Remember When the NB Miata Was the Hot New Thing?

From Road & Track

First-generation (NA) Mazda Miatas were cheap on the used market for a long time, but we're just starting to see their values climb. Especially for the sort of early low-mile cars the Bring a Trailer crowd loves. The second-generation (NB) Miata, meanwhile, has a bit less enthusiasm behind it, with gearheads gravitating to the lighter, simpler NA.

That makes it fun to revisit this MotorWeek review of a then-new second-generation 1999 Miata. It recalls a time when the NA Miata was almost a decade old, facing new challengers in the form of the BMW Z3 and Mercedes SLK. It needed modernization, and the NB brought it.

MotorWeek appreciated the major improvements Mazda gave the Miata for its second-generation, but with hindsight, it's easy to see that the NB wasn't all that different from the NA. And the notion that it had to answer to the SLK and Z3 is almost laughable now.

But it's exactly those changes that make the NB a great alternative to the NA. With affordable NA Miatas becoming more scarce, prospective buyers should start considering the NB. It might lack pop-up headlights, but it's largely the same car underneath.

So, watch this MotorWeek retro review, read our NB Miata buyer's guide, and set up a Cragislist alert. You can thank us later.

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