Miata soon to be discontinued, the call-out read, prompting me to do just what they hoped the words would...turn a few pages to read the full story inside. And like many teasers these days, it was only partially true. The cute little sporty car is being redesigned in a couple of years, a joint venture between Mazda and Fiat's Alpha Romero, so it's still going to exist...just not in the form we've come to know and love.
I had one, you know. A bright red convertible that could hardly be called practical but sure was a lot of fun. It was love at first sight when I saw the little roadster zipping around town in 1990, even if I didn't know what it was called or who made it. I don't usually get all that excited about cars...well, unless you count that Oldsmobile Toronado I obsessed over liked. My interest dwindled when I found out how much it was going to cost...too much for the state of our household budget in the 1970's. The Toronado slipped away; I wasn't going to let the Miata.
But getting one was a challege. They were new and so popular the dealers couldn't keep them in stock. Fortunately, the local Buick/Mazda dealer had one in his showroom and since we'd been buying cars and getting them serviced at that dealership for the thirteen years we'd lived in Pensacola, I felt sure we'd be treated right. Boy, was I wrong. I could look at the one on the floor but there would be no test drive and no deal. In fact, they were adding a surcharge on top of the MSRP. Hrmph! I walked out the door, vowing never to return...and I haven't.
Me and my Miata were not to be kept apart, however, and I soon ordered one from the dealer in Mobile...after a test drive and at a price without a surcharge. It came in while we were off on a trip so we made a detour on the way home to pick it up. Me, Wayne, our luggage and two sets of golf clubs (in smaller travel bags) filed that little Miata up for the hour-long ride home.
And while that size was a minus for travel, it was a plus for my day-to-day driving. It was the first car I could wash and not need a step-stool to scrub the roof. I felt right at home inside...cozy but not cramped. I didn't see that small size as a drawback at all. In fact, I managed to fit twelve flats of bedding plants inside once. As far as I was concerned, my Miata was just my size. And I loved that I could flip the latches and put the top down while stopped at a red light. From inside the car!
The article I read was actually a review of the 2013 model with plenty of comparisons to the 1990 model and reading it brought back a ton of memories about my little red Miata. The tight way it cornered. The rumble of the muffler when you downshifted. The feeling of the wind in your hair when you drove with the top down. Sigh...I loved that car. And if you're wondering where the photos of it are to accompany this story, well, there aren't any. Not a one. I wasn't a scrapbooker back then so it never crossed my mind that I'd ever want one.
I zipped around town in my little red sports car for three years before trading it in for a bigger model. It had its glory days but it was time, just like I suppose its time for the Miata brand to revamp itself. There was something special about the original though and it clearly made an impression on the reviewer...or perhaps he had owned one too. He concluded that driving the 2013 version gave a pleasant, car-loving sensation but not the goose bumps that came from the 1990 model. I'm not interested in another one but I was happy to be reminded of the excitement of the one I had too. Zoom. Zoom.
I had to 'google' to find out what a Miata was..... here in the UK it's known as an MX5. My daughter had a silver, late 90's model, with a soft top. She loved it. Hugged it and kissed it and rubbed it's fur up the wrong way.... LOL. It suited her so well. I drove it once; after laughing hysterically at my attempts to get out I, too, fell in love. She lives in London. It became too expensive to own a car that she used maybe once a week, so ended up selling it. She'd have another one tomorrow; or a 1960's E-Type Jaguar..... hahaha Jude.x
Posted by: Jude.x | February 02, 2013 at 12:58 AM