Miata Years to Avoid & Best Years (Reasons & Explanations)

When you want to buy a car, no matter whether it is brand new or used, there is no doubt that you search for as much information as you can, as everybody wants to know which is the best purchase to make, especially when it requires lots of money, like a car.

Miata is a car model launched by the brand Mazda, and it is one of the oldest cars from this brand. This article’s aim is to show you Miata years to avoid. Let’s find out!

Summing-Up Mazda Miata

Miata is a car model that comes from a very famous, old, brand Mazda! This type of car is around in the worldwide market for more than three decades now, launched in 1989 in Chicago. When you imagine the fact that it is still among us, it surely is one of the best cars to use!

It is a convertible car otherwise known as a cabriolet and the changes on the roof can be done depending on the user’s preferences.

Nowadays, you may find the Mazda Miata with another name, Mazda MX-5, and if you find it mentioned as MX5 in this article, you should know that it is the same car.

Something specific to mention is that this car comes in four generations, for them, check the table below!

Also Read: The Years of Jeep Commander to Avoid

Miata GenerationsYears
First Generation1989 – 1997
Second Generation1998 – 2005
Third Generation2005 – 2015
Fourth Generation2015 – Present

Mazda Miata’s Years to Avoid – With Reasons

Since everything is clear about who Miata exactly is, let’s get to the main thing and the reason why you are in this article.

Every type of car that has been in the market for a long time has some dark years through which they got many complaints and they conclude on the fact that you should avoid them as much as you can.

Which are the Miata years you should avoid? Well, they include the launch of 1990, 2001, 2007, 2008, and 2010.

1990

When first launched in 1989, it caught the eyes of many people around the world, but with the launch of 1990, the manufacturer did some mistakes making this model the first on the list for avoiding.

The 1990 model of Mazda Miata was brought improved in the design part but the electric issues and the climate control in the car were something that frustrated many drivers and made them return the car or sell it to someone else who didn’t mind.

2001

After the 1990 model, Mazda did quite an improvement to the Miata model, and every year they brought amazing cars to the market that were loved and driven by many people around the world, as it quickly became an international brand.

However, in the year 2001, Miata fell again! The complaints of this year stay completely on the clutch slave cylinder (CSC) which is the way that the whole manual system works in the car.

Most people dealt with this problem and as I did some research on the internet that this issue led to people avoiding buying Mazda Miata many years after.

2007

Again, after the loss in 2001, Mazda, the brand, worked on their Miata models a lot, until they came again to the surface with another “bad” launch! The Miata of the year 2007!

The reason you should avoid purchasing a 2007 Mazda Miata is that it does a lot of noise and the space seems to be smaller than any other model of a Miata.

By the way, in many complaints, I have also seen that people had also problems with the complete failure of charging!

2008

On many car websites, you will find something super common related to the 2008 model Miata; avoid it! Many people regret purchasing this model and consider this car a nightmare!

Seatbelts, windshields, windows, airbags, and the whole electrical system give pain to every person who purchases the 2008 model of Miata and that’s because nothing of the things I mentioned is properly done!

2010

Another attempt yet another wrong release!

Even though Mazda as a brand was quite sure about the 2010 Miata car, they got it all wrong again and it stays in many lists of bad years.

Avoiding the 2010 version would be perfect if you hate dealing with a broken heater and electronic problems overall.

Also Read: The Years of Ford Expedition to Avoid

Best Years of Mazda Miata – Secure Purchases

Luckily enough, 2010 is the last year that you should avoid, after it, Mazda kept coming up with super-improved Miata cars that everybody loves! After mentioning the years that you should avoid, an honorable mention would be the best years of Mazda Miata!

These years include 1996, 1999, 2003, 2018, and 2020!

  • 1996 – everything was improved when compared to the predecessors and many people mention it as one of the coolest cars Mazda ever made!
  • 1999 – the year of changes as the “modernism” in the brand came up, and the company sold lots of Miata cars in this year.
  • 2003 – the automatic 2003 MX-5 broke lots of records in purchases starting from design to other important features as well.
  • 2018 – The Miata of 2018 was one of the most amazing sports cars when it comes to the speed it could achieve.
  • 2020 – safety, comfort, looks, and speed. The 2020 model includes everything a driver can look for.

Being a loved car for three decades now, Mazda Miata or Mazda MX-5 is still in production and it is still breaking records when it comes to sales!

Also Read: The Years of Hyundai Tucson to Avoid

Final Words

I know that in the article above you encountered different years, the years to avoid the Miata model from Mazda, but it is always better to have in mind everything before you choose to purchase!

I hope you found everything you needed to know! Good luck