How long do mazda miatas last

For some, Miata ownership is a stepping stone, a sort of sports-car training wheels on the way to picking up a used Corvette. For others, the joy of Miata ownership never fades. Here's a breakdown of plus years of Mazda's roadster. View Photos. Later MX-5s became progressively more athletic, but the first-generation car is a bit like a puppy.

It might not be as well-coordinated and grown-up as the rest of the bunch, but it's absolutely the most fun to fling around on a backroad. This is the car that brought back the essence of the lightweight British sports car, with some much-needed reliability baked in. From the outset, it was an unqualified sales smash, with some , of them sold between as a model year and That makes the NA the most popular of all four generations of MX-5, and the one that remains the cheapest on the used market.

But not forever. It's not like it's a secret that Miatas are great fun on the cheap, which means that they're often snapped up as a second car and flogged to death. Finding a clean first-generation Miata, especially an unmodified example, can take a bit of hunting. Having said that, part of the joy and delight about a Miata is that you don't have to be precious about it. Drive it in all weather, modify it, take it autocrossing and lapping, and put your dog in the passenger seat.

It's just as much fun as it looks. Early Miatas came with a zingy 1. Both variants of NA Miata are pretty slow, despite the car's low weight around lbs. Note that putting a lightweight flywheel in the later 1. Also starting in , the Miata M Edition had a host of cosmetic add-ons like a wooden shift knob and parking brake handle. Over the years, there were many special edition Miatas, and they command a price bump over more basic models.

Check to make sure it has either a viscous 1. You can't get a full stock of new parts for your Miata, but thanks to Mazda's Japan-only for now NA restoration program , a host of Miata parts have gone back into production. If you're refreshing a tired car, most of the stuff you need can be picked up at your local Mazda dealership. Being one of the most popular enthusiast machines of all time means that there's a huge wealth of knowledge to draw on.

I'm at ,xxx miles and a lot of them since I got the car at , have been hard. I had one engine go out at about ,xxx but that almost certainly had something to do with the 10, rpm over rev when I lost my brakes. Basically, it all depends on maintenance. Expect almost every part to give up at some point. Replace the bits that need replacing with better-than-OE quality and the car will keep getting better with age instead of worse. Current: '94 C package, '06 Xterra Next: Cobra Life is too short to settle for understeer - Ted.

Really starting to kinda be scared away from this. Never actually purchased a used car with this high of miles and I think I know why.

Just so much to go wrong that yall are pointing out, I guess it was a fun idea but seems like I'm passing on this one.

Usually, you'll find that spending another on a lower-miles example will save you spending that on repairing things on the cheaper one over the next few years. But you may not want to spend more than right now, and could more easily spend that now and the over the next couple of years on repairs.

One thing about all cars -- they wear out because of miles, but also because of pure age. I've had a few niggling problems on a car I have that's 11 years old but only had 17k miles on it when I bought it this year.

No way those items would have failed in 17k miles if those miles had been put on in the first couple of years. So even if you buy an 80, mile 97 Miata, expect to have some things fail. Shouldn't be catastrophic, but just don't spend ALL your money on the initial purchase. Heck, once the mod-bug hits you won't even think about the cost of repairs -- that will be a tiny fraction of what you spend.

The paint was bad, the car had been sitting, and the tires were cracked. While adding 40, miles to the car I have replaced the following: - Tires - Radiator hoses - Heater hoses caused a breakdown before I changed them - Thermostat - Water pump another breakdown - Timing belt may as well change it when doing the water pump - plugs - wires - gas cap - windshield wipers - brake pads I have not regreted my purchase once.

Not even when it popped a heater hose on my way to LA and made me late for a job. And oil I have replaced the oil and filters too. T Squared. How long do they last? Look no further than the front page of Miata. What the others have posted above is true. I have properly maintained my since new and it performs as new at , miles and it is not babied.

It uses no oil and doesn't use up or leak any other fluids. The top is in like-new condition and still seals out rain, even in the heaviest downpours. Heck, I'm even still on the original clutch and I daily drive in heavy stop and go traffic. I don't know what part of Texas you are in, but there are a lot of Miata's in the Austin area, so there may be a healthy sales market here, too.

A year-old Miata with , miles on it still has a lot of life left in it. But unless you can do your own wrenching, you are not a good candidate for getting that life out of the car. This goes for all cars, not just Miatas. Search titles only. Search Advanced search…. All Forums. Log in. Install the app. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.

You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. How long will a Miata Last? TankerIP Member. What's reasonable mileage for a Miata before needing new engine or other really major work?

I might want to make an offer. It's cute and hopefully cheap, but will it quit in six months? Any tips? KpaBap Banned. Forbes reports that its low price tag is another selling point among car shoppers. As it turns out, the Mazda MX-5 Miata is pretty reliable too. The only model to earn less than a perfect score was the Miata, which earned a four out of five reliability rating.