I am a true "car guy," and the Miata is my #1!!!

I like a true driving car...cars that are engineered from the ground up to deliver an awesome experience from behind the wheel...cars that are reliable, light-weight, have good brakes, a good power-to-weight ratio, are tossable around town, and are all around cars built to DRIVE.

One of the Miata's dearest traits: any review you see of it will place it into a "class of its own"; (I LOVE that!!)

The Miata has relatively great acceleration...it's got pick up where it counts, i.e. on the interstate, where you're cruising along at about 4,500 rpm. It's a blast around town, too, with adequate power to launch cleanly and briskly from a stoplight.

Braking is also excellent, and the handling is world-renowned (but is greatly enhanced when coupled with a limited slip differential...)

An article about a BMW Z8 described how that car's transmission was "approaching" the feel and quality of the Miata's gearbox...Need I say more?

The manual top is simple to raise and lower, considering that the driver can accomplish either task while sitting in their seat.

My leather-trimmed steering wheel has some wear, but it's expected. Overall, the interior has stayed together very well, and it's almost 8 years old! The controls are clear and simple to operate for one reason...there really isn't all that much to them. The mirror switches are on the left side of the steering wheel, and the climate and radio controls are in the center stack. There's not much to say about them, except that they work consistently well and are not going to be so difficult to use as to distract you while zipping through traffic.

Trunk space? I think you could fit more in an elephant's nose. (Get it?) But seriously, if you're looking at the Miata's trunk space to determine whether or not you want one, you're interested in the wrong category. It's like checking to see how many vanity mirrors a Dakkar Rally VW has.

Around town the car is perfectly comfortable...the seats are supportive, and the driving position is 'just right': not slouched too far down, but not bolt-upright. However, on the freeway for long jaunts, the interior can begin to feel cramped. But, hey, that's not what this car is meant for anyway, right?

Top-down driving can't be bettered...unless you opt for the aforementioned Z8; it's cozy with the top up, but not necessarily in a bad way. You just have to keep the top-up time to a minimum.

Gas mileage has been what I expected...Not the 42 mpg of a Prius hybrid, but definitely not the 15 of a Z28, either. I've averaged right at 25 mpg around the city, probably about 32 or 33 on the interstate.

The moral of the story? I KNOW my life would NOT be the same without this car...and as cheesy and superficial as that sounds, it's perfectly true.

Think it's not? That's O.K. The Miata probably isn't for you.

But if you're curious, and love cars, and know that your life would be enhanced by owning an automobile that is pure Nirvana to drive, then try one, just once; I think you'll discover what I've been experiencing for 5 very extraordinary months.