ShadowSix wrote: Wait... Isn't the 2015 going to be the last year of the NC/3rd Generation Miata? I'm not sure I'd buy the last year of generation of any sports car, I feel like you'd see a steep couple of years of depreciation as people get used to the new Miata. That said, I love the way the 2016 looks, if you don't care for it then this is your last chance.
QFT. The 2016 Miata is seriously compelling.
I've run a 90 NA as my DD in the past, year round in Michigan. We've also had 2 soft top Mustangs as the family DD. Both me and the spousal unit love soft tops and won't hesitate to have another as soon as is practical. Top down motoring in just about any season is great. Winter have the fart warmers on and heat on full, summer have the AC blowing straight in your fave up to about 95F is fine too. I say do it.
nderwater wrote:OldGray320i wrote: What are the down sides that come with owning a drop top? Other than a replacement top every few years (well, and that's coin...), anything else?My '99 is still on its original top, and it's in great shape. Other than that, keep in mind that many track-day groups won't let convertibles in their events without aftermarket rollover protection.
The original top on my 99 was replaced under warranty early on (like 5K miles) due to a manufacturing defect, but that replacement is still on the car. Parking it in the garage has undoubtedly helped a lot there.
I may be an outlier, but I tend to put the top down up to about 95-100F, as long as the trip is a fairly short one. Hat and sunglasses are a must, with a good-fitting one I've not lost one to the wind yet.
kazoospec wrote: Here's my take on the "convertibleness" of a Miata. All that said, I wouldn't discourage you from buying one. Even with these issues, mine is still my favorite of every vehicle I've ever owned, and by a large margin. I love the balance and handling of the Miata chassis. There are days I even love that its a convertible. If, however, it were sold as a hard top, I'd probably choose the tin top version.
There you have it. Yet another convertible hater who when speaking of his Miata said "mine is till my favorite of every vehicle I've ever owned, and by a large margin."
I'm a convertible guy from way back. I also rode motorcycles for years. I have no issue with driving the Miata with the top down, cap on, and a/c on high when it gets too hot. In fact when I considered buying a NC as an addition to my NB, I only considered the cloth top version, not the retractable one.
People call the Miata a Gay Guy car, a Secretaries car, etc. But I know a lot of women both young & the younger ones' mothers who consider it a chick magnet.
I loved the 240Zs. And finally sold my bought new '71 a few years ago. But I was always sorry the threat of rollover laws in the early '70s kept it from being built with the cloth top it was designed with! I never considered the tin top version to be nearly as desirable as the car could have been. Look the prototype pictures up. They were beautiful!
Hold out for the 2016
mr2peak wrote: Hold out for the 2016
I hope you're right! But the profile pictures remind me way too much of a BMW Z3.
I've seen it in person. Z3 never crossed my mind. The internet seems to think every car is totally derivative, but the 2016 Miata is its own car. The biggest similarity is an F-type at 80% scale. And that's just fine with me.
Rupert wrote:kazoospec wrote: Here's my take on the "convertibleness" of a Miata. All that said, I wouldn't discourage you from buying one. Even with these issues, mine is still my favorite of every vehicle I've ever owned, and by a large margin. I love the balance and handling of the Miata chassis. There are days I even love that its a convertible. If, however, it were sold as a hard top, I'd probably choose the tin top version.There you have it. Yet another convertible hater who when speaking of his Miata said "mine is till my favorite of every vehicle I've ever owned, and by a large margin." I'm a convertible guy from way back. I also rode motorcycles for years. I have no issue with driving the Miata with the top down, cap on, and a/c on high when it gets too hot. In fact when I considered buying a NC as an addition to my NB, I only considered the cloth top version, not the retractable one. People call the Miata a Gay Guy car, a Secretaries car, etc. But I know a lot of women both young & the younger ones' mothers who consider it a chick magnet. I loved the 240Zs. And finally sold my bought new '71 a few years ago. But I was always sorry the threat of rollover laws in the early '70s kept it from being built with the cloth top it was designed with! I never considered the tin top version to be nearly as desirable as the car could have been. Look the prototype pictures up. They were beautiful!
A man after my own heart... I loved my Z-cars, wish I'd kept either of the last two (73 240, 78 280, with early bumpers installed). And always wanted to cut the top off of one, I thought they looked great even with the aftermarket kits.
You seem as though you're right in my wheelhouse, so I take your words with much influence. But shame on you for selling the Z. 
At this point, I think I'm going to sit and see how much cheaper I can get a 15 as they move them out for 16's (my son tells me I'll regret it; hope he's not right, but the force is strong in young Skywalker...).
In reply to OldGray320i:
You won't regret it so much once you "breathe" on the '15 a bit with some stickier tires, maybe some suspension tweaks or a supercharger.
I'm in a similar dilemma as I enjoyed the NC we rented for a weekend trip to the Oregon Coast. Everything I wanted in a car with just enough room for the wife and I to be comfy for the weekend. I suspect the 2016 would be similar in feel (or better) so it really is a matter of get a known quantity now (and I'd buy used because I'm cheap and I know how robust the cars are and I'll upgrade a bit anyway so why pay more just to throw the parts away?) and start enjoying the spring summer this year..... or wait for the 2016 and get a waiting list, etc. for the much prettier car and then suffer through the potential early bugs that every new car goes through (some are worse than others).
Sigh.... I need to sell off some of the fleet first before I can pull the trigger on any of that. Of course if I don't thin the herd, the wife may pull the trigger on me! HA! :)
In reply to turboswede:
I'm not opposed to a couple years old if the finances work out right; just seemed like for only a little bit older and prices were relatively high, and for relatively speaking not much more, new is available. They obviously keep their value.
Everything these days gets springs/wheels/exhaust (exh to varying degrees, sometimes only a muffler and tips..), but that's fairly cheap.
My beloved Vogtland springs are easy on factory dampers (so says the e30 and the Focus, with several years and many miles on each) and a little lower on most any car wakes them up a decent bit. Good dampers can come when the existing retire, or within a couple years as motive and opportunity present.
Extra power won't be needed, it'll just get me in trouble; I'm not as sharp as I used to be with a car, and I don't foresee enough practice to change that soon.
Oh, and if my wife were to read this post about me wanting to change things on a new car again, I too may suffer that same trigger pull! 
I've owned an NA and a NB, and every time I drive an NC I'm impressed by how solid and capable they are (I'm not fan of the looks, though). I cannot wait to sample the 2016.
I would always advise to never buy the last year of a particular generation. Buy the first year, it looks the same and has suffered the most depreciation. Bad for the seller but good for the buyer. That's how I was able to get in to my C6.
One downside of the vert. If someone would like to get into your car, for any reason (Even if it is to thieve an outdated GPS, they only need a razor blade. And chances are they wont check to see if you left the doors unlocked. Ask me how I know!
And to think that the really nice glass window top was a big selling point for my purchase a few months ago.
Carry on!
Petrolburner wrote: I would always advise to never buy the last year of a particular generation. Buy the first year, it looks the same and has suffered the most depreciation. Bad for the seller but good for the buyer. That's how I was able to get in to my C6.
OTOH, one could argue to buy the last year because it's the one that's had all the bugs fixed. If you're buying new, you also often get a substantial discount for clearing out the old inventory -- when we bought our 2007 Odyssey (new, in late 2007) they were offering enough incentives that the new price was $2K cheaper than what people were asking for 30K mile used 2005s on CL. We also managed to get one after they'd fixed the tranny problems, but before the VCM ring problem showed up.
nderwater wrote: I cannot *wait* to sample the 2016.
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