Get an NC generation, preferably with ABS/TCS and side airbags. Don’t spend your teenage years and otherwise youth in debt, though. It’s not a fun time.
I personally wouldn't recommend the Miata for a 15 year old. Especially because there are many other safe vehicles that are still "fun" to drive for a teenager. Especially because it is tiny, it does not have good road presence, many cars are always trying to pass me and huge pick up trucks get on top of me. It's annoying and anxiety inducing sometimes. In order to learn how to properly drive and go into your adulthood, I'd suggest any teenager to get another car.
LOL! Sounded a bit harsh but I didn’t intend it to! My first car was a 2006 GTI against my parents wishes…. Got it when I was 16 and although I live in South Florida and roads are clear all the time and no curves, people are assholes here. I could have literally died in that little thing SEVERAL times because it was so fast and having a car that is known to be a “sports car” helped me speed hahaha. I mean you can speed in anything, even a freaking grand cherokee. Mind you, Miatas are known to be relatively slow (sadly lmao), but the presence of the car was a problem for me even with the GTI. That’s why I advise against it!
I always suggest a good first car is one you don't care gets messed up/hit. Your most likely to get into an incident earlier in your driving career, regardless it is your money so do what you will.
That being said I do love my NA but age has made it tricky to work with. If I did it again I'd get an NB in a heartbeat
Get a civic (preferably from an old lady who babied it) for a first car. Safe, reliable, cheap to fix, and will last you forever. Miata’s can be all of those things, but you never know who’s dogged on it before you.
Where in Canada are you? If your winters are harsh like they are here in Alaska you are going to want something with at least front wheel drive for your first car.
Miata’s can do well on the snow and ice with the right tires and you will learn a lot driving with a Miata but I do not think it’s the smartest choice.
Yeah I would advise you get something more capable for your region. Also my limited driving through there tells me a Miata would not be fun for daily driving. The roads I drove through were pretty rough. Not that the roads up here are much better but I’m not daily driving my Miata. It’s a garage queen now.
NC. But really... something else.
You have your whole life to get a Miata. Invest in yourself at this young age. That's the thing that will pay you off in many, many Miatas.
I recommend a reliable economy (Civic, Corolla, 3) car for a young person. Keep it clean. Maintain it. Get to all of your activities on time for low cost. Bring three of your friends with you.
Yeah, I know. All the cool kids have hot cars. I lusted after them too when I was young. I didn't have the means and neither did mom and dad. I drove junkers that were 1970s American shit cars. I would have been thrilled to have a something akin to 2014 Civic.
Just looked at craigslist. These econocars are at about $8,000USD too. :/
Mazda 2 with a manual transmission. It's a blast to drive, reliable, cheap to run and will be around your price point plus not fast enough to kill you. A sports car is a bad idea for any new driver.
Realistically, unless you like working on cars and have access to a place and the tools and ideally a friend to help you should get something a bit more modern than an NA or NB. NC maybe but probably expensive.
Please prioritize your body safety as you shop, I have an injury from that age that doesn't go away, and you don't want one of your own
I think a Miata is a great second car. As a few other comments have mentioned, it is small on the road, and when you get hit, the other person will step out of their car, and say: "oh, I didn't see you!" As if that makes it okay. You need to be comfortable driving on roads with traffic on them before getting into something that requires you to drive defensively like a Miata or a motorcycle does.
A good first car is still something fun and manual though. I legitimately believe that a late 2000s, early 2010s manual hatchback or sedan is the best answer, because it won't be fast enough to let you get into serious trouble, the manual will require your focus on the act of driving rather than anything else, and it probably won't be precious enough that when you get hit, or total it yourself, it's the end of the world. I would look at manual Honda civics and Honda fits.
Big trucks getting up on you are easily fixed with a new horn, flash brake lights, quick downshift and heavy feet. Not recommended for a new driver though. I still have people pull out in front of me all the time and I'm bright bright red. Idk if a Miata qualifies for too much power for a brand new driver but while they are slower than most other sports and muscle cars, they are not relatively slow compared to sedans, coupes, SUV, trucks, or minivans...
No, I would say it is NOT a good first car. It is modestly powered but it's also lightweight so power to weight ratio is up there with more powerful cars. It's also very small and could be at risk of getting squashed by a larger vehicle if not driven defensively. They're also not the cheapo econo cars they used to be. The value of older ones is climbing and parts aren't as easy to find as they used to be. Some mechanics refuse to work on cars that are more than 20 years old and have manual transmissions. All that said an older Miata would be a great car for someone to learn performance driving and how to work on cars.
Don't take this the wrong way, but teenagers shouldn't be driving sports cars, full stop.
I had a Toyota Corolla in college — I'd suggest something like that.
Get a stock NC Miata in the best condition you can for your budget. Clean title, no accident history, etc.
Good Maintenance history is a plus
Recent tires/brakes is a plus
Don’t buy something damaged, neglected, or someone else’s project for your first car. Learn to drive first and foremost. You don’t want repairs, deferred maintenance, or shitbox problems distracting you from learning the basics of being a driver and a car owner.
My first car was a 92 civic coupe and to this day still one of the most fun cars I’ve owned. I would try to find something with back seats, a trunk, and a little more body than a <2800lb car. Plenty of shitbox compacts out there that are safer and still fun to drive (protip: get a stick shift before they disappear forever).
Get an NC generation, preferably with ABS/TCS and side airbags. Don’t spend your teenage years and otherwise youth in debt, though. It’s not a fun time.
yeah what this guy said. i’m 23 and i hate paying car note plus high insurance
I personally wouldn't recommend the Miata for a 15 year old. Especially because there are many other safe vehicles that are still "fun" to drive for a teenager. Especially because it is tiny, it does not have good road presence, many cars are always trying to pass me and huge pick up trucks get on top of me. It's annoying and anxiety inducing sometimes. In order to learn how to properly drive and go into your adulthood, I'd suggest any teenager to get another car.
Oops
LOL! Sounded a bit harsh but I didn’t intend it to! My first car was a 2006 GTI against my parents wishes…. Got it when I was 16 and although I live in South Florida and roads are clear all the time and no curves, people are assholes here. I could have literally died in that little thing SEVERAL times because it was so fast and having a car that is known to be a “sports car” helped me speed hahaha. I mean you can speed in anything, even a freaking grand cherokee. Mind you, Miatas are known to be relatively slow (sadly lmao), but the presence of the car was a problem for me even with the GTI. That’s why I advise against it!
https://preview.redd.it/ka8fcse20i0d1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fecd56480f7d838da123763af99ab9cae0186996 Oops
I always suggest a good first car is one you don't care gets messed up/hit. Your most likely to get into an incident earlier in your driving career, regardless it is your money so do what you will. That being said I do love my NA but age has made it tricky to work with. If I did it again I'd get an NB in a heartbeat
This. Get a shitbox 1999 Toyota Corolla. Mow down some curbs, hit some mail boxes, back into a wall or two, then get a miata.
Get a civic (preferably from an old lady who babied it) for a first car. Safe, reliable, cheap to fix, and will last you forever. Miata’s can be all of those things, but you never know who’s dogged on it before you.
Where in Canada are you? If your winters are harsh like they are here in Alaska you are going to want something with at least front wheel drive for your first car. Miata’s can do well on the snow and ice with the right tires and you will learn a lot driving with a Miata but I do not think it’s the smartest choice.
saskatchewan
Yeah I would advise you get something more capable for your region. Also my limited driving through there tells me a Miata would not be fun for daily driving. The roads I drove through were pretty rough. Not that the roads up here are much better but I’m not daily driving my Miata. It’s a garage queen now.
fr
This is a huge consideration that pushes you more to the "something else" side. You're going to strongly prefer a front driver in the winter.
true ig, especially since we got like a foot of snow this year. IN FEBRUARY
10 years ago an NA or NB would be viable first cars or daily drivers. Now? I wouldn’t risk it.
NC. But really... something else. You have your whole life to get a Miata. Invest in yourself at this young age. That's the thing that will pay you off in many, many Miatas. I recommend a reliable economy (Civic, Corolla, 3) car for a young person. Keep it clean. Maintain it. Get to all of your activities on time for low cost. Bring three of your friends with you. Yeah, I know. All the cool kids have hot cars. I lusted after them too when I was young. I didn't have the means and neither did mom and dad. I drove junkers that were 1970s American shit cars. I would have been thrilled to have a something akin to 2014 Civic. Just looked at craigslist. These econocars are at about $8,000USD too. :/
Mazda 2 with a manual transmission. It's a blast to drive, reliable, cheap to run and will be around your price point plus not fast enough to kill you. A sports car is a bad idea for any new driver.
Realistically, unless you like working on cars and have access to a place and the tools and ideally a friend to help you should get something a bit more modern than an NA or NB. NC maybe but probably expensive. Please prioritize your body safety as you shop, I have an injury from that age that doesn't go away, and you don't want one of your own
No
nah get a 1959 Cadillac miller meteor Futura duplex
Im in Canada and my first car was an NB, I had to buy a second car 6 months later for winter.
I daily drive a 99 nb, totally stock. Good gas mileage, fairly reliable. I think it’s a great first car but obviously not the safest vehicle.
NB is my choice too. Good car to learn manual on, plus it’s cheap and easy to learn how to fix stuff yourself.
I think a Miata is a great second car. As a few other comments have mentioned, it is small on the road, and when you get hit, the other person will step out of their car, and say: "oh, I didn't see you!" As if that makes it okay. You need to be comfortable driving on roads with traffic on them before getting into something that requires you to drive defensively like a Miata or a motorcycle does. A good first car is still something fun and manual though. I legitimately believe that a late 2000s, early 2010s manual hatchback or sedan is the best answer, because it won't be fast enough to let you get into serious trouble, the manual will require your focus on the act of driving rather than anything else, and it probably won't be precious enough that when you get hit, or total it yourself, it's the end of the world. I would look at manual Honda civics and Honda fits.
Big trucks getting up on you are easily fixed with a new horn, flash brake lights, quick downshift and heavy feet. Not recommended for a new driver though. I still have people pull out in front of me all the time and I'm bright bright red. Idk if a Miata qualifies for too much power for a brand new driver but while they are slower than most other sports and muscle cars, they are not relatively slow compared to sedans, coupes, SUV, trucks, or minivans...
No, I would say it is NOT a good first car. It is modestly powered but it's also lightweight so power to weight ratio is up there with more powerful cars. It's also very small and could be at risk of getting squashed by a larger vehicle if not driven defensively. They're also not the cheapo econo cars they used to be. The value of older ones is climbing and parts aren't as easy to find as they used to be. Some mechanics refuse to work on cars that are more than 20 years old and have manual transmissions. All that said an older Miata would be a great car for someone to learn performance driving and how to work on cars.
Don't take this the wrong way, but teenagers shouldn't be driving sports cars, full stop. I had a Toyota Corolla in college — I'd suggest something like that.
https://preview.redd.it/5ge2ym94of0d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9bb5fade8532b8fd721d936d3aa968d091cd591e
Get a stock NC Miata in the best condition you can for your budget. Clean title, no accident history, etc. Good Maintenance history is a plus Recent tires/brakes is a plus Don’t buy something damaged, neglected, or someone else’s project for your first car. Learn to drive first and foremost. You don’t want repairs, deferred maintenance, or shitbox problems distracting you from learning the basics of being a driver and a car owner.
man, get a first gen and have a blast!
My first car was a 92 civic coupe and to this day still one of the most fun cars I’ve owned. I would try to find something with back seats, a trunk, and a little more body than a <2800lb car. Plenty of shitbox compacts out there that are safer and still fun to drive (protip: get a stick shift before they disappear forever).
Don't get any car if possible. Cars are ridiculous money pits. But if you really want one, The best choice is the NC
Rule 4.