Lanny Chambers wrote:

> Except for the radiator (an all-metal replacement), no, not really. I
> expect various parts to start showing their age, and some of them sooner
> rather than later. I don't expect anything to fail disastrously without
> warning, though, because both I and my mechanic watch for those warnings
> regularly. Just because one's car has never used oil between changes
> doesn't mean one shouldn't check it weekly--if it starts using oil
> unnoticed, the engine's demise could be accelerated.
>
> The Miata really is more reliable than most other cars. I think there
> are several good reasons: the drivetrain is mature and well developed,
> the turbo-spec engine is in a relatively mild state of tune, and the
> car's light weight presents a modest stress load. And when it does
> break, most things are cheap and easy to fix, as modern cars go.
>

I think that we are in general agreement here.
My last miata was by far the most reliable car I have ever owned, and I
am sure that my similar near-fanatical maintenance was part of the
reason, as well as the ones you listed above.

Still, there are certain things that are not regularly checked, like the
starter that I mentioned that died without showing any symptoms.
These type of parts can easily fail without warning, leaving you stranded.

Neither of us has ever been stranded by mechanical failure in driving
approximately 80K to 85K miles each in our own miatas.
Others have been far less lucky, either due to bad maintenance/pure
chance, or both.

I also agree that these are very easy cars to work on, (relatively),
especially the earlier years. Taking one completely apart has helped a
lot with knowing how everything interacts.
Wow, what a ton of wiring!

Good night,

Pat