When it comes to special editions, Mazda has historically always done a bang-up job with the MX-5 Miata. It never fails to combine the exclusivity of a limited-production model with actually limited production, performance upgrades, and just enough cosmetic tweaks to help it stand out without being obnoxious. You don’t need a glossy decal kit or elaborate body kits to signal that you’re driving a Miata that Mazda intentionally kept limited in distribution. This 1999 10th Anniversary edition listed here on craigslist is one of those examples, and it shows just over 30,000 original miles.
The M-Edition Miatas are among some of the most treasured and still-attainable sports cars made, and the upgrades were subtle at best. BBS wheels are the tell-tale sign, along with a Nardi steering wheel and shift knob. The later 10th Anniversary edition added a few more details to the mix, including a limited-slip differential, Bilstein shocks, a front strut tower brace, exclusive Sapphire Blue Metallic paint with a two-tone matching interior, along with blue carpeting and the requisite Nardi upgrades. This example has been modified with some Panasport wheels, but the originals are included.
Of course, like any good special edition, there’s some swag involved, and Mazda certainly ensured that its loyal customers weren’t left out when it came to making their purchase memorable. You got the 10AE Certificate of Authenticity as well as 10AE keychain, and I’m guessing the hats got thrown in for free. The seller also has a tonneau cover with storage bag. Beyond the goodies, the biggest story about this special edition Miata was the 6-speed manual, which was a first-ever offering in the venerable roadster.
Personally, I’d swap the stock wheels back on before listing it for sale. The Panasports simply look too “old” for this modern droptop, but I can see a seasoned British car fan liking the old-school look as a throwback to the glory days of MGBs and Austin Healeys. With 140 b.h.p. and 119 lb-ft torque, the Miata will always be a bit of a momentum car, but the sublime handling and bulletproof reliability more than make up for any shortfalls in the horsepower department. This is honey of a 10AE Miata, and thanks goes to Barn Finds reader Tony Primo for sending it in.
✔️✔️
Nice low miles, but at this price it should include a hardtop.
I did the hardtop thing with one of my convertibles, seemed like a good idea at the time. What it turned out to be was a garage obstacle. I planned to make the sports car a year-round car but it made a terrible winter vehicle so I put it away. The hartop became a big pain as it was always in the way and I was moving it more than using it.that was the last convertible hard top I ever had.
Fair price but no engine or frame shots?? I laughed when I saw the pooch! 😂 I wish if it had a hard top also. The pictures are not enough. Needed more seriously. Good luck to the next owner. 🇺🇸🐻
Cute doggo but should have included more pictures of the car.
You don’t have to be a pro photographer to take good ad pictures. A car has 4 sides, start at the front and take a photo of each side. Then open the hood for a engine shot, then open the trunk for a shot inside there. Next interior shots. Finally a couple of shots underneath. All those shots can be done in less than 10 minutes. If you have an extra 5 minutes you can do door sills, wheels, pinch welds, etc.
It drives me nuts to see an expensive cars with six scrappy shots of the same side of the vehicle or just two or three shots.
I know why they call you marvetheman: truer words have never been spoken, sir. It’s my biggest pet peeve with ads, or with sellers, I should say.
The Barn Finds and Craigslist ads tell us just about everything except where in the hell is it? All I can tell from the map on Craigslist is that it’s near I-89 and a body of water, but the owner of the car who posted the original ad didn’t provide a link to Google Maps for a larger map and directions! How can I buy it if I don’t know where it is? Doh!
I think I’ve figured out a rough location for this beauty! I think it’s in a triangle between Bayside Park, Nourse’s Corner and I-89, in Colchester, VT, about twenty (20) minutes (ten miles) from Burlington International Airport, bordering Lake Champlain, along East Lakeshore Drive. A nice bit of detective work, if I do say so myself, but if you’re selling anything, step one is to let people know how to find your product! That’s Marketing and Salesmanship 101, LOL!
people ask my about theses car they are nice but its a chick car in other words it a car for a girl a real man world not be drive it
There is a SCCA racing class called Spec Miata. They are required to be bone stock in order to keep costs down for the racers. So yes, “real men” drive them. What car do you race?
These also came with mens’ and womens’ matching watches and a lucite cube of the 10th anniversary edition. I had one, one of nine Miatas that I have owned over the years and this was my least favorite. The 99 had a coil issue that would constantly run in three cylinders and mess up my catalytic converter. Mine met an untimely demise by hitting a burro outside of Oatman, Arizona.
my 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata was a later version of this first year for the NB Miatas, and I never had any issues with the coils, but the six-speed transmission was somewhat notchy and had trouble going into reverse. The six-speed in my 2013 NC was much better, so whatever bugs that were in the gearbox initially were fixed in the third-generation Miatas. There was a coil-on-plug conversion kit for the 1.8L engine that allegedly provided a hotter spark, but it was only compatible with the factory ECU (see link below).
https://rev9autosport.com/tuckin99-direct-ignition-kit.html
I agree, however, that in some ways, the NB was slightly inferior to either the first-generation NA’s or the NC third-generation that succeeded it. I owned a 1993 NA, bought used in 1996, the 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata NB bought new, and my current ride is a 2013 NC Grand Touring PRHT, bought new in 2013.