Fiat 124

124 has always been better since it is the original

is this bait? this is bait, isnt it? im being baited, arent I?

>people calling a terrible brand bad things
Oh gee, almost like people will notice shoddy, overpriced cars aren't good.

Fiat has a MUCH stronger transmission than the ND though-

The NDs 3rd gear explodes instantly with any force- many track breaks and canyon synchro faults reported

negro, the 124 IS a MX5. The engine is the only fiat component and its actually not that bad.

with most modern italian vehicles the main problems are normally electronics and stuff not related to engine/transmisssion, since mazda made everything except the transmission and engine it should be fine.

>since mazda made everything except the engine it should be fine.

V2 transmission that they introduced in Sept. 2016 onwards is fine, and the problems with the V1 seem to be a bit overblown by the Internet, kinda like Porsche's infamous IMS.
The transmission is the NC transmission.

I've driven the Abarth and I really liked it. Because of the way it sounds, it's got a lot more character than the Miata or even the standard 124. The suspension was alright, even on longer journeys and it was spacious enough for me and I'm fat.

Tested one at an auto show. It's the same car as the last gen Miata clubsport that I had. People would probably rather buy the new Miata or a used last gen Miata instead of dropping new car money for an older car.

That said, great car. Plenty if fun, but again giving new life/trim levels to an old car you bought off Mazda while competing with the newer version doesn't equal sales in my mind.