Hello from another new guy
Hey all, I just came across this site whilst searching for info on the miata.net forums. I had no idea this forum existed but what a pleasant surprise.
My name is Elliott, I drive a white 92 a-package that I bought new in August of 1992. It has 115K miles on it now and doesn't look so great but still runs like a champ. My top has been in need of replacement for years now but I've just never wanted it bad enough to spend the bucks on a new top. The shocks are worn out, the clutch is original and the throw out bearing is squealing like....well, like I don't know what. It's time for a timing belt/water pump. Tires are shot (really shot) and the paint has started flaking off of the left front fender. It failed state inspection last year and I drove it for a year with no inspection until I finally broke down and put a new catalyst on it and got it legal again.
Anyway, I've been a Miata fan since day one. In fact, when I was growing up and all of my friends were lusting over Mustangs and Camaros, I was fantasizing about Triumph, MG, Alfa and Fiat. My father didn't share my enthusiasm for unreliable British and Italian road cars however. Actually, he did share the "enthusiasm" just not enough to foot the inevitable repair bills that would surely result from there being one in his driveway.
Years later, the Miata was like an answer to a prayer. A reliable "British" sports car. It took me until 1992 to get positioned to own one but as soon as I was so positioned, I did. I've had nothing but love for the car since the day it came home from the dealer. Maybe I'm simple but I still get the same giddy teenage thrill everytime I start it up and drive to work in it.
A few years ago I finally realized another teenaged dream. I bought a motorcycle. With a new toy in my garage, the Miata has gotten short shrift from me. I ride more than I drive now and most of my discretionary transportation income has gone to the bike for various things. As a result, needs have been piling up on the little japanese Spitfire. I've long been considering just getting rid of it and getting something new. Thoughts of a new Mini or an S2000 or even a used Vette have been kicking around in my head for the last year or so.
Last week, things came to a head when I decided I needed to go tape up (once again) the holes in the backglass (well...backplastic) to keep out the water from an impending storm. The top is in really bad shape. The backlight is opaque and any semblance of pliability has long since been forgotten. Through a series of bone headed maneuvers during my hole taping exercise, I managed to push through the brittle back window and left myself with more hole than backlight. A hole sufficiently signifcant as to render any further thoughts of a quick tape job...well....silly.
After some soul searching and some honest questions about whether the Miata met my requirements for a vehicle, regardless of it's cosmetic and maitenance requirements, I came to the conclusion that, even after 12+ years of ownership, the Miata is still, exactly what I want in an automobile. I'd love to have that Mini and I may still own a vette someday but, I've decided finally, that I would rather take four or five of those sixty payments I'd be making on a Mini and put the Miata right.
Okay, so I left out the part where I came upstairs and told my girlfriend what had happened and received a highly motivational speech about my needing to either spend some money to fix up the Miata or get a new car since the thing has been an embarrassment for over a year and now is just plain pathetic.
That's beside the point though really. Really it is, I swear. Because while she was talking and I was tuning her out, my mind was rolling over the things about the Miata that make it a great car. The small size, convertible form factor, the perfect balance of power and handling. Not to mention the fact that I can get a whole set of tires mounted and balanced for the same price that my brother pays for EACH TIRE on his Corvette. Those are some economics folks! Plus the fact that there is nothing I couldn't do myself on the Miata if sufficiently motivated, and with the proper tools and space. I don't think I could say that for much of anything (anything fun anyway) on todays new car market. What more could I get from something else? Maybe a little more of one thing or another, but not enough. Not enough to justify five years of payments.
Really, it all boils down that giddy teenager feeling that I get everytime I get in it. I remember, the first couple of weeks after I bought it so many years ago now. I would get in it and think, "God I love this car" but in the back of my mind I knew that someday, the interior would be ragged, the body would be dinged and faded and that the new would wear off and the fun would be gone.
I was right about the first part. I'm still waiting for that last bit to happen.
Anyway. Geez, I hadn't intended to go off like that, I really just wanted to say hi.
HI!
-Elliott-
PS. My new Robbins top should be here on Monday, along with a cam cover gasket, plugs and wires and a new fuel filter. I hope to have new tires on by tuesday and I've been scouring the Garage on miata.net looking for tips on all sorts of upgrades and repairs to various things that are in need of attention.
