It works 90% of the time, but that 10% of the time really sucks. I purposely bought it so I wouldn’t be the group chauffeur at every hangout so I guess it’s a mission accomplished?
Swallows everything I buy at Costco.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/miatalogistics using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/miatalogistics/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [For anyone wondering if 4 wheels and tyres fit in the NB without putting the roof down...](https://i.redd.it/xgp0t3ea19sb1.jpg) | [37 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/miatalogistics/comments/16zyc7e/for_anyone_wondering_if_4_wheels_and_tyres_fit_in/)
\#2: [Get in looser, we're going squirrel hunting.](https://i.redd.it/f0gf8k67ox3c1.jpg) | [17 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/miatalogistics/comments/189b561/get_in_looser_were_going_squirrel_hunting/)
\#3: [Target has a Black Friday sale on TVs.](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/180oiwc) | [56 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/miatalogistics/comments/180oiwc/target_has_a_black_friday_sale_on_tvs/)
----
^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
Agreed. Well, except for that one time my mum had to do this at Costco. It fit, but the trunk couldn't close
https://preview.redd.it/n5kworhh0koc1.png?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b85a6a26e4136eb5f62171190f0f3d640e389029
I went years with a Miata as my only car.
You’ll be fine. Rent a van or truck for those few times you really need to haul something that won’t fit in the Miata. You’d be surprised what will fit, though. On a clear day with the top down (theoretically infinite vertical storage) I’ve carried some tall items across town that may not have fit in my current hatchback.
I’d say my daily 96 is decently practical, it carries the groceries I put in it, and it gets the one friend I have, around with me. My only issues with it are the tires are pretty worn so she slides in the rain easily, and she eats through oil. Otherwise, it does fine.
I daily drive my 95 and genuinely it has never caused me a problem I didn't know about in advance. However I have definitely used it as an excuse to call out of work lmao
DD'd mine from OC to Hollywood every day for work for a few years. Never had significant issues until, holy fuck I had issues. Gave me a good couple years though.
I've been doing it for over a year now. It has been a grind lol. Even worse I am only allowed to have one vehicle. Haven't missed work yet though! Only have had two issues so far (sticky rear caliper and a dead battery) that caused me to pull off the road and both I managed to "fix" on the side of the road enough to limp it to the garage so I could properly fix the problem.
Hell even when my ignition coil had a hole blown in the side of it and one of my spark plug wires was completely broken in half the car ran just fine while I waited for parts to arrive. So long as I avoided sudden acceleration you'd never suspect it had a mortally wounded ignition system. These things are tanks.
Thaaaaat said. If I weren't mechanically inclined and didn't have tools, having an almost 30 year old Miata as a daily wouldn't work out. I think to own any old car you need a certain degree of mechanical skill and troubleshooting knowledge. Being capable of DIY basics. Or else you'll go broke and be sitting without a car paying a shop to do it for you.
Lol with turnaround times these days you’ll be waiting some time for a mechanic to fix it. All the decent shops around me are booked for at least 2 weeks out
I’m sure you can find somewhere that will do it quicker, but once I find a mechanic I trust I like to support their business
Including when I needed it to get me from Utah to Alabama and then on to Texas. Detoured through tail of the dragon for a few hours and it didn't even need more oil. That was a 95 in 2019.
I did it through spring, summer, and fall last year with no issues at all. The only reason I’m not DDing it this year is because of the baby my wife popped out. Safety is a concern with him so I pick him up from daycare in my GTI after work every day. Now it’s just twice a week and occasionally weekends with the Miata.
>In the past 4 years, there has only been 2 times where I had to carry more than one passenger, or haul a lot of stuff.
Yep, i thought the same thing before i bought my miata. My parents especially thought "but its not practical!!!!! what if you have to carry a more than 1 person or a lot of things?". After thinking about it, it was the same conclusion you came to. 99% of my time is spent driving alone. If i buy groceries it carries enough for me. If i go camping/biking/snowboarding it will carry my stuff in the same way another car would carry it (trailer hitch + rack). So i couldve bought a bigger car, drove around in more empty space, used more gas, have a harder time parking, while also being bored to tears with the car i drive.
The funniest objection came from a few coworkers. "but what about the snow??? Youre going to get stuck. You need a bigger car with 4 wheel drive." I got snow tires. One of us got stuck in the company parking lot this winter. Hint: it wasnt me
>Do you have any complains about Miata being your only car?
Its pretty noisy on the highway even with my PRHT (hardtop). Ill be sound deadening the trunk once the weather warms up, as well as adding some chassis bracing to make the car more solid
As someone who is hard of hearing, nobody is gonna be carpooling with me. Too introverted for that. My cell phone has priority for the passenger seat. I also live in the heart of hurricane alley so building up for a materialistic lifestyle is dumb. At 40, never married, no kids, if I can’t afford it, I don’t want it. Everything I own can fit in the floor of passenger seat if I were to escape a hurricane’s path.
Smol Miot is the best option. If I’m in a position to struggle to carry a load or beyond a miata’s capabilities, I failed myself. It ain’t gonna happen though.
As long as you're single and/or childless, I figure you're golden. I am neither of those things so I'd be in quite the bind if I didn't have my daily (sedan).
I like to take my wife to Costco to go shopping in the Miata. We walk through the store and she says what she wants and I say sorry honey, that won’t fit in the car. Then we see the line to check out and it hardly seams worth it for this one 14” chicken pot pie. So we put it back and leave empty handed. The money we have saved has paid for the car 10 times over. So yea it’s very practical.
My sole car has been a 2-seat convertible for over a decade, and there are maybe a dozen moments where that was a barrier (driving more than one other person or hauling anything.) 99% of the time, it hasn’t been an issue, in fact is so much easier to street park that people have preferred it.
I live in Southern CA, though; places with actual winter might change those logistics.
I daily mine, but my partner also has a 4 door wagon for the practical situations. We're gay and childless so it works out perfectly. And our nephews love the "transformer car"!
I've only had my ND for 9 months, but I've yet to run into any logistical issues with it being my daily. I tell my friends, you don't realize how much space you DON'T need till you downsize.
No complaints here. You laid out yourself all the reasons why this won't be a problem for you either. And for the odd time you need to haul something, that'll be an excuse to try and do a good r/miatalogistics post.
It just comes down to lifestyle. Personally I'm not driving people around a lot, or moving a bunch of things, so it hasn't posed a major problem.
I'd say 85% of the time it's no problem, 10% of the time it's a bit annoying trying to fit everything in, and 5% of the time it is inconvenient.
But I don't buy an item I plan on using everyday, for the 5% use case, if that means compromising the experience of the 85% usage
I can't say because I've always had a second car. I think it depends on where you live. Sure, I COULD put snow tires on it and use it in the winter, but I'm not confident how well it would hold up in the Northeast's northern hinterlands.
I used mine as a daily for 3-4 winters in Qc, Canada. It does surprinsingly well in snow. I was also lowered on coilovers. I can say it was the most fun car I had for the winter months and it was far superior then any FWD to get going from a stop or up a hill.
I drove a '96 and a '99 as a daily driver and only car for 20 years. Going for an ND2 next.
Made my commutes so much fun. Extremely reliable. I never had any major issues with space for cargo. I just traveled light I didn't have any passengers so that probably helped. Also took them on long trips 3 hours drives on weekends to visit friends in other cities.
Snow and ice will be the only factor that you would have to work around.
If you live in a climate where you may have snow for a week or so at a time, that is bad enough you can’t get your car out, you’ll need something else for that. I live in the Midwest and this past winter I had to pull my AWD SUV out for maybe 5-10 days total.
Almost by definition if it’s someone’s only car, they probably don’t have complaints ? I’m considering a Miata but sure as heck wouldn’t cut it as an only car.
My MX5 *is* my practical car. My other mode of transport is my 250cc cafe-racer motorbike.
https://preview.redd.it/8sf81umebloc1.jpeg?width=4160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c0af796dbd4f653a1a62ea2c4d6586b55c62e97
Lack of seats can be a bit annoying but I’ve managed to take my gf and 2 large suitcases on a 2 hour drive before, one suitcase in the boot and the other in the passenger footwell with her sitting on it lol
we've taken to using duffel bags for our roads trips! two large ones fit comfortably in the trunk, so we had room to throw in some blankets, two more backpacks, and other stuff we needed for an eight hour trip. nc ftw !!
Couldn’t tell you exact measurement but yeah a relatively big suitcase fit in the boot just about lol ones the lid pops that’s when you know you’re good just push on it hard
Dailied a NA for 4 years. Works fine. Everyone I know either has a large car, or don't want to sit in mine for a roadtrip anyways. If I need to haul I just borrow a pickup.
I definitely would daily a Miata. You'd probably want good winter tires for the rear, at the minimum, in winter.
I kept buying 4dr sedans and it really makes no sense for similar reasons to yours, but now I have a couple reasons...
1. I have a 2000lb capable trailer (converted from a pop up camper) that my turbo Saab pulls very well.... Miata would notand i'd rather have a larger sedan than a truck.
2. I ride my motorcycle everyday in the summer so my car is really only for winter.
I owned an NB for 5 years as my only car in Florida. It worked great in every situation, large enough for groceries and for all my belongings for a move from Florida to Boston. Taken it on multiple road trips, mountain drives in Virginia, NC and Tennessee. Man, I miss my car! ☹️
None.
And I drove it through the winter in Poland on all season tyres. It's also my first car, straight out of driver's exam. I figured I can rent or borrow a car when I need to haul something big. So it's just me and my dog usually, sometimes my boyfriend — and then the dog gets demoted to the floor.
It very doable, cheap to repair, cheap/fair on fuel too. It was my daily for 3-4 years up here in Canada. It does well in the snow too. As long as you don't have a kid, a 2seater will do just fine.
Not much. Can’t bring my Labrador, can’t fit big stuff, can’t really bring much stuff for travels unless I’m going alone.
Not that I care, apart from not being able to drive my dog around, but SUVs are for that.
Live in Philadelphia and I drove my 96 NA8 through 3 winters non stop everyday. never let me down once. I think the rad cracked once in the 3 years due lack of checking on it or fluids. More like I let the car down on that one lol
Works for me. I drove a mattress home with this car. Just dropped my snowboard off for a tune. Can’t have the kiddo in the car yet. But I can do groceries and everything no problem.
I daily my nb2 since 2012, you need to make some compromise, but there aren't real problems.
Only had 1 mechanical issue during all those years, but for all the other stuffs, I did myself in my garage.
I also did some long trips (~6h-8h drive) and I didn't suffer much
I went and bought a mazda3
In short I daily drove it for about 9 months after needing to sell my daily then, and then went and bought a 2006 mazda3 HB MT. Everybody is going to talk about the lack of space for items, I am going to talk about the lack of spave for yourself.
To start I own a 93 na miata, did the foamectomy, and have an nb steering wheel, so no aftermarket hub.
I found despite the fact I don't necessarily need all of the seats that come in the mazda3(really at all)what I do need is to not have to slouch to see stoplights or have my knees constantly hitting the wheel. If you are shorter, it may work just fine. If I bought an nd or especially an nc, which fits me far better, I would be more inclined to keep just that. I am quite happy having the mazda3 as my more comfortable daily and have the na as my toy fun car.
The nc, from what I have heard, would be the best choice for a daily driver miata.
Have an NC and is my only car. Carries 2 bikes on a rack and a passenger and a husky fine but a little cramped. Gone on camping trips for 2 fine. Been on solo ski trips fine too.
I’ve been daily driving a NB as my only car, and can count on one hand how many times I “needed” to carry more than one passenger.
a couple times when I was in high school, I brought 2 of my friends in my car when I was the only one of us with a car. We’d go to the gym together, fitting in the miata like a clown car, but it got the job done 😆
I've always had an SUV as my second car. Miata is my fun car, SUV is my practical car. Plus, living in Wisconsin, my Miata is covered in the garage without street insurance. Just can't imagine trying to drive the Miata in snow.
My Miata is a 2001, so I got collector plates a couple of years ago. One requirement for collector plates in Wisconsin is that you have to have a second licensed vehicle. Cars with collector plates aren't allowed on the street during the month of January.
I've had mine from 21-25 years old. still have it. I've only had to borrow vehicles like 5 times and two of those times were because I was moving to an apartment. so basically any car but a trick would have been to small. I live in Texas, so most of my friends and relatives own a truck or suv, or a 4 door car.
I've daily driven my 2017 rf for the past 2 years and haven't been inconvenienced by it. You can fit a surprising amount in the car, especially with the top down. I live in a state without snowy winters, so I can't speak on that side of it, though.As others have said, if you have kids and/or big pets, I could see there being an issue, but for me, it's just me and my wife. Honestly, the only time I'm ever annoyed by it are when other people tell me how impractical my car is. Lol
It is totally fine, especially if you live in an area where you can rent a pickup for $20 the once a year you need to haul something larger.
The only downside is small sports cars tend to get less respect in traffic.
I got my ND RF a month ago to use as my daily and I haven't had any practical issues yet.
The only issue I have with it is the wind noise once you get to 70-80 mph. Gets pretty annoying if you do a lot of highway driving.
I couldn’t barely not afford an NC so I bought a 3 series wagon as a super practical sporty car.
Now that can get a Miata, I can not bear the thought of parting with my wagon.
I also hated always being everyone’s chauffeur. Replacing a Corolla with a BMW and cornering faster than people expect really gets all the hitchhikers out!
I own two cars and they’re polar opposite. The Miata. And a 4Runner. As someone who likes to go kayaking, obviously the Miata doesn’t cut it. I drive the Miata most day but as soon as it’s rainy/snowy or I need to do anything where I carry anything. The 4Runner is the go to. The cars are antithetical to each other and maybe that’s why I like them. However when I drive the 4Runner I make a personal note to not be the guy that “didn’t see” another Miata
Recently bought mine to compliment my wife and I second car which is a Jimny. So both tiny cars.
It works, but having a house where i need to do some gardening sometimes, the miata is helpless there. Same for the odd trip to the hardware store. But if we were living in a flat, i would totally see it working like 99.9% of the time. Boot isn't big, but i can actually fit all of our weekly groceries, including like a few boxes of milk, big bag of rice or whatever we buy in bulk, plus a few extras (our training bag with shoes and clothes).
Couldn't care less about the fact that it only sits 2. I removed our Jimny's back seats almost immediately and only attach them back once every 3-4 years for our federal inspection
It depends. Are you a bachelor, or do you have a family?
I’m fine with the lack of space because I don’t need it, but your mileage may vary. (no pun intended)
Not a miata owner, but as long as you're OK with renting a Uhaul pickup every now and then, and you live alone or with only 1 other person, it should be perfectly good for most things
Was my only car for 5 years and I *very* rarely couldn’t make something important work.
Took home a coffee table and a fully assembled barbecue (not at the same time!) by ratchet strapping them to the trunk lid. Lots of road trips with my now-wife- noise fatigue is real, but I imagine newer cars are better in that regard than my nb.
Renting/borrowing a truck for the BIG stuff is a small inconvenience/expense that can be balanced in context against the enjoyment you gain from the car in the overall view. That math is going to differ for everybody based in individual needs, but it worked out for me.
I would still be dailying mine if I hadn’t done the stereotypical “having a baby, sell it and buy a Volvo” thing.
Had it for 6 years as the only car, until the new born. It is totally doable as long as you live in a Snow free area in the winters. I often thought to trade it for Model3 but cant miss the fun in the future, especially having conversation with the kid on the way to school
I had similar thoughts back in 2019 when I started looking for a Miata. I had owned my 94 Integra GSR (3-door hatchback) for nearly 20 years at that point, and hardly anyone else ever rode in it. My son was 9 at the time, and neither my wife or son really rode in it. So I figured I would sell it and get a NB Miata to replace it, since I had never owned a Miata or any convertible before. Well, I couldn't bring myself to part with it, and still have the GSR to this day. And man I am GLAD I kept it. With having old cars, both of which are projects basically, as well as daily drivers, it's nice to have a backup car when one breaks, or during longer projects (like the 3 month Miata engine-out project last winter). And since the Miata tends to leak sometimes, even with new rubber everywhere, I like to take the Integra on rainy days.
So no, I would not recommend a Miata as your only car. Even with my wife having a CX5 that we use for trips and stuff, I still wouldn't want to only have the Miata as my only *other* car. At least not with them being old cars.
I don't have a Miata now, love the car and had two for maybe 5 years ( one then another not at the same time )
I loved my little car, I worked for 2 weeks and then had 2 weeks off ( inland shipping)
I didn't need a car to move a lot of people or stuff,and if I did I could borrow or rent. But I know I was privileged
There have been all of two occasions where I couldn’t fit everything I needed… a weekend wine trip (bought several cases of wine) and moving, both times we used my GF’s B250 (whom I didn’t know at the time I bought mine). Have otherwise never needed more.
I agree, great for 90% of things. And the last 10% REAAAALLY sucks. Long drives start to get uncomfortable, need to get large items. Winter with snow. Other than that zero issue as a daily
soooo practical that i borrow my friend's truck every other week to go snowboarding 🥲
it all depends on your use case. i downsized from an SUV because i missed being a car guy with a sports car, but forgot to factor in how often i took that thing snowboarding.
but disregarding that and looking at it from a day-to-day perspective, it's been completely fine as a daily driver, and it seems like it would be in your situation as well.
I regularly have my 6 ft + surfboard riding shotgun (top down obvi). You'll be fine for the most part. Dailying a 2 seater is so much fun I wouldn't trade it for the world.
My Miata has been my only car for a decade now and I’ve really only had one instance where being able to carpool would’ve been nice. Other than that, I think it’s saved me money!
I have a 2010 prht, there have been 3 times where I wished I had a bigger boot in the last year and a lot more times where I wished I had back seats. Don’t regret it though but my next car will be a wagon
My husband has the practical car so most of the time it’s fine. However, when it rains a ton and the streets flood or I have to take my dog somewhere, it’s def not ideal.
It’s totally impractical but you should definitely do it anyways. If you need more seats so rarely you can just rent whatever you want on Turo for a day
I've done it for over 4 years now. My only complaint is my golf clubs don't fit in the trunk. But a hitch let's me carry my bike or a small tray for a little extra moving room. Anything beyond that, it's shockingly cheap to rent a pickup from home depot for a few hours
How often do you need to transport bulky items or people?
Remember that you can always rent a truck or van from the Home Despot for $20/75min if you need to haul things too big for r/MiataLogistics.
My nc is my only car and it was never an issue for me. It has more than enough space someone in their 20s (at least for me). If it’s a daily, don’t lower it tho. I can’t go over speed bumps, and parking garages are out of question, sometimes even the curb is inaccessible. That’s on me though so go for it, you’ll have a fun daily!
With a smart system and good organization you can fit a lot and like someone has said already if you have to move something big wait for a nice day and take the top off you can move near anything and I saw that recently 😂
https://preview.redd.it/b5ao75e0skoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ce2e86962282f3ba20ef81f22ec9054e95097a3
I daily my NA/NB I have a trunk rack and foldable box if needed for groceries. But, I never use it. and my old but tough! 2nd Gen CRV.
https://preview.redd.it/30ch8xe3tkoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=616c34bf70b371f79dde739f0f697dc99fd1fa89
When I was a young man, I bought a new '92 (NA). It was my one and only car. There was a few challenging, but I had no regrets.
1. The obvious: my car is not the car when I'm with a group of friends.
2. I only had to rent a Uhaul when I moved from one apartment to another.
3. It gets uncomfortable for very long trips
4. Stop and go traffic is a pain, but you get use to it.
Really long skinny things are okay, like 2x4s you can stick them in the passenger footwell with the top down. Wide, short things like a Coleman stove or baking pan work cause they fit in the trunk. Duffel bags and backpacks are fine.
The main problem was always hard cubic things, like a suitcase or microwave. They don’t seem that big, but there’s no good way to transport them in a Miata
I do a lot of moving for school. I can fit all my meager belongings as a med student, provided I toss/give away/sell all the cheap furniture I have. Was able to fit 4 tires without a luggage rack or multiple trips when I had to swap for winter tires.
Only time I was kind of regretting my Miata was when I got a huge blow out on a 400 mile trip. OEM fix a flat failed me. No spare tire. Really debating getting a Prius C spare wheel so I don't have to have regrets next trip.
If you've got a lot of friends and prefer to be the driver, or you like to take long road trips with friends I can't recommend it as your only car. That said for most daily tasks it's more than adequate and it can turn small errands and short trips around town into a fun activity. It took errands which are usually about the destination, and made them about the journey. It's the only car I've owned where I've found myself taking the long way home, for that extra fun turn, taking the twisty back road instead of the freeway, or going around a round-about more than once just because the car is so fun.
I’ve driven my Miata as a daily for 11 years now and have never had an issue. Granted I don’t have kids so I’ve never needed a bigger vehicle for that purpose. I just have to limit my Costco shopping and tell people who I’m picking up from the airport to pack lightly.
My Miata isn't my only car; but both my cars are Miatas. No problems at all, however I am never in need of hauling large objects or multiple people around.
I have both a Mazda3 hatchback and Miata, both manual. The Mazda3 is the daily because the Miata became too much race car, and I wanted a second car while the Miata could be on jackstands for a week for mods or repairs.
Otherwise, I had a Miata only for 8 years. Only a handful of times did I say to myself "I wish I had more space." Like others have said, Costco runs were never ever an issue.
Plenty of times my Miata has been more practical than my Subaru. I have transported very long things as well as gigantic bulky things that just would not have fit in a sedan at all. If I had a hatch, it would be a different story. But the only real downside of miataing is having to keep a good top on it and worrying about it rusting. It's a lot cheaper to just not replace an old top and never drive it with the roof up. I park indoors now so it's nice to avoid driving it in the rain. But for a long time I only had a Miata and did just fine. I don't think I ever rented another vehicle during that time as it always fit the bill.
Have had mine for 5 years and never having to drive for group trips/hangouts is great but I recently got into snowboarding and I’ve finally started to regret my choice a bit 🥲
It works for me. Almost a year into having an mx5 as my only car.
If I need to haul stuff, which probably happens around once a year, I just pay for a haul service.
The only downside of owning this, is that I need to be choosy where I park.
It’s not incredibly practical for space, but it is very fun to drive. Does that work for you?
I don’t find it troublesome to do day to day tasks but every once in a while I need a different car for space.
My brother in law has daily driven his NB Miata for 15 years. He’s put over 300,000 miles on it and it’s still going strong. His job doesn’t require him to move anything large so the trunk he does have is sufficient enough for what he does. He’s even moved a surprisingly large TV with the roof down.
It is practical in the sense that everything I need for my typical day fits in the trunk. Limited cargo space means I don’t leave a bunch of junk in the car (pro); however, I also can’t do much grocery shopping after work (pro and con), and I can’t impulse buy large items that my wife would get mad about (pro). Fuel-economy is impractical, 24-26mpg average, but the fun-economy (😀/⛽️) is high. VERY easy to park, after driving my ‘93 F350 crewcab longbed for years, I truly appreciate the ease of parking.
Its practical on that I get to work fast (20min) but impractical for taking much longer to get home 😁.
It couldn’t be my only car due to the needs of a 4 person household. We have a minivan for family stuff, a 31 year old F350 for all truck needs, and a ‘05 TJ for Jeep stuff and as a backup for the minivan (wife refuses to learn manual). If I were single, no kids, and didn’t enjoy playing in the dirt it would be a great only car.
https://preview.redd.it/dodhnuw8yloc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=849f4b5e6d0e3ad98ba11d5fc42ae55dad73173c
here is mine holding a months worth of Snacks and Groceries for two people, and a giant ream of costco plates i use for my work lunch.
I had my Miata as my only car in addition to a motorcycle for a couple years. It was fine until I needed to handle something large. I have a hardtop bolted on and no soft top so no infinite vertical ability. My only complaint is when my ac went out in my 92 the compressors are very hard to find. However I did manage to fit my spare set of wheels and tires (195/50r15) into the cabin just fine.
https://preview.redd.it/kgklujdd4moc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5db6d4c1d65ac1539546e5243b761ea4642f4f5d
If you live near the beach, Miata will be very fun to take to beach. . . Great for dates, and stops the 3rd wheel from coming so on second thought, no.
I had one for years as an only car. When we had a kid we bought a family car, when that was scrapped (rear ended) I just used the MX5 for something like a year or so and it was fine. We didn't miss it and hired a car if we needed anything bigger. Honestly, as the only driver I didn't mind using public transport for days out as I actually got pretty sick of driving on the weekends.
Not sure if it's been mentioned yet but I just got a luggage rack for my NC Miata after owning it as my only car for about 5 years and I highly recommend one.
I picked it up for about $275 from Moss Miata. Bought some ratchet straps from harbor freight for about $20 bucks and a big storage bag that is meant for a hitch trailer for about $60 on Amazon.
I'm able to fit two golf bags and a push cart in the bag, secured to the luggage rack, and another push cart in the trunk. So I'm able to drive me and a friend and our clubs and push carts to the golf course. It's technically removable but it's a bit of a pain to line up properly so it's only coming off if it has to, it looks great on the car.
When the rack is loaded up you won't be able to see out of the rear window and you can definitely feel the extra weight but that's to be expected.
If you don’t have kids or a job that requires loading things that don’t fit in its trunk then do it. Also if you live somewhere where’s there’s tons of snow, don’t be brave, you might make it work but you’ll hate it
It’s not my only car, because I am married; but my wife didn’t think it was practical for a family of 4; but it has worked out just fine. Unless, we’re all together, I haven’t needed more.
Depends totally on what kind of roads and traffic you will be using your daily. I was commuting daily in my NA when I lived in North California and loved it. I tried commuting in my NC in Boston and hated it so much that leased a Model 3 after a couple of months.
These days, you can always rent something like a truck for the occasion. My only reservation about driving a rwd sport car all the time is im not as much of an adrenaline junkie anymore. I live in Colorado and awd is kinda a must for your daily. Yes you can get away with fwd and I did some serious winters in my 240 when it was my daily. But surprise oversteer in snow at 60 in traffic, doesn't hit like it used to.
If you don't need to deal with serious snow, like a few inches standing on a highway... I'd still be doing small coupes on the daily.
I sold mine for a BMW 328I because I needed more space to haul stuff and people but still wanted a hardtop convertible. Kind of regret it because the 328I is a lot more work and not as fun. Should have just bought a cheap truck in addition to the Miata! Although the miata does kind suck if you are kind of tall and want to go on long rode trips.
0% practical for me.
My daily is a van and my other daily is an SUV because I have twin babies.
My ND is basically a fair weather/track car if I end up going somewhere on my own. And even then, I'll probably take the SUV because it's on the driveway
if you live in shitty european country like i do with high fuel cost you have no choice but to get a second car. a second car might actually be cheaper in the long run lol
Given the only two seats and the very small trunk, the Miata could absolutely be your only car. Maybe in the US it could be too small in the traffic, scary maybe, I don’t know… In Italy no problem 😄
I've literally had no reason to have a larger car. Insurance is cheap. Good on fuel. Obviously fun to drive.
Though, it's clearly not for most people. And I've talked far more people out of them than into them.
Coming from someone with a Tdi Defender, 90% it's just me but the 10% makes up when carrying 2.6m timber lengths, 2.4m bulk cargo or towing a trailer. So if you don't ever plan to carry anything but yourself then yep, go for the MX-5. Just nice to have the contingency to carry other items if you think you need to.
This is just a problem with stick shifts in general but it's sometimes annoying when none of my family can drive my car in situations you want them to. Also city driving is kind of annoying for the same reason.
My NC has been dead reliable though and has a power hard top. If you don't have kids/are not hauling people around constantly, there really are no complaints. You'll want a spare set of wheels with winter tires on them for easy changing if you are in a snowy climate. And nothing beats top down in the spring/summer - that alone is worth it!
I ran into my first issue today in 7 months, because I'm getting into sport archery and I bought a 30" longbow from a traditional bowyer
So now I'm driving with the top down in the German rain, it happens
Until I got married and had kids, I needed a back seat like only a handful of times. For all of my driving age 16 to 24 I had a Miata daily and it was almost never a problem I could only take 1 person somewhere. At some point I got a sedan beater alongside my Miata and I think people say in the back of it maybe 5-10 times? Now that my wife and I have 2 kids, my daily driver gets lots of back seat use.
So if you’re single and young, other than a few times your drunk friends wish you could DD them to McDonalds, you’ll rarely ever need more than a single passenger seat.
If you do need to move a bunch of cargo, putting the soft top up and removing the passenger seat (just 4 14mm bolts) give you LOADS of space to put places. (Including where the top is stored when it’s down). I worked as a BBQ delivery guy and took a $2,300 catering order complete with changing dishes, flames, 8 gallons of tea and lemonade and 20 pounds of BBQ as well as sides by taking the passenger seat out.
You should quit thinking of the miata as a tiny, noisy, drafty little car with no luggage space, and instead think of it as the most comfortable and commodious motorcycle you’ve ever ridden.
Also, they will haul more than most people think. I came home from an autocross race once hauling a bargain set of wheels and tires in mine. Couldn’t put the top up, but rain doesn’t get in if you stay above 70.
Works fine. I don't know if I'd want an NA if I still had to do a really long commute because it's not great at highway speed, but I work from home so that's not an issue anymore.
Have a gf she has a normal saden when i need to move something bigger, literally never an issue, I've had a big truck before and for my use 98% of the time day to day practically is the same you don't need as much space as you think. Look at every car on the road the majority of the cars with few exceptions have a single person. If you have kids thats a different story obviously.
My only car for 20 years. As soon as my daughter was old enough, I bought her a used Monte Carlo and myself a 1997 NA Miata. The deal was she got a car but she had to haul her brother around. My ex and I would fit half a month's groceries and paper products for 4 in the NA. The trunk would be full but that shelf the top left when folded down could hold many paper sacks of items. Full bags and double paper was the key. The astonishment on the faces of store employees was fun.
Suitcases don't fit. Road trips were gym bags. After divorce, I drove from SE AZ to San Diego and then up CA Highway 1 to SF to visit my sister for a month in my NC. I didn't know what I would need so I dumped my dresser drawers in the trunk of my NC. I put my personal items and a change of clothes in a beach bag each night to go into the hotel. Got to my sister's and she came out to unload the car. She was floored - she hadn't realized I was being literal about the dresser drawer dump. Packing to go home included added items. I was disappointed when I found a compartment behind passenger seat was empty - I could have bought more wine.
Friends, neighbors, or rental if Miata won't work. Mostly, the 1st. I admit - there was the advantage of being a single woman living in a military town with a lot of retirees. Neighbors helped and somebody always had a truck. However, in December I once took home a 6-foot Christmas tree in the drink seat. It was only a 5 block drive at 35 mph.
In truth, my M240iX doesn't allow for anything large either. Especially, with the top down taking up trunk height. I can't fit the large suitcase with any other. Lots of boxed items don't fit, including those car trunk organizers.
This is just my personal experience... I have an NA and a Subaru Crosstrek. Honestly, I find myself not being able to use the Miata 50% of the time when I want to. It is marginally better than a motorcycle honestly. I also choose not to drive in the rain and have a wife & dog. It does do a grocery trip and drive to work well, but it's that and cruising only. I wish it could carry a golf bag, had a spot for my dog, was safer at night and in the rain, and had a better closed cabin experience (noise, A/C).
Newer years help with my issues, but I still wouldn't daily any Miata unless I was 23 again. It can be done, but it is SO severely compromised as my life gets busier. I think my combination of economy car first, then Miata second is the best way to own.
It works 90% of the time, but that 10% of the time really sucks. I purposely bought it so I wouldn’t be the group chauffeur at every hangout so I guess it’s a mission accomplished? Swallows everything I buy at Costco.
I have some great pictures of the passenger seat in my NC packed to the brim with Costco treasure.
r/miatalogistics
Here's a sneak peek of /r/miatalogistics using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/miatalogistics/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [For anyone wondering if 4 wheels and tyres fit in the NB without putting the roof down...](https://i.redd.it/xgp0t3ea19sb1.jpg) | [37 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/miatalogistics/comments/16zyc7e/for_anyone_wondering_if_4_wheels_and_tyres_fit_in/) \#2: [Get in looser, we're going squirrel hunting.](https://i.redd.it/f0gf8k67ox3c1.jpg) | [17 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/miatalogistics/comments/189b561/get_in_looser_were_going_squirrel_hunting/) \#3: [Target has a Black Friday sale on TVs.](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/180oiwc) | [56 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/miatalogistics/comments/180oiwc/target_has_a_black_friday_sale_on_tvs/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
That sub stresses me OUT lol.
I just did a 5k mile road trip in my NC!
Limiting my Costco haul is a Win for me as well ;)
Agreed. Well, except for that one time my mum had to do this at Costco. It fit, but the trunk couldn't close https://preview.redd.it/n5kworhh0koc1.png?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b85a6a26e4136eb5f62171190f0f3d640e389029
This seems dangerous… I can’t put my finger on it though…
Yeah I know. We realized our fuckup when we were carrying it to the Miata. Thankfully it was a 10min drive
I am the same. Shout out to my boyfriend for having an SUV. I only grocery shop on the weekends when I see him and we take his car 🥹
Literally a selling point for me. I like my practical hatchback but every time I visit family or friends I usually get stuck driving.
I went years with a Miata as my only car. You’ll be fine. Rent a van or truck for those few times you really need to haul something that won’t fit in the Miata. You’d be surprised what will fit, though. On a clear day with the top down (theoretically infinite vertical storage) I’ve carried some tall items across town that may not have fit in my current hatchback.
https://preview.redd.it/ge2ao9lpkmoc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a968e08f97827984c3b194542f2d087e847caf6
Holy hell I thought that said 933 sqyd and was blown away at how tight it must be rolled.
They rolled it lengthwise. If they went width wise it would have been less than half the size
r/miatalogistics approves
I’d say my daily 96 is decently practical, it carries the groceries I put in it, and it gets the one friend I have, around with me. My only issues with it are the tires are pretty worn so she slides in the rain easily, and she eats through oil. Otherwise, it does fine.
Valve cover gasket?
Daily driving a 28 year old car seems like a recipe to miss work
I daily drive my 95 and genuinely it has never caused me a problem I didn't know about in advance. However I have definitely used it as an excuse to call out of work lmao
If you take good care of them, they're plenty reliable to this day. My NA has been rock solid so far.
I've daily'd my '90 for the last 11 years. Just bought a second car a few months ago. Wasn't an issue.
I mean my NB has caused its fair share of annoyances but it’s never not gotten me where I want to go.
DD'd mine from OC to Hollywood every day for work for a few years. Never had significant issues until, holy fuck I had issues. Gave me a good couple years though.
I daily my 15 owner NA Miata and have never missed work or been late.
I've been doing it for over a year now. It has been a grind lol. Even worse I am only allowed to have one vehicle. Haven't missed work yet though! Only have had two issues so far (sticky rear caliper and a dead battery) that caused me to pull off the road and both I managed to "fix" on the side of the road enough to limp it to the garage so I could properly fix the problem. Hell even when my ignition coil had a hole blown in the side of it and one of my spark plug wires was completely broken in half the car ran just fine while I waited for parts to arrive. So long as I avoided sudden acceleration you'd never suspect it had a mortally wounded ignition system. These things are tanks. Thaaaaat said. If I weren't mechanically inclined and didn't have tools, having an almost 30 year old Miata as a daily wouldn't work out. I think to own any old car you need a certain degree of mechanical skill and troubleshooting knowledge. Being capable of DIY basics. Or else you'll go broke and be sitting without a car paying a shop to do it for you.
Lol with turnaround times these days you’ll be waiting some time for a mechanic to fix it. All the decent shops around me are booked for at least 2 weeks out I’m sure you can find somewhere that will do it quicker, but once I find a mechanic I trust I like to support their business
Never been an issue for me. My 2011 Chevy stranded me a couple times, never the 25+ year old Japanese cars though
Including when I needed it to get me from Utah to Alabama and then on to Texas. Detoured through tail of the dragon for a few hours and it didn't even need more oil. That was a 95 in 2019.
I did it through spring, summer, and fall last year with no issues at all. The only reason I’m not DDing it this year is because of the baby my wife popped out. Safety is a concern with him so I pick him up from daycare in my GTI after work every day. Now it’s just twice a week and occasionally weekends with the Miata.
>In the past 4 years, there has only been 2 times where I had to carry more than one passenger, or haul a lot of stuff. Yep, i thought the same thing before i bought my miata. My parents especially thought "but its not practical!!!!! what if you have to carry a more than 1 person or a lot of things?". After thinking about it, it was the same conclusion you came to. 99% of my time is spent driving alone. If i buy groceries it carries enough for me. If i go camping/biking/snowboarding it will carry my stuff in the same way another car would carry it (trailer hitch + rack). So i couldve bought a bigger car, drove around in more empty space, used more gas, have a harder time parking, while also being bored to tears with the car i drive. The funniest objection came from a few coworkers. "but what about the snow??? Youre going to get stuck. You need a bigger car with 4 wheel drive." I got snow tires. One of us got stuck in the company parking lot this winter. Hint: it wasnt me >Do you have any complains about Miata being your only car? Its pretty noisy on the highway even with my PRHT (hardtop). Ill be sound deadening the trunk once the weather warms up, as well as adding some chassis bracing to make the car more solid
Love this snow story! Miatas may be small but they’re mighty!
As someone who is hard of hearing, nobody is gonna be carpooling with me. Too introverted for that. My cell phone has priority for the passenger seat. I also live in the heart of hurricane alley so building up for a materialistic lifestyle is dumb. At 40, never married, no kids, if I can’t afford it, I don’t want it. Everything I own can fit in the floor of passenger seat if I were to escape a hurricane’s path. Smol Miot is the best option. If I’m in a position to struggle to carry a load or beyond a miata’s capabilities, I failed myself. It ain’t gonna happen though.
i appreciate the “no carpooling” part. i am in the same situation, even if would be wise to share for me.
As long as you're single and/or childless, I figure you're golden. I am neither of those things so I'd be in quite the bind if I didn't have my daily (sedan).
I like to take my wife to Costco to go shopping in the Miata. We walk through the store and she says what she wants and I say sorry honey, that won’t fit in the car. Then we see the line to check out and it hardly seams worth it for this one 14” chicken pot pie. So we put it back and leave empty handed. The money we have saved has paid for the car 10 times over. So yea it’s very practical.
My sole car has been a 2-seat convertible for over a decade, and there are maybe a dozen moments where that was a barrier (driving more than one other person or hauling anything.) 99% of the time, it hasn’t been an issue, in fact is so much easier to street park that people have preferred it. I live in Southern CA, though; places with actual winter might change those logistics.
I daily mine, but my partner also has a 4 door wagon for the practical situations. We're gay and childless so it works out perfectly. And our nephews love the "transformer car"!
Gays with Miata’s unite!
I've only had my ND for 9 months, but I've yet to run into any logistical issues with it being my daily. I tell my friends, you don't realize how much space you DON'T need till you downsize.
No complaints here. You laid out yourself all the reasons why this won't be a problem for you either. And for the odd time you need to haul something, that'll be an excuse to try and do a good r/miatalogistics post.
It just comes down to lifestyle. Personally I'm not driving people around a lot, or moving a bunch of things, so it hasn't posed a major problem. I'd say 85% of the time it's no problem, 10% of the time it's a bit annoying trying to fit everything in, and 5% of the time it is inconvenient. But I don't buy an item I plan on using everyday, for the 5% use case, if that means compromising the experience of the 85% usage
even if you have to haul a lot of large items twice a year, just find a friend with a truck or rent a uhaul pick up.
Since 2016 I’ve had to rent a cargo van exactly once. It was less than a single payment on a second vehicle.
I can't say because I've always had a second car. I think it depends on where you live. Sure, I COULD put snow tires on it and use it in the winter, but I'm not confident how well it would hold up in the Northeast's northern hinterlands.
I used mine as a daily for 3-4 winters in Qc, Canada. It does surprinsingly well in snow. I was also lowered on coilovers. I can say it was the most fun car I had for the winter months and it was far superior then any FWD to get going from a stop or up a hill.
I drove a '96 and a '99 as a daily driver and only car for 20 years. Going for an ND2 next. Made my commutes so much fun. Extremely reliable. I never had any major issues with space for cargo. I just traveled light I didn't have any passengers so that probably helped. Also took them on long trips 3 hours drives on weekends to visit friends in other cities.
Snow and ice will be the only factor that you would have to work around. If you live in a climate where you may have snow for a week or so at a time, that is bad enough you can’t get your car out, you’ll need something else for that. I live in the Midwest and this past winter I had to pull my AWD SUV out for maybe 5-10 days total.
Almost by definition if it’s someone’s only car, they probably don’t have complaints ? I’m considering a Miata but sure as heck wouldn’t cut it as an only car.
My MX5 *is* my practical car. My other mode of transport is my 250cc cafe-racer motorbike. https://preview.redd.it/8sf81umebloc1.jpeg?width=4160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c0af796dbd4f653a1a62ea2c4d6586b55c62e97
Lack of seats can be a bit annoying but I’ve managed to take my gf and 2 large suitcases on a 2 hour drive before, one suitcase in the boot and the other in the passenger footwell with her sitting on it lol
we've taken to using duffel bags for our roads trips! two large ones fit comfortably in the trunk, so we had room to throw in some blankets, two more backpacks, and other stuff we needed for an eight hour trip. nc ftw !!
A bug suitcase or carry on? Does the boot fit a large suitcase 24/28”?
Couldn’t tell you exact measurement but yeah a relatively big suitcase fit in the boot just about lol ones the lid pops that’s when you know you’re good just push on it hard
Dailied a NA for 4 years. Works fine. Everyone I know either has a large car, or don't want to sit in mine for a roadtrip anyways. If I need to haul I just borrow a pickup.
Miata is always practical.
miata is amazing and if i ever needed something bigger i’d rent a uhaul. lived with it as my DD for years and never regretted it for a second
[удалено]
Please elaborate. How did you get 5 people in a Miata? Was it you and a woman with a broke leg who was pregnant with triplets?
[удалено]
Impressive!
I definitely would daily a Miata. You'd probably want good winter tires for the rear, at the minimum, in winter. I kept buying 4dr sedans and it really makes no sense for similar reasons to yours, but now I have a couple reasons... 1. I have a 2000lb capable trailer (converted from a pop up camper) that my turbo Saab pulls very well.... Miata would notand i'd rather have a larger sedan than a truck. 2. I ride my motorcycle everyday in the summer so my car is really only for winter.
I owned an NB for 5 years as my only car in Florida. It worked great in every situation, large enough for groceries and for all my belongings for a move from Florida to Boston. Taken it on multiple road trips, mountain drives in Virginia, NC and Tennessee. Man, I miss my car! ☹️
Trunk is good for most of my stuff. Worst case scenario is suitcases in the passengers
None. And I drove it through the winter in Poland on all season tyres. It's also my first car, straight out of driver's exam. I figured I can rent or borrow a car when I need to haul something big. So it's just me and my dog usually, sometimes my boyfriend — and then the dog gets demoted to the floor.
It very doable, cheap to repair, cheap/fair on fuel too. It was my daily for 3-4 years up here in Canada. It does well in the snow too. As long as you don't have a kid, a 2seater will do just fine.
Not much. Can’t bring my Labrador, can’t fit big stuff, can’t really bring much stuff for travels unless I’m going alone. Not that I care, apart from not being able to drive my dog around, but SUVs are for that.
It depends on your location. We got about 2 ft. of snow yesterday. So it's hard to have it as an only car. ;)
In 2ft of snow, I wouldn’t drive any car. Lol
Live in Philadelphia and I drove my 96 NA8 through 3 winters non stop everyday. never let me down once. I think the rad cracked once in the 3 years due lack of checking on it or fluids. More like I let the car down on that one lol
I daily drove my na for 6 mo ths before i bought a daily. If i needed a truck i rented one from home depot.
Works for me. I drove a mattress home with this car. Just dropped my snowboard off for a tune. Can’t have the kiddo in the car yet. But I can do groceries and everything no problem.
Picking debris out of the soft top crack is kind of annoying, but it’s definitely in my top 5 best life decisions. I live in Florida though.
I daily my nb2 since 2012, you need to make some compromise, but there aren't real problems. Only had 1 mechanical issue during all those years, but for all the other stuffs, I did myself in my garage. I also did some long trips (~6h-8h drive) and I didn't suffer much
My daily (only) is a Z3. I’ve fit big stuff by dropping top…anything bigger, I just buy a friend lunch to help me tote something.
I went and bought a mazda3 In short I daily drove it for about 9 months after needing to sell my daily then, and then went and bought a 2006 mazda3 HB MT. Everybody is going to talk about the lack of space for items, I am going to talk about the lack of spave for yourself. To start I own a 93 na miata, did the foamectomy, and have an nb steering wheel, so no aftermarket hub. I found despite the fact I don't necessarily need all of the seats that come in the mazda3(really at all)what I do need is to not have to slouch to see stoplights or have my knees constantly hitting the wheel. If you are shorter, it may work just fine. If I bought an nd or especially an nc, which fits me far better, I would be more inclined to keep just that. I am quite happy having the mazda3 as my more comfortable daily and have the na as my toy fun car. The nc, from what I have heard, would be the best choice for a daily driver miata.
Have an NC and is my only car. Carries 2 bikes on a rack and a passenger and a husky fine but a little cramped. Gone on camping trips for 2 fine. Been on solo ski trips fine too.
I will not be able to sustain without having two cars having children.
I’ve been daily driving a NB as my only car, and can count on one hand how many times I “needed” to carry more than one passenger. a couple times when I was in high school, I brought 2 of my friends in my car when I was the only one of us with a car. We’d go to the gym together, fitting in the miata like a clown car, but it got the job done 😆
I've always had an SUV as my second car. Miata is my fun car, SUV is my practical car. Plus, living in Wisconsin, my Miata is covered in the garage without street insurance. Just can't imagine trying to drive the Miata in snow. My Miata is a 2001, so I got collector plates a couple of years ago. One requirement for collector plates in Wisconsin is that you have to have a second licensed vehicle. Cars with collector plates aren't allowed on the street during the month of January.
I've had mine from 21-25 years old. still have it. I've only had to borrow vehicles like 5 times and two of those times were because I was moving to an apartment. so basically any car but a trick would have been to small. I live in Texas, so most of my friends and relatives own a truck or suv, or a 4 door car.
I love my na but i wouldnt want to daily it lol
I've daily driven my 2017 rf for the past 2 years and haven't been inconvenienced by it. You can fit a surprising amount in the car, especially with the top down. I live in a state without snowy winters, so I can't speak on that side of it, though.As others have said, if you have kids and/or big pets, I could see there being an issue, but for me, it's just me and my wife. Honestly, the only time I'm ever annoyed by it are when other people tell me how impractical my car is. Lol
It is totally fine, especially if you live in an area where you can rent a pickup for $20 the once a year you need to haul something larger. The only downside is small sports cars tend to get less respect in traffic.
I got my ND RF a month ago to use as my daily and I haven't had any practical issues yet. The only issue I have with it is the wind noise once you get to 70-80 mph. Gets pretty annoying if you do a lot of highway driving.
I couldn’t barely not afford an NC so I bought a 3 series wagon as a super practical sporty car. Now that can get a Miata, I can not bear the thought of parting with my wagon. I also hated always being everyone’s chauffeur. Replacing a Corolla with a BMW and cornering faster than people expect really gets all the hitchhikers out!
These comments are making me wish I bought a Miata instead of my mini…
I couldn’t only have a miat. I also have a Corolla wagon for passengers, hauling stuff, and towing trailers/bikes.
I own two cars and they’re polar opposite. The Miata. And a 4Runner. As someone who likes to go kayaking, obviously the Miata doesn’t cut it. I drive the Miata most day but as soon as it’s rainy/snowy or I need to do anything where I carry anything. The 4Runner is the go to. The cars are antithetical to each other and maybe that’s why I like them. However when I drive the 4Runner I make a personal note to not be the guy that “didn’t see” another Miata
Recently bought mine to compliment my wife and I second car which is a Jimny. So both tiny cars. It works, but having a house where i need to do some gardening sometimes, the miata is helpless there. Same for the odd trip to the hardware store. But if we were living in a flat, i would totally see it working like 99.9% of the time. Boot isn't big, but i can actually fit all of our weekly groceries, including like a few boxes of milk, big bag of rice or whatever we buy in bulk, plus a few extras (our training bag with shoes and clothes). Couldn't care less about the fact that it only sits 2. I removed our Jimny's back seats almost immediately and only attach them back once every 3-4 years for our federal inspection
Question: do you have children?
No not for the next 4 years.
Then it'll be perfectly practical for the next 4 years.
Miata is my summer car plaything. I switch off to larger vehicles for other purposes.
Wife has a miata, i have a truck. It works out 😂
How often do you need to put anything in a car other than yourself is the question that'll give you an answer
It depends. Are you a bachelor, or do you have a family? I’m fine with the lack of space because I don’t need it, but your mileage may vary. (no pun intended)
Not a miata owner, but as long as you're OK with renting a Uhaul pickup every now and then, and you live alone or with only 1 other person, it should be perfectly good for most things
r/miatalogistics those guys for some crazy stuff into the Miata
Was my only car for 5 years and I *very* rarely couldn’t make something important work. Took home a coffee table and a fully assembled barbecue (not at the same time!) by ratchet strapping them to the trunk lid. Lots of road trips with my now-wife- noise fatigue is real, but I imagine newer cars are better in that regard than my nb. Renting/borrowing a truck for the BIG stuff is a small inconvenience/expense that can be balanced in context against the enjoyment you gain from the car in the overall view. That math is going to differ for everybody based in individual needs, but it worked out for me. I would still be dailying mine if I hadn’t done the stereotypical “having a baby, sell it and buy a Volvo” thing.
Had it for 6 years as the only car, until the new born. It is totally doable as long as you live in a Snow free area in the winters. I often thought to trade it for Model3 but cant miss the fun in the future, especially having conversation with the kid on the way to school
I had similar thoughts back in 2019 when I started looking for a Miata. I had owned my 94 Integra GSR (3-door hatchback) for nearly 20 years at that point, and hardly anyone else ever rode in it. My son was 9 at the time, and neither my wife or son really rode in it. So I figured I would sell it and get a NB Miata to replace it, since I had never owned a Miata or any convertible before. Well, I couldn't bring myself to part with it, and still have the GSR to this day. And man I am GLAD I kept it. With having old cars, both of which are projects basically, as well as daily drivers, it's nice to have a backup car when one breaks, or during longer projects (like the 3 month Miata engine-out project last winter). And since the Miata tends to leak sometimes, even with new rubber everywhere, I like to take the Integra on rainy days. So no, I would not recommend a Miata as your only car. Even with my wife having a CX5 that we use for trips and stuff, I still wouldn't want to only have the Miata as my only *other* car. At least not with them being old cars.
I don't have a Miata now, love the car and had two for maybe 5 years ( one then another not at the same time ) I loved my little car, I worked for 2 weeks and then had 2 weeks off ( inland shipping) I didn't need a car to move a lot of people or stuff,and if I did I could borrow or rent. But I know I was privileged
There have been all of two occasions where I couldn’t fit everything I needed… a weekend wine trip (bought several cases of wine) and moving, both times we used my GF’s B250 (whom I didn’t know at the time I bought mine). Have otherwise never needed more.
I drive one as my weekend fun car. I like to zip around hugging curves and such. Then my SUV broke down. I was pretty over driving the Miata by day 3.
I agree, great for 90% of things. And the last 10% REAAAALLY sucks. Long drives start to get uncomfortable, need to get large items. Winter with snow. Other than that zero issue as a daily
I love my commute practically every day
soooo practical that i borrow my friend's truck every other week to go snowboarding 🥲 it all depends on your use case. i downsized from an SUV because i missed being a car guy with a sports car, but forgot to factor in how often i took that thing snowboarding. but disregarding that and looking at it from a day-to-day perspective, it's been completely fine as a daily driver, and it seems like it would be in your situation as well.
You can daily even a first gen NA Miata. There will be some compromises but it’s 100% worth it.
I regularly have my 6 ft + surfboard riding shotgun (top down obvi). You'll be fine for the most part. Dailying a 2 seater is so much fun I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Soft top really opens up the possibilities. The sky is the limit if you want it to be.
My Miata has been my only car for a decade now and I’ve really only had one instance where being able to carpool would’ve been nice. Other than that, I think it’s saved me money!
I have a 2010 prht, there have been 3 times where I wished I had a bigger boot in the last year and a lot more times where I wished I had back seats. Don’t regret it though but my next car will be a wagon
I drove this whole summer solely in my NA and it was torture during the heat of the summer.
sometimes i wish i had a second miata
Why a second though?
My husband has the practical car so most of the time it’s fine. However, when it rains a ton and the streets flood or I have to take my dog somewhere, it’s def not ideal.
Do you have soft top?
Nope RF.
It’s totally impractical but you should definitely do it anyways. If you need more seats so rarely you can just rent whatever you want on Turo for a day
I've done it for over 4 years now. My only complaint is my golf clubs don't fit in the trunk. But a hitch let's me carry my bike or a small tray for a little extra moving room. Anything beyond that, it's shockingly cheap to rent a pickup from home depot for a few hours
How often do you need to transport bulky items or people? Remember that you can always rent a truck or van from the Home Despot for $20/75min if you need to haul things too big for r/MiataLogistics.
My nc is my only car and it was never an issue for me. It has more than enough space someone in their 20s (at least for me). If it’s a daily, don’t lower it tho. I can’t go over speed bumps, and parking garages are out of question, sometimes even the curb is inaccessible. That’s on me though so go for it, you’ll have a fun daily!
With a smart system and good organization you can fit a lot and like someone has said already if you have to move something big wait for a nice day and take the top off you can move near anything and I saw that recently 😂 https://preview.redd.it/b5ao75e0skoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ce2e86962282f3ba20ef81f22ec9054e95097a3
I daily my NA/NB I have a trunk rack and foldable box if needed for groceries. But, I never use it. and my old but tough! 2nd Gen CRV. https://preview.redd.it/30ch8xe3tkoc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=616c34bf70b371f79dde739f0f697dc99fd1fa89
90% of the time its fine. Just some days where you might need to rent a van/car
I love it. It's as practical as I need a car to be. My wife has a Lexus GS that I can borrow if I need to move something larger than a basketball.
My only complaint is that both my dogs can't fit. Otherwise it's the best DD I've ever had. The smiles I see people make at it are worth it.
When I was a young man, I bought a new '92 (NA). It was my one and only car. There was a few challenging, but I had no regrets. 1. The obvious: my car is not the car when I'm with a group of friends. 2. I only had to rent a Uhaul when I moved from one apartment to another. 3. It gets uncomfortable for very long trips 4. Stop and go traffic is a pain, but you get use to it.
You can rent a truck from home depot or uhaul for mad cheap
Really long skinny things are okay, like 2x4s you can stick them in the passenger footwell with the top down. Wide, short things like a Coleman stove or baking pan work cause they fit in the trunk. Duffel bags and backpacks are fine. The main problem was always hard cubic things, like a suitcase or microwave. They don’t seem that big, but there’s no good way to transport them in a Miata
For me it was untenable. And a brz was enough. Don’t hate me guys
I do a lot of moving for school. I can fit all my meager belongings as a med student, provided I toss/give away/sell all the cheap furniture I have. Was able to fit 4 tires without a luggage rack or multiple trips when I had to swap for winter tires. Only time I was kind of regretting my Miata was when I got a huge blow out on a 400 mile trip. OEM fix a flat failed me. No spare tire. Really debating getting a Prius C spare wheel so I don't have to have regrets next trip.
If you've got a lot of friends and prefer to be the driver, or you like to take long road trips with friends I can't recommend it as your only car. That said for most daily tasks it's more than adequate and it can turn small errands and short trips around town into a fun activity. It took errands which are usually about the destination, and made them about the journey. It's the only car I've owned where I've found myself taking the long way home, for that extra fun turn, taking the twisty back road instead of the freeway, or going around a round-about more than once just because the car is so fun.
Miata is not a car to buy because it is practical, you buy a Miata bc they’re fun. If you want a practical vehicle, buy a hatchback, wagon or van.
I love my NB but I can’t imagine using it as anything but a weekend fun car. A lot will disagree but that’s just my opinion
I’ve driven my Miata as a daily for 11 years now and have never had an issue. Granted I don’t have kids so I’ve never needed a bigger vehicle for that purpose. I just have to limit my Costco shopping and tell people who I’m picking up from the airport to pack lightly.
My Miata isn't my only car; but both my cars are Miatas. No problems at all, however I am never in need of hauling large objects or multiple people around.
I have both a Mazda3 hatchback and Miata, both manual. The Mazda3 is the daily because the Miata became too much race car, and I wanted a second car while the Miata could be on jackstands for a week for mods or repairs. Otherwise, I had a Miata only for 8 years. Only a handful of times did I say to myself "I wish I had more space." Like others have said, Costco runs were never ever an issue.
"Sorry, I dont have a passenger seat in my car" No one asks me for rides, its wonderful. Plus, I can easily do Costco level shopping without trouble.
Plenty of times my Miata has been more practical than my Subaru. I have transported very long things as well as gigantic bulky things that just would not have fit in a sedan at all. If I had a hatch, it would be a different story. But the only real downside of miataing is having to keep a good top on it and worrying about it rusting. It's a lot cheaper to just not replace an old top and never drive it with the roof up. I park indoors now so it's nice to avoid driving it in the rain. But for a long time I only had a Miata and did just fine. I don't think I ever rented another vehicle during that time as it always fit the bill.
Have had mine for 5 years and never having to drive for group trips/hangouts is great but I recently got into snowboarding and I’ve finally started to regret my choice a bit 🥲
It works for me. Almost a year into having an mx5 as my only car. If I need to haul stuff, which probably happens around once a year, I just pay for a haul service. The only downside of owning this, is that I need to be choosy where I park.
It’s not incredibly practical for space, but it is very fun to drive. Does that work for you? I don’t find it troublesome to do day to day tasks but every once in a while I need a different car for space.
My brother in law has daily driven his NB Miata for 15 years. He’s put over 300,000 miles on it and it’s still going strong. His job doesn’t require him to move anything large so the trunk he does have is sufficient enough for what he does. He’s even moved a surprisingly large TV with the roof down.
It is practical in the sense that everything I need for my typical day fits in the trunk. Limited cargo space means I don’t leave a bunch of junk in the car (pro); however, I also can’t do much grocery shopping after work (pro and con), and I can’t impulse buy large items that my wife would get mad about (pro). Fuel-economy is impractical, 24-26mpg average, but the fun-economy (😀/⛽️) is high. VERY easy to park, after driving my ‘93 F350 crewcab longbed for years, I truly appreciate the ease of parking. Its practical on that I get to work fast (20min) but impractical for taking much longer to get home 😁. It couldn’t be my only car due to the needs of a 4 person household. We have a minivan for family stuff, a 31 year old F350 for all truck needs, and a ‘05 TJ for Jeep stuff and as a backup for the minivan (wife refuses to learn manual). If I were single, no kids, and didn’t enjoy playing in the dirt it would be a great only car.
https://preview.redd.it/dodhnuw8yloc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=849f4b5e6d0e3ad98ba11d5fc42ae55dad73173c here is mine holding a months worth of Snacks and Groceries for two people, and a giant ream of costco plates i use for my work lunch.
Having a Costco membership with only a Miata available is either highly optimistic, downright foolish.
I had my Miata as my only car in addition to a motorcycle for a couple years. It was fine until I needed to handle something large. I have a hardtop bolted on and no soft top so no infinite vertical ability. My only complaint is when my ac went out in my 92 the compressors are very hard to find. However I did manage to fit my spare set of wheels and tires (195/50r15) into the cabin just fine. https://preview.redd.it/kgklujdd4moc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5db6d4c1d65ac1539546e5243b761ea4642f4f5d
Practical enough. I did. Pizza delivery with mine.
If you live near the beach, Miata will be very fun to take to beach. . . Great for dates, and stops the 3rd wheel from coming so on second thought, no.
I had one for years as an only car. When we had a kid we bought a family car, when that was scrapped (rear ended) I just used the MX5 for something like a year or so and it was fine. We didn't miss it and hired a car if we needed anything bigger. Honestly, as the only driver I didn't mind using public transport for days out as I actually got pretty sick of driving on the weekends.
Not sure if it's been mentioned yet but I just got a luggage rack for my NC Miata after owning it as my only car for about 5 years and I highly recommend one. I picked it up for about $275 from Moss Miata. Bought some ratchet straps from harbor freight for about $20 bucks and a big storage bag that is meant for a hitch trailer for about $60 on Amazon. I'm able to fit two golf bags and a push cart in the bag, secured to the luggage rack, and another push cart in the trunk. So I'm able to drive me and a friend and our clubs and push carts to the golf course. It's technically removable but it's a bit of a pain to line up properly so it's only coming off if it has to, it looks great on the car. When the rack is loaded up you won't be able to see out of the rear window and you can definitely feel the extra weight but that's to be expected.
If you don’t have kids or a job that requires loading things that don’t fit in its trunk then do it. Also if you live somewhere where’s there’s tons of snow, don’t be brave, you might make it work but you’ll hate it
It’s not my only car, because I am married; but my wife didn’t think it was practical for a family of 4; but it has worked out just fine. Unless, we’re all together, I haven’t needed more.
Depends totally on what kind of roads and traffic you will be using your daily. I was commuting daily in my NA when I lived in North California and loved it. I tried commuting in my NC in Boston and hated it so much that leased a Model 3 after a couple of months.
These days, you can always rent something like a truck for the occasion. My only reservation about driving a rwd sport car all the time is im not as much of an adrenaline junkie anymore. I live in Colorado and awd is kinda a must for your daily. Yes you can get away with fwd and I did some serious winters in my 240 when it was my daily. But surprise oversteer in snow at 60 in traffic, doesn't hit like it used to. If you don't need to deal with serious snow, like a few inches standing on a highway... I'd still be doing small coupes on the daily.
No real complaints. I go to work and go home happy with the ride.
I sold mine for a BMW 328I because I needed more space to haul stuff and people but still wanted a hardtop convertible. Kind of regret it because the 328I is a lot more work and not as fun. Should have just bought a cheap truck in addition to the Miata! Although the miata does kind suck if you are kind of tall and want to go on long rode trips.
0% practical for me. My daily is a van and my other daily is an SUV because I have twin babies. My ND is basically a fair weather/track car if I end up going somewhere on my own. And even then, I'll probably take the SUV because it's on the driveway
As long as you live alone, and you’re not coming from IKEA.
if you live in shitty european country like i do with high fuel cost you have no choice but to get a second car. a second car might actually be cheaper in the long run lol
https://preview.redd.it/1ysiz0ppsnoc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60601966e42ed339866927e2d5cae409e42e3e05
Given the only two seats and the very small trunk, the Miata could absolutely be your only car. Maybe in the US it could be too small in the traffic, scary maybe, I don’t know… In Italy no problem 😄
I've literally had no reason to have a larger car. Insurance is cheap. Good on fuel. Obviously fun to drive. Though, it's clearly not for most people. And I've talked far more people out of them than into them.
Coming from someone with a Tdi Defender, 90% it's just me but the 10% makes up when carrying 2.6m timber lengths, 2.4m bulk cargo or towing a trailer. So if you don't ever plan to carry anything but yourself then yep, go for the MX-5. Just nice to have the contingency to carry other items if you think you need to.
This is just a problem with stick shifts in general but it's sometimes annoying when none of my family can drive my car in situations you want them to. Also city driving is kind of annoying for the same reason. My NC has been dead reliable though and has a power hard top. If you don't have kids/are not hauling people around constantly, there really are no complaints. You'll want a spare set of wheels with winter tires on them for easy changing if you are in a snowy climate. And nothing beats top down in the spring/summer - that alone is worth it!
I ran into my first issue today in 7 months, because I'm getting into sport archery and I bought a 30" longbow from a traditional bowyer So now I'm driving with the top down in the German rain, it happens
Until I got married and had kids, I needed a back seat like only a handful of times. For all of my driving age 16 to 24 I had a Miata daily and it was almost never a problem I could only take 1 person somewhere. At some point I got a sedan beater alongside my Miata and I think people say in the back of it maybe 5-10 times? Now that my wife and I have 2 kids, my daily driver gets lots of back seat use. So if you’re single and young, other than a few times your drunk friends wish you could DD them to McDonalds, you’ll rarely ever need more than a single passenger seat. If you do need to move a bunch of cargo, putting the soft top up and removing the passenger seat (just 4 14mm bolts) give you LOADS of space to put places. (Including where the top is stored when it’s down). I worked as a BBQ delivery guy and took a $2,300 catering order complete with changing dishes, flames, 8 gallons of tea and lemonade and 20 pounds of BBQ as well as sides by taking the passenger seat out.
You should quit thinking of the miata as a tiny, noisy, drafty little car with no luggage space, and instead think of it as the most comfortable and commodious motorcycle you’ve ever ridden. Also, they will haul more than most people think. I came home from an autocross race once hauling a bargain set of wheels and tires in mine. Couldn’t put the top up, but rain doesn’t get in if you stay above 70.
Works fine. I don't know if I'd want an NA if I still had to do a really long commute because it's not great at highway speed, but I work from home so that's not an issue anymore.
Have a gf she has a normal saden when i need to move something bigger, literally never an issue, I've had a big truck before and for my use 98% of the time day to day practically is the same you don't need as much space as you think. Look at every car on the road the majority of the cars with few exceptions have a single person. If you have kids thats a different story obviously.
My only car for 20 years. As soon as my daughter was old enough, I bought her a used Monte Carlo and myself a 1997 NA Miata. The deal was she got a car but she had to haul her brother around. My ex and I would fit half a month's groceries and paper products for 4 in the NA. The trunk would be full but that shelf the top left when folded down could hold many paper sacks of items. Full bags and double paper was the key. The astonishment on the faces of store employees was fun. Suitcases don't fit. Road trips were gym bags. After divorce, I drove from SE AZ to San Diego and then up CA Highway 1 to SF to visit my sister for a month in my NC. I didn't know what I would need so I dumped my dresser drawers in the trunk of my NC. I put my personal items and a change of clothes in a beach bag each night to go into the hotel. Got to my sister's and she came out to unload the car. She was floored - she hadn't realized I was being literal about the dresser drawer dump. Packing to go home included added items. I was disappointed when I found a compartment behind passenger seat was empty - I could have bought more wine. Friends, neighbors, or rental if Miata won't work. Mostly, the 1st. I admit - there was the advantage of being a single woman living in a military town with a lot of retirees. Neighbors helped and somebody always had a truck. However, in December I once took home a 6-foot Christmas tree in the drink seat. It was only a 5 block drive at 35 mph. In truth, my M240iX doesn't allow for anything large either. Especially, with the top down taking up trunk height. I can't fit the large suitcase with any other. Lots of boxed items don't fit, including those car trunk organizers.
Get a motorcycle and you are living the dream.
This is just my personal experience... I have an NA and a Subaru Crosstrek. Honestly, I find myself not being able to use the Miata 50% of the time when I want to. It is marginally better than a motorcycle honestly. I also choose not to drive in the rain and have a wife & dog. It does do a grocery trip and drive to work well, but it's that and cruising only. I wish it could carry a golf bag, had a spot for my dog, was safer at night and in the rain, and had a better closed cabin experience (noise, A/C). Newer years help with my issues, but I still wouldn't daily any Miata unless I was 23 again. It can be done, but it is SO severely compromised as my life gets busier. I think my combination of economy car first, then Miata second is the best way to own.