Remember how, a couple of days ago, we mentioned that Corvette buyers could score as much as $8,000 off a new Z06 or Grand Sport? Well, turns out Chevy's iconic sports car isn't the only fun ride with manufacturer cash on the hood these days. Mazda is offering as much as $2,000 off the 2016 MX-5 Miata, according to CarsDirect.

Of course, there's a catch. Or, rather, a couple of 'em. The largest piece of that discount comes in the form of a $1,500 sum available to Miata buyers, but only in the western states of the U.S. (That said, you can find a flight from pretty much anywhere in America to California for waaaay less than that, so people back East shouldn't feel left out if they really want that MX-5.) Add in $500 in loyalty bucks for drivers who already have a Mazda, and boom—$2,000 off a car that starts at $24,915. And that's before you play hardball with the salesman.

The reason for the discount, CarsDirect hypothesizes, is the arrival of the targa-topped Mazda MX-5 Miata RF for the 2017 model year. The hotly-anticipated arrival of those buttressed sports cars in showrooms, it seems, is encouraging dealerships to try and punt the old 2016 models out the door as quickly as possible so they can stock up on 2017 Miatas. Considering the roadster MX-5 goes all but unchanged between those two, we'd say that works out well for everyone.

Oh, there's one more caveat: Buyers have to swoop on and buy their '16 Miata before May 1st. But if the blooming flowers and warming weather of spring don't already have you thinking about convertibles and long weekend drivers...maybe you should be reading Consumer Reports instead.

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