This is by far the best review of NC I have seen. No stupid music, no crazy driving just chat about the car.

describing a 30 mpg vehicle as "not fuel efficient" is definitely a major difference between US and UK car enthusiasts lol

I can underline every statement in this video. Selling my NC1 in 2020 was a big mistake. My NBFL has far more problems with rust. Very good review made in a great minimalistic way. Thanks a lot.

This is the perfect sports car when you can’t get to a track.. I’d rather drive a slow car fast than (like this) a fast car slow.. I have an 08 NC PRHT with Goodwin full Catted header exhaust, Dynotronics map, front and rear sways… and I love it 62k miles so far. Fuel pump is the only thing I needed to replace so far. I got it with 30k on it and I’ve swapped out every fluid.. it’s a joy to drive slow or fast.

Some great info there . My son just bought a 2008 hard top version last week and he loves it

One of the best east going plain English cheerful reviews in my 45 years I have been into cars. Hoping to get one for sure next summer. Thanks for the video. I hope to see links or other video on upkeep and supplies for Miata ❤

My God its an awesome video! Straight to the point, no stupid intros no anything just AWESOME thank you so much! You just made my day not only by giving a looot of great advices but also by this little detail with no bs content. I great, thank you again!

I have the same exact one! Silver 2008 GT soft top. I stand by to everything you said. I really enjoyed your review! I didn't think i was going to get an NC but im sooooo happy i did! Also i love what you said about the having traction control. I drove during real sketchy down poor and really happy i had it.

I think this is one of the best reviews I have seen on NC. They all say how great it is and here feels a bit more balanced review with useful tips (regarding the lack of tech, cleaning the blocked drains etc). As an owner of NC 2010, I always drive it with traction control as without it just does not feel quite as great/safe grip (tbh even when activated in slippery roads in the UK does require some attention). What I think the review is right spot on is that this is a car that wants to be driven etc. If you don't, I find it a super dull car for say daily use/commute, noisy cabin, lack of tech etc. I drive it mostly in the city and as such I definitely feel/think sometimes I should probably have something else but the car is fun to have (for those rare 20% of the times only I guess). One last thing, as a city car fuel mpg is far worse than the 28-30 like mentioned (the trip computer shows only 21-22), the previous' owners trip history was more like 27-28 but he lived in the countryside.

Awesome review and plenty of tips thanks Richard very helpful 😊👍

Dsc off gives a lot more performance on sunny days. Its so much fun to drive, really makes you learn how to play with balance, brakes and proper cornering. I want the bbr upgrade.

You have a matter of fact no BS delivery. Very refreshing !

I’ll love my Factory New 2014 MX-5 NC. It’s like flying a Silver and Black Zero, with no armor, power retractable top, it’s a little beast. Lots-O-Fun!

great stuff thanks. looking at a 2010 mx5 right now and this was helpful

amazinggg reviewwwww love how chill and informative!

Had one for three years now-best car ive ever had. Previous cars include jag xk8, toyota supra.....you get the picture-yeah THAT good!! And NOT slow-fast, if you know how to drive it, trust me 😍👍🌈

After six years my Miata still looks new. No repair costs. Just standard maintenance. No rust. I keep it out of the weather when not in use and clean it regular. The water pump and alternator drive belt still looks new at 61k miles. I keep a spare in the trunk along with the wrench to replace it just in case.

LOVE LOVE, LOVE my NC 2012 GT HardTop! Agree 100%

Ive had a few convertibles over 20 odd years, when they get condensation in the roof, Ive always treated the roof with Autoglym soft top cleaner and preserver. Thats always fixed it. Need to do it every year.

A great and honest review. Thank you.

Thanks for pointing out these details.

I don't own a Miata yet but plan to get one when I retire in a couple of years time. Can't afford the newer models so my target is a 2014-2015 NC. Your tips are so useful when I'm ready to get one for myself.

Mr. Buck....I concur wholeheartedly. My 08 Grand Touring MX-5 NC is the coolest roadster I've ever owned, and I've had a few. The camel-colored leather is very supportive and comfortable even on long trips, 169 hp matched to the 6-speed transmission is a short-throw (but tightly geared shift pattern) delight to row as you wind along, sink & rise on mountain roads. The weight of this car is minimal and power/weight ratio allows plenty of acceleration, but, and this seems odd, if your mood is slow & go, shift into 4th, turn on the cruise and you can stay at that exact speed with no lugging, in fact smooth as glass, sticking right at the speed you set...it's a "torque" thing. The handling on the MX-5 is not too far from incredible, 5th gear thru those 35 mph curves at 55-60 mph with the flickability of a motorcycle, in fact, being a motorcycle rider all my life, from 17-18 to 71 currently ) I bought my MX-5 with bike thrills on 4-wheels, and so far I couldn't be happier.

Great informative video 👍

Dude.. that was real good.. grats!!

Great video very informative 👍

More videos please regarding the NC!

Great video. Thanks for the tips.

Really enjoyed this review. Hit the right topics with no messing around. I had a 2007 NC and now upgrading to 2010 with a hard top. Loved the soft top but in the city it always had me a bit worried. I still think the NC is the best version to date. Someday maybe the NE? But no ND for me. Thanks!

We've just bought our 4th Mx5... three mk 1 and now a mk 3 (our most recent mk1 sold to our motor engineer's son)... We have fabric seats... but I would recommend someone clever with a sewing machine to make som fabric covers for the leather seats... don't buy commercial...all the fabric manuf set covers I've seen in recent years have been rubbish

I drive my NC 2006 wide open ! every time, can't be helped, its so much frekin fun!

Love your review best one if seen❤

Great delivery!

I'm looking to buy one this weekend, found your vid randomly after searching lots, first thing I spotted though was the church, I'm in Macc! Great vid, v helpful. Might need to ask you where to get it serviced locally if you can recommend anywhere that knows an MX5.

Good review pointing out some things to be aware of on the NC . I have a PRHT version and even though it adds weight to the car,it is worth it. More security, a little quieter and never needing to replace it. It also is a true convertible unlike the new RF cars. The traction control must only be on the standard transmission cars as my ''Dreaded'' automatic does not have it. I'm in the U.S. and my 2008 has always been put away during the winter. It has no rust. I bought it five years ago used when everybody hated on the NC version and got an excellent deal. Now the prices have shot up because reviews have been positive. Another great point is that there are so many mods available for the NC. You are only limited by the size of your wallet!

I bought a 2008 NC 2.0 earlier this year after yet another mid-life crisis as a weekend toy. Went shopping originally for a Honda S2000, but good ones are rare and hugely overpriced - not unusual to see minters with low mileage (ie the condition i found my MX5) for over £20K. The one I found - 20,000 miles, one elderly owner who only used it in the summer and kept it in a heated garage all year round - the ones you only ever read about. It wasn't the cheapest at £8k but was far and away the best I could find. The usual advice for any older car is to buy the best you can afford. Almost always works out cheaper in the long run. Had the added bonus (for me) of the electric retractable roof too - so best of both worlds. You've made a lot of good points - and i DO like the car - however, based on my own personal experience, I'd add these: The PHRT version (with the electric roof like mine) is a great choice; increased security; absolutely watertight, and quieter with the top up too. And it DOESN'T compromise the handling or the performance (more on that shortly!) either. For me - you just HAVE to fit the Mazda/Eibach lowering springs - mine has Bilstein shocks anyway - and the springs (which I actually got the best price on from my local Mazda dealership at around £200) don't make the car look "slammed" - I'm about 30 years too old for that look - they just drop it to the height it should have been in the first place - the arch tops about an inch above the top of the tyres. Mine was like yours when I got it - you could get your whole head in the gap between the tyre and the front wheel arch. Apart from dramatically improving the looks, it also had a similar impact on the handling without ANY impact on ride comfort. No clearance or grounding issues either. I'm sure I've read somewhere they actually raised the ride height (like MG did with the rubber-bumper MGB's back in the day) to comply with US bumper height regs. Either way - the best £200 I think I've spent on a car ever. Fitting the rears was fiddly though. DO check for rust as Richard says - I had mine Krown rustproofed in Dudley as a precautionary measure as I plan to use it all year round - and they said it was the ONLY totally rust-free MX5 they'd ever seen. And they've done hundreds. Some they've had to turn away, as on inspection on the ramps, they have just gone too far underneath. Check EVERYWHERE.... It's great for country lanes and B roads but motorways are not, as you'd expect, really - it's natural hunting ground. I find longer journeys tiresome - for me it's a 100 miles max car. And finally - make sure you can live with the (lack of) power. Which is, I'm sorry to say (in my humble opinion) - barely adequate. It doesn't help that my other car - a re-mapped 435d - is pretty quick - and. yes, I read all the reviews beforehand about how you don't need power to have fun - but I've discovered that I, at least, do. With such low mileage backed by a full annual main dealer service history, mine is in rude health mechanically, but getting out-dragged by even modest saloons has really taken the edge off owning the car for me. If a 320d puts it's foot down, it will just disappear into the distance, regardless of what you do. I can't even begin to imagine what the 1.8 would be like... So - after much soul-searching and deliberation - it's a very big deep breath, another bank loan and it's down to Brodie Brittain for me in the New Year for their stage 2 turbo conversion. On the face of it, it doesn't make sense to spend as much (actually slightly more) on the car than I paid for it - but with either 250bhp (Stage 1) or 300bhp (Stage 2) - it should then become the car it always could have been. And STILL for less than a half-decent S2000. Combined with bomb-proof mechanical reliability for which BBR are famous (yet to have one fail I'm assured) I've seen genuine BBR cars on sale several times now the same age and higher mileage than mine for well over £15k (there's a red one on ebay right now for £17,995) so it's hopefully not money down the tubes. And even for a total of £15k (ish!) that's less (a LOT less) than an equivalent condition S2000 which it should leave for dead as a bonus. Oh! One last thing! If you have any mates like mine - be prepared for the barrage of gay jibes.. I had pictures of rainbows, fairies, ballet shoes, hair-dressers salons - you name it - sent to me after word got out. For a long time. If you care - or don't have thick skin - grow some! :)

I had a new NB for 3 years, traded for a new NC roadster hard top for 14 years (both trouble free) and traded the NC for an ND2 last May. Make no mistake, the ND is a FAR better car than the NC (as the NC was over the NB). The MX5 just keeps getting better. Rejoice in that.

Very good Video.

Sodium Percarbonate is good for cleaning moss on hoods

Richard, I love your profile picture

Just buy one can’t go wrong with either base or LSD but get the MT. They drive really nice. Better than na/nb

Great vid

i have mk 3 1.8 with tracktion controle

Hey man, nice video, i got an nc1 1.8 eu and we have traction control on it too, and to be fair, i never had condensation on the top and i usually clean it with a pressure wash, just staying a bit far away and keep an angle so it dosn't spray directly on the top

Its good on fuel by American standards!! Just bought my 07 Mx-5 6M hard top and love it soooo much my highlight of my day has been driving to and from work!

Changing my MX5 (NC3) soft top for a hard top version as I have had enough of the freezing u.k winter frost, makes it no fun at all with drops of water condensation inside the roof even with it covered over. And hopefully no water entering behind the seats.

BIKE? Good analagy, but I always refer to my NC (with Traction Control) as a Go Cart! It is VERY FUN, but not a comfortable ride. I love the ride with the Top down, but when the top is up and on the freeway you realize how much it feels like a bumpy coffin. LOVE MY NC!

I think i just got years worth of experience condensed in one video

My guy, maybe I’m doing something wrong, but 26mpg sounds really good. I live in California and I get about 20-23 in the city depending if I drive super easy or go a little harder. I have a 2015 club nc 6 speed

I drive a gun metal grey 2014 MX 5 NC. A ten second car. Every time I drive it I'm in a Bond movie. When people see it they ask, 'does it have machine guns behind the fog lights?' The license plate reads 009. It's definitely licensed to kill.

Can you do some more mazda mx5 videos, I'm new to the brand. Thanks

The retractable hardtop is the answer for water intrusion problems.

The NC seems to be more thirsty than the ND. I get over 40mpg from my 2.0 2015 Sport Nav.

The lack of rust protection is really unacceptable with a modern car. It's a cost saving thing that has plagued these cars. It wouldn't put me off as I own a T4 and believe me those rust so I am acquainted with rust and the treatments but Mazda should have been better with what was a well known problem. I will have a MX5 one day though. Look forward to the experience.

You mentioned wheel arch rust, check the rears underneath the fabric liner as this is where the real rust happens. Mine is getting welded as I type this. Also never run these engines low on oil

Alternatively, save one with rusty fenders and get a fender kit.

Can you help me buy a Mazda MX-5 Mark 3.

Sub frames. I've looked at 3 different nc1 in the last month and they all had rotten front and rear subframes.

I have a 2012 NC hard top with the top up the car thunders in the background I insulated the trunk and my car is so quiet I can't believe it

This has to be the NC's best looking profile angle. 2:19

This was my spec. God do I miss it.

40 MPG??? I average 28 MPG, but my best is 36MPG! Gave up getting better than 36, but hearing you got 40mpg I might try to beat that on my next 24hr Drive through the National Parks in Western USA!

Closed the softop looks so much better compared to the PRHT.

I can confirm its quite efficient, 30-40 is bad? LOL

Wait he says that 26 mpg is terrible?!?, I drive a 2003 Tacoma and get 15 mpg average 😅

what's the sound quality like for the FM transmitter? I saw some of the reviews on amazon saying there's some static/background noise.

Just moved to Florida and need a car. Would this be a great daily driver or should I look somewhere else?

Do you think the BMW 318i is a good competitor versus this Miata?

You said these cars don't rust as bad as a Mk2, and you did mention wheel arch rust, but then pointed to the front arches. This is not generally where Mk3's rust, the bad area is in the rear arches, beneath the fabric liners, particularly on the sill-end panels. You will often find the metal here completely gone. Also, behind the rear bumper bar is very prone to serious rust. If buying one of these, check both these areas and treat accordingly (3 coats of hammerite is a good idea once you've cleaned all surface rust off). If not treated these areas will require significant repairs. Other than that, these cars are great, especially the 3.5 models (2010 on I think), as the engines were upgraded with forged internals, slightly different torque curve and a higher rev redline at around 7,250 RPM

I’m looking at a 2007 and 2011 hard top grand touring for about the same money. The 07 has 120k miles the 11 has 150k. Both appear to be well taken care of yet the 07 has 2 different types of tires on it. Any differences besides the front fascia between these cars? Do these cars have seat height adjustment and tilt steering? Loved your review. Very helpful.

A 2.0 Sport will be my choice

I have a little Japanese girl friend I named Emiko she is an Mazda mx5 NC.😆

I'm currently in the market for a new daily to last me a few months, when I seen the prices of these I was immediately tempted especially since they double as great track day toys so may end up keeping it long term, but will need it as a daily until I've stuck out the trial phase in the new job lol. do you think its feasible to daily this, at least over summer anyway. I'll be going to see a wee silver 1.8 some point this week touch wood, and I'll be doing city mileage mostly. seen a lot of MOT fails and advisories regarding structural rust, a bit of a put off but when they're coming up for 20 what do you expect. Also worth mentioning I don't have a garage for storage. Is it feasible to drive during the winter or is it better to keep it covered and off the road? Really got my eye on the Alfa Giulia but could probably buy 4/5 of these for the price of a Giulia so its one for the future haha. Great video anyway mate will be checking for all the stuff you mentioned this week. Really glad to hear the 1.8 has TC as well, I've no experience with RWDs and I'll be coming from driving a Seat with a 1.4 so will be fair bit different don't wanna wrap it around a pole or worse another car come winter hahaha!

as a NCFL owner, I would say that if you cant drive, any DSC ABS in this car wont help you. These are not safety features, these are things that help you with small traction issues. Safety is your brain and your skill

What’s a fair price for a used nc with 140000km??

No hate from guys who would bash the NC, asserting that the only true Miatas are NA, NB & ND? ☺ I've owned an NC1 (galaxy grey) for 8 years now and really like it.

Hey Richard, how come you sold the MX5? Bizarrely I looked at this car in a dealers in Wigan today?

If you wreck the car at 30 mph its not lack of traction control that is the problem.

Emiko in japan means smiling child.

I don't get why mazda made the hard top ND that way. They got the perfect recipe for convertible hard top. Why change? 🤦🏻‍♂️

Do yourself a favour and get a good look under the car. If its not too rusty get it cleaned up and protected if you want to keep the thing. The actual likely hood is half ya sub frame and sills are already gone 😅

Nice review, you missed the biggest issue with these NC1. Oil starvation will result in a guaranteed bottom end disaster. For those less mechanically minded, if the car has been run with low oil levels, chances are, it will need a new engine now or in a very near future. Believe me, people more often than not, don't bother with checking oil levels... And these cars use oil!! I had 3 Mk1 in the past, all 3 of them had low oil levels when I went to buy. Luckily the mk1 engine is not so susceptible to oil starvation. With the Mk3, especially the Nc1... You will pay the price (new engine, aka a 3k bill).

5:32: What are you talking about, not a fuel-efficient car? 🤯 Show me another car with similar performance that does 30mpg when driving spiritedly - I don't think you can. And you won't find any car as cheap to buy and to run as this that offers anything like as much fun to drive, especially at (or close to) the speed limits. I've just bought a silver 56-plate 2.0 Sport (it looks just like yours except without anything broken!) with

Why did he say the car is not fuel efficient then says he’s gets 30+ miles to the gallon 😂😭

Bet go-kart I’ve ever had…

If 26 mpg is bad in gas then I don't know what is 😂😂😂

1.8 has dsc trust me i have it

This guys is nuts if he thinks an inline 4 is not fiel efficient!

Traction control as essential. :D lmao. buy a prius.

I agree about how tactile the MX5 NC is; I can't agree with the NA/NB enthusiasts who slate it. Lucky for me, I live in Western Australia, so no rust and not much rain. You were dead-on about those leather seats; when it's pushing 40 degrees here, the roof goes up or you end up sweating like Jeremy Beadle in a glove shop. The Peak District is one of the best places in the country to enjoy an MX5; I used to drive over from Manchester at weekends just get the most of out of my M3 when I lived there.

I got my 1.8 ltr mk3 in January and it's a wonderful car to drive. I only really use it for my commute (no motorways) and the MPG is better than most cars I've owned. I think, if you stay below that 3200ish revs (what is that? there's no turbo, lol) it barely uses any fuel.