The fact that both the Mazda MX-5 and the Abarth 124 Spider sports cars exist, side-by-side, is a good thing. In fact, they need each other to survive.
You've heard it before: the issue with making a sports car is scale. There is a great deal of development cost involved in getting a vision to production and then, because no one really needs sports cars, the return is generally not all that great.
So, here we have two half-brothers fighting for supremacy, both sporting a six-speed manual and presenting a very good choice for those seeking a sporty convertible under $45,000.