling gives credence to the fact this is the most-raced car in North America. Amazing shifter, 50/50 weight balance, tractable engine, and surgical steering. It is, however, very small and anyone over 6'4" or with an inseam over 34" need not bother to attempt ingress. The car doesn't have a terribly large amount of power (142 hp for the 2001-2005 model discussed here). And while 5.0 cubic feet of trunk space is plenty ample enough for normal trips or a carefully packed weekend getaway for two, it won't replace your SUV or station wagon for taking bags of recycling to the center.Feb 06, 2008
by Michael C
Jan 05, 2008
Finally, projector low beams instead of dumb flip up headlights. This car looks so much better for it. The previous owner did most of the cosmetic upgrades, I chose to add a functional rollbar for safety and looks. Overall, I'm really satisfied with this car. But like all cars, it could use more power, only 142 hp on tap here. And a 6th gear would be nice to cut down on engine noise at highway speeds and maybe get better fuel economy from it.
Service date: 24 May 2007 to present.
Gasoline used: mostly 89 octane over 4500 miles averaging 25.72. Per gallon price ranged from $2.669 (8/16/07) to $3.119 (5/30/07).Jan 05, 2008
by Anonymous
Aug 31, 2007
Just bought it. Has not been delivered yet. But I did drive several before purchasing. What can I say? So exhilerating! So MUCH fun!
We have a lot of winding mountain road between our home and the nearest town with gorgeous views and plenty of fair-weather days. I expect to enjoy them to the fullest, now. This little roadster hugs curves like it is actually digging in. Best of all, and perhaps the least expected, was the profound sense of intimacy between me and the car and between the car and the road. It was almost like a Gestalt Experience! No kidding!!! I can wait to get my own to love. Aug 31, 2007
Stutters and dies after driven for about 60 miles and outside temperature is hot. (90 deg) both cooling fans are working. Crank sensor has been replaced. IGN coils and wires replaced. Now the engine light is on and code says the ECM needs to be replaced and the bank 1 cam timing is a little retarded. When the engine cools down the car runs beautifully. It starts on first flop. No skip no problems until it gets hot. What direction do I take???
I have a nb Miata and my radiator has a leak in it. The top plastic part cracked and spits out coolant and pure white smoke once the car heats up. I noticed that my car overheats after a small drive. But even with the leak shouldn’t it still be able to pump coolant through out the car? Also the coolant reservoir is full and I noticed that it won’t go down yet the car over heats.... is this all dew to the leak in the radiator? I’m this picture I indicated the crack in the plastic radiator with a red line....
I have a 2002 miata. I live in Las Vegas. For some reason if I don't drive my car for 3 or more days, my battery dies. I bought it at autozone and have had to replace it every year! I have had the car looked at and nothing in the car is causing it (alternator, starter, etc.) Should I be buying a battery from a different murchant?