Chronicles of The Miata Life

It’s been a bit over 4 years since I’ve bought my MX5 NA, and it has been a hell of an experience so far. Boy, I could tell you so much about the car, but I don’t want to. If you’re expecting to read another article on why the MX5 is sooooooo good, you may as well click the icon to the top left, and go on about your business. Today I’m sharing life experiences!

To be fair, this life of miata ownership is not easy. Even now, I can imagine a lot of people that know me, reading this article and thinking “boooooyy you better not be calling my MX5 a Miata”. Some others would think “boooooyyy you better not be comparing my Miata to that MX5 of yours, mine has got AC which is the most importantest bestest thing to have in a Miataaaaaaa….”.
But the reactions you get from people, and the time you spend enjoying your car, is really what makes this experience so good. Let me tell you, in a few topics, why having an MX5 is a great experience!

The very first thing that comes to mind really is the friendships that have been made, both inside and outside the miata community, because of our common interests. And it’s not only those friendships that have been coined there, it’s also the friends that have joined you in your #miatalife crusade.
It’s not uncommon for me to have coffee with friends and talk about miatas (among other stuff). It’s pretty common to arrange casual meets, grab a few beers, go to races, etc. A lot of the MX5 experience is really only worth it when shared with those people you like to hang out with!

When you get up at 8AM, you wash and you dress and you have breakfast, and then you go and sit on your car. From the very moment the doors open, it’s obvious that you’re going to have a good time. Owning an MX5 is pure joy, and it makes you always eager to drive somewhere. Every driving experience is awesome, whether you’re cruising along the B-roads on your way to work, going to meets, going to some big event, hanging out with some friends somewhere, you know that from the moment you turn that key and put it in first, you’re already experiencing the joy of driving.
People always seem to complain they spend a lot of fuel, but if your daily car does not give you joy every time you use it, then it really is a waste of money to me…

And when you’re not just driving it daily, it also makes for absolute raw fun at any nearby track! You can trash it around all you like, it will reward you with great balance, great feedback, and it will teach you and make you feel safer and more confident in your car. Which, I might add, only adds up to having more fun with it, inside and outside of the track.

And at the end of the day, amongst the BMW owners discussing lap times and how many broken parts they got throughout the day, and how much they will have to spend fixing their M3 now, you will be leaving, perhaps with the slowest lap, but with the biggest grin on your face!

I can’t even tell, despite never having broken down, how many times I’ve had my car all torn apart, just to check things or improve something. When you are interested in it, it is a very nice car to work on! I can’t even keep a list of all the things I’ve done to it, like turbos, swaps, custom undertrays, cam tuning, megasquirt, brake adaptations, and all the things the usual MX5 owner does. Not only is there a lot of information available, which allows you to “follow the recipes” as many people prefer to do, but if you’re so inclined into engineering your own solutions this is the most simple car to work on. Just about everything in it can be changed or improved upon if you give it a bit of thought!

If you really love your car you will eventually find yourself surrounded by people who share your interests. So share with them too! This weekend only, between spending time with the family and friends, I still managed to help another two friends around with their cars. Like I said in a previous blog post of mine, a passion is made to be shared.

All of this will easily make you forget the rude comments from unknown bystanders, the social network wars, the jokes about hairdressing, and everything in between.

At the end of the day, the overall experience of owning an MX5 is amazing!

And because I believe I’m not alone in this, and there are certainly other communities that share similar experiences, I urge anyone who is reading this article to share about their experience too…
If you want to, drop a link below in the comments and share your experience!