They are possibly the most practical “impractical” car you can get All the parts are cheap and it does not use a silly amount of petrol. Plus if you have any questions about them there are lots of friendly communities out on the web to give you a hand

A hard top might be handy for when there is heavy snow (MX5s are not the best car in snow as they are quite light and have comparably wide tyres) but as soon as that is gone I would take it off as you will find that if it is not raining you will put the top down as it takes seconds Actually even if starts raining if you keep it above about 30mph the rain doesn’t land in the car anyway (you do get some odd looks though )

I am over in the UK and don’t bother with a hard top at all as I find that even on a clear night in the middle of winter I end up taking the roof down, it is fantastic fun to be blasting down the motorway with the stars above you

If the comparable lack of power of a standard MX5 puts you off you can always get a super or turbocharger fitted

Of course there is always there is always these http://www.monstermiata.com/

One thing I will caution on though is the fact that an MX5 is rear wheel drive and that means that it handles differently in the wet, ie if you try to use too much power in the wet when cornering you can spin so take it easy or if possible go on a training day down at the nearest track where they show you how to spin and get out of spins, it will be ace fun and you will feel more comfortable about your car

Green side of Prius is highly overrated. I still haven’t seen its complete energy quotient, and evil tongues say that it’s more energy intensive than, say, a Scion xB. Prius is still an excellent car on its own merits, but I don’t think of it as particularly green. Great fuel economy though.

Mustang, bah. Great for a rental, but look at it this way. If it’s the normal V-6, it’s nothing against MX-5. Seriously, MX-5 will beat it flat on any track, from auto-x to a speedway. But if we’re talking Cobra, you might as well get a Corvette. If money come out of your ears, look at M3.

If you lean at SCC side of the house, look at MR-2 at least. I suppose Evo may be too ricey for you… But no matter what you do, don’t get a Stang without considering the alternatives.