1991 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Yeah, the Miata isn't the fastest sports car on the market and it isn't the most comfortable, but it's hard to think of another affordable car that makes the average trip to the store so much fun while providing such reliable service.

I've owned my 1991 Miata for eight years. To put my experience in perspective, I've also owned MGs, Triumphs, and Porsches over the years so I know sports cars. Miatas are readily available used for not much money... even cars with very low miles on them. Parts support, both factory and aftermarket is superb and they are really inexpensive to maintain.

I replaced my original top with a Robbins glass-window top which is a huge improvement in visibility. Otherwise, I haven't had any reliability issues to speak of. I think the only mechanical failures were a power window motor and a switch. Not bad for a 16 year old car.

I've taken mine autocrossing a few times and I've done two cross-country trips. The trunk is small by SUV standards but I can fit a full-sized golf bag in mine and it's perfectly fine for weekly grocery trips unless you have a family of 6 to feed... in which case you likely won't be driving a 2-seat roadster or will need to put some groceries in the passenger's seat.

The bottom line for me is I can't drive this car without grinning ear to ear. I can appreciate 400 hp, but the Miata's power is really usable on the street and you can really row the gearbox and rev it hard without breaking the law too badly... definitely fun.

Yeah, the Miata isn't the fastest sports car on the market and it isn't the most comfortable, but it's hard to think of another affordable car that makes the average trip to the store so much fun while providing such reliable service.

I've owned my 1991 Miata for eight years. To put my experience in perspective, I've also owned MGs, Triumphs, and Porsches over the years so I know sports cars. Miatas are readily available used for not much money... even cars with very low miles on them. Parts support, both factory and aftermarket is superb and they are really inexpensive to maintain.

I replaced my original top with a Robbins glass-window top which is a huge improvement in visibility. Otherwise, I haven't had any reliability issues to speak of. I think the only mechanical failures were a power window motor and a switch. Not bad for a 16 year old car.

I've taken mine autocrossing a few times and I've done two cross-country trips. The trunk is small by SUV standards but I can fit a full-sized golf bag in mine and it's perfectly fine for weekly grocery trips unless you have a family of 6 to feed... in which case you likely won't be driving a 2-seat roadster or will need to put some groceries in the passenger's seat.

The bottom line for me is I can't drive this car without grinning ear to ear. I can appreciate 400 hp, but the Miata's power is really usable on the street and you can really row the gearbox and rev it hard without breaking the law too badly... definitely fun.