Can you blame me?
I’m starting to get frustrated my 1994 Mazda Miata. How can you hate a car that most automotive journalists say is the answer to every question? Call it lack of patience. Call it winter blues. Call it whatever you want, but it’s started to wear on me. Sun, please come out!
Top 6 Reasons:
- Leaking Roof: Google leaking roof Mazda Miata and you’ll find hundreds of forum threads about the topic. It’s something that happens with all Miata’s and it sucks. It even has a hard top, and the roof freaking leaks. Now I’ll spend my weekend spraying water at the damn thing trying to find the leak. (Update: Found the passenger floor soaking wet this weekend too – awesome!)
- Lifter Noise: The first generation Miata is notorious for having issues with the hydraulic lifters. If you Google this issue there are again thousands of forum threads on the topic, yet no one knows how to solve the issue. See a trend here?
- Stereo Sucks: Mazda actually wired my stereo from the factory incorrectly. I had to consult the brilliant Jeff Anderson to get the headrest speakers working properly. How is is that even possible?
- Track Illegal: The only place you can race your NA Miata is in a Wal-Mart parking lot for an autocross event. In order to race on a proper track, you need a roll bar in your car. What kind of shit is that?
- MPG: I’m getting terrible mpg for a 1.8-liter four-cylinder 2,200 lb car – 21.25 mpg average over 6 months.
- Rattles: The car shakes, rattles and rolls so much that you’d think it was assemble during an earthquake.
I don’t have any plans to sell my car anytime soon, but if the Miata makes one more bad move it might be Dodge city for me.
The answer is 350Z.