Miata Mailing List: January 1994, Message #302



     


   From: Herb Samuels 
Subject: Re: England v. Japan (Miata Reliability)
   Date: Thu, 27 Jan 1994 19:03:13 -0500

I get the impression that a few people are complaining about the
Miata's reliability, perhaps because they expect the car to be
perfect.  I've had mine since Sept. 1989 and have had no significant
problems.  Any rattles that you complain about can be easily fixed.  I
once had a rattle in the passenger window and they replaced the window
regulator and it has never rattles again.  I think that the seats are
terrific and very comfortable and supportive.  Perhaps the cloth is
not perfect but it has to be strong enough to withstand the elements. 

I know I will raise some eyebrows by mentioning Consumers's Reports 
but the Miata has a frequency of repair in CR which is as good or
better than any Honda Product. Also, Honda has had its share of
problems: poor clutches on the Legend, high frequency of igniter
failures on the Civic and Accord which have left many owners stranded,
rusting fenders and gas pipes.  In most cases Honda does not own up to
these problems until there are under consumer pressure.  Also, with
the 1992 Acura GS-R, there were over 50 camshaft failures in the U.S.
presumably because they were not designed to withstand the high RPM. 
Honda claimed that they had no GS-R failures in Japan but only in the
U.S. and suggested that the cars had problems because of abuse. Don't
ask me what that means.

All in all the Miata is a great car.  If you don't like certain minor
thinks such as the seating cloth or the inside vinal door panels there
are aftermarket alternatives.  There are also numerous aftermarket
performance options.  I've had both Hondas and Mazdas.  Mazdas always
have unique personalities and are great to drive.  Hondas, however,
are good and reasonably reliable but are otherwise average.  they
certainly have terrible clutch feel and engagement.

Herb Samuels