There is a new Miata sitting in the garage right now. Okay, technically, it isn’t a Mazda MX-5 Miata, it’s officially just a Mazda MX-5. But if everyone else (including Mazda marketing itself!) keeps calling it a Miata, then I will too. I brought the new Miata back home last Saturday, with the old Miata sent away to its new owner yesterday.
Originally, I simply wanted to replace my NA Miata (NA is the chassis designation) with another NA Miata. The Miata’s clutch needed to be replaced, and I wasn’t looking forward to replacing it. In addition, the convertible top was coming apart, and there was rust on the body that I hated looking at. The mild perfectionist in me wanted to fix all of these problems — replace the clutch disc and the clutch hydraulics, replace the convertible top, and weld in new metal to patch the rust areas — but that is difficult to justify when it would be a lot cheaper to get a Miata that is in better condition. So I started looking for another NA Miata and put my mine up for sale.
Thing is, finding a nice, rust-free 1.8L NA Miata with a Torsen limited slip differential for a decent price is pretty difficult. There was a gorgeous 1994 Mazda Miata M-Edition in northern Indiana that would have been perfect: low mileage, no rust, beautiful leather interior, and a Torsen. Too bad the car was sold the day before I was supposed to go take a look at it; I had even withdrawn the five grand in cash needed to buy the car on the spot.
Disillusioned, I set my sights on the 1.6L cars. Okay, so they had smaller engines than the 1.8L cars, and their viscous limited slip differentials were a lot weaker than the Torsen, but surely I could find a nice 1.6L Miata and turn it into a STS autocross car. In fact, I even drove all the way to Cedar Rapids, Iowa with Adrian to go take a look at a white 1991 Mazda Miata, only to return empty-handed. I heard through the grapevine that a red, base 1993 Mazda Miata was for sale in Springfield for an excellent price, but once again, the car was sold the day before I got a chance to look at it.
All the while, my father, thinking I was an idiot for looking at used cars over 15 years old, suggested that I get a newer car instead. At the very end of June, I test drove NC Miatas at both the local Mazda dealership in Urbana and the dealership in Springfield. After a very extended test drive of a pearly white NC Miata at Springfield, I started talking about pricing with the salesman and came away with a case of sticker shock. Over 27 grand out the door for the white Miata? For that kind of money, I could get a used Honda S2000. I return home from Springfield, once again, empty-handed.
I started looking at other vehicles. For example, I started looking at used Honda S2000s. There was a nice red one in the Chicagoland area that I thought would be a good deal. But with work picking up, I didn’t have any time to go there and check it out.
Then one day while I was driving down Neil Street one day, I spotted a 2006 MINI Cooper sitting in a dealer lot. Later that week, I took off from work during my lunch break to go take a look at the car. It was the perfect H-Stock autocross car: a base, 5-speed stick car. I took it for a spin around the U of I, and I loved it. Steering was light but direct, the stick had that delightful snick-snick precision, and the engine was eager but not overpowering. Best of all, I wouldn’t have to worry about trailering race tires to autocross events, since the Mini has plenty of space in the back.
I suggested to Dad that he help me buy this MINI Cooper. It wasn’t a sports car, but it was as sporty as an economy car can get. He suggested that I just get a new Mini instead. But I don’t want a new MINI; they integrated the radio into the speedo dial on the new MINIs, which I think is too much.
After much back and forth banter, Dad put his foot down. Did I like Miatas? Yes. Then get a new Miata. He was tired of me going all over the place looking at old Miatas that he refused to believe could be reliable daily drivers. And so the decision was made that I would get a new NC Miata, no matter what the cost. In return for helping me get the car, I had to promise to my father that I would not modify this car and spend all of my time studying the books in business school. A hard pill to swallow, but I agreed to this nonetheless.
The phone calls to several dealerships began. The Springfield dealership had sold the white NC Miata, which is the color I wanted most, but they had a Copper Red car. I said, no thanks. I wanted a brightly colored sports car.
Fortunately, a dealership in Indianapolis had a brightly colored Miata in stock. Better yet, they could get me this car out the door, taxes included, for less than MSRP. We said yes, and then set off on Saturday morning to pick up the car.
We arrived in Indy just before the dealership opened. There were four colors to choose from: True Red, Copper Red, Stormy Mica Blue, and Liquid Silver Metallic. I immediately gravitated to the True Red car. My father thought the color was too bright. I thought it was perfect. With only 5 miles on the odometer, my father and I took the car out for a test drive. We returned to the dealership and promptly bought the car.
Three hours later, my new NC Miata is tucked away safe and sound in the garage, and I’m driving my old NA Miata out to Rantoul. Because I was in Indy that morning, I missed the day’s autocross registration, but I stopped by anyway in the afternoon to socialize with friends and hopefully find a buyer for my NA Miata. Adrian introduced me to some newcomers to the club who brought along a Honda S2000 to their first autocross event; I learned that they were looking for a cheap convertible for their 77 year old elder, and liked my Miata. If it was a cheap little convertible that they were looking for, I had the car for them, I said.
On Monday, the elder stopped by the laboratory where the NA Miata was parked and took it for a test drive. The next day, I got a call and an offer, and after some time tossing numbers back and forth, I agreed on a price. On Wednesday, the car was no longer mine.
So I’ve got a red Miata sitting in my side of the garage. It’s almost as if nothing has changed…