I’m so tired of the trope that the NC is the unloved ugly duckling of the brand. Running a BBR 200 NC Roadster Sport Tec Sport, I was keen to hear Number 27’s take on the car. Sadly, I found his content just a rehash of so many other videos and disagree with the summary. I agree with the rest of the chain on this forum that each model in the MX5 range has its unique driving style and the NC has its place. Personally, I don’t think the Mark 3 needs “Saving” as thankfully I’ve found my sweet spot with my BBR 200 NC. It delivers everything I expect and so far, the Super 200 has been an excellent upgrade to the car.
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Globally, the numbers don’t lie.
The NC MX5 was literally designed for the non-MX5 owner, ie those who didn’t already own a NA and NB. There was a certain arrogance from Mazda that NA and NB owners would naturally convert to the NC. That never happened, otherwise the sales would have been much higher.
The NA was benchmarked to the older MGs, Triumphs and others. The NB was an evolution of the NA. The NC wasn’t benchmarked to anything. The ND was benchmarked to…the NA, full circle.
The cars share a model name, but not much else.
Which MX5 generation did you pop your cherry with (which was your first one)?
- Mk1 (NA)
- Mk2 (NB)
- Mk3 (NC)
- Mk4 (ND)
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Which MX5 generation do you own now (if more than 1 MX5, pick newer car)
- Mk1 (NA)
- Mk2 (NB)
- Mk3 (NC)
- Mk4 (ND)
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Yes, I agree…… one gets tired of the usual rhetoric.
When my first “black sheep of the family” ((2007 NC) was written off, my wife said, “you need to buy another Mx5” -and of course she was right.
I found another “corpulent, heavy, betrayal of the original concept” a week after the accident, in December of 2010, the year of the big snow- in Perry’s of Preston.
It was a June 2010 car with 18 miles on the clock- and maybe because of the weather- it was a great price.
Flew to Liverpool, train to Preston, and the guys even picked me up at the station. The M6 was a black ribbon stretching into the distance……off to Cairnryan and the ferry home. And I still love driving it to this day!
To be fair, most of the haters realise, when they actually DRIVE an NC, that they are talking rubbish……and it’s nice to see them squirming and trying to justify their previous prejudice 
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I enjoy Jack Number 27’s channel and I think he tests quite a good variety of different cars, I think that means its fair to say he can make fair comparison to other cars.
I know I enjoy my NC and thats good enough for me
I bought an ND because I couldn’t find a suitable 987 Boxster. I figured I’d just spend the Boxster money and get the latest MX5 I could. I do not regret skipping on the Porches.
My first 5,000 miles in the ND has only made me regret not getting a nice NC 7 years ago for next to no money and starting my MX-% journey sooner.
Having owned NB NC and ND , all I can say is they are all excellent.
The ND is very “modern” and obviously outperforms the NC in many ways, but the NC is the most like a traditional sports car, without the reliability issues . I miss mine, so much so that I’m thinking of getting one as a second car to replace my daily golf GTI . After all you only live once
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excellent- what a good idea.
Good luck with the search for the right car.
Yes I had mine a few years now …no regrets as I dont like the NB. However I would still like to get my hsnds on a good NA.
Owned 2001 NB-FL, and 2009 NC-FL PRHT and now 2018 ND RF.
I would say the ND combines the modern features of the NC with the fun of the NB.
Definitely think the ND is the best MX5 but of course it does cost more.
In all honesty (and probably like a lot of people) it was the NA that got my attention and that I really wanted at first, but I went with an NC for the greater practicality and “everyday carness” and also because cheap ones are so easily available. Also because being newer I figured it’d be in better condition, lol, what a sweet innocent fool I was 
Also, it was cheap
PRHT is a big, big bonus for me. I want to use it like a normal car, park it without worry, get rained on, leave it outside, leave stuff in it… if nothing else it is massively superior for pigeon ■■■■ purposes. I’d have probably had to go hardcover anyway if I’d got an NA.
Personally I do enjoy most of what Jack puts out. I think one must understand he’s not approaching the subject from an invested stance, i.e. he doesn’t care what the outcome is, he doesn’t own one. He’s just approaching it from one perspective; where does it fit in the line up of MX5’s? But in this case I think it was wrong to take the actual examples he did. He should have compared standard cars of the different models. I’m sure the best track cars are the NA/NB’s, everyone seems to indicate that (I’ve never driven one). But many seem to agree that for everyday use the NC is the most livable if not the purist’s choice.
The same debate reign all over MX5-dom. Is the 1.8 not worth bothering with, and only the 2.0 has enough power? 5 speed or 6 speed? On it goes.
For me the truth is, if driving your (any) MX5 does not put the most enormous grin on your face every time you get in it then you are missing the point: “Comparison is the thief of joy”.
After a lifetime of driving, and most of my sportier cars being italian, my take on this is simple: My carefully and much deliberated choice is an NC 3.5. It is completely standard. I bought it because I fell in love with it the minute I saw it, and personally think it is the prettiest of the MX5’s. I bought it for lots of reasons: because it has an electric hardtop which is fast and easy and super cool (and worth the minor weight addition to me). I bought it because I knew it was a car I could live with every day, because it’s beautifully presented, it starts first time and gives me an enormous sense of safety and reliability. I bought a 1.8 with absolutely no feelings of “I wish it were a 2.0”. That engine is a peach, so free and fast revving and sounds beautiful too. Keep it on song over 3k and it punches you every time you hit the throttle but spins up like a sewing machine. 140 horses not enough for a little sports car? You can’t drive if you think that. I rarely if ever get long enough between bends or other traffic to be able to use or need anything more (and I knew it was less likely to have been thrashed by a boy racer). And the 5 speed is much more usable to me, probably due to familiarity. I don’t need 6. I don’t want 6. My car suits my needs and fulfills all my desires to the max, period. If I had a new Porsche or Lambo I would need to wear a bag over my head when I drove it because I’d be ashamed of my life choices. I’d love an old Porsche or an E-type but as a daily driver? Not a chance.
As a package of looks, fun, handling, usability, comfort, sure footed assurance, and grin-raising wellbeing, for the money there cannot be a better car for me, and I feel a million dollars driving it.
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There seems to be a bit of a bandwagon with all the ‘is the nc the most hated’ or ‘I drove the worst mx5 - is it really that bad’ videos. Don’t forget YouTube is very much view driven and once a video subject is seen to get lots of engagement, it has the effect of more people producing more content on the same subject. Then through that it becomes popular wisdom to dislike something, because influential people or outlets say so. It happens with people too, someone you like or is an influential person espouses a dislike for someone else, so others in the clique do the same. I personally prefer to make my own judgments whether it goes against the grain or not. I just watched this guys video, it’s a fair assessment for someone that has already driven the earlier models and found the nc lacking by comparison in some way in the way it made them feel or how it drove. I’m speaking more generally about the YouTube videos revolving around the marque.
I might add, I don’t dislike any of the other models simply because I have an nc myself, and I have criticisms of the car though they’re small. It came down to weighing up preference in looks and performance, age and condition, cost, versatility and practicality - and the nc is just where I personally ended up. Nobody will ever say it’s the definitive mx5, but I don’t care 
.
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The only MX5 I have not owned is an NA. All my MX5s have been bought as new cars. I owned an NB for 3 years then traded it for an NC roadster 2.0 (with lowered Eibach springs to loose that 4x4 look) which I owned for 14 years. In 2021 I traded that for my present car, a 2.0 ND.
Each one was a better car than its predecessor. None of them have ever had a fault of any kind. I only traded the NC because I fancied a change after 14 years - and I hade fallen a bit out of love with it’s looks and become more in love with the looks of the ND.
So the ND is a better car than the NC in every respect but one - the electric steering rack is not quite up there with the hydraulic one on the NC. But it’s still pretty good!
And of course the ND comes with all the modern car stuff like start/stop engine, auto wipers, keyless entry, rear camera, auto dip lights, sat nav etc etc. And the soft top is an exercise in superb design - one handed operation, a couple of seconds to raise or lower.
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I find this topic interesting, and I think Ziggydad summed up my feelings.
When I was first looking at buying anything but the “powder blue SLK” SWMBO wanted I tried several other convertibles but MX-5s always came out tops.
I’ve been buying and rescuing old cars since the 1960s so the mechanicals held no fears, but I also knew my limitations on making bodywork look good!
Back in 2014 ALL the shiny “immaculate” NA and NB samples I looked at, mostly in “dealers”, were posh rotten, and none were “powder Blue”. They all drove beautifully, SWMBO was most impressed, but I could see pound signs all over and under their bodywork; we walked away and I upped the budget to include an NC, and we waited for the right car.
Maybe a dozen NCs test driven later we had the right colour (first priority) and compared with all the previous others it was a scalded cat despite its slippery bakelite tyres, and with new tyres it was heaven.
I’m now convinced that lovely Niseko had been subtly remapped because compared with it my immaculate 25AE replacing it is quite sluggish in lower gears, although the 25AE is fine in the top three.
Not knowing for sure and carefully not opening a can of worm by looking into the Niseko was the easy way out; it wasn’t broken so no need to fix it.
So do I remap the 25AE to allow full power in the low gears, and thus also need to own up to the insurers?
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Im at a stage when my Elise sells that im considering a 987.2 Boxster or going back to a 5, not decided on NA or NC yet though.
Be interested to hear the thoughts of previous Boxster owners.
I enjoyed driving my NA more than i do the Elise to be honest so i do get why people go back.
I’ve recently bought a NC 3.75 PHRT to replace my 1.8 NA which I had for 12 years. I’ve driven a few NBs and an ND1 when they first came out. My NA (base UK model, no PAS, no ABS, manual steering) was steadily modified over my ownership and ended up with a Blink stage 1 conversion, depowered rack, Racing Beat full system and Ohlins suspension among other mods. More of a track car than a daily. The NC is a different beast all together, and will remain substantially as standard, since age and health preclude much spannering on it. I enjoy it every bit as much as the NA, and its more civilised nature means it’s become a daily driver. It doesn’t feel heavier, it’s still a light car by any standards, and is a joy to drive. I do miss the immediacy, rawness, and simplicity of the NA sometimes though. I felt that the NB didn’t offer anything more than the NA, and I really disliked the interior and over light steering on the ND though (probably better on later cars). The PHRT is a winner, I drive it top down far more than the NA due to the hassle of unzipping and contorting to lower the hood on the NA with a roll bar. At the end of the day, there’s an mx5 for everyone, they all offer the same experience in different ways.
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Very much in agreement with what you say here- 1.8 NC 3.5 too (2010) and I’m still thoroughly enjoying it….albeit a soft top…
Also almost standard, except Rx8 wiper stalk, oem front fogs and of course the 5/8” walking-stick tips for the soft-top to rest on when the roof is down😂
Oh and fully undersealed.
Sometimes though I feel like I need to drop down into 6th gear ( it’s a 5 speed), especially on motorways, but this may be because I’m very used to a six speed TDi cruising significantly below 2000 rpm in my daily driver.
Summed up perfectly