Mazda MX-5 Miata ND - 4th Gen

The ND is Mazda remembering what made the original work and having the discipline to get back there. Launched in 2016, the fourth-generation Miata shed roughly 200 pounds from the NC, dropping back under 2,400 pounds in base trim and proving that a modern car with airbags, stability control, and a touchscreen could still feel genuinely small and alive.

The 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G four-cylinder started at 155 horsepower and was bumped to 181 in 2019, a figure that sounds modest in isolation but feels perfectly matched to the chassis. Mazda also introduced the RF, a retractable fastback with a power targa-style roof that gives the ND a completely different silhouette, more mini-GT than beach cruiser. Both versions share the same willing, responsive character that rewards a driver who'd rather carry speed than manufacture it.

The ND has been in production long enough now that early examples are settling into genuinely accessible territory, while the later 181-horsepower cars, especially in Club trim with the Bilstein shocks and limited-slip differential, hold their value well. It's the car that proved the Miata formula still works in an era of 4,000-pound crossovers and 500-horsepower electric sedans. Light and communicative, with exactly as much car as you need.