The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Mental Health Is Finance A Miata At 0%

Mind if I ask a personal question? Do you ever find yourself staying up far past a sensible bedtime, aimlessly flicking through social media as your soul withers at every piece of ragebait and engagement farming? It’s no secret that social media algorithms aren’t helping us lead happy lives, but on those nights when you don’t have the energy to build something and it’s too late to practice music, almost every activity seems a bit antisocial and stagnant. Here’s one that isn’t: long after the windows stop buzzing and the traffic stops humming, instead of doomscrolling in bed, why not go for a drive? Better yet, why not go for a drive in one of the best new cars on sale, the Mazda MX-5?

Last year, Mazda gave its iconic sports car a pretty big update that only made it better. Well, it’s now 2025 and a bunch of 2024 models are still on dealer lots, so Mazda’s seen fit to offer zero percent financing on all of them. Yep, zero percent financing on a brand new sports car. That ought to make life pretty good, yeah?

Mind you, there is a small catch. Mazda’s only offering a maximum zero percent term of 36 months, which means you’re likely looking at a moderately hefty monthly payment if you don’t put a significant sum down. On the plus side, in addition to all 50 states, this offer’s also available in D.C., American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

By now you’re probably wondering how many of last year’s MX-5s are actually left to get deals on. Well, according to Autotrader, Mazda dealers across America are sitting on 312 brand new 2024 MX-5s, 178 of which feature manual transmissions. Zooming in even further with an enthusiast focus, 64 of those stick-shift cars are the Club trim level with the Bilstein dampers and the limited-slip differential, and it sure seems that a significant chunk of those 64 cars have the available Brembo brakes, Recaro seats, and BBS wheels. Sure, you might have to travel, but taking a Spirit flight is a small price to pay for zero percent financing on an MX-5.

Oh, and we’re talking about the latest and greatest here, the ND3 MX-5. It keeps all the good stuff from the ND2 including the 181-horsepower inline-four, the telescoping steering column, and some interior tweaks, and then adds the latest hotness courtesy of an asymmetric limited-slip differential with different locking characteristics under acceleration and deceleration, a new steering rack, a track mode for the stability control, and some convenience and aesthetic tweaks like a new infotainment system and updated lighting.

It’s hard to argue that driving a sports car isn’t a more active experience than sitting on the couch mindlessly watching Instagram Reels, especially when that sports car’s a convertible. The smell of the air, the surge of the engine, the snick of the gearbox. There’s self-improvement to be found in every cloverleaf, every heel-toe downshift is an opportunity to work on your skill.

A smaller trunk than in most cars means deciding what’s really important to you, and somewhat flimsy cup holders are a good excuse to pull over at a proper cafe for a proper shot of proper espresso should you need a fix. A sports car is the antidote to indolence, a reminder that at 50 mph, floating above both 5,000 rpm and the senseless shouting of people who need attention, this world we live in is alright. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re having trouble with mindfulness, ask your doctor if a 0% APR MX-5 is right for you.

Top graphic credit: Mazda

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