The Miata argument is the longest-running argument in cheap enthusiast cars. It started with the NA in 1989 and it has not stopped. Every generation, somebody declares the formula obsolete, somebody else releases a competitor, the competitor disappoints, and the Miata wins again on what it doesn't try to be. Thirty-six years in, the ND2 (2019 onward) is the most thoroughly developed version of the argument, and it's still the right answer to the question most enthusiasts are actually asking.
The thirty-six-year thesis
The thesis is simple and it has not changed: small, light, RWD, manual, naturally aspirated where possible, with a roof you can put down. Every generation has refined the recipe without abandoning it.
The NA (1989-1997) was the foundational generation. 90 horsepower, a 1.6L pop-up-headlight roadster, and the car that single-handedly revived the British roadster format that British manufacturers had abandoned. It weighed 950 kg. You could push one to its limit on a back road and still be inside the speed limit.
The NB (1999-2005) added a small amount of power and lost the pop-up headlights, which the brand has been mildly apologetic about ever since. It's still the lightest, simplest Miata you can buy used and the one that most committed enthusiasts go to when they want the purest experience.
The NC (2006-2015) was the heaviest, biggest Miata. It was also the only one with a 2.0L engine that finally felt like enough, especially with the Power Retractable Hard Top variant. Underrated by enthusiasts, mostly because it was less light.
The ND (2016+) was the great correction. Mazda admitted the NC had drifted too far from the original brief and made the ND smaller, lighter, and more focused. The 2019 update (ND2) added the punchier SkyActiv-G 2.0 engine making 181 hp at 7,000 rpm, which is the best Miata engine ever sold in volume. The current car is what the Miata always wanted to be once the chassis engineering had caught up to the philosophy.
What the ND2 actually fixed
Three legitimate complaints about prior Miatas have been addressed in the ND2.
The engine. Pre-ND Miatas felt slow on the highway in a way that mattered. You could rev the 1.8L NB to its peak and merge into Toronto traffic just fine, but the experience was always "I'm at maximum effort for a normal merge." The ND2's 2.0L makes 181 hp and 151 lb-ft, with the torque peaking high but the curve broad enough that you don't need to bury the throttle to feel quick. The 0-100 km/h is 6.4 seconds, which is faster than the NA was at the wide-open throttle limit of its capability. The car is still light enough that it feels lighter than that figure.
The transmission. Mazda built the world's best manual transmission in the 1990s and then somehow kept improving it. The ND2's 6-speed manual is short-throw, perfectly weighted, and the action between every gear feels deliberately engineered for the joy of using it. The clutch take-up is light and predictable. There is no other manual in the sub-$50k market that's even close. (The new Civic Type R is excellent but heavier in feel; the GR Corolla is good but rev-matched-and-fussy.)
The interior. Pre-ND Miatas all had interiors that felt like an afterthought. The ND interior is genuinely nice, an Alcantara dash on the upper trims, materials that feel right for the price, and an infotainment system that, while basic, doesn't feel like the manufacturer ran out of money. The seats are surprisingly good for tall drivers; I'm 6'1" and the ND fits me better than any Miata before it.
The Canadian realities
The Canadian Miata case is slightly different from the U.S. case, in three ways.
Insurance is reasonable. Miatas are sub-200 hp, light, two-seat roadsters with no anti-theft urgency. In Ontario, full coverage on a Miata at age 35 is typically $1,400-$2,000 a year, well below a comparable Civic Si or GR86 (both of which insurers profile differently). Quebec is even better. This is a real ownership-cost advantage that gets ignored in pure-driving reviews.
Winter is non-trivial. A Miata is RWD with no AWD option, and the wheelbase is short enough that snow handling is a real conversation. With proper winter tires, a soft-top Miata in Toronto is fine for moderate winters; for the months of January and February it becomes a fair-weather car. This is a yes-and, not a no, but it has to be in the math. Most Canadian Miata owners pair it with a winter beater. The economics still work out because the Miata costs so little to insure and depreciate.
The 15-year rule applies. Pre-NC Miatas are now legally importable from Japan, where they were sold in higher trim levels (Roadster Coupe, NR-A) and at lower prices. A clean Japanese-domestic NA or NB landed in Canada in 2026 is often a better car for the money than an equivalent American-market car. This is its own small market and worth understanding if you're shopping the older generations seriously.
Soft top vs. RF
The ND comes in two roof configurations, the traditional fabric soft top and the RF (Retractable Fastback), which is a power-folding hardtop that gives the car a targa-like profile when up. The choice between them is one of the only meaningful Miata decisions the buyer has to make.
I think the soft top is the right answer for most buyers. It's lighter, it folds with one hand from the driver's seat, the insulation is genuinely good for a fabric roof, and the silhouette is the original Miata silhouette. The RF is heavier, more expensive, and the operation requires the car to be stopped under 10 km/h. The tradeoff for the RF is theft resistance, slightly better refinement at highway speeds, and the look, which some buyers prefer.
If you live in a city where street parking is your default, the RF is a defensible choice on security alone. If you have a driveway or a garage, the soft top is the move.
The trade-offs (honest)
The Miata is not for everyone, and the case for it is most credible when the case against is also clear.
It's a two-seater. No back seat, no real luggage, can't fit a car seat. This eliminates it as a daily for any family situation. A Miata is a second car or a one-life-stage-only car. Most Carsmenskii clients who actually buy a Miata pair it with a four-door something for the rest of life.
It's slow on paper. 181 hp is more than enough on a back road. It is not enough to feel fast on the German Autobahn or the I-5 between Vancouver and Seattle. If your driving is mostly long-distance highway, the Miata's strengths don't show up. There are quieter, more powerful sport coupes for that brief.
The cabin is small. If you're 6'3" or taller, the Miata is borderline. Above 6'5" it doesn't really work. There's no good fix for this; the wheelbase is short and the car is built around a 5'9" driver.
The look is polarising. Some buyers look at a Miata and see a cheap car. Some look at it and see the most thoughtful object on the lot. The badge does not impress dinner-party guests. If that bothers you, this is the wrong car. If it doesn't, the Miata is a quietly luxurious thing to spend your money on; it's just luxurious in the engineering, not the marketing.
What I'd actually buy
Three answers depending on your budget.
Under $25k: a clean ND1 (2016-2018) with the older 155 hp engine. The chassis is identical to the ND2; the engine is fine, just less aggressive. These are now in the $20-25k range with reasonable mileage. Best Miata-per-dollar in the current market.
$28-38k: a used ND2 Club or GS-P (2019-2022). The Club spec gets you the Bilstein dampers, a limited-slip differential, and the chassis bracing that makes the car feel meaningfully more focused. This is the version most enthusiasts actually want.
$40-50k: a new or near-new ND2 GT or RF GT. New they're $42-46k Canadian; the depreciation curve is so flat that buying new is more defensible than it is for almost any other car at this price. You will lose less money over five years on a new Miata than you will on a new BMW.
The Miata isn't the right car for most people. It's the right car for people whose driving lives well-engineered things doing exactly what they say they're going to do. Thirty-six years in, that group has not gotten smaller, and the case for the car has not gotten weaker. If anything, the disappearance of the surrounding category has made the Miata more important, not less.
The ND will end eventually. The replacement is rumoured to be a hybrid, which raises the floor on weight and cost. The 2025-2027 ND2 may be the last truly light, truly simple, truly affordable two-seater roadster ever sold new in volume. That alone is reason to take the question seriously.
If you're considering one and want a second pair of eyes on the specific car, book a call. If you want to think about the broader cheap-enthusiast question, the keep-don't-upgrade essay is a good companion read.
