This Sports Car Is About To Make Cayman Shoppers Question Everything
9 minutes reading
Tuesday, 15 Sep 2026 00:31 0 7 autotech
Cars aren’t cheap, but do you know what’s even more expensive? Sports cars. I mean, of course, it would be more expensive. It’s not a rational purchase, and so it will never sell in huge numbers. Understandably, manufacturers would price these vehicles a bit higher than more practical models, since they’ll never sell them in high enough numbers to recoup development costs.
Though sports cars are more expensive in general than more practical cars, there are a few models that have always stood for affordability. One of those is the sports car in today’s article. Whether brand new or used, which, mind you, isn’t as highly depreciated as you may think, this sports car offers as many smiles per dollar as even a used Porsche Cayman. If you can afford a used Cayman, then by all means get yourself that mid-engined compact Porsche sports car, but for even less money as either a brand-new or used purchase, this sports car’s value proposition is hard to beat.
1985 Toyota MR2 In White AW11 Wide shotBring A Trailer
It wasn’t that long ago that cars in general were affordable. Today, the idea of sub-$20,000 cars has disappeared, especially as automakers have prioritized higher-margin crossovers and SUVs. It also wasn’t that long ago when sports cars had a base price of around the mid-$20,000s.
To be fair, the US dollar was worth more in previous decades, but there was a time when sports cars had a retail price of less than $20,000—heck, even less than $10,000. Do you remember the Datsun 240Z, aka the first generation of Nissan’s Z lineage of sports cars? The 240Z, when it debuted in 1970, sold for just $3,526. The Toyota MR2 first appeared in the United States in 1985 with a base price of around $11,000. By the mid-2000s, when the final MR2 generation was sold as the MR2 Spyder, it would have a retail price of around $23,000 to $26,000 throughout its production lifespan.
Even V8 Muscle Cars Were Affordable Once — Until Inflation Changed Everything
Ford Mustang Convertible (2000)Ford
On the other end of the spectrum, the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro were also the epitome of affordable sports cars. Okay, they’re muscle cars with big engines and handling that didn’t match the precision of their similarly priced, smaller Japanese contemporaries, but if performance was your goal, the Mustang and Camaro were fighting for affordable power at the time. Even in the early 2000s, base versions of the Mustang and Camaro with V-6 engines sold for under $20,000. Today, you’re only left with the Mustang as your American muscle car choice, and it now starts at a still accessible $32,995.
Though we mentioned that the value of the US dollar during those days was higher than it is today, wages were largely keeping up with the overall cost of living. Inflation these days far outpaces minimum wage growth. If minimum wages don’t match the pace of inflation, the average American will continue to feel pinched as the cost of living continues to rise relative to the value of what they earn.
The Sports Car That Beats Inflation
Whte and Red 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miatas Driving In TownMazda
This now leads us to the 2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata, an affordable sports car that not only costs less than a used Porsche Cayman, but also offers so many more smiles per dollar. It’s also a car that beats inflation. Here’s why.
Considering Inflation, It’s Actually Cheaper Now
Close Up Of 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata Steering WheelMazda
The current ND-generation MX-5 Miata arrived in the North American market in late 2015 as a 2016 model year vehicle. Its starting price back then was $24,915. Taking into account inflation, its brand-new price in 2016 would translate to $34,664 in 2026. For reference, the MX-5 today starts at $30,430, which means it’s actually cheaper now in 2026 than it was in 2016. This makes the MX-5 Miata the most affordable two-door, two-seat sports car you can buy in the United States.
For reference, Porsche’s sports cars, including the 718 Cayman, are almost immune to depreciation. The latest study from iSeeCars about the Top 25 Cars That Hold Their Value Best declares the 718 Cayman as the vehicle with the best depreciation for 2026. It will only lose 9.6 percent of its value in five years, while the MX-5 Miata still managed to get into the list by being in 24th place. The MX-5 Miata will only lose 31.5 percent of its value on average in five years. For reference, the industry average five-year depreciation is 41.8 percent.
So Much Joy For Less Money
2025 Mazda MX-5 top-down viewMazda
Whether or not you prefer the Mazda MX-5 Miata over the Porsche 718 Cayman is up to you. But I think we can all agree that the MX-5 Miata represents sports car perfection not just for its price, but for what sports cars are meant to be. A lot of us here at TopSpeed have thoroughly reviewed an MX-5 Miata, including myself, and we can all agree that it’s one of the most fun experiences you can have in any car at any price. Unlike other sports cars that need to be at terrifying and illegal speeds to start to feel thrilling, the MX-5 Miata is already fun to drive at legal speeds.
The engine and six-speed manual combination is simply sublime. The engine power delivery is linear, and you’re pretty much encouraged to explore its rev range. When doing so, the six-speed manual is one of the outright best in the industry in terms of shift quality and feel. Please don’t get this with an automatic. I’m begging you. The car is light, so it doesn’t need a massive engine with tons of power to feel engaging. Everything about its handling and power is just right.
Rear shot of 2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF in white parkedIan Wright | CarBuzz | Valnet
The handling is balanced because while it keeps itself feeling agile, there’s a slight degree of body roll dialed into the suspension tuning. This doesn’t result in understeer or sloppy handling, mind you. What this enables the MX-5 to do is to communicate its body motions to the driver, letting them know from where they’re seated how the MX-5 is dancing and flowing through the corners. Tactile communication comes not just through the steering, but also through how the body behaves. As cliché as it sounds, that’s Mazda’s Jinba Ittai, or the principle of horse and rider as one, being put to good use.
What The Future Of The MX-5 Will Be
The ND generation Mazda MX-5 Miata is now more than 10 years old, which perhaps makes it the longest-lasting generation to date. The MX-5 Miata’s singular focus on affordable and lightweight fun has given it a cult following. Thankfully, Mazda is hard at work developing the next MX-5, and it aims to satisfy both regulators and fans alike.
Why The Next MX-5 Gets A Bigger Engine — But Not More Power
Lambda 1 has been a recent buzzword in the automotive space. That’s because Lambda 1, which is 14.7 parts air to 1 part fuel by weight, is the perfect combustion method to achieve the cleanest emissions. Cars like the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid have implemented Lambda 1, with the electrified hybrid system compensating for the lower power that the engine makes as a result of this combustion method. In Mazda’s case, the upcoming Skyactiv-Z engine using Lambda 1 will see its displacement rise to 2.5 liters for the MX-5. It’s the same engine that the upcoming CX-5 Hybrid will also use.
Why fit a bigger 2.5-liter engine for the MX-5 Miata? Well, this is to compensate for the decrease in power by employing the Lambda 1 combustion method. Currently, the MX-5 Miata’s 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G gasoline engine produces 181 horsepower, and it is expected that the 2.5-liter Skyactiv-Z engine will produce a similar output. This information was revealed last year by Ryuichi Umeshita, Mazda’s CTO, confirming that the MX-5’s future will still feature an internal combustion engine (ICE).
CEO Says An Electric MX-5 May Be Coming, Too
Rear three-quarter shot of a 2025 Grey Mazda Miata MX-5 parked by a beachMazda
There’s another reason why the MX-5 Miata’s lifespan has been this long, and that’s because Mazda has to juggle ever-changing regulations worldwide, along with varying market preferences toward electric vehicles (EVs). German automotive publication Auto Motor und Sport recently sat down with Mazda’s CEO Masahiro Moro himself to discuss the next-generation MX-5’s future. He says that the MX-5 must be ready to accept a pure electric drivetrain in the future, and as much as possible without a weight penalty.
The [MX-5] successor must also be ready for a scenario without a combustion engine. The challenge for us is to make the basic structure lighter without using exotic materials like carbon-fiber.
Don’t worry if you still want an MX-5 with an ICE. As mentioned, the Skyactiv-Z gasoline engine is still in development. If the electric MX-5 does come to fruition, it’ll still have a target weight of 1,000 to 1,200 kg (2,204 to 2,645 pounds), which is about the same as, if not heavier than, the current ND MX-5. Unfortunately, Moro-san isn’t dismissing the possibility that the MX-5 may go fully electric, if that’s what regulations dictate. He says:
If all internal combustion engines were banned, then we would have no choice, and of course our engineering team is studying both ways – battery EV and ICE [internal combustion-engined] Miata. But whatever we do, the ICE one is lighter.
No Comments