[Johnny Horsepower]

I'm in the market for a new car, after my FR-S was flooded. While another FR-S/BRZ/86 is a possibility, it looks like I would likely have to get one with far more miles than mine had (6,100 when purchased, 9,800 when totaled, MY 2015), and possibly pay more to boot (paid $20K for mine). That feels like adding insult to injury.

The problem though is that I'm really picky about cars, and the FR-S was the only car on my short list last time. So the big question was, is there any other car out there that can thrill me for around the same price? I rushed out to test drive a Miata, because I was just looking for a quick yes or no on this question.

While I've heard great things about the Miata, I was still concerned because I've always heard you have to get it with a stick, which I have strong reservations about. My friend showed me how to drive a stick one day. And while I didn't want to go back to my automatic afterwards, I was far from fully confident with a stick, didn't try hills or traffic, didn't know about rev matching, and certainly didn't try heel toeing. And it was 15 years ago.

Anyway, I got into a 2019 Miata Grand Touring automatic, and my god, it was a blast to drive! Forgive me for saying this, but it was more fun than the FR-S. The FR-S is a super cool car, but it's only particularly fun above 5,000 RPMs or when taking turns too fast. The Miata is fun at all times.

Speaking just for myself, I feel that the auto FR-S has to be driven in manual mode, otherwise there's not much point of having that car. But I didn't get that feeling at all with the Miata. I kept it in D and while I sure noticed the peppy engine, I wasn't really thinking about the revs, but was focused on the handling and the open roof. I tried the paddle shifters briefly and they don't seem nearly as good as the ones on the FR-S, but I don't know if I would even use them. I'm still not ruling out the possibility of getting a manual, but the automatic is terrific.

While the Miata is my top choice right now, I had never considered one before. One reason was I don't find it much to look at, but that's less important to me now. I guess I got it out of my system, having owned a beautiful FR-S. Another reason was the price. While certainly affordable, it's a go-kart and I was expecting go-kart pricing, not for it to cost as much as a car.

Another reason is the attached, from the 2018 Consumer Reports auto issue. Please explain the poor reliability rating, as I always hear people saying it has great reliability. In the 2019 auto issue, it got a single green up arrow for reliability. Did something just go wrong in 2018?