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Mazda Miata MX-5 |
| The day finally came - needs to retire. After several near misses up the mountain due to a series of simple starting, stopping and running problems, Golden Girl's days of the primary commuter pod are over. So out I went to get an equally practical, safe, comfortable, spacious, and weather-resistant replacement. |  |
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| Here it is! Very practical - only holds two people, which is one more than I need in my daily commute. |  |
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New Kosei 15" wheels with Fuzion ZR1's (or something) summer tires. Tire Rack supplied them in May 2005, but I had to pay for them. Better looking and let me go about 5 mph faster on my commute "speed run." |
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| Shod with its new wheels and tires, the we go for a little spin - this time, though no spin - just sure footing. I had to put the top down because my head kept bonking into the top. |  |
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Talk about Safety! With neutral handling and 50/50 weight distribution, I hope to stay out from underneath huge SUV's and 18 wheelers! Plus it has two airbags! |
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| Comfortable too - Comfortable on the eyes, at least until the black paint fades. Its actually pretty easy to get in and out. And the engine exhaust is comfortable on the ears. BigBigMan says its comfortable to lay near. |  |
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Spacious like a Thimble - the trunk holds a weeney spare tire, a jack, and a PocketPC. That's OK, because you can hold a cell phone in the glove box and a ball cap (or the top, in which case the cap goes on my head or the floor) in the boot. What more space will I need?. | ||
| Weather Resistent? This thing was born to block the elements. Its got a cloth (vinyl I think) top to keep the pesky rain and wind out. The top comes down and then the windshield resists the wind, keeping your feet breeze-free. That trunk also keeps the wind and rain out. And to top it off, its got two little two-inch sunvisors, one more than I need! |  |
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Here's a comparison of the little Miata next to my other commuter. The Miata is about five feet in front of the F250. I really hope it handles as well as is advertised, because its a lightweight compared to 97% of the other cars on the road. |
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| Here were the wheels on it when purchased - Five spoke dubs (actually fourteens). These aren't bad looking when clean, but they are no-names (CSA?). They look better than the little stock steel wheels or the other standard Mazda OEM alloys. They're the winter tires now. |  |
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