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 |   Tales from real life |
| Well, if they're not true, they oughta be! |
Occasionally, this topic is suggested in the WDC newsfeed: Name something that you're simply happy with... For me, that would be my 2008 Mazda Miata convertible. I started looking for a convertible in 2010, after driving a 'pop-top' Honda Del Sol for a couple of years. That car had been gifted to me by my older sister. It felt a little tired at 180,000 miles, but I enjoyed the (almost) open-air experience with the top removed. And the engine was still running well, so I regifted the Del Sol to my daughter and told my wife that I needed a real convertible for myself. There were a number of desirable cars available at the time, even after I disqualified the four-door models as too big and the Lotus Elise as too exotic. I considered the Saturn Sky, Toyota MR2, Honda S2000, BMW M3, even the FIAT Spider. They were all attractive cars with the top down, but less so with their ragtops up. I decided that I wanted a power retractable hardtop. That left me with only the Mazda Miata in my price range. But that was okay, because Mazda builds reliable cars that get good gas mileage. And the Miata with the hardtop up is almost as pretty as it is with the hardtop down. I got lucky in February of 2011 when a low mileage Miata PRHT model showed up at a nearby Toyota dealership. The paint is Stormy Blue Mica, and it has the upgraded suspension package with 17-inch wheels, Bilstein shocks, and a limited slip rear differential. In other words, Zoom-Zoom! The Toyota salesman told me it was a trade-in from a guy who married a woman with 2 kids and needed the interior space of a RAV4. The salesman was also motivated by the cold February rain to move that convertible quickly. So, I got exactly the car I wanted, with only 4300 miles on it, for $10,000 dollars less than new. And I've been simply happy with it for the last fourteen years. Something I'm not happy with is my arthritic left knee. One of the reasons I finally gave up my motorcycle and bought the Miata is that my knee no longer felt solid enough to handle riding. And the knee has only deteriorated further over the years. I've seen several doctors, I've used a lot of aspirin and recently, I've begun to contemplate a knee replacement. So, a couple of weeks ago I went to an orthopedist to discuss the alternatives. He insisted on a new series of X-rays and determined that I have advanced arthritis. Well, duh. Then he drained 30cc of fluid from the knee and gave me a cortisone shot. The orthopedist told me that I could have a knee replacement whenever I was ready, but the cortisone might allow me to postpone it for another year or two. I can hardly believe how well it worked! Why didn't I try that years ago? I started walking normally again immediately. The sun was shining brightly as I left the clinic, and so was my attitude. I felt like a kid with a new toy. I felt so good that I got a little overexuberant on the drive home. I love cranking up the tunes and going through the gears in my Miata. I like going fast, but I admit that I'm slightly less skilled than the average grand prix driver. I missed a shift and hit the gas in fifth when I meant to be in third. The RPMs went zoom, but the car did not. Uh, oh, what's that acrid burning smell? Yep, I fried the clutch. The car still drove okay (as long as I didn't accelerate too hard), but like my arthritic knee, I knew it would only get worse with time. And unlike the knee, there's no quick fix to make the clutch feel better. So, last week, I took the Miata in for a clutch replacement. And I told the shop to bring the scheduled maintenance up to date while they were at it. Then they pointed out that the ten-year old tires were starting to chunk off little bits of tread. Adding four new tires to the bill made a total of ouch! But I love that car, and the new clutch feels even better than my lubricated knee. So, even after the big bill, if you ask me to name something that I'm simply happy with... It would still be my 2008 Mazda Miata convertible. Zoom-Zoom! |
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