I disagree
Imagine what a dangerous society we would live in if everybody drove their vehicle at its limits
Not a society I would want to be a part of 
I know as a 16 year old I drove my car at its limits far more than I should have. Luckily it had a 170 cid 6, and was slow.
I have no doubt that a 16 year old would often be tempted to test a Miata’s limits.
Yeah I know .
For me it was a 3rd hand Chevy II Nova, straight 6, 2 speed automatic, no safety equipment at all, retread tires, jacked up rear and late one night took it over 100 …
Fifty years later I shudder when I think about the stupidity of it and I was supposedly “College Material”!
Heck, I might have tried to race you back in the day. Mine was a '65 Mustang, with a 4 speed manual to back up that fire-breathing 170 6. So I THOUGHT I was fast…
Just add " 6’ tall, bullet proof, all the knowledge of the world and a willingness to do anything to impress that cute little thing" and you have the picture of every 16 year old boy since Adam and I haven’t seen it change yet. Just thankful that we survived it.
For the OP, just buy a hoopdy Corolla that he can beat to hell and set that Miata up on blocks until Junior gets his first real job and/or graduates college. He’ll appreciate it then and have some great memories of Grandpa.
That’s what “Classics” are made of.
That is A stereotype
But a lot of kids didn’t . . . and still don’t . . . fit that mold
I wish I had been 6’ tall at 16 years old
I was well aware of the fact I certainly did NOT have all the knowledge in the world
But I did do several dumb things at that age, some of which were decidedly unsafe 
Thanks, db4690, for understanding my point.
Yeah, I understood your point
I don’t know if anybody else on this forum is willing to admit it, but I wasn’t a very good driver the first several years I was driving. I had my share of at-fault accidents. Youth was a factor, as you alluded to
Even though my cars were all underpowered small sedans, I still got myself into trouble.
As for girls, you have to understand that in my location, a kid having any car at all at his disposal was fortunate. There were plenty of kids that never did
Neither of my kids ever fit that mold.
But I realize that some do. Hopefully the young man’s parents will make the correct decision for him.
Some here are commenting on kids’ tendency to beat up on their vehicles. I’d feel safer with my son beating up a '95 Miata than an SUV with a V8 in it. The Miata’s performance is modest and the handling great.
When I was still in HS my buddies dad bought him a brand new '68 Camaro SS 396. Now THAT was dangerous. And he promptly added traction bars, a high rise manifold, a cam, headers, huge tires, and glasspacks. And, yet, we/he never got in an accident. He never tested its envelope. Just as I never tested the envelope of any of my cars, modest as they were.
I maintain that a Miata is not an automatic death sentence, and that there are far, far less safe vehicles such as SUVs and used, poor-handling sedans. I maintain that only his parents can decide whether the Miata will be safe for him.
Take a look at that death frequency vs. vehicle weight link I posted. While the Miata might avoid some accidents, the Tahoe would protect better if one happens. Why do you think insurance companies charge way more for a teen boy driving a sports car? If they were safer, rates would be lower, not higher.
But I’d recommend neither. Like I said, a 4 cylinder Camry/Accord/etc would be a good combination of crash safety and crazy driving suppression.
A college friend got a 1967 400 Firebird convertible when he was in high school. It even had a 4-speed manual. He did like to drive fast, but never wrecked it and still has it today almost 50 years later.
At this point I think everything that can be said on the subject has been said, much of it over and over. There are clearly divergent views on this. I suspected that there would be.
On that note, I think I’ll move on. Peace. 
1 Like
Since crash worthiness has been beaten to death here, I’d like to mention 2 different points
Teenagers are susceptible to peer pressure. With enough goading, they would do some pretty stupid stuff in a geo metro. This is not to say that teenagers are stupid; even the most rational brain of an MIT candidate can momentarily be taken over by hormone. If teenagers are subject to influences, what better way is there to reduce that by a 2 seats miata
Secondly, i much rather have young drivers develop a sense of vulnerability and vigilance than have a bunch of old drivers who grew up in big SUVs thinking they are invincible. The latter are people who I don’t want my children to share the road with
1 Like
The issue with teens is that their frontal cortex hasn’t matured yet. That is where reasoning is centered. When you add lack of experience to immature reasoning faculties, troubles can occur, even with smart teens. A woman’s frontal cortex is mature around 20 on average and a man’s is mature at about 26.