What's in a MettaCar report
One report per car generation. It is the year of forum reading most owners do after they buy, done before you buy, with every fact sourced.
It's written for people who wrench on their own cars, autocross or do track days. One report covers one generation, so an NA Miata and an NB Miata get separate reports.
Verdict
- Score dashboard: reliability, running cost, rust risk, parts supply
- Best and worst years
- Price bands by condition
- Generation DNA: year-by-year changes and what the VIN tells you
Buy
- Failure atlas: every known issue ranked by cost × likelihood, with walk away / negotiate / ignore verdicts
- Rust map
- Printable pre-purchase inspection and test-drive script
- Price and negotiation: fault-to-dollars table
- Buying a modified car
Own
- First 90 days: what to fix first
- Real-world maintenance schedule and cheat sheet
- DIY job cards
- Recalls, TSBs and complaints in plain English
- Cost of ownership
- Owner hacks and better-than-OEM upgrades
Build
- Mod-readiness scorecard
- Tiered build paths with budgets
- Swaps, interchange and wheel/tire fitment
- Money pits and forum myths, graded
Track
- What breaks on track
- Safety and tech inspection
- Prep by level and setup baseline
- Cost per track day and classing
How we source it
- Every fact is stored with its sources; no source, no fact.
- An issue is only called "common" with 3+ independent sources across 2+ sites, and each issue shows its evidence count.
- Torque specs and part numbers come only from verified data, never AI-filled.
- Every fact is tagged by model year and engine.
- Prices are dated.
Available reports
| Car | Years (US) | Status | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mazda Miata NA | 1990–1997 | In research | $20 one-time |
| Mazda Miata NB | 1999–2005 | In research | $20 one-time |
| Porsche Boxster 986 | 1997–2004 | In research | $20 one-time |
Machine-readable list: /reports.json