Depends on your tolerance, the car, and where you’re going/where in LI. If you’re commuting on the LIE into NYC you might want to reconsider it lmao. Traffic is absolutely miserable in NYC and the recommended “just give space and creep” is bad advice here because everyone will cut ahead of you and you’ll never have space.

I decided after a few months of back and forth on the belt and bqe in my NA Miata that it just wasn’t it for me. It isn’t as miserable in a modern manual, though I’ve heard push button starts actually make it harder to get going again if you stall.

If you’re like more east than Manhasset and don’t commute, I think a manual is probably fine. The further away from NYC the better.

There’s definitely a huge difference between a NA Miata and a LC 500 convertible. My ears would be ringing by the end of a 2 hour drive with my Miata. This wasn’t the case even for Mustang convertibles I’ve rented, and I could barely hear anything but the engine in a LC500 convertible I drove at a Lexus event.

A NA Miata is pretty much as barebones of a convertible as you can get lol. Modern convertibles are on a different level in noise insulation and comfort.