Fun In The Sun, Sideways In The Snow: 1995 Ford Mustang GT vs 1999 Mazda Miata

Welcome back! Today’s cars hail from that decade when the music got grungy, the fashions got baggy, and the cars all looked like jellybeans: the 1990s. They’re both drop-tops, they’re both stickshifts, and they’re both a whole lot of fun.

Hopefully, that all means you’ll have a tougher choice between them than you did with yesterday’s Germans. I honestly thought this one would be closer, maybe because I personally like them both. But as it turned out, that poor Audi showed up to a gunfight with not a knife, but a piece of al dente linguini. It didn’t stand a chance, cool aftermarket wheels or not.

When it comes to these two particular examples, I agree, but I still would love to have a five-cylinder Audi at some point. That GT would be a fine choice – at half the price. And I do like the 924 an awful lot. In fact, I looked pretty seriously at a 1977 924 Martini Edition before I bought my MG. This one would be a lot better starting point than that one was.

Now, I know it’s generally considered the wrong time of year for convertibles for most of us. But there is something weirdly pleasant about driving a convertible in the snow with the top down. If you’ve never done it, you should try it sometime. Crank up the heat, put on a nice warm hat, and away you go. And with these two being rear-wheel-drive, snownuts in a parking lot are just the flick of a wrist away. A one-horse open sleigh? Hell, we can do better than that. Let’s check them out.

1995 Ford Mustang GT – $3,800

Engine/drivetrain: 5.0-liter overhead valve V8, five-speed manual, RWD

Location: Las Vegas, NV

Odometer reading: 116,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

The rear-wheel-drive V8-powered Mustang as we know it famously almost died at the end of the 1980s, but received a reprieve after an uproar from angry fans who couldn’t bear to see the Mustang name on a front-wheel-drive Mazda. I didn’t much care one way or the other at the time, but looking back over the past thirty years of Mustangs, I think Ford made the right call.

The SN95-era Mustang GT is usually associated with Ford’s 4.6 liter overhead cam V8, but for the first two years, it carried over the “five-point-oh” from the previous generation, as immortalized in the songs of old. It was available with either Ford’s AOD automatic, which was what you got if you rented one, or a five-speed manual, which this one has. It runs and drives great, the seller says, and has had some recent work to keep it that way.

It looks decent inside, except for a bad spot in the leather steering wheel rim, and a rip in the passenger’s seat. The seller says everything works, including the power top, which appears to be in fine shape.

The outside is clean as well, and I like the dark green. It’s pretty subdued as mid-90s colors go, but it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than silver or black. I didn’t think much of the SN95 body style at first, but it has grown on me over the years.

1999 Mazda Miata – $2,999

Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD

Location: San Leandro, CA

Odometer reading: 250,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well, but has a check-engine light

Miata, it is said, is always the answer. Having owned one for years, I can’t quite agree; instead, I would say Miata is usually the answer. Commuting? Yeah, it can do that. A fun drive on a twisty road on a nice day? Of course! Picking up lumber from Home Depot? Well, it can do it, but it ain’t pretty. Taking more than one friend along? Not gonna happen.

The second-generation NB Miata carried over a lot of the mechanical bits of the first generation, including its 1.8 liter four and five-speed manual, but everything was improved just a little bit. This car goes and stops just a little bit better than the old NA Miata did. The beauty of the Miata is that it’s not only ridiculously fun to drive, but it’s also dead-reliable and lasts a long time. This Miata has a quarter million miles on its odometer, and it’s still going strong. It sounds like it might have been sitting for a while; the registration is long expired, and the seller says it has a check-engine light code for a misfire. New plugs and wires should solve the problem, and if not, troubleshooting info is just a click away.

250,000 miles does take its toll on the soft parts of a car, and that’s where this car needs a little help. The seat upholstery is shot, and the top is held together with duct tape. However, the air conditioner and heater work fine, and this is a fancy Miata with power windows, locks, and mirrors.

It’s a bit scruffy outside, with dents and scrapes and faded paint that tell a story of years of enjoyment. Spotless cars are boring. I’d rather have something with some character. Those headlights really could use polishing, though. There’s scruffy, and then there’s not being able to see a damn thing.

These both look like fun to me. Even better, they’re both reliable enough to drive every day, if you so choose. Granted, if you live in a really snowy part of the country, they might not be the best choices for year-round fun, but I had a Miata as my only car for two years in Oregon, and I know plenty of people who have spent the winter in a Mustang. You’ll get good at controlling oversteer, if nothing else. So which classic RWD sports car will it be?

(Image credits: sellers)