c1pher

Mazda is the Porsche of Japan.

Auric

- More fun, but not as fast- cheaper to run- easier to flog- but snobs will snob

Momentum Worx

I wouldn't go that far - if that were true, they'd have found ways to stay truer to their Rotary heritage. Thankfully they haven't abandoned the MX-5.

I will say, the way Mazda approaches the MX-5 is pretty impressive, particularly the latest generation. It's really amazing how inexpensive they've kept the MX-5 despite being a totally bespoke car that shares very few parts or components with any other vehicle in the Mazda lineup.

Anyways, comparing the Boxster to the MX-5 - they're two totally different cars that are fun in totally different ways. The MX-5 has more body roll, and feels faster at lower speeds, whereas the Porsche is simply unflappable at high speeds and inspires confidence.

Z3papa

I've driven many highly prepared cars including a few Miatae I could barely fit into because of my size (6'5" and 280#). That said, if I were able to fit in an ND well, I'd have likely bought that, prepped it out and never bought the BGTS I currently owned if not for the fact that I at my size and weight, I found it really impacted lower power cars. Since I have previously owned a E92 M3, I've come to the position that can't go back o a car whee I represent too much proportion of the overall weight in the pure power department. I wanted to still sense speed and get an easier dose of that with more power albeit with more weight.

patdonahue

I have a GTS 4.0 and a 20 year old Boxster S My bride has a 2020 Miata RF. The Miata is fun to drive but in a different way than the Porsches obviously but it is a blast to drive, shorter gearing and I might say even a bit more "tossable" being it is lighter.(no tracking on any of the cars) I find it more like the 20 year old Boxster than the newer GTS 4.0 in the feel of the car, really light steering, light clutch, etc. I might also add the Miata's are bulletproof, my wife has owner like 6 of these things no maintenance problems in fact they have been as reliable as the Porsches we had over the years although they tended to rack up more mileage.
I, myself would not say the Miata is more fun to drive than the Porsche-2 different vehicles designed for different markets but .it is definitely a fun car.

Zhao

I'm a big mazda fan, but you need to go back in time if you want to buy one new that's worth it for the price IMO or get a used one. ND's I think are way over priced personally (in my country at least), unless you get a base one.

My take on miatas specifically: I've driven NA, NB and NC miatas. The NA and NB are kinda crappy, but fun. I think the NA are far to old now to actually enjoy, at least where I live as they're rusty and worn out so usually they have problems making them not so fun anymore, but the NB is still one of my favourite cars to get 'stuck' instructing in because they're so obviously slow and reward skill so well (and besides rusty frame rails they're still holding their value well enough that people maintain them properly). I also bought a NC last year to do covid lead-follow instructing. I'd say there is nothing wrong with that car except it looks like a boat. It's a good daily driver as it's the first miata with a half decent interior and top. The NC isn't what I'd call slow either and I enjoyed it more than the NA or NB. I would say the extra weight went all into refinement and was offset by the added hp nicely. I raced a NA spec miata also; they're a little twitchy in fast sweepers is my only beef with them. I will continue to race mazdas because I can afford to crash one, and that makes it more fun. Nothing is fun about crashing a car or worrying about doing so on a car you can't walk away from.

I've owned a lot of Japanese sports cars, over 100 easily. Most from the golden age of japanese cars (late 80s to 2000ish) as most Japanese manufacturers stopped making sports cars in the 2000s. Mazda's are easily at the top as far as drivers cars go, so when you say mazda, know it's the best Japan has to offer in that respect. The most fun and capable car in the twisties would be a Rx8, as garbage as that engine is, and as ugly as it is, that car blew my mind with how easy it was to hit an apex or do a perfect heel and toe shift every time. I work at a bodyshop and I was pissed off one saturday at work, fired up a rx8 I had there, and started drifting our back in-between all the writeoffs and seeing how close i could get to them and the parking lot curbs. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that in any other car. Next up would be a 3rd gen rx7, which will probably always be my favourite Japanese car (That car also blew my mind the first time I took a corner in it. The turn in, the mid corner rotation, and then the exit. It wasn't until a 997 or rx8 where I felt a car compared to it). Then I would say a toyota MR Spyder because it's a toyota miata, but better. Feels like a street legal go cart, great car. Then miatas. Then a sw20 3gte toyota MR-2; that car was what I used for driver training to get where I am today in racing (personal pref, not everyone would agree as some think it's a difficult car to push). Then a s2000, which is exactly the same as a 3rd gen rx7 for feel IMO, just in honda and convertible form so that is why I rank it here... it should have felt better than a car 10 years older than itself.

Now how mazda's rank vs Porsche. I did drive a 987 base boxster on the same day I drove a NC miata on the track. As drivers car, I would rank them the very close to the same. I also drove a 997.2 the same day I drove my rx7. Surprisingly the 997 did not blow my mind. I felt it very comparable to my rx7 for a drivers car and I was surprised because 15 years separate those 2 cars. It comes down to they're all very good drivers cars and if you get your fun out of that, it's hard to drive a car I'd rank 9.5/10 and then get in a car that I'd rank 9.6/10 and have your mind blown at the difference. The big differences are interior, looks, and sound, and that is where they differ a lot. There is a lot of extra enjoyment to gain out of that, but as pure drivers cars, very similar for enjoyment.

I would say most people into drivers cars buy based off what they can afford, and it always worked out to mazda, then bmw, then porsche, and if that is what you can afford, you'll enjoy it just as much as the guy who can afford the more expensive brand is enjoying his. Unfortunately bmw decided to make German Buicks starting in around 2012, so that formula doesn't work well today . The last BMW's I had that I thought were great drivers cars were a e90 3 series and a 135i (surprisingly good). BMW is now dead to me as a drivers car brand, but apparently the m2 is their last good drivers car.

As for a ND miata. Hard pass. I'm sure it's a great drivers car, but for the price of an optioned out one, I have no interest in that car at all. If I was looking at paying 50g canadian for a mazda miata, I'd figure out how to save up another 20g and get a stripper cayman, or I'd get a 1LE camaro SS for under 50g CAD which is a great drivers car and has great power as well. My other thought is some manufacturers just can't keep up with R&D in this day and age. I personally think Japanese car manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the Germans so their cars either are inferior, old tech, or cost a lot. The miata is really expensive for what you get on paper and I'm not sure the experience is worth the difference.

JBM718GTS

Owned a 2016 ND Club spec Miata, and enjoyed very nearly every minute driving it. There is something immensely satisfying about 3rd and 4th gear in the Miata.. they just feel like a gearbox should! Not to mention that you can really use them daily, even around town. Side note, you could beat on the car all day and still deliver exceptional fuel consumption - that really was a big win.

I'm 5'11", and can attest that I never found the Miata super comfortable, but it was perfectly acceptable. I bought used, and there are deals to be had. I agree with other comments that buying them at list does feel a bit steep.

That said, the Cayman build quality is far beyond, and I look forward to many miles in it, on longer road trips (the exact things I didn't love doing with the Miata). The Miata road noise with the convertible top up (wife prefers on highways or high speeds) was just frustrating.

R

Momentum Worx

You should drive a base ND2 Miata with the revised engine. That'd be the MX-5 I'd buy if I was buying an MX-5 (although I inititally put a deposit down on a 30AE MX-5 in Racing Orange, because, well... orange). No options, 16" wheels, base suspension.

I had the pleasure of picking one up for a customer from Longuysland, and the car was just sublime on surface streets. Absorbed bumps and handled great without any of the firmness of the stiffer Bilsteins or 17" wheels and 40-series sidewalls.

Yc911Kid

It can give you a great time & bring big grin , but won't help scratch that porsche itch.

Antipodean

At least as fun as a Porsche. My NB MX-5 SP is 1100kg, 150kW, 50:50 weight distribution, small wheels, no nannies. Not a widowmaker, unlike old, light nine-elevens. I wish Porsche would make something like a 550 / real 718 again .

Chester7

I have both a 2008 Miata NC and a 2019 Cayman GTS 2.5. I also own a Lotus Elise, and owned a 944 Turbo for 23 years. The Miata provides more fun per dollar than any of these cars. The lower weight is instantly noticeable in a delightful way. The Miata is toss-able and the gearbox is superb. Bottom line: Adding a Miata will provide sensations you don't get in a Porsche and vice-versa. They are cheap enough that you can own both without regret.

Also, your wife may prefer driving the Miata.

ngamountains

You need to drive one to answer the question for yourself. I let a GT350 owner, who had admittedly never driven a Miata, drive my 2019 ST after my driving his GT350. Following the second turn out of my residential area, he ran the car up to 45 or so, was just into fourth gear and he looked over at me in the passenger seat and said, unsolicited, “Now I get it.” Five minutes behind the wheel will tell you what you need to know.

asuptardorne

So true. More time spent driving cars, less time spent racing (or designing) spec sheets.

Haros

If there is a ever a car that makes you the hero, it’s the Miata.
You can safely push that car to its limits and still be somewhat legal doing so.

If you are confident, you can say the same thing with a cayman, but find with my 4.0 I’m risking a car impound.

clutchplate

Only owned one, it was a superb and memorable go kart which made me a fan for life. I bought it used for $20,000, sold it 2 years later for $19,000. What's not to like?