How many Miatas have you owned?

Hey, last time I thought this group was getting WAY too quiet, I started a
thread on where the participants were / are. I was shocked how many people
were still hanging around and just waiting to comment or read others
comments. It led to a long and enjoyable (at least for me) thread.

This is another question that I think will be fun / interesting;

HOW MANY MIATAS HAVE YOU OWNED?

Ya, that means your name had to be on the title for some period of time
(well, officially but I'm liberal on this matter). Let us know please. Maybe
this will in part spark this group back to life. I know there's all kinds of
depressing stuff going on all around us but let's not forget the thing that
can always put a smile back on your face in short order!

For me it's 2!
A 1992 SE Brilliant Black and Tan (Not officially an SE but referred to as a
'Black Miata' in the sales brochure) and my current 1999 BBB (Black / Black
Interior / Black Top). I know there's a bunch of folks out there who've
owned as many or more.

Let me know,
Chris
99BBB

On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:24:07 -0500, "Chris D'Agnolo" >
wrote:

>HOW MANY MIATAS HAVE YOU OWNED?

One -- '95 R, black all the way. Borla, Hard Core, 5-pt. belts, short-shifter,
K&N, 15" alloys (original for autocross and track), hard top in the winter -- no
top the rest of the year.

Ask again in ten years, and the answer will be the same... 8

-- Larry

On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:24:07 -0500, "Chris D'Agnolo"
> wrote:


>This is another question that I think will be fun / interesting;
>
>HOW MANY MIATAS HAVE YOU OWNED?
>
>For me it's 2!
>A 1992 SE Brilliant Black and Tan (Not officially an SE but referred to as a
>'Black Miata' in the sales brochure) and my current 1999 BBB (Black / Black
>Interior / Black Top). I know there's a bunch of folks out there who've
>owned as many or more.


I like the idea. Put me down for three.

In 1989 I had an '88 MR2-Supercharged and, like many others, thought
the nifty new Miata was nothing more than a tic-tac or a girly car. I
got into an argument over a BBS (remember those days?) with a new
Miata owner about how my pretty seriously modified MR2 was so much
better, yadda yadda yadda. I'm sure you have heard it before. What I
didn't realize was that it was his board, he was a retired sheriff and
I had put my actual address in. Long story short, the gentleman showed
up one afternoon, handed me the keys to his new A-package, asked for
mine, and told me to switch with him for 2 hours. I laughed but
figured what the hell, I'd let him see how a REAL car ran…Right?

Well, 2 days later my first Miata, a red '90 B-pkg was in my driveway
alongside my matching red MR2. For some reason he never felt it
necessary to go out and buy an MR2 after that. I can see why! The fun
factor was off the chart!

It wasn't blazingly fast or likely to put down ridiculous lap times as
my trusty MR2, however, the sheer grin factor cruising around the back
winding roads with the top down, feeling the confident response as the
tail would drift wide around a tight corner and slide back into place
with the simple twitch of the fingertips. With the track-prepped MR2
it would take ridiculous and insane speeds to have that kind of fun
which were just out of line on a public highway…and that from someone
who was 20 at the time!

It may not accelerate like a missile but as someone put it so nicely,
'it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow'. That
rings true in a lot of places, but especially here. You could wind out
the car, run it through the gears, toss it into corners and do this
practically under the nose of every officer on the planet. Friends in
their pony cars and such barely even idled along in their upper gears
without getting tickets. Sure they might be faster up a long onramp,
but even they admitted my car was a lot more fun.

I had that first '89.5 ('90) for just under 3 years when I changed
jobs and figured that the lease on it was going to go insane with the
new mileage. I bought out of the lease and went hunting for a new
car. I looked at (and nearly bought) Camaro Z-28 convertibles, a few
older Corvettes, etc. I ended up looking and driving probably 40 cars
over two months (still had the MR2 and '89 4-runner). Finally I gave
up and did what I knew I was going to end up doing.

My 2nd Miata was a '93 B-package, red over black like the first one. A
few new tweaks they had (power mirrors, etc.) but otherwise the same
basic car. This one I owned so I made the mistake of putting a much
tighter suspension on it (went crazy with the Flyin Miata catalog,
some Moss Motors bits, etc.) With the suspension dialed in to attack
autocross tracks and the odd road course, the braking vastly improved…
well, the engine was still powered by hamsters. As many people who
drove it stated "you took the fun out of the car. You made it too much
like the MR2. You have to drive it like a moron to get it to slide
around, etc." They were right, but it was a bit late to go back.

It did see several thousand miles of track duty, mostly at Sebring
Raceway's 3.7 mile course with a few of the track day clubs. It saw a
good 50+ autocrosses. It taught at least 30 people how to drive a
manual. Between this one and the first, I must have sold 45 Miata's
without ever working for a Mazda dealer.

A few years later I was down to just the Miata and a Grand Cherokee
when a good deal on a '96 M-package came along and that became my 3rd.
Along the way were an '88 911 Cabrio (fantastic car but put more
smiles from how it sounded and how it looked than how it drove), '93
Sentra SE-R (great work car, another good autocross car, a trunk that
held 30 people, and actually pretty fun), etc. The '96 I left stock
save for the KYB 8-way shocks (or wet sponges as we nicknamed them
from their sound) as the originals never seemed quite right.

The place to drive and the mood dictated which of the two I would
drive. Eventually the roommate bought the '96 M from me and recently
traded it for a new '07 Winning Blue Touring. I kept my '93 for 14+
years before a friend decided to buy it out from under me. I had
acquired 'Miata Light" about 6 months before and ever since I picked
it up it became my daily driver and I just never drove the Miata
anymore. The wife would any time she didn't expect to have a lot of
stuff to carry for work, but that was few and far between. After
almost 15 years my '93 B went to a new home where it is back to daily
driver status, a few changes made, and the owner still loves it and
drives it daily. Meanwhile, his '95 Mustang Cobra sits in the garage
with a forlorn tear in it's eye as it wonders if it's ever going to
get driven again.

With my new job (Financial Services) I meet clients a lot and the
Miata's are known as an inexpensive and reliable driver. A good bang
for the buck. Compared to my current daily driver I was looking for
something that didn't financially intimidate clients as it has been
costing me sales. The first thing I went to? The new Miata's! Working
downtown I figured the '08 PHRT would be an excellent car that
provided the fun with the extra security. Alas, when I went down with
a few people from the local Miata club and sat in the new one I
immediately found that my 6'2 would no longer fit. They changed the
roof enough, both hard top and soft, that the bows (soft top) and the
design of the hard top squash my head. Oh well. Guess I'll end up
with a Mazda 3 hatch, but frankly, that's not a bad thing either! It's
a set of swaybars away from playful fun without being too serious. :

This is probably a lot more than you wanted to know about my having 3
Miata's in the past, but there ya go.

In article >,
"Chris D'Agnolo" > wrote:

> HOW MANY MIATAS HAVE YOU OWNED?

One. It got its legs stretched today, hooning around in the Ozarks for a
couple of hours.

The poor thing doesn't get driven often anymore. It would be a garage
queen, except it hasn't been waxed since May 2007, and only washed once
in the 1800 miles since then. The top has not been up since long before
the wax job, maybe two years.

How about "garage slut?"

--
Lanny Chambers
St. Louis, MO
'94C

On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:24:07 -0500, "Chris D'Agnolo"
> wrote:

>Hey, last time I thought this group was getting WAY too quiet, I started a
>thread on where the participants were / are. I was shocked how many people
>were still hanging around and just waiting to comment or read others
>comments. It led to a long and enjoyable (at least for me) thread.
>
>This is another question that I think will be fun / interesting;
>
>HOW MANY MIATAS HAVE YOU OWNED?
>
>Ya, that means your name had to be on the title for some period of time
>(well, officially but I'm liberal on this matter). Let us know please. Maybe
>this will in part spark this group back to life. I know there's all kinds of
>depressing stuff going on all around us but let's not forget the thing that
>can always put a smile back on your face in short order!
>
>For me it's 2!
>A 1992 SE Brilliant Black and Tan (Not officially an SE but referred to as a
>'Black Miata' in the sales brochure) and my current 1999 BBB (Black / Black
>Interior / Black Top). I know there's a bunch of folks out there who've
>owned as many or more.
>
>Let me know,
>Chris
>99BBB

three.

1) marvin, my '90 sky blue who was totalled in an accident in may of
2007.

2) helen, a salvaged red '90 that i purchased to mine for parts, which
included selling off the drive train, doors, fenders, hood, almost new
top, etc, and almost new sunimomo tires.

3) MAX, red 94, purchased 08/2007 since upgraded wiith subframe braces
and FM sway bars and stereo upgrades which include a JL steathbox.

--------
"any words spelled incorrectly are probably typing errors"

Chris D'Agnolo wrote:
> Hey, last time I thought this group was getting WAY too quiet, I started
> a thread on where the participants were / are. I was shocked how many
> people were still hanging around and just waiting to comment or read
> others comments. It led to a long and enjoyable (at least for me) thread.
>
> This is another question that I think will be fun / interesting;
>
> HOW MANY MIATAS HAVE YOU OWNED?
>
> Ya, that means your name had to be on the title for some period of time
> (well, officially but I'm liberal on this matter). Let us know please.
> Maybe this will in part spark this group back to life. I know there's
> all kinds of depressing stuff going on all around us but let's not
> forget the thing that can always put a smile back on your face in short
> order!
>
> For me it's 2!
> A 1992 SE Brilliant Black and Tan (Not officially an SE but referred to
> as a 'Black Miata' in the sales brochure) and my current 1999 BBB (Black
> / Black Interior / Black Top). I know there's a bunch of folks out there
> who've owned as many or more.
>
> Let me know,
> Chris
> 99BBB

Three.

1990 Classic Red (Tabasco). Added a turbo, subframe braces, Jackson
Racing swaybars, wood dash kit and more.

1991 Silver Stone Silver (Silverwind) kept stock.

1991 BRG Eunos Roadster (Wasabi) current vehicle. Stock except for
replacement of Japanese radio (does not pick up North American
frequencies) and head rest speaker replacement.

#1 and #3 with hard tops.

Stuart H.
Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

On Oct 12, 9:24*pm, "Chris D'Agnolo" > wrote:
> Hey, last time I thought this group was getting WAY too quiet, I started a
> thread on where the participants were / are. I was shocked how many people
> were still hanging around and just waiting to comment or read others
> comments. It led to a long and enjoyable (at least for me) thread.
>
> This is another question that I think will be fun / interesting;
>
> HOW MANY MIATAS HAVE YOU OWNED?
>
> Ya, that means your name had to be on the title for some period of time
> (well, officially but I'm liberal on this matter). Let us know please. Maybe
> this will in part spark this group back to life. I know there's all kinds of
> depressing stuff going on all around us but let's not forget the thing that
> can always put a smile back on your face in short order!
>
> For me it's 2!
> A 1992 SE Brilliant Black and Tan (Not officially an SE but referred to as a
> 'Black Miata' in the sales brochure) and my current 1999 BBB (Black / Black
> Interior / Black Top). I know there's a bunch of folks out there who've
> owned as many or more.
>
> Let me know,
> Chris
> 99BBB

One, 1991 Red.

In article >, Chris D'Agnolo
> wrote:

> HOW MANY MIATAS HAVE YOU OWNED?

2 Miatas to date.

First was a White 1993 C package with a hardtop.
Purchased new in October 1993. It was my daily driver for most of it's
life. Accumulating 180+k miles for me. A large part of that was with
daily commutes of 88 mi. round trip. The only modification was koni
shocks and 15" wheels.

It has now been passed on to my younger son, and now has 201 k miles.
It is his daily driver now.

It was replaced this past January with a 2006 Galaxy Grey GT 6AT.
Never thought I would go with an auto, but was looking for a newer
Miata for myself with the intention of passing the '93 down, and I was
not happy with any that I found in the 2000+ year range for wear,
appearance, and price that I was willing to pay. This one was on a
dealer lot when I went to test drive a Silver 2002 SE so I gave it a
chance. It was more fun to drive than the 2002 SE and the price was
right. ( Have to admit that the 2002 SE suffered from flat spotted
tires from sitting too long, but the 2006 just felt better overall.)
Still having factory warranty on it helped to tip the scales in it's
favor.

Now I don't put the mileage on a car that I did before, but the '06
continues to make me smile. The auto transmission is the best and
smartest auto I have ever driven in my 42 years of driving. In auto
mode it shifts very intelligently based on the amount of throttle.
Quick low rpm shifts when cruising around town, and high rpm shifts if
you step into it. It will even down shift going down hills if it senses
enough braking based on speed and rpm to use engine braking on the
hill.

The only thing it won't do in full auto is downshift on the entry to a
turn so that you have the right gear for accelerating through the turn
and on exit. For that you have to switch to the Manual mode and use the
paddle shifters. Then you can have as much fun as a manual and tailor
your rpm and torque to the road conditions.

Don't expect to have any more Miatas. Looking to go to a single vehicle
for wife and I when we retire in around 5 years. At that point
hopefully Mazda will have a highly efficient small to mid size for us.
The Mazda 3 5 door is the type of vehicle I am thinking of. We'll see
what hybrid, plug-in, hydrogen vehicle they have to offer when the time
comes.

--
-------
'06 Galaxy Grey GT 6AT

"Chris D'Agnolo" > wrote:

> HOW MANY MIATAS HAVE YOU OWNED?

One, my current 1992, white of course, I didn't want a slower color!
<BSEG>

It'll be my only, I like it but if/when it goes away I'll probably be
ready to live with only one car and that'll have to be a van, minivan
or SUV, I need the ability have a scooter/wheelchair lift and not being
able to take a scooter with me limits the places I can drive the Miata.



--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://improve-usenet.org

One.
I had one via lease a ew years ago.
1999 Black Ext, Black Int,Black top.
Fantastic car. Had it for 2 yrs and 12k miles. It had just come off a 2 yr
lease and I got it with about 20K miles. Had to let it go back when the
lease came up. (No place to park it in the city.)

My wife andI have been looking at property in upstate NY. I want a garage so
I can park a 2004/2004 Mazada Speed Miata there for weekend getaways.

Have seen a few on the web. love them but have to have a garage first.
Squat,


"Chris D'Agnolo" > wrote in message
...
> Hey, last time I thought this group was getting WAY too quiet, I started a
> thread on where the participants were / are. I was shocked how many people
> were still hanging around and just waiting to comment or read others
> comments. It led to a long and enjoyable (at least for me) thread.
>
> This is another question that I think will be fun / interesting;
>
> HOW MANY MIATAS HAVE YOU OWNED?
>
> Ya, that means your name had to be on the title for some period of time
> (well, officially but I'm liberal on this matter). Let us know please.
> Maybe this will in part spark this group back to life. I know there's all
> kinds of depressing stuff going on all around us but let's not forget the
> thing that can always put a smile back on your face in short order!
>
> For me it's 2!
> A 1992 SE Brilliant Black and Tan (Not officially an SE but referred to as
> a 'Black Miata' in the sales brochure) and my current 1999 BBB (Black /
> Black Interior / Black Top). I know there's a bunch of folks out there
> who've owned as many or more.
>
> Let me know,
> Chris
> 99BBB