Not long after my girlfriend and I moved into our house, unrelated, my dad was looking around at options to replace his beloved but aging Mazda Miata. He had it pretty much since new, purchasing it in 2004 with very few miles on the clock but 14 years and 168,000 miles later – it was showing its age. One day, a suitable replacement Miata showed up on eBay so he bid early, thinking likely he’d get outbid. But in Ohio, in December, the challenger never came, so overnight he ended up with two Miatas and limited storage space to park these cars. Instead of the hassle of finding a buyer for his old car, he graciously gave it to us!
The day my parents purchased the car in 2004, now a defunct Mazda/Mitsubishi dealer in Rochester, MN.
Safe and sound inside my garage for the winter
We tucked the car away for the winter in our garage and dreamed of fun summer cruises. I was glad my girlfriend knew how to drive a manual transmission so she could use it, too. I know, not to be ungrateful but I never cared for the color of the car. To me it, was a very dated and tacky color – one more suited for an early 90s car, yuck. He said my stepmother picked the color and I think the color must’ve reminded him of his old Tahiti Blue Triumph TR-7, too. But way more reliable. Splash Green Mica was a one-year color with just 738 some examples built, so I was not alone – it was not a popular choice. I never cared for the spoiler either, so that winter I removed the trunk lid, took off the spoiler and had the holes welded in, trunk lid repainted.
Much better without the spoiler, in my opinion.
When spring rolled around we did enjoy using it, but my girlfriend, unaccustomed to such a small, open car, was scared to drive/ride in it out on the highway. So trips were mostly relegated to around town, which was sure fun but felt like a waste of the car’s true potential. I did not mind driving it out there on the highways and on long trips but going alone wasn’t as fun.
The NB (second gen) Miata addressed some of the complaints about the NA, mainly the lack of power. The 1.8 was supposedly better but most wouldn’t know it. The 1.6 was admired for its linear powerband but must’ve been lacking!
A very pleasant place to spend the time.
Well, this installment is pretty brief because later that fall, I purchased a sports car more to my liking and sold the Miata. I felt bad selling the car that brought my dad so much joy but he was now content with his third gen (NC) Miata and did not have the garage space for both cars plus his Ranger. And the lesson learned from the summer was that we were not going to use it like we should. I was happy with how much I was still able to sell his car for despite the age and mileage and it went to a very good home – a grown father/son duo who had a passion for Mazdas.
An interesting postscript to this story, just last fall an identical Miata popped up for sale locally and my dad bought it. It was absolutely like new and had just 39,000 miles on it. But that was short-lived – he came to the same conclusion again that you can only drive one at a time and indoor storage is at a premium, so we sold it this spring. I personally pine for a nice NA (first gen) Miata but those are becoming harder and harder to find in nice condition. I test drove a 2002 special edition British Racing Green MB2 Miata a few months ago but it was a little rougher than was let on in the ad. And it would take a very, very special Miata to disrupt the sports car that’s in the garage now.
I am actually a fan of the color on your car. Outdated, yes – but I will come out as one of the few who would prefer a Miata in something besides red.
I too would take this over red any day of the week.
Me, three! 🙂
I wrote up our “family” 2000 Miata as a COAL some time back. These are fun and reliable cars, yes! My parents bought it new, and in 2008 or so sold it to my mother in law. She is 80 this year and is thinking about selling it……my dad wants it back! Just turned 30,000 miles. I like your color a lot. Dated to some eyes, yes, but it works for me on that car. It’s a “happy” color. Ours is dark metallic blue with a tan top and tan leather interior. Some sort of special edition, I think.
Wow, sounds like one nice car! I’d sure rather have that color combo – actually classy, not tacky.
A Miata, despite being cramped for me, is the MOST FunToDrive car I’ve ever had…..all 4 of them. Two NBs (1 being a Mazda Speed unit, lotsa power) and the 2 I liked the best: a pair of ’95 NAs!
They are excellent value for the $ and are hard not to enjoy on a twisty back road. They were designed as road going sports cars and are just that! 🙂 DFO
Awesome! The MazdaSpeed sounds like a LOT of fun! Still would love to have an NA one day…
Yes, great cars indeed!
There are kits to put Ford V-8s in Miatas. I call those ‘Son of Cobra’.
Hate the color, love the spoiler.
I have several Miatas, they are like potato chips LOL – greatest cars ever, a reliable way to get your sports car fix with the world’s most wonderful shifter/steering/handling/feel for the road. Wind in your hair is also nice if that’s your thing.
If you have not yet, suggest taking advantage of the factory tweeter grilles on that year NB and having speaker separates installed. I went with Focal on my most recent and man does it crank.
One minor correction – the BRG special editions were ’91 and ’01 only.
(I have one and it’s the one I will never sell)
Ah yes- it was an ’01. Gorgeous car and the color I really wanted. Unfortunately being an Iowa car it had a rust-out spot ahead of the passenger side rear wheel. Had to pass on that.
You’re not wrong about the color, but I still love that color.
I’ve put in about 45K miles in a car about that size. They’re fun and they make city driving a lot easier, but on the highway they lose their advantage. On top of that, they’re dwarfed by most other cars on the road, and you start worrying that one day you’re going to end up as a Cadillac Escalade’s hood ornament. To me, these cars are absolutely worth the worry, but I see why others think otherwise.
I get color being a factor affecting enthusiasm. I like blues and greens myself.
My color kryptonite is red. This can make classic car-porn window shopping challenging at times. Oh, some of those dark cherries and burgundies and maroons might pass.
But I absolutely draw the line at red interiors. All those screaming red vinyl and velour interiors from the 70’s confirmed me.
I get that. Very few cars I like in red.
Black would be my automotive color kryptonite, as you put it. It just hides the lines and details of a car, not to mention HOT in the summer. No thanks.
I have a near mint ’01 BRG SE that propels me nicely through the Blue Ridge of Virginny. No other way to go. I’l be 80 in two weeks, but as long as can get my butt in, & out, I’ll be hangin’ on to her (or him) I never got a gender reveal.
Wonderful! Enjoy that rare gem!
Mrs. Fahrver and I anxiously await the arrival of our newly-purchased ’95 M-Spec and look forward to tooling around Aquidneck Island in 2021.
Laborious delivery process exacerbated by COVID but practicing smiling today – and will have to arrive at a new screen name!
Very nice!
My sister and her husband bought an identical car when new, and I got to drive it a few times when I visited them. The bonus was that the lived in Northern California at the time, and I was able to drive the Miata on some wonderful roads — perfect Miata roads. I took this picture when my sister and I were somewhere back then… definitely one of the most fun cars I’ve ever driven.
That’s a beauty!
Great car. The colour is not that bad but maybe not one that entirely suits the Miata.
I was lucky to get an NA when they were still cheap nearly six years ago. Silver probably wouldn’t have been my first choice, but I don’t like black cars, and this car was a steal. I’ve had to some a few repairs, but nothing outrageous for a 30-year-old car with 156,000 miles (126,000 when I bought it).
My wife worries when I drive it on the highway, and she doesn’t much like to ride in it other than going to the nearby pool or winery. But we live on the edge of town, and there are lots of good twisty backroads nearby when I need some automotive therapy. Working from home the past year, I can have fun just running out to pick up lunch on a nice day, as I did yesterday. And I autocross it, like seemingly half the people who own Miatas do.
I love the simplicity of the NA. And the pop-ups.
Gorgeous! Nice find! I keep hoping someday I’ll find an NA deal like that pop up. I can dream…