The first Mazda Miata was a breath of fresh air in the car business. Even though current cars are getting bigger and smarter, you can still drive one. This is a very rare basic model with manual steering. The car’s original owner is selling it with low miles. The writers of Invoice Pricing fell in love with the first Mazda Miata as soon as it came out for the 1990 model year. We’ll be fair and honest this time: if the new Mazda MX-5 Miata were any more wonderful and tempting, it would be against the law to buy one. Lucky for you, you can still legally drive one of the most popular small cars ever made. Here’s one for now. On Bring a Trailer, which is owned by Hearst Autos, the same business that owns Invoice Pricing, you can bid on a very original 1990 Miata with low mileage and basic specs. For the most part, this is the most basic MX-5. It doesn’t have power steering or air conditioning. Furthermore, it is a tremendous amount of pleasure. This one-owner Miata is as light as a Miata can be because the steel wheels were changed with alloy “Daisy” wheels. It still looks great after only 30,000 miles, just like it did when it was brand new in a Mazda store in the late summer of 1989. The seller said this was only the second Miata that they had sold through an Orange County shop. Of course, California is the Miata’s emotional home, even though the little roadster was first made in Hiroshima. This was the start of the postwar boom in sports cars. Bob Hall, who lived in Irvine, publicly asked Mazda executives to make a car that looked like the Lotus Elan, MGB, and Triumph Spitfire. Hey Bob, good job on your 35 years of tough, small two-seaters. This car is a very early Miata because the rear differential is smooth, but more study is needed to be sure of this. If the mechanic doesn’t put the woodruff key in properly when changing the timing belt on an early NA-chassis Miata, the car could break down mechanically. This should be fine since the car has only had one owner and has only 30K miles on it. The fact that so many early Miatas are still tearing up racetracks suggests that the short-nose crank problem is more of a public relations problem than a real one. The 30K miles are the perfect mix of weekend drive and collector quality. When the plastic seat covers are taken off, these clean and simple cloth chairs become a part of history. The Miata’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine only makes 116 horsepower, and it doesn’t have any touchscreens or other niceties. Of course, a highway would be best for a car like the CX-90, but what about other ways to get around? There are situations in which having fewer things is preferable. The new paint job on this cheeky little popup headlight only makes it look better. A new battery, fluid refills, and repairs for the distributor, spark plug, ignition wire, and auxiliary belt are some other important mechanical fixes. KYB shocks that can be adjusted are also brand new. This is the last bid until May 28.
