No Regrets

From the moment I drove my 1996 M-Edition off of the lot, I have had no regrets about purchasing this vehicle. It's been a complete pleasure to write the car payment out each and every month because driving the vehicle continues to be so much fun. When I first got the car I would even ask my roommate if she had any errands she needed me to run for her. I just wanted to drive, drive, drive.

I decided I wanted a convertible on the way home from a trip to Hawaii. I had driven one all week while there and loved the free, carefree feeling a convertible embodies. Ironically, there was a magazine on the plane on my ride home that compared all the convertibles on the market and the Miata received such great marks across the board it seemed like the car for me.

8 months after purchasing the vehicle I moved from Los Angeles to Spokane, Washington. Everyone told me I'd have to sell the car, that I would one-day disappear in a snowdrift never to be found again. They all wanted me to get a real "rig" and become part of the S.U.V. gas-guzzling community. I refused! That was 3 years ago and I'm still here driving winter, spring, summer and fall in my Miata! I bought good snow tires and the car handles remarkably well in the winters. I've made it to work on days where work mates slid off the road in their big "rigs." The BEST part is...every spring I'm able to whip that top down and it feels like a new driving experience all over again. There is NOTHING like driving a convertible around on a nice day. The sound system is also fantastic. Mine came with a CD player, cassette tape player, and speakers in the seats.

The only drawback to the vehicle is the amount of people or things you can hall around in it. But I've found ways to work around that. The people aspect doesn't really bother me. After feeling like the town taxi for years with bigger cars, it's nice to not have to be the designated driver anymore. If more than one person is going, then I guess I'm not driving, someone else does. It's as simple as that. If more than one person comes to visit me at a time, they rent a car. As far as hauling around big objects...for one, I've gotten really creative on fitting things in that car. Trips to Costco, no problem! My golf clubs fit in the trunk, how much more space do you need? Enough said! It also helps to have nice friends who will go with you to Home Depot a few times a year for those few and far between times you need to pick up a LARGE household item like a Gas Grill or Lawn Mower, etc.

I especially recommend this vehicle for anyone that wants a great driving experience, a low maintenance car (I've had no problems with this car and only take it in for recommended service), and has alternate ways of hauling around large objects.

I don't recommend this car for anyone taller than 5'10". I'm 5'0" and, roominess wise, feel like I'm in a Lincoln Town Car. Taller friends who have driven it think it's too small and keep mentioning that we could be killed and squashed any moment by a semi-truck. I just laugh at their paranoia and say, "You're right, now get out!" Then I drive off, perfectly content to be behind the wheel of my dream machine.