MIATA IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER

MORE THAN THREE DECADES AGO, I picked up a two-year-old 1990 Mazda Miata. It began what was to be a lifelong love-affair for me with convertibles.

Since then, I have always had at least one convertible in my life. Back then, what I fell in love with was the simplicity of the car, and the way that it could bring a smile to my face even on the most decidedly sad days that inevitably come into every person's life at some point or another.

This car personified happiness.

Fast Forward to Present Day 

When the call came in to spend a few days with a 35th Anniversary Edition Miata and to share my thoughts about it, I jumped at the chance.

And I can say wholeheartedly that every single thing which I loved about this car 35 years ago is still there today, plus more.

Mazda has definitely stayed true to its roots with the 35th Anniversary Edition.

A Top That's a Work of Art

The cloth top is a work of art, and sets the standard by which all other sportscar convertible tops should be compared.

If you ever had the misfortune of trying to manage the insanely convoluted process of dealing with one of the worst modern-day soft top designs produced (the tops on the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Soltice come to mind), you know that even the most mature of companies has a hard time getting this right to the level that Mazda has on the Miatas.

It is so easy. It can be done in seconds, at a traffic light, and it even looks nice down without the need for a soft top cover or tonneau. No power needed. Don't even need to get out of the car for either the down or up process.  

The near zero-visibility out of the rear half of the car when the top is up is also about the same as the original. Looking over your shoulder would be a waste of time. Adjust your mirrors accordingly.

New Tech and Old Charm

One thing that has definitely changed is the technology addressing that issue. The blind spot detection feature means a little orange light on your sideview mirrors gives you a heads up in case something happens to be lurking in the lane just over your shoulder.

But naturally, this car is not just about the convertible top (although that kind of IS one of the biggest smile-inducing aspects of the car).

Driving the car is just so dang pleasant. It’s mechanical without feeling like an old car. You feel connected.

There is nothing numb about this car. You feel it. It gives you feedback.

The shifter throws on the six-speed manual gearbox are a touch longer than I expected, but they are smooth and snickety.

So many things have not changed. At the same time, though, so many things have. It has all the modern-day safety features and creature comforts that one expects in any new car.

Heated seats with three temperature settings? Check.

Car Play and Android Auto? Check.

Satellite radio and nav systems? Check.

Steering wheel controls for cruise, volume, and phone integration? Check.

Great gas mileage (still) with the ability to track that in real time via the onboard computer? Check.

Cup holders that are not something which replaces an old school ashtray? Check.

Another thing that has not changed is that this car requires you to pay attention when you drive it.

The Miata demands you assume that not only does no other driver see you, but rather that they are actively trying to squish you like a bug. Because, no, they do not see you. You are small. Not as small as the original Miata, but you are definitely smaller than anything else on the road that is not a motorcycle.

The Weekend Getaway & Costco Tests

One major improvement over the original model is you can put two carry-on size wheeled suitcases in the trunk and still have room for a couple of small duffle bags or a picnic blanket and soft-sided cooler for a weekend getaway to someplace quiet with a view.

The ability to pack super light and make use of every tiny spot with squishable luggage is no longer mandatory for life with the Miata. In fact, I think you could take it to Costco, so long as you forego the 24 pack of paper towels.

Of course, there is always the passenger seat sans passenger.

It does all the things you need it to do for driving to the store, to work, or out to play.

The Fun Factor in Spades

And out to play is when it becomes your partner in adventures.

Because just like the original, this car truly shines on the twisty canyon roads where I chose to put it through its paces.

I took it to the Santa Monica Mountains to Mulholland Highway like any good coastal Los Angeles resident would do. And it was there that I confirmed how very much this car is still designed for drivers.

For all of the scoffs and snickers that this car seems to garner from the muscle car contingent, there is no corner that it cannot handle.

Yes, it has just a little more body roll than I tend to like, but that is part of its charm.

This car is tossable. This car is FUN. It does not take itself too seriously, and you never feel like maybe a small part of it wants to kill you (I drove a Lotus Elise for a few years which was probably most like a Miata in size and certain driving characteristics, but that thing definitely wanted to kill you every once in a while).

It is predictable and goes where you point it. You can make a mistake and easily correct it. Plus, the pedal placement for heel and toe downshifting in this car is perfection.

Comparing it to the Honda S2000

Now, I know I will take some heat from my fellow Honda S2000 owners for saying this, but this Miata could be driven in anger just as much as my S2000 can and it gave me the same amount of confidence in its ability to be pushed.

I can certainly say that if something ever happened to my S2000, I know I could replace it with a well-appointed current day Miata and have just as much fun driving it as hard as I could ever want to.

Artisan Red?

I love the Artisan Red Metallic paint paired with the beige cloth top and tan leather seats. The paint color has depth and is beautiful, but I admit I would rather a super bright color on this car just for visibility reasons.

The 30th Anniversary Racing Orange was the right idea, but admittedly not everyone loves orange.

Interior Comfort

Although the interior is small, it still didn't feel cramped to me, but I am all of 5'4" and I strongly prefer a smaller vehicle anyway.

There is one thing I was surprised that Mazda still has not quite got right: The lower back support in the seat is largely non-existent. Always was. Still is. That is the only thing I could find on this car that was just wrong in my book.

Sound deadening is leaps and bounds better than the original, and I could actually have a conversation with a passenger as well as use my cell phone handsfree in the car. Coming from my S2000, both of those activities felt like a luxury.

The Bottom Line

And all of this can be had for $37,435 MSRP. That is way less than the cost of therapy during the number of years you could be driving this historically low-maintenance machine around.

And your therapist will not take you to work or on vacation. What's not to love about this car?

Miata Is Always The Answer.* It still is. – Roseanne Murphy

* M.I.A.T.A. – The phrase is a community consensus, popularized on forums like Reddit, suggesting that for any car-related question, the Miata is almost always the most fun and logical solution without breaking the bank.

SIDEBAR COMMENT

Let’s see, 35 years … the first Miata, seems like only yesterday and a long time ago at the same time.*

That first cute little, unassuming car was a revelation.  It’s uncanny agility and road-holding stunned most first-time drivers (this one included) and made the idea of heading to the local supermarket to pick up a dozen eggs one egg per trip as understandable as daylight.

Be warned, Mazda, with the best of intentions, has brought back all the fun and frolic of those days of yore, and added some modern-day sophistication with its sports-tuned suspension featuring Bilstein shocks and high performance P205/45R17 tires.

Just for comparison I looked up the base price for the first Miatas. The note I found on-line indicates: “The 1989 Miata was $13,800.00 and then adds: That $13,800 price in 1989 is equivalent to roughly $36,500 in 2025/2026 purchasing power today,”

Coincidentally (?) the window sticker price sheet that came with this 2026 sleek two-seater had an MSRP (that’s “manufacturer’s suggested retail price”) of $36,250!  

As you may have noticed from the accompanying photos, the Miata has “matured” a bit from the it’s first cute/playful look to a downright sexy/sophisticated look that turned heads wherever it was driven or parked on this adventure.  The special anniversary costume is rich, almost regal.

The sticker calls the color “Artisan Red Metallic”.  And about the “look” here, this Mazda in this color, for me anyway, forever banishes using the term “Cute” about Miatas. Its Italianesq (I had to hit “add to dictionary” for that one) lines here echo some of the latest steeds from across the Atlantic.  Bold lines and bold color, hard to go wrong.

And then there’s a wonderfully willing 2-liter, double overhead cam, four-cylinder motor that spins out the power of one hundred and eighty (well-fed and eager to perform) horses with a nice one hundred and fifty-one foot/pounds of torque backing the ponies.**

The balance of power, and the crisp-shifting 6-speed gear box that feeds that energy to the rear wheels are what make this Miata a real tactile, clear-minded heart-throb, a keeper.

OK so it’s about as difficult to get in and out of as a C8 Corvette, a little practice (and racking the seat back as far as it would go) in the driveway at home worked pretty good for this half of this test ride.

There are more powerful cars, there are cars with race car-like handling that feel dull, uninteresting on public roads and byways and then there’s this little “can do/will do” fun-mobile that makes that aforementioned trip to the local supermarket (or that one over the river a good 20 miles away) such an adventure.  Your ticket, your choice. – Doug Stokes

Random Notes:

**As far as balance of power, those specifications, are what make this car so much fun to drive, there’s no stupid horsepower numbers but the ones you see here make this car move like a racecar when one asks.  And, what a true visceral joy to go through the gears (both up and down) with a really good 5-speed manual transmission.

As LA Car review machines with manual transmissions are virtually extinct, I really was worried that I’d forget how to double clutch on the downshifts.  Right … Ok, I know that this a full-synchro, 6-speed gearbox and downshifts can be made without the classic heel and toe and quick blip with the right foot slightly hanging off the brake pedal, but (and especially with this rather special car) hitting a downshift in this MX-5 just right is so damn rewarding … it’s a slight-of-hand move right in plain sight.

I remember parking the first Miata that I ever reviewed on Melrose Avenue in lower Hollywood.  At that time the street was alive with cool little shops that sold all manner of the most hip, clothing, gadgets, and foodstuffs.  I went across the street and watched people stop cold in their tracks to admire that little scooter.  They seemed to just “get it” organically. The years have come and gone, the Miata has grown up, but driving one driving one for a few days reminds me well. – Doug Stokes