1997 Mazda Miata

When I was 15 I used to obessively watch Option videos (Japanese DVDs of heavily modified cars, mostly 240SXs, Supras, RX7s etc.) I loved the drifting segments, the 500+hp track machines and the insane Skyline GTRs set up for drag racing. I vowed that I would own the badest JDM muscle machine ever, and worked all manner of crappy summer jobs to achieve this goal. I even worked as a carny for two summers.

In my junior year, I finally drove the 240SX (at the time, my dream machine). The steering was numb, the interior was dreck and the rust ate the frame rails alive. Driving a BMW made me re-examine my priorities; just because a car had insane horsepower and could stomp a 911 turbo in all manner for performance categories didn't mean it was any good to drive, it just made you &#!@ your pants.

I started to re-prioritize; I wanted something cheap, reliable that was fun to drive right from the factory. The Miata was such an obvious choice, but I never seriously looked at them. Shortly after I got to ride in three of them, a turbocharged version, a heavily modified car with a supercharger and a bone-stock second generation. I was hooked and vowed to have one.

As I got more serious, I looked at fast Honda's, E30 BMWs, RX7s, 5.0 Mustangs and even the 240SX. Each had their merits, but they lacked that superlative quality that has captured the hearts and minds of so many.

I took a fair amount of flak from my friends for getting this car. My sexuality was questioned, its performance capabilities ridiculed, but once they drive in it, they're converted. Low, loud and cramped cars are an anachronism today. One of my friends drive a 128i, which is a great car in its own right. He couldn't stop marveling at how it felt like a "real car." And it's true; everything else short of an Elise feels like you're playing Gran Turismo.

That's not to say this is the perfect automotible. It makes me sore after a few hours of driving, and my already bad knees like to flare up after a period of stop-and-go traffic. The soft top isn't great, and the plastic window is awful in in terms of visibility and durability. And winter is going to be chock full of discontent.

But I don't care. All I want to do is drive. It's cliche for young guys to say this about their first real car, but I don't think I'll ever get rid of it. I'll probably do a few things to it down the road (rollbar, coilover suspension) but I can't think of anything I'd want to replace it with.

Maybe an S2000...