Mazda MX5 Miata models (90-14) (Haynes Repair Manuals)

I had a Saab, and it was a nightmare, constantly malfunctioning and expensive to repair...That, I sold, and replaced with a 1996 Miata, one of the more reliable cars ever built, no computers, no turbocharger, no heads up display, no xenon bulbs, no traction control, no abs, mechanical limited slip instead of electronic stability control, no roll and yaw sensors, no drive by wire…I ordered the Mazda MX-5 Miata Automotive Repair guide, and it said, you need these eight tools, which remarkably I had, I put those jumper cables in the trunk, and had spare fuses and bulbs.Brilliant, I read the repair manual end to end, much like I had with an old VW repair manual… which starts with, grok your car.I grok.So whenever it had trouble, a slight hesitation, a misfire, nock, anything… I knew exactly what to do, twist this here, turn that there, a relative jump started it backwards and blew the entire electrical system attempting to repair it.Sighing, I spent six or seven hours going through the car, replacing things, checking things, and as I did I said, well, perhaps I ought to put this here, perhaps I ought to redo these door cards, this speaker isn't plugged in, and, ah, I might as well adjust this that and the other thing, and put in X Y and Z.Night approached, I put the key in the ignition, pushed in the clutch, turned the key, it started right up, and I felt good about it, I turned the radio on, it sounded better than ever, the antenna rolled up like it was supposed to, I dropped the top, put it in reverse, and drove out into the night.The engine sang, shifting gears with the short throw shifter yielding a snick snick snick, rev matched, drove for hours, as the mist rolled low over the roads, I headed home.Before I did, I drove by a body shop nearby, and said… how much to repaint it? they said… $2000.00…I drove on.The next day, I pulled into the market, every space was taken, except one, into which a new 7 series had parked, taking both spaces… all the paint was falling off of my passenger door, so I backed into the spot, such that his door could only hit my door, and my door had no paint on it.I put the top down, got out, and went it.After that, I liked the flaking paint… when I'd had a new car I had always been so worried about it getting scratched, getting the carpets dirty… with this one, I'd fixed the leak in the roof, it turned out the guy had stuffed Kleenex in the drains for the top, so that instead of the water going in the drains it went inside…He was probably a lot like the fellow with the motorcycle… these little things added up, he got fed up, and sold it to me for a song, and then I fixed it.Every now and again I'll see one, and I'll check to see if the paint on the door matches the rest of the car… rather than repainting it, I'd bought another door of the exact same color, and swapped all the components over… far more of a pain than you'd think, but at the gas station, the one I'd used every day since I'd gotten my license… the mechanic said, hey, nice paint job… and I said, yea…. I just bought a door shell and swapped it…he looked at me differently from then on.I had to sell it when I went back to school…Instead I have one on loan, more modern, when it refused to go beyond 3000 rpms, I had to call the dealership, who told me to turn it on and off three times, and that I'd need a flatbed if it continued.Is there anything I can do?The blankness of his stare transcended the audio only nature of the telephone.There is a piece of mind of knowing how to fix everything in your car, and of having the tools to do it, of knowing how to take the whole thing apart, and how to put it back together again… and it's something virtually impossible with modern cars, as noted in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance... The Haynes Manuals bring about that peace of mind, and to all I recommend them.

A great price for a book that I was pleased to find, as it is a service & repair manual for a car that is over 20 years old, that one would not still find in normal retail outlets.Granted; there probably isn't to much demand for a book like this; so that undoubtedly was a factor in its being priced much lower than a similar manual for a new model of this vehicle, but I would have paid even more than I did, as the available "supply" of these manuals has to been limited!Backyard auto mechanics and those who perform just the basic maintenance and repair needs for their 1990-97 Mazda Miata, will find this manual to be a great informational reference source, that is well illustrated and easy to understand.

I bought this along with the Enthusiasts Workshop Manual, thinking that maybe they would compliment each other with info the other lacked. If I were to do it again, I'd just buy the Enthusiasts manual and forget this one. It is ok, but the other is SO much better. Better instructions, more topics, and more detail. Just altogether better. This is ok.

If you know what a Haynes manual is, you will give it 5 stars. If you can't use this as a good shop manual, turn in your wrenches.

Should be in every Miata trunk. Anytime you can get your mitt's on one of these, I always like to have one around for reference and checking out specs. This is now a collector item for Us, early model years only.

Book does not have what I need.

Turns out I download instruction more often than I use this book.Still, good reference book.

I really don't have anything negative to say.....

This is a flimsy phonebook style manual, not the old quality hardback Haynes manuals you can also get.It is also an American version which you need to keep in mind when reading it. I needed to put on a new hood and after squinting at the grainy images thinking maybe we had a different car, it became clear that we were reading about how to replace the bonnet.It's now damp and curled up in the garage. If I need to do any work then I Google it and usually find what I need in a forum somewhere.It could be handy as a reference but I've not found the need to use it since that day.

Haynes manuals have been something of a bible for me throughout many years of car ownership and home maintenance. I have to say that this particular one is not their best publication and there are other books for the MX5/Miata that might be more useful to some. however, I still found it valuable.

Useful car manual ( Haynes usually are) if you've an mx5

verry black +white no detail woundeant buy it again

Excellent A++++++++