My wife and I have a 2021 Mazda CX-30 that we really like. We bought it new more than four years ago and drove it through several states + about 1/3 of Europe (we took it to Germany for two years when we lived there) and it's still going strong with 41,000 miles on it. We have no plans of selling it anytime soon.

Our 'other' car is a 2017 Honda CR-V that we bought new and now have 67,000 miles on it. No issues with it, either. Our 'spare' vehicle is a 2004 Ford F-150 that serves as a backup and is wonderful for trips to Lowe's helping friends move, taking stuff to the landfill, etc. The downside is that it burns a lot of fuel. If we buy a new car, we're probably going to hand down the CR-V to my son and his wife. They have a 5-month-old baby and my son's wife has a 2008 Accord that's close to 200,000 miles. My son's 2013 Accord is over 220,000 now. They always need room for the baby stuff and it's a safe bet they'll have at least one more child in a few years. He's 26 and she is just 23.

My wife is contemplating getting a new car (trying to talk her out of it for another year) and we both love the looks of the Miata. My brother used to have one and I drove it once. They're very compact in size (which is to be expected) and a heck of a lot of fun. She saw a Toyota GR86 in a parking lot and was over the moon crazy about how it looked. We did some on-line looking and it seems less expensive than the Miata RF.

Both are rear-wheel drive sports cars. The Mazda has the advantage of the electric top and can turn into a convertible in seconds. The GR86 has about 35 more horsepower from the (Subaru) Boxer engine. Both cars can be ordered with a six-speed manual transmission - part of a dying breed for sure. They both have the wonderful handbrake - refreshing in a modern vehicle. The Miata gets slightly better fuel mileage and the GR86 is faster. Both have a very nice interior. I suppose the handling is similar in both cars.

Not sure if they're direct competitors, but they certainly seem to be in the same market segment. Anybody have any strong views one way or the other? Thanks!

P.S. Makes me think of the old MR2 from the 1980s.

 

Miata !

 

We have both and are very happy with both. The Miata passenger side has very little leg room, if you are over 5'9" then it will not be comfortable. I like the Miata manual shift better than the GR86 but both are good. 33mpg in the Miata, 21mpg in the GR86, both premium gas.

 

Yeah, I am thinking that the Miata is the way to go. I went and test-drove a used one a few weeks ago - it was a 2019 with 21,000 miles on it. They wanted way too much money for it, but my objective was to see how it felt. I liked the car. The selection of leftover new 2025 models is getting kind of small - as the 2026 cars are being built now (in Japan) and are likely to hit the showrooms next month. We have our heart set on a Miata MX-5 RF (retractable hardtop) in Soul Red. Honestly, that's the only color that truly looks great on the Miata. White is my second choice, but my wife put the veto on that. She is okay with the dark blue, but that shade just doesn't do it for me. I remember that the Miata had a brilliant bright blue back in the 1990s and then a nice teal color in the early 2000s - but they don't offer any bold colors but the red.

There are two trim levels of the RF - the Grand Touring (what we prefer) and the Club (Recaro seats, black BBS wheels, Brembo brakes, etc.) that costs more. Black interior and a manual transmission are a must - no automatic for us (why get a Miata without a stick-shift?). There are not a ton of options for the Miata - lip spoiler, ground effects package, cold weather package, et al - which makes choosing one a bit easier. I have found two within 100 miles that meet our criteria - one being a Grand Touring & the other being a Club. We need the RF and would not want a soft top unless we lived in Florida or Southern California, etc. This will be a toy for us, we have no trade and it'll be an extra car that is garage kept all of the time. We currently have a 2021 Mazda CX-30 (my car now) and a 2025 Camry (wife's car) and a 2004 F-150 4z4 for trips to Lowe's, etc.

Car dealers - all brands - are awash in inventory right now. Their lots are full of 2025 models, so much so that they don't even have enough customer parking. The 2026 vehicles are rolling in hot and the auto market has slowed down a good bit. The Miata seems to be the only vehicle in short supply, just because the 2026s haven't arrived yet. I cannot tell from the Mazda web page if they're offering new colors or exactly when the vehicles will be arriving. The way I see it, they're not offering very good prices on them and a few want full sticker for what is basically a year old vehicle. I have NOT tried to negotiate yet and have two dealerships in my crosshairs right now. I am dealing via email & text with both of them. ( It's funny how they are so eager for you to "come by and we'll talk about it" or "visit us in person and we'll give you a great deal" - but even though I was born at night, I was not born last night. )

One local dealer only has ONE new manual shift 2025 RF in stock, but it's white and a Club. Another dealer 90 minutes away has a pretty Soul Red that just arrived yesterday, but it's also a Club and they have it advertised at $1,000 below MSRP - but want a $999 "processing fee" (GTFOH with that nonsense!). I am eligible for a $750 Mazda loyalty bonus for owning the CX-30 and a $500 veteran rebate, but they're gonna have to better than that. Otherwise, I guess we will have to hold out for a 2026. I am not gonna jump on one now for just $1,000 off MSRP - but I'll strongly consider one if they made me an offer I could not refuse. Our credit is excellent, we have credit union financing and we can pay cash if need be + we don't have any trade. That takes away some of the leverage for dirty tricks that the dealerships sometime try to use.

Interesting that you have both a Miata and a GR86. I know that the Toyota/Subaru runs on premium and that the Miata 'recommends' using premium, but it will run on regular. 21 mpg in the GR86 doesn't sound like all that great for a four-cylinder car. I know that the Miata gets more than 30 mpg if you drive it decently. They "feel" much faster than they really are. We both have owned Corvettes before and I had four Mustang GT coupes during my life, so we understand how cool a V8 can be......but we're both over sixty now and are no longer the speed demons we once were. The Miata is a slow car that you can drive fast every now and then.

This decision would be made easier if I knew exactly when the 2026 models would begin arriving. I hate to overpay for what is a year-old car, even if it is still new. I appreciate your comment about the Mazda vs the GR86. Honestly, I did not like the ergonomics of the Toyota/Subaru. The Boxer engine looked cool, but I have never owned a Subaru and am not that familiar with them. I know my late aunt has driving nothing but a Subaru since the late 1980s. She was in love with the brand.

Zoom Zoom!!

P.S. I am 5'11' and my wife is 5'8". We understand that the Miata is kind of tight. If we take a road trip together, it will be in the Camry.