1995 Mazda MX5 Miata review from North America

Belt to water pump snapped causing radiator to blow at 65,000 miles-VERY PRICEY.

Needed second brake job at 50,000 miles.

Unresolved problem with suspension resulting in very rough and bumpy ride, was later discovered that all Miatas do this and there are aftermarket components to reduce the uncomfortable ride.

Ragtop came undone at 55,000 miles.

Catalytic converter came apart, blowing back into the muffler at 49,000 miles resulting in replacement of exhaust system components-VERY PRICEY.

Replaced headlights 5 times in 10,000 miles.

Speakers failed at 48,000 miles.

The Miata looks very nice and gives the driver a 'cockpit' type of feeling when driving. The handling is top notch, better than any car I've ever driven and would compare it to the handling of a $60,000+ Lotus.

It is a rear wheel drive vehicle, which is great. These days it's hard to find a RWD vehicle that isn't either a truck or a high dollar performance car. That's as good as it gets.

The performance on the car is terrible. Even brand new the 0-60 time is in the 9 second range. Top speed is about 117 mph provided you have a few hours to creep up past 100. This gets worse over time. At around the 60,000 mile mark you're left with a performance 'looking' car that does no better than Granny's Cavalier station wagon, possibly worse. The Miata phenomenon was designed from the beginning to be a 'looks sell' kind of deal, as the car was modeled very close to the Lotus Elan. This was no accident, nor was it an accident that the car was made to be very tame and underpowered in an effort to keep the price down and attract customers that wanted the exotic car look, but without having to pay the exotic car price.

The suspension provides for a very bumpy ride. I had the alignment checked and redone several times, even replaced the tires... no change. I was fortunate enough later on to ride in a couple of other Miatas that did this exact same thing. It shakes, rattles, and vibrates like some old Harley Davidson and you'd swear the thing is going to come apart at 55 mph. Going past 55 up to 70 it smooths out a little, but not by much.

There is plenty of road noise as well, but I've largely overlooked this due to the fact that most convertibles have their share of road noise.

Trunk space is non-existant. One would have a hard time putting a small cooler in it, but nobody buys a Miata for the space anyway.

The A/C is terribly weak. With a perfectly functioning system fully charged with coolant, only the maximum setting on full time could make driving the car on a hot day with the top up even possible. The heater on the other hand is so hot that at the lowest setting on cold days it must be continually turned off or you will cook.

I would never buy another Miata, and would be extremely cautious with any Mazda for that matter.