Mazda Miata. Consumer Reports

Best used cars under $3,000: Mazda Miata, BMW 3 Series, VW Rabbit On Popular Mechanics’ list

The Mazda Miata is the gold-standard, fun-to-drive used car — at least according to Popular Mechanics. The general-interest “umbrella” magazine for all things mechanical has published a list of cars it considers the best used cars available for $3,000 or less.The Miata, the best-selling sports car ever made tops the list. The publication offers: “For three grand, you’re probably looking at a first-generation edition (1989–1994) with the 1.6-liter four-cylinder. Mazda built tens of thousands of them, and many folks who bought them barely drove them, so plenty of low-mileage examples exist.” “They’re enormously fun, with a lithe feel, telepathic steering, raspy engine note and one of crispest gearboxes in the industry. They’re tough, too, as evidenced by the number plying

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