Why young drivers are buying 30-year-old Mazda Miatas

Tucked behind my mother's garage in New Jersey sits an abandoned 33-year-old Mazda Miata.

It belonged to my father, Buz, an avid enthusiast who would take it out every Saturday morning for a drive. He would meet up with fellow car friends or cruise through town with the top down, picking up freshly made bagels for brunch. The two-seater convertible was meticulously wiped down after these local adventures.

The "weekend toy," as he referred to it, would bring him joy each time he opened the garage door.

Over the years, as my father's lung disease progressed, the Miata, a black 1993 LE (Limited Edition) with sport suspension, front and rear spoilers and headrest speakers, waited patiently for him to fire it up and drop the clutch. The battery has since died and the red leather has a few more cracks, but I am convinced the car could look nearly new with a serious bath and some TLC.

Would this aging Miata, with 89,260 miles and a Vermont sticker on its bumper, be worth much now?

Miatas have a loyal fan base, with enthusiast events taking place all over the country. However, it lacks the modern niceties drivers have come to expect. There's no Bluetooth or navigation. There isn't even a screen.

"Everything old is new again and that is happening with the Miata," Bob Hall, a former product planner at Mazda who helped launch the NA, or first-generation Miata, told ABC News. "I see people at my Cars & Coffee who want a first-gen Miata. The young people have never been exposed to something like that -- it's just fascinating to me -- and they want one in the worst possible way."

When Mazda launched the Miata MX-5 roadster in autumn of 1989, the company "completely misjudged" demand, according to Hall.

"Volume was low and dealers were getting $5,000 above the $18,000 MSRP," Hall said, noting that U.S. drivers preferred the "A package," or higher spec'd model, versus the entry-level version.

"I knew the team had something good," Hall said. "The only competitor at the time was the Fiat Alfa 124 Spider."

Hall owns a NA Miata himself, though it's a bit more rare. It has a lip spoiler and 15-inch wheels and the exterior color, called H4143, resembles a metallic Tiffany blue.

"I've had people ask about it but it's not for sale," he said.

Howard Swig, president of the online auction house Bring a Trailer, said demand for early Miatas has always been strong.

"Most have been crashed or converted into race cars ... it's harder to find a special one," he told ABC News.

Bring a Trailer has dedicated pages to NA and second-generation NB Miatas. More than 700 NAs have been sold on the site.

"Buyers are looking for unmodified cars, good maintenance records and original paint," Swig said. "Original wheels and radio and center caps make it more valuable."

In June, Bring a Trailer sold a 1990 Miata for $44,000. It had just 8,000 miles and was painted in Mariner Blue -- an uncommon color for the roadster. Swig said the majority of Miatas sell for $10,000 to $20,000 on average and there is a lot of interest in models that had the original inline four-cylinder engine swapped for a V8.

"Miatas are user-friendly cars and easy to own," Swig said. "There's not a lot of mystery around the platform or suspension and there's a huge community of owners."

"The modern Miatas are bigger and heavier. People want the lightest models with the most pure expression," Swig added.

The starting price of a 2026 Miata is $30,430 and 8,727 units, including the soft top and the RF, were sold in 2025. Dave Coleman, manager of vehicle engineering at Mazda, said the Miata, whether new or old, "brings out the best in people."

"Miata drivers are a self-selecting group of people who want to actually enjoy driving in the least pretentious way possible," he told ABC News. "The small size forces you to declutter when you drive it, the light weight makes it respond to your every thought, its relatively low power lets you enjoy driving aggressively without actually going very fast, and if anyone on the road isn’t smiling at you, that’s obviously a 'them' problem."

Jason Bell, a co-organizer of Miatas at the Gap, one of the largest and longest-running Miata gatherings in the country, said first-gen Miatas made up 30% of this year's participants, which totaled over 1,800 cars.

"NA Miatas are the most popular of all four generations. It's relatively affordable compared to everything else," he told ABC News.

Bell, who lives in Wisconsin, drives his 1994 Miata at least once every month. It's a manual in Laguna Blue but heavily modified. His uncle, the previous owner, rebuilt the engine and added frame rails and a roll bar and upgraded the radio. Bell said he would not buy a RestoMod Miata next time.

"It's so hard to find an original NA," he said, adding "if you like throwback sports cars, nothing is as an analog as an NA Miata."

Brian Rabold, vice president of Automotive Intelligence at Hagerty, confirmed that drivers in their early teens and 20s are in search of Miatas older than they are.

"Hagerty has seen a demand increase for older Miatas -- particularly the first generation," he told ABC News. "We've seen younger enthusiasts enter the market, and the NA Miata is among the most popular model by far among these buyers. Gen Z accounts for a 10% share of all enthusiast vehicle shopping, but a massive 38% share of NA Miata inquiries."

Rabold said Miatas often come up for auction and Hagerty recently sold a 2001 SE with an LS3 engine for $70,000.

"Record prices seem to go to well-executed engine-swap cars," he noted. "The best examples of any car will always be valuable: low miles, unique specifications and well-documented maintenance or restoration. But a great NA Miata can still be found under $10,000 – relatively affordable in the world of collector cars."

He added, "Some of the oldest Miatas are over 35 years old and are classics by most definitions. Despite that, the steering still feels engaging and the minimalist looks have aged well. It's simply one of the most fun cars for driving enthusiasts that has ever existed."

Hall, who recommended that I repair and revive my father's roadster, said Miatas are more rewarding to own than six-figure sports cars.

"Why would someone want to drive a $150,000 Porsche that you can't drive like it's supposed to and will cost a million dollars to fix?" he said. "I always felt it's a lot more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. You can enjoy the Miata every day without breaking the law."

"I don't buy a car to put in a garage -- cars are made to be driven," Hall added.