Should you buy a used Mazda Miata an Malaysia? - Martin’s 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata NC

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Should you buy a used Mazda Miata an Malaysia? – Martin’s 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata NC

Should You Buy A Used Mazda Miata In Malaysia? - Martin’s 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata NC

Joyous, youthful, and carefree. I could never imagine an angry Miata driver let alone a Miata driver on a road rage. The Mazda Miata, or MX-5, has been around since 1989 and is currently in its fourth generation, the ND. The one we have here is the third generation Miata, the NC. This is pre-SkyActiv and pre-Mazda & Ford Divorce Miata. To be precise, this Miata is the NC1 Miata. The NC Miata had a facelift in 2009 (NC2) and another one in 2013 (NC3).

This time, we have to thank Martin for providing this car for a review on Cars of Malaysia.

Martin has had the car for more than 5 years and the car was originally silver in colour with a 6-speed automatic transmission (torque converter). This is the Hard-Top Version. Some Miata buyers would opt for the soft top version, since it has more space for a roll cage inside the cabin area. It’s also tough to find a manual transmission Miata in our second-hand market, so what usually happens for those seeking a manual Miata is a manual transmission conversion. This one was converted.

Why did Martin buy a Miata? His first car in Gran Turismo was an NA Miata. It is as simple as that.

The MX-5 is a front engine, rear-wheel-drive car with a 4-cylinder NA (Naturally Aspirated) Engine. Small roadsters are usually associated with older British car makers (MG, Triumph, Austin-Healey, etc.), but the Japanese do have notable tiny roofless cars too like the Miata, the Toyota MR-S and the S2000. As a matter of fact, things get even more scaled down with the likes of the Suzuki Cappuccino, the Honda Beat, and the Honda S660.

The Mazda Miata boasts a 50-50 weight distribution which I was sceptical of at first when Martin told me about it. I hear this almost all the time when people talk about FR cars. Well, to prove this point, Mazda made this video of a balancing act with the MX-5. If we still want to argue if there was any trickery in this video, maybe we could try this experiment ourselves when we have the budget for it.

Miata Is Always The Answer? Maybe Not Here in Malaysia.

Unlike the Honda S2000 and the Toyota MR-S, the Mazda Miata still exists in showrooms in 2018. A new ND Mazda Miata would cost you RM241,198.00 (OTR without insurance).

If we’re shopping in the second-hand market, a Miata NC would still cost above RM100k but they’re mostly automatics. A Miata NA (1.8 Manual) could sell for RM50k. More NAs and NBs are on mudah.my with the lowest being RM50k and the highest being RM75k with the 1.6 engine.

Still, if you’d like to give track racing or autocross a try on a budget, I would personally suggest getting a Proton Satria instead. They are cheaper to crash & repair if you’re just starting out. Miatas may be a very popular track car choice in other countries like the US, UK, and NZ, but they are still quite costly in Malaysia.

What Is It Like To Drive?

The Mazda Miata is fun, but it a bit claustrophobic (with the top down). This still is a traditional fun car with hydraulic power steering, a mechanical hand-brake, a standard 6-speed manual transmission, analogue gauges, and no push-start button. I like it. It’s also more forgiving and easier to drive than cars like the Toyota Corolla AE86 & Nissan Skyline R32. Martin has installed a short-shifter, so I imagine driving a stock NC Miata with a stock shifter to be a more relaxing ride. The throttle is also electronic and I believe that adds to the smooth power delivery that the Miata has at low speeds.

The drive is engaging, the steering feedback is great. Stretching gears is fun and 2nd and 3rd gear have very decent range. Although installed with a straight pipe unintentionally*, the car really isn’t that loud even with the top down. It is comfortable at low speeds and it isn’t nerve racking when you floor it. I expected a less comfortable ride from a car this size but was surprised with how the ride comfort turned out.

* The car had a SARD mid-pipe but the catalytic converter shot itself. A straight pipe piece was welded in instead.

Getting inside can be claustrophobic to some. The car is low, small, and rear-wheel-drive. The transmission already takes a considerable amount of space in the cabin. Everything is very close to you from the steering wheel, the gear knob, the hand brake, and the roof. What I like about the cabin is that you can have your left arm fully rested on the armrest while shifting gears. What is lacking is a floor-mounted gas pedal which is now present in all Mazda cars. It does make the drive more engaging and puts your foot in a more comfortable position.

Pictured above is the foot pedal layout in a 2015 Mazda 2 which I tried previously. Unfortunately, Mazda had not enforced this yet with the NC1 Mazda Miata. The ND Miata has a floor-mounted gas pedal. Having experienced 2 Mazdas, I must say the ride has never disappointed me.

The seats in place are Nissan Skyline R34 semi-bucket seats which Martin had wrapped in a different trim to match the interior (including the steering wheel).

The Engine (And Its Ancillaries)

As mentioned earlier, this is pre-Mazda & Ford divorce. So, Ford has the rights to build and use this engine under the Duratec brand name. Mazda calls this the MZR engine, short for “MaZda Responsive”.

Powering this Mazda MX-5 Miata NC is a 2.0L, naturally aspirated, 16 valve, DOHC LF-VE engine. The internals in the NC1 were not true forged internals and Mazda improved this in the facelifted NC2. There is a one-in-a-million chance of engine oil deprivation issue (with the NC1) and unfortunately, that iss what happened to Martin’s Mazda Miata at one point.

Mazda fixed this issue when the NC2 was launched and included other improvements such as better suspension geometry. I believe things were further refined when the NC3 was introduced, and if you’re looking for an NC Miata, a safe option would be to opt for the NC3 (The NC3 is virtually impossible to find in Malaysia. You can opt for the NC2 instead).

The NC1 is also guilty of using unreliable plastic parts. An example of this is the coolant tank. As plastics go, the thread on the coolant tank cap eventually wore out so Martin had this replaced with an aftermarket coolant tank by Moroso.

Epilogue

I like the Mazda Miata. It is a fun car. It’s small, agile, and very engaging to drive. But in Malaysia, it’s not as affordable as it is in other countries like the UK, US, and NZ (even second-hand Miatas). This particular Miata is the NC1. Of course, the NC2 or NC3 would be better choices (if you’re looking for an NC) since the car has undergone further iteration after receiving feedback.

Why buy a Miata NC then?

For the joy of it. The Miata will put a smile on your face (when there’s no random one-in-a-million engine oil deprivation). It is a small rear-wheel-drive car with an open top and 2.0L engine. I imagine the Miata is perfect for a stress-relieving drive.

Just try your best to get an NC2 or NC3.

Looks wise, we are all entitled to our own opinion. To me, the NC Miata still has an adorable happy face unlike the sinister smile on the ND Miata. For a more adorable face, you can try looking at the NA Miata with pop-up headlights.