Need Mazda Education
 

I'm getting old (76) and it's getting hard to wrestle a motorcycle around so I've been considering getting a 3-wheeled version. Fortunately, not belatedly, I realized that each time I saw one of the somewhat huge CanAm's on the road I often thought "why didn't you just get a Mazda Miata? So, duh, here I am wanting to find out all about them. Are there any years to avoid? When does high mileage become a concern? Do major mechanical items swap out relatively easily?
I have many questions, but this is a start.

Miatas are the most reliable sports car available. Some have problems with the manual transmission in the current generation. I think it is in cars that have been tracked. I don’t know the percentage of cars that have problems. It wouldn’t stop me from buying one.

Welcome fellow Texan! Cant answer your mechanical questions but can tell you from the perspective of someone who drove a broken down Camry and spent over a year researching / deciding the right car, Miata is a great car! Very happy with mine.

After researching a little I'm starting to zero in on a model that has the retractable hard top and a manual transmission. One major use of the vehicle is to tow it behind my camper van and use it to roam in National Parks. I need to zero in on the model years this was available and if there is a base plate and technique that allows it to be towed 4 wheels down.