Honda Honda Honda. 3. Mazda MX-5 Miata. This may seem strange, but this is the perfect first-time driver's car. In other words, the ideal first car for a keen driver. Small convertible sports cars The real truth is most likely a combination of both tales, with that super-keen staffer probably being Hall, but the result was the Mazda eXperimental number 5, or MX-5. The car itself was a very international affair for a Japanese maker in those days, with the stylist Wu-Huang Chin being an ex-GM American, and the first running prototypes Powered by a 2.0L 4-Cyl the MX-5 makes 167-hp, 51-hp more than the original. 2. The current MX-5 with a PRHT weighs 5,560 lbs, just 240 lbs more than a first-gen 1997 model. 3. MX-5 models start After riding motorcycles for 56 years, at 66, I bought a 2010 Miata MX5 GT with soft top and 6 speed auto/manual. Weighing 175 lbs. puts the car with equal weight on all 4 wheels. GYk5Ka.