My Miata

Deciding to treat ourselves to a sports car to celebrate our 30th anniversary and also turning 50 this year, my wife and I drove each other crazy till we agreed on the 2001 Mazda Miata Special Edition.

We drove several cars in various configurations as to what constitutes a sports car, but in the end settled on the Miata.

The list of cars we tried out were the Audi TT, BMW Z3, the Honda S2000, the BMW 330CI, and of course the Miata. When all was said and done the Mazda suited us the best, being fun to drive, inexpensive to purchase and to operate.
Although the other cars had their own redeeming qualities,the Miata became the clear choice once we saw it and drove it.

When it comes to buying a car, for us anyhow, first impressions play a major role in deciding the outcome. When we saw the British Racing Green Miata SE with it's tan leather seats, tan canvas top, and genuine wood steering wheel, shifter and brake handle, we were impressed. The polished aluminum wheels also look great.

Once we drove the car we were equally impressed. The seats were comfortable, leg room adequate ( I'm 6' tall), and the car handled great. Having owned 1995 Nissan 300ZX I can say I appreciate a great handling car and the Miata certainly qualifies.

Although the Miata is not an extreemly fast car, it seem to fit our lifestyle more than the others. At 50 you find yourselves slowing down, you want to take things easier and the drop top Miata lets you do that.

The only complaint I have is the location of the cup holder lid. It is right where you lay your elbow and flips up every time you rest your elbow on the console. Outside of that I feel that Mazda has designed the perfect roadster.