I'm 5'11" and am no longer 160lbs, which my wife reminds me of whenever she can I think it depends on how that weight and length is distributed. If you wear a 34" inseam pair of jeans you may have a problem fitting in the Miata.

 

I do wear a 34" inseam (6'0") and could not get comfortable enough to even want to go for a test ride.

 

My wife and I test drove a Miata and found it to be underpowered and full of rattles, with an exceedingly small trunk. We then test drove a BMW M roadster. It is the same length and width as the Miata, weighs about 800 pounds more, has a lot more power, and no rattles, along with an acceptable trunk. We bought a 2000 M roadster. It is a lot of fun to drive, although it is not roomy inside. However, it is no match for our 2002 Z06.

 

I owned a Miata for a year, used it as a daily driver as I had a long commute. I also got a crazy good deal on it.

Having said that, I don't understand the car mags longstanding love affair with the car.

It is very small and after and the seats aren't great. After half an hour my back would start to hurt. Leg room was poor for me and I'm just 6' tall.

It is underpowered. I spent more time with that car floored than any other car I've ever owned.

Handling is barely ok with the stock suspension. I swapped out the sway bars for RX8 sways and it was much better.

Under 80 mph with the new sways it was good but over 80 I thought the handling was atrocious. Braking was excellent.

The top is easy to flip up and down, the shifter is balky until the trans warms and the quality of material befits an inexpensive car.

In fairness, its the most raced car in the world. Spec Miata is very popular and since the car is cheap to start and suspension upgrades are readily available you can get one on the track for a lot less than trying to race a vette, for example.

 

I would say that for the 1.6 gal difference the vette is still ahead of the game. Lets see, Vette or Maita..... Vette....

 

I have a Miata and a 2001 c5 and I am 5'9" and 168. The Miata fits me just right, is extremely reliable and fun. But when it comes to long trips my wife and I always take the Corvette.

 

That's exactly why I bought my Vette. Now, if I can just overcome the power seat problems and the battery drain I'll be good to go.

 

I thought a few about how to reply.....but I think this may be spot on

 

I believe some of these posts are in poor taste. As a vette owner and car enthusiast, I appreciate all types of vehicles and never make generalizations about the people that may own them.

With that being said, my son, who is not gay and not that it would matter, owns a 2007 Miata MX5 and absolutely loves it. Prior to that he had an '85 lowered Chevy P/U. He also loves Vettes, but having just graduated college, the Miata gives him the most bang for his buck.

I have to admit that I'm impressed with the Miata's styling, handling, performance, (given that it is only a 4 banger), and the ease at which the soft top opens and closes. I wish my targa top was as easy to remove and replace. Don't get me wrong, I personally would never opt for a Miata in place of my Vette but I would never look down or bash on someone who owned someting other than a Vette.

My son is 6' and a tad over 200lbs and has no problem fitting in the car and driving it for long commutes. However, as a passenger, I'm also 6' and just shy of 200lbs, I find it a wee bit cramped but not unbearable. For that matter, the passenger side of the Vette is less comfortable for me than the drivers side.

Can you honestly compare a Miata, which sells for half the cost, to a Vette? Test drive one and then make an educated evaulation.

Besides, it seems like I see as many women driving Vettes as men. Does that make our cars any less desirable to all those Macho Men?

 

Bwahaaaaa.....

 

GM did it up right when it came to creating the C5 economy car.

 

Jeez, what's this forum coming to? Miatas? Men are actually bragging about their MIATAS! C'mon, at least I have a little respect for the Mustang owners, but MIATAS!? You guys should turn in your man cards first thing tomorrow. Maybe you should ask your wives and girlfriends to give you back your ******** while you're at it. This is worse than discussing cupholders for a c5.

 

Well I was really bragging about how my Corvette got nearly as good a mileage as my Miata. But the facts are they are both great but very different cars. Both are fun to drive, the Corvette costs twice as much and needs a lot more tlc. But its a Corvette...American muscle V8 and the looks....... that makes it worth it to me. The Miata is a great little car needs little maintenance and driving it keeps the miles off my Corvette.

As far as "gay' I was told once that if you are under 40 and drove a Miata you might be gay. If you are older than 40 and drove one you didn't give a $hit what people thought. Guess which age group I am in.

 

Under 40? , Just yanking your chain.

 

40+ and gay?

 

I have three Corvettes, a Viper and a Miata. The Miata's are exceptional roadsters. Very precise handling, great braking and surprising quick on a road coarse where they can hold their own against more powerful cars. There are more Mazda's racing on any given day in the world than any other brand.

Very high quality components in the drive train and body. I will say with confidence that their engineering is a few levels above GM's product.

Mazda rewards their engineers to design a part that has the strength of the existing part but weighs less. They nick name it designing by the ounce.

They have been around for 22 years now. Their competitors like the Toyota MR2 and Honda S2000 failed.

By the way check NADA and other sources for resale value. They out perform the Vette by a big percentage.

I enjoy all sports cars for what they are. Brand bashing is just for the immature narrow minds. What they say is a reflection on their character and not the thing that they are dissing.

 

Well you are half right and I'm not gay

 

We went from a 2004 miata to our Vette.The MX5was a great little sportscar,it simply lacked the power I wanted! Did he have a 5 or 6 speed?

 

I bet they drive you crazy.

 

A Miata may be the best car ever made, but come on folks, this is a Corvette website. I would have expected a lot more crude responses and anyone talking up a Miata here should expect the same.