Growing up the Miata was never a vehicle I desired. I always thought they were silly looking and never understood them. As with many other aspects of my life, that started to change. Years ago i started reading about them. I started to understand their appeal. Light car, great suspension, no top.
A few years ago I went to a dealership and got to drive one. I sat in the seat. It took a little adjusting to get comfortable but once I was in and found a position it was comfortable. The fit was snug but it worked. I turned on the key, put it in first, and drove off. It was a whole new experience. The top was down, it was probably 85 degrees outside. It was perfect. At that moment I knew that the Miata wasn’t just a cheesy little toy. It was a real sports car. I finally understood the cult following behind these things. I had to have one.
A few years go by and we couldn’t find a good spot for it in the budget. Then, earlier this year, we had rented a Harley for a father’s day ride and I happened to see one about a half hour away. Using it as an excuse to ride, I took the wife down and she got to drive one for the first time. At this point I finally had her interest in the car, although I wouldn’t call her “sold” at this point as we were just able to drive it down a straight line in a town that we couldn’t be very aggressive with the throttle.
Browsing Craigslist, something I shouldn’t be allowed to do, I found an NB2 with only 55k miles on it. This time, though, I had a plan. Instead of finding somewhere for it in the budget, I would find additional income specifically for this. For years I’ve been afraid to return to biolife and give plasma, however, my desire to have a Miata exceeded my fear from 6th grade of passing out. I sucked it up, made an appointment, and successfully gave plasma. The day it was a success, I called the owner of the Miata, called the bank, and setup a date to buy it. At this point the wife is still skeptical, yet understanding of my passion.
We drive up to Estherville on Sunday the 25th and picked it up. Took the wife for a spin and she was finally sold. She finally got it. Even better, the car was even cleaner than I expected. 2002 with only 55k miles, Special Edition, 6-speed manual, Bose system with Aux port, clear protectant film along the bottom and not a single rock chip. No cuts in the leather. About as clean of a 2002 Miata as you can find. I drove it the first hour and a half or so then the wife got to drive. She loved it. Immediately she switched from “this is a pretty nice car” to “I really love driving this thing.” It’s exactly what I wanted. It took more years then my patience can typically handle, however, it was totally worth the wait.
