I wasn’t even half serious when I opened Craigslist and typed “Mazda Miata” into the search bar. But it led to something that couldn’t have turned out any better.
It was the summer of 2015. My wife and I were having breakfast on a Saturday morning, and I had just finished reading about the upcoming next-generation Miata, the ND, in the latest issue of Car and Driver.
“I wonder what old Miatas are going for now,” I said. “Wouldn’t that be fun? And it would be great for autocross.”
My favorite Miata was the original, the NA, built from 1990 to 1997. I remember when they came out and how every automotive journalist couldn’t sing their praises high enough. Like practically every car enthusiast, I was smitten. I never thought I would actually own one, though.
Yet here I was, searching on Craigslist. A lot of the Miatas I found had 200,000 miles or more. Others had been modified well beyond reason. And some were simply trashed.
And then, after about 10 minutes, I saw it: 1991 Miata, 126,000 miles, $3,000.
“There’s no way that car is still available,” I told my wife. But regardless, I messaged the seller: “Is it still available, and what’s wrong with it?”
He got back to me almost immediately: “It needs a paint job, and the air conditioning doesn’t work.”
Was that all? I arranged to look at the car on Monday, which just happened to be my 49th birthday.
We met at a Burger King parking lot in North Portland. True, the car needed a paint job. The paint had peeled off a bit on the header panel and around the gas tank door, and it looked faded and blotchy on the hood. The owner explained that the car had been in a minor collision, so the front bumper and hood had been replaced with junkyard parts. That also explained why the A/C didn’t work because the condenser had been impaled. It was a little dirty inside with ill-fitting seat covers. But all that was minor stuff. Especially at this price.
I went through my inspection checklist. The owner said the water pump and timing belt were recently replaced with OEM parts. I saw no red flags.
The test drive made it clear why car enthusiasts love the Miata. Everybody knows the 1.6-liter engine in the early Miatas doesn’t have much power, but it revs willingly, and since the car weighs only 2,200 lbs., acceleration was more than adequate, especially if you waited until 4,000 RPM to shift. Running through the gears of the Miata’s 5-speed reminded me of my slick-shifting Celica. I couldn’t get a good sense of the Miata’s handling chops driving through Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood, but the car rode surprisingly well for a little sports car. Mazda’s advertising at the time nailed it: “It just feels right.”
As we crossed the iconic St. Johns Bridge — with the top down, of course — the owner told me about prospective buyers who never showed up to look at the car. The tire kickers. The insultingly low-ball offers.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “You’re selling the car today.”
I was perfectly willing to pay his asking price. I had done my research, and $3,000 was more than fair. All we had to do was get a cashier’s check at the bank and have him sign off on the title and registration.
What a great birthday present.
After I got the car home, a wash and interior cleanup were the first order of business. Aside from the peeling paint that no automotive detergent could fix, the wash revealed some shine in the original paint. The only leak was a tiny dribble down the passenger side window — pretty impressive for a 25-year-old convertible. The interior just needed a good vacuuming, a thorough wipe-down and new seat covers. The driver’s side floor mat was a bit worn, but the mats were OEM with the Miata logo. I kept those.
Then I spent about an hour and a half on the many nearby back roads. Reading about the Miata’s handling prowess was one thing. Experiencing it for yourself was quite another. The crisp turn-in, the communicative steering, the confidence through the corners. And the fun, fun, fun.
On top of that, I never knew how much I would enjoy a convertible until I had one. It’s hard to describe the feeling other than it’s wonderful. Even at highway speeds, the wind buffeting and noise are not too intrusive. Big 18-wheelers on the freeway were the exception, but that’s not the Miata’s fault.
I had polled friends on Facebook to come up with a name for the Miata, but ended up choosing the one I came up with: Dolly. Like her namesake, the late, great American icon, the Miata was tiny but had a big personality. Although the silver paint may have been a bit subdued for Ms. Parton.
After my first autocross a couple of weeks later, it was obvious why autocross events are lousy with Miatas of all generations. The car had some body lean, but nothing like the Seville. And while it was certainly down on power compared to the CTS, I could take the sweepers and tight slaloms faster in a much smaller, lighter car. I had been hooked on autocross since my first outing in the wildly inappropriate Seville, but now I had a car born for it. Dolly and I now do 12 to 15 events a year, every one of them a blast.
My racing number for the Cadillacs was 747 for obvious reasons. For the Miata, I chose the much smaller 737. I even had custom numbers made using a Boeing-style font in case the aviation metaphor wasn’t already obvious.
I gradually made some upgrades specifically for autocross while keeping the car fun and comfortable for driving everywhere else. Stickier tires (I love the Continental Extreme Contact Sport) are always the first step, but I also installed KYB adjustable shocks and a thicker-diameter front stabilizer bar from Flyin’ Miata. With each upgrade, I could immediately tell the difference on the course, especially with the stabilizer bar. There was still some body roll, but that’s because I could push the car much harder. At my next event, at the same venue against mostly the same competitors, Dolly and I jumped 30 places in the overall standings. Lately, I’ve been using AI to fine-tune shock settings and tire pressures, and I’ve been surprised by how detailed the recommendations are. Plus, I think they’ve helped.
As for the two things that were wrong with the car when I bought it, I got those taken care of too. Most auto body shops now only do insurance work, and I knew shops that focus on restorations would be way beyond my budget. So it was, “Uh oh, better get Maaco!”
And they actually did a good job. I think it really depends on the individual franchisee, and I took Dolly to a shop in Portland that was recommended by a member of my autocross club. Six years later, she’s still nice and shiny. While I was at it, I had a new cloth top with a glass window installed.
Getting the A/C working again was straightforward and not as expensive as I had feared, although I drove Dolly for several years before a couple of hot drives convinced me to get it done. I drive Dolly a lot in the summer, and my pattern is to drive to work on the back roads with the top down, then come back home on the freeway with the top up and the A/C running.
I drive Dolly about 5,000 miles a year, and she’s at 183,000 miles now. With the adjustable shocks on their softest setting, the ride is almost cushy and plenty comfortable for a road trip. The engine may have a loud-ish hum at 3,800 RPM on the highway, but it’s not unpleasant. I drove through heavy rain with lots of big trucks through the notoriously windy Columbia Gorge on I-84, and the car felt rock solid.
Overall, Dolly has been very reliable, but like any 36-year-old, high-mileage car, she’s needed some repairs over the past 11 years, some rather expensive. But they’re not unreasonable, and frankly, she’s worth it.
I intend to keep driving Dolly until I can’t drive anymore. I see a lot of very cool cars at autocross, and aside from the other NA Miatas, almost all of them have more power. But Dolly is always — always — the car I want to drive home.
Not bad for 10 minutes on Craigslist.
Related Reading:
Automotive History: 1989 Mazda MX-5 Miata – Simple Pleasures
Curbside Classic: 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata – Nothing Complicated; But Done Properly
Car Show: The Answer is Always Miata
COAL: “Fend la Bise”, The 1990 Miata I Will Forever Regret Selling
1996 Mazda Miata : A Rare IDK Edition
CC Outtake: First-Generation Mazda MX-5 Miata – Looks Like Sylvester Finally Won
CC Feature/QOTD: Would You Drive A Beater Miata From Boston To LA?
COAL: 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata – 4,000-Mile Barn Find Makes a Dream Come True
Cars of a Lifetime: 1990 Mazda Miata- A Member of the Family
COAL: 1991 Mazda Miata – The Perfect Sports Car For A College Student
COAL: 1992 Mazda Miata – Why Did I Not Have One Of These Yet?
COAL: 1998 BMW 318i and 1995 Mazda Miata – My Current Rides
COAL: 1997 Mazda Miata – How Many Mid-Life Crisis Are We Allowed?
COAL: 1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata – Chapter 28, Zoom Zoom
My New Curbside Classic: 1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata – The Niedermeyerization of JPC is Complete
My CC Update: So Long, Little Miata
Looks great. I’ve found some great Miatas on CL and eBay, had a couple shipped from down south to avoid rust. I bet I’ve had 30 of em since the mid 90s. Now an NB2 that I have FM suspension on and is just perfection. I will choose it for a fun drive equally as often as my 6.2L Vette. As for MAACO you want to use one of their Certified locations. There is one specific location near me that does great work and I’ve had minor to major stuff done on several vehicles and always been satisfied. I needed single stage paint matched on a BRG Miata (back left corner) and they nailed it – looked great for 15 years. White Miata w/ hardtop full repaint – beautiful. Red one repainted in VW Salsa Red with full clearcoat – show winner.
When I was 64 my family convinced me to buy an NB Miata as a retirement gift to myself. I owned it for four years. What a great car. I sold it because drivers here in the Twin Cities have become insane. I have been rear-ended twice in the past three years (in other vehicles). This is also probably why I don’t see many motorcycles around here any more. But I agree – every car geek should own a Miata at least once!
Another NA alum here! I bought mine around the same time you did, and from a fellow I had met through CC. I heartily endorse everything you say about the car. Driving one of these is a sensation that must be experienced to be appreciated.
Mine was also a purchase of serendipity, one that I had not planned on fifteen minutes before the owner called to tell me he was selling his. The only downside to these is their tendency to rust in northern climes. My car had spent most of its life in Michigan (which I knew when I bought it) and I got a few years of enjoyment out of it before I decided it was time to move on – mostly because my wife and travel companion was starting to have difficulty getting in and out because of aging joints.
Your silver car looks great! (and I am generally not a big fan of silver cars).
Nice to read this, I remember when Mazda released it, I was still going to the annual Auto Show then and had to wait a long time before being able to sit in one .
Sadly, that killed the dream ~ the windshield’s top header is dead center in my eyes making a Miata a non starter .
My son stumbled across a rich guy’s nearly new 1st. generation Miata for $3,000 when it developed a minor engine issue, fixed the issue and turned it into his autocross car, going through an engine and several transmissions, he eventually put the later 6 speed box in and that was great .
His solution to the lack of power was to add a supercharger, this worked very well indeed and had zero down side .
I hope this is indeed your “forever car”, I bought mine two or three years ago and still love it every moment I turn the key .
-Nate