This car is newer than what we normally feature, but if you want a reliable roadster, you really can’t go wrong with a Miata. They provide the open air experience of a British sports car without leaving a puddle of oil on the driveway. Plus, you can’t beat the fun to dollar ratio found here. With so many still on the road today though you can be picky when you go shopping. I wouldn’t be afraid of a high-mileage Miata, but this 39k mile example is probably a better place to start.
Miata engines are generally robust, so the biggest benefit of buying a low-milage car is less wear on the interior. Apart from the faded ashtray lid, things look very nice in here. Someone has added a MP3 input, but otherwise everything appears to be original. No sense in buying one of these without the slick 5-speed so it’s nice to see the stick. These cars offer many more modern conveniences than their British forefathers. Power windows and air conditioning may not really be necessary in a roadster, but they are nice to have.
The top has been replaced and the body looks great. If you worried about the “chick” car stigma that Miatas sometimes carry, you just need to take a test drive. One blast up a twisty mountain road was all it took to convince me that these are serious little sports cars! This one is located in Palm Bay, Florida and I’m sure Edward H would be happy to take you for a spin if you’re interested. He would like to get $6,750 and you can use the form below to contact him.
Thanks for listing this with us Edward! We hope it goes to good home where it will be enjoyed. If you have a low-mileage classic that you are thinking about selling, please consider listing it here on Barn Finds!
Asking Price: $6,750
Location: Palm Bay, Florida
These are great little cars, back in the 90s I was working for a car rental co. and we got in a couple of these, of course they were all red with a black top and were five speeds which was weird at the time because in the car rental world every one wanted an automatic, fun to drive but being a big guy I always got nervese driving them because my feet would slip off the accelerator and get stuck under the petal, I really miss those days
Did I miss the details about where it’s located?
The location is listed in the ad twice.
Palm Bay, Florida
To me, this does look like a lot of fun for not a lot of money.
Nice car, nice color, price should have a little room built in, but I agree, these are super fun and somebody is gonna get a big smile on their face.
A nice reasonably priced car. Value all over the place and dependability too. What fun for less than 7 large.
Great cars but when I was looking to upgrade from my 73 tr6 I looked at these but spent my money on a 2007 red redline Saturn lots more power at close to 300 horsepower and only 2800 made with this confiquration and I removed the Saturn markings and get all kinds of looks. Love it for the speed and handling.
Cannot beat these for a sports car. They handle better than anything short of a Lotus Elan, the tops are easy up and down, and they’ll never leave you stranded like a Brit or Italian roadster of old. My ’97 does leave a puddle of oil, but that’s at 20 years and 162000 miles and the problem is the rear main seal, which I can fix, and will. Bulletproof, and the best value for money anywhere in a roadster. They are modern classics in their own class. I predict someone will be very happy with this one.
Ugh, hate’em… sorry. Too many built, too vanilla in styling and they have polluted the car shows with low mileage ” grandma” cars being judged in the same class as real roadsters that owner’s have worked tirelessly to restore. Capable roadster… I will take you anyday through the twisties in a decade older british car. Good luck with that plastic, mass produced piece of..
P.S. with 14 british cars owned. NEVER STRANDED.
Last spring, for about the same price, I bought a clean, one-owner 2001 Miata LS with the optional 6-speed and factory hardtop. It had 70K miles at the time. There’s a few differences between the 1999-2000 (NB1) and 2001-2005 (NB2), but nothing huge. Assuming no accident history, I’d say Edward is in the right ballpark on price.
I owned a 2000 model about five years back. Great car for the money. My only wish would’ve been a cruising gear that would let the engine relax a bit at speed.
In a perfect world, I’d love to find a later model with the retractable hardtop.
Those wheels. Not a fan of ’em.
Nope, me either, but that’s pretty easy to change. WFIW, bigger wheels aren’t necessarily better for ride or handling on the MX-5, in my opinion.