No wonder you think small cars are all unsafe. The Fiero is a death trap!
My son-in-law and daughter have a Miata as their only car. They sold the Volvo 240 that she had before they were married. Now, they live in DC, not Maine, so snow isn’t normally an issue for them. This year was unusual.
I would say the Miata is no more dangerous than any other small car. I’m not paranoid about small cars like some folks, and I learned to drive in the Winter with rear wheel drive, so I’d not have a problem with it. If the roads aren’t plowed, you aren’t going anywhere, but other than that you should be fine. Get good snow tires, but living in Maine you should already know that . . . 
Whitey, Actually That Is Incorrect. Although Newer Cars Are Safer Than Older Cars, The Fiero Was Quite Safe From Its Inception. Besides, I Only Drive Them A Few Times Per Summer, In Nice Weather.
They have very few miles on them.
If you are referring to fire recalls, I have have them performed and have never had a problem.
(or were you being sarcastic ?)
http://home.xnet.com/~paulv/techtips.htm#FIERO SAFETY ! We drive a “Safe” car according to Consumer Reports
CSA
I wasn’t being sarcastic this time. The Fiero was only made for about four years, and in those four years, it was widely known as a troublesome vehicle without many safety features. There were connecting rod issues and cooling system issues. About 150 of them caught fire, and GM never definitively identified a single cause.
Forgive me for saying so, but it is beginning to sound like Toyota’s problem, where they say they have found the problem and they are capable of fixing it, and few people are expected to experience the problem, but it’s enough to cause hysteria.
I won’t say that the Fiero’s were trouble free cars, however they were very safe for their time. Also, the engine fire problem only plagued the 1984 model year Fiero’s with the 2.5 Iron Duke, due to smaller oil capacity combined with drivers who drove their cars in a spirited manner.
I Don’t Think These Miatas Were Ever Intended To Be Anything Other Than A Secondary Vehicle.
I don't agree. I had one for about 10 years and it was my only or primary car during that time. It would not make a good family car but for one or two, it works out far better than most people would think. I should note that I added a luggage carrier to the trunk.
However for someone who feels the need to take an SUV to get a quart of milk at the grocery, I doubt if they would agree.*
- The SUV comments were not directed to no specific individual including CSA who does show a great deal of common sense here.
In the winter conditions purchase quality 4 dedicated winters on separate rims. I would highly recommend either Michelin X-Ice, X-Ice2, or Bridgestone Blizzack WS-70’s. You will have far superior control(stopping, turning, cornering, stability) to any all-season equipped SUV (really) on ice or snow. You may have a little harder time getting moving but not much vs a FWD or AWD car.
Dangerous vs other small car, convertibles have a higher risk in certain collisions (flips) and low level but that is a risk you determine.
It might be more accurate to say that it isn’t intended as a family car. Lots of them are used as primary vehicles here in NH. I just visited the site and the Miata is apparently now a folding hardtop. That should make it perfectly usable as a year around vehicle, assuming winter tires are installed all around. That’s also going to cut into the trunk space, ao a trunk-mounted luggage rack might also be a good idea.
SUVs are usually meant for the whole family and can haul a bunch of stuff when needed, but that doesn’t mean they want to dress the kids and haul everyone to the store; especially since getting the kids ready can take longer than it would to hop in yourself and go