2013 MX5 Thrashed in Super Slow Motion! Plus a comparison with the FT86! [VIDEO]

[iLuveKetchup]

If I were to buy a new car now, it would the be MX-5 Club (non hardtop). It's like an s2k without the theft issue and the 'hellaflusha' stigma.

[Rosso_Corsa]

Thanks for the comments, guys. The price and equipment level on this car felt really sparse to me, that was one big downside. On this mid-level GS trim, it was 36,000 as tested plus tax (canadian prices). The brz here in top trim fully equipped works out to 31,000 plus tax. You get the folding top in the miata, but you lose xenon lights, heated seats, bluetooth, navi, leather/alcantara seats, auto climate and other basic amenities. But otherwise, what a sweet car to drive with the top down.

I guess it's not really an apples to apples comparison until we see the 86 convertible (if ever) and in the meantime, that's the price premium for a drop top.

[InvalidJohnny5]

Honestly a Miata seems way too overpriced for what it is. 36 for a highly impractical softtop? I understand that it is a driver's car, but I could get a used Cayman S for 27k. I noticed you drive the same year Cayman I've driven; I would consider a Miata at 22k though.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by InvalidJohnny5

Honestly a Miata seems way too overpriced for what it is. 36 for a highly impractical softtop? I understand that it is a driver's car, but I could get a used Cayman S for 27k. I noticed you drive the same year Cayman I've driven; I would consider a Miata at 22k though.

which conveniently is just about how much the club is going for. you can get the sport for under 20k. im sure things are different in canada though. the whole msrp thing makes the frs look like a good deal but the pure pricing kinda negates that for most of the year.

either way its just nice to have a win win type deal

[SpeedLab]

I'll tell you, i came up on the hard decision between these two cars. I ultimately chose the fr-s because it felt "tighter" out of the box, can take it right on a track without adding roll-bar, etc. I think i am regretting my decision though...

[chickdigger802]

miatas are great. the best convertibles you can buy new. but alas still a convertible. the damn best weekend fun fun car you can get on a budget though.

[n2oinferno]

Before the twins were unleashed upon the world, I wanted a PRHT MX5. Still do, really. I barely fit in them though, and even with the seat all the way down and back my knees are just about in the dashboard. Although a backseat isn't a requirement for my vehicle, it's nice to know I could cart the kiddos around if I needed to. So FRS/BRZ it is.

[Rosso_Corsa]

Originally Posted by n2oinferno

Before the twins were unleashed upon the world, I wanted a PRHT MX5. Still do, really. I barely fit in them though, and even with the seat all the way down and back my knees are just about in the dashboard. Although a backseat isn't a requirement for my vehicle, it's nice to know I could cart the kiddos around if I needed to. So FRS/BRZ it is.

Yes, I noticed this as well. Pretty amazing how much roomier the 86 feels right after the MX-5 and the 86 isn't a particularly big car.

[thill]

The cheapest Miata I could find near the Twin Cities (new) was $24K. The cheapest BRZ I could find was $22,900 for a Premium (new).

Miata definitely seems overpriced.

[fitcious]

what kind of jacket is that?

[dem00n]

Originally Posted by thill

The cheapest Miata I could find near the Twin Cities (new) was $24K. The cheapest BRZ I could find was $22,900 for a Premium (new).

Miata definitely seems overpriced.

That is true but you could pick up a used one for a solid 3K.

[yuicebox]

I came to the FRS from a 2012 NC PRHT (power retractable hard top). This guy's review is spot on.

It's nothing like the 86, but it's also a kick-ass driving experience. I think he summarized it really well at the end. With the top down in a miata, things really just do feel right in the world. It's a hugely relaxing experience and it's also a kick-ass driving experience. My only real qualm with the miata was the body roll, which could easily be addressed with some minor suspension mods / sway bars.


The main reason I made the jump to the 86 was because I was just too tall for a miata. I'm 6'6", and with the PRHT up, my head touched the roof. Also, I couldn't really do many track events in it because I couldn't have a proper roll bar under the PRHT and most tracks require that.

Also, because racecar.

[ubersoph]

If I could fit in a miata with the top up, I think I'd be sitting in a miata instead of a BRZ. Both cars are great great cars, but in the BRZ, EVERYTHING IS SO SERIOUS OMG ITS A CORNER LETS ATTACK.

In the the Miata its like.. omgomgomgomgcorner lets go around that corner c'mon lets go one more go go gooooooo.

[OrangeJuleas]

Originally Posted by Rosso_Corsa

If I could have only one car, it would still be an '86, no question. Stiffer, bigger, more spacious inside, more practical, better interior, newer, the list goes on. But considered purely as a driving experience, I think the MX-5 offers a REALLY compelling alternative to enjoy. They are so different that I would actually consider having BOTH. I love this car!

So... would you rock an MX5? Would the girlier image of the car put you off?

I have both (well, a '97 NA, not a new Miata), and I love them both. The Miata (with its little engine that could) is just a pleasure to drive. I didn't know what people were talking about until I got one. It's like riding a little pony. My girlfriend loves it.

Girlier image? Huh? I agree with the others, although I did buy it from a girl, she wasn't very girly...and she knew how to drive a 5spd. A man's woman, for sure. I know it gets the image because of its wide-eyed look and small, cutesy body without tons of horsepower-adding vents and stickers, but it was designed to embrace the spirit of driving, in the purest sense. And that is not girly. Corollas are girly. Jettas are girly. Cars that only get you from point A to B are girly. The MX-5 is not that car.

We American men have terrible priorites. Don't ask for our collective taste in cars. Have you even seen DONKs? 300C's with Bentley grilles and dare I say, spinners? We are obsessed with the idea that more expensive (and more horsepower/concentrated essence of testicles) is better. Most of us have no idea what driving is about. Those of us that do are here, and we don't see the Miata as girly .