Daily Driver?

The Miata has been my daily driver since May, what was it like?

My work schedule is all over the place so I don't have a regular daily commute but during the month or so here and there when I did have to commute every day across town the Miata always put a smile on my face. It starts from clicking open the little door via that one finger door handle. You just know it's special - it's not some generic plastic parts bin door handle found on lesser cars.

Put the top down on sunny days and get that morning fresh air blowing through your hair you arrive at work beaming. The Miata's responsiveness and sharp steering make it great for zipping through traffic. With the top down you can see all around you and can easily fit into small spaces. And if you cut someone off it's okay; you're driving a big blue Pokemon. And it gets great mileage: My overall mileage which includes freeway and city driving was 8.7litres/100km (27mpg), in the city I averaged 10.6litres/100km (22mpg) and on the highway 8.4litres/100km (28mpg). Sure a Prius gets 5l/100km (46mpg) but driving a Prius is punishment and driving a Miata is joy.

Because the Miata is small and low to the ground people sometimes don't see you (oddly these people are usually driving a Camry or Corolla, the automotive antithesis of the Miata) and will change lanes as if you're not there. The Miata's horn is no help since in Japan the horn isn't meant to say "Hey fucker go fuck yourself and your family!" but something more a kin to "Hello friend nice to see you, let's have coffee sometime." So it's pretty much useless. You've got to be vigilant when driving.

Parallel parking is a cinch since the Miata is so small you can always find a spot, but again it's so low to the ground that people in larger cars reverse into it. I've got a nice scratch on the top of the nose where some body's bumper rubbed up on to it and the front license plate is nicely deformed. As a result I avoid parallel parking or I try to park so I'm the first car in a line.

You can't furniture shop in the Miata. This summer I bought furniture twice, once it was some patio chairs and serendipitously a friend of mine (who owns a pick-up) happened to be also shopping in the store at the same time and was able to take the chairs and drop them off right onto my patio. The second time I bought a used bed, and a set of drawers that no matter what size of car I had would not have fit into it. I had to steal a cargo van from work to do the move. Also Costco shopping is kind of out for the Miata as well. Only a few boxes will fit into the trunk. But weekly grocery shopping fits perfectly, and the whole trunk size problem only came up once or twice.

Roadtripping is possible but you need to take your time. My girlfriend and I were able to drive to Las Vegas and back this summer in the Miata. We packed 5 days worth of clothing, a video camera and photo camera, and still had room to bring back some knick nacs. Actually we ended up saving money because we made the mistake of stopping at an American Super Walmart where the prices begged us to buy everything but since we couldn't fit it into the car, we didn't buy anymore than some beef jerky. The big problem is noise. On American freeways at 120kph the Miata is LOUD; wind noise, tire noise, engine noise, exhaust noise, for hours on end gets tiring fast. Even with the headrest speakers the radio was drowned out. If you are going to road trip, stay off the freeways and take secondary roads. This is where the Miata really shines. The only problem is if your girlfriend gets car sick easily since the curves beckon you to go faster and faster.

Everything is great as long as the weather is mild. When things turn cold and wet the Miata stops being so much fun. To begin with when the top is up the interior becomes dark and stuffy and not very pleasant at least nowhere near as pleasant as when the top is down. The Miata's short wheelbase and rear wheel drive platform are awesome fun for spirited driving on twisty dry roads but in wet slippery conditions the car becomes nervous and twitchy. Here's a true story: I'm driving along on a straight road at 60km/h, there's a mild hump that runs across the road on an angle. As the rear of the Miata crests the hump it breaks loose and the Miata spins out sending me into the median skidding on grass narrowly avoiding a tree. Thankfully the median had no curb cause it would have been a repeat of the crash earlier this year. I was just driving straight minding my own business. And it's not like my tires are super worn. Going around any turn in wet conditions with the slightest press on the gas the rear will step out. When it's expected, it can be controlled and can be a great source of fun for the driver and terror for the passenger but it becomes terror for both when it's unexpected. That's why in the winter it's best to park the Miata and drive something else. Something bigger and more stately (more on that later).