To justify their selection, Consumer Digests notes:
While the Chevrolet Camaro, listed below, may offer the most bang for the buck, the two-seat convertible Miata provides the highest fun-per-dollar ratio. For most owners, the word Miata simply means smile. With other automakers, like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche just now introducing their own two-seat roadsters, the least expensive alternative to the Miata is still several thousand dollars higher and the rest are nearly twice the price. Yet none are more fun to drive. [...] With one of the highest resale values on the market, a Miata is cheap to own. It's relatively fuel efficient and is rated as the most reliable sport car on the market. Even insurance costs are lower than for virtually any other sporty car, much less any that have any grin factor close to that of a Miata.