Lowering the price of entry of an entry-level sports car.
2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata
From the July 2013 Issue of Car and Driver
Since its introduction in 1989, the Mazda MX-5 Miata has been the definitive affordable sports car. Though the third generation (2006–present) is the most civilized and most expensive Miata ever, it retains its elegant simplicity and remains one of the most responsive cars on sale today.
There’s a healthy market for used Miatas of all ages, but for everyday transportation (as opposed to racing), the latest versions are the better choices. Newer cars are generally healthier to begin with; if you opt for one in certified pre-owned (CPO) form, you should be in for a lot of fun, trouble-free miles.
Mazda’s CPO program puts candidates—cars no more than four years old—through a 150-point inspection and ensures that the tires are less than half worn, every system is working properly, and the exterior and interior are in excellent condition.
CAR (EXAMPLES)
PRICE: 
LOW 
AVERAGE 
HIGH
2009 softop (17)
$17,995
$20,401
$24,576
2009 hardtop (6)
$19,995
$21,660
$22,495
2010 softtop (19)
$18,988
$20,971
$23,780
2010 hardtop (17)
$19,990
$22,614
$25,995
2011 softtop (11)
$20,980
$22,348
$24,981
2011 hardtop (8)
$23,728
$25,455
$28,961
2012 softtop (5)
$24,955
$27,432
$28,990
2012 hardtop (16)
$24,981
$27,159
$28,995
More important, CPO Miatas come with additional warranty protection. From the date of sale, they get one year or 12,000 miles of “full” coverage, which is actually slightly less complete than a new car’s bumper-to-bumper warranty. Mazda stretches the powertrain warranty from five years or 60,000 miles to seven years or 100,000 miles. There’s also a three-year period in which Experian AutoCheck will buy back the car should you discover any major damage that would have disqualified it from CPO certification. Regardless, we’d still suggest inspecting any car you plan on buying.
The most challenging part of this program is finding the right CPO Miata. One-third of the cars we located had no price listed, instead asking us to “contact dealer for price.” The descriptions on Mazda’s CPO site are also light on details. While the transmission type, trim level, top style, and odometer reading are listed, the options are not, making it difficult to parse each car’s value.
At least finding a manual transmission shouldn’t be difficult, as 79 of the 151 cars we identified were so equipped. Finding the lighter and less expensive softtop, however, gets harder as the Miatas get newer, since more of the later cars have folding hardtops. Still, with fully loaded new Miatas ranging up to $34,000, this is an opportunity to save big, especially if you cast a wide net. We recommend you price out a new car to your specifications as a baseline so you can clearly see how much of a bargain the CPO car represents.
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