I have a 2006 Mazda MX-5 (Miata) that I drive mainly on weekends when the weather is nice. I bought the car from a
fellow my age who was marrying a younger woman with two small kids. He needed a more family friendly vehicle. He had had the car 9 months, and he was grieving about selling it. I gave him $19,000 for a car that listed for $27,000 before his hormones kicked in. It is the top trim line for this car, the Grand Touring edition. Hang on, hang on…. I have a reason for relating all of this and it is not bragging.
To give you an idea of the performance of this vehicle I quote from Car and Driver’s road test:
“First, this new model is the fastest ever Miata-we know, we know, Mazda wants to forget about that name. It scoots to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, continues through the quarter in 15 seconds flat at 91 mph, and doesn’t stop accelerating until it hits 131 mph. With the exception of the 91-mph trap speed, which was equaled by the turbocharged last-generation Mazdaspeed model, each of those figures sets a record for showroom MX-5s. And this performance is hugely faster than that of the original 1990 model, which needed 16.8 seconds to cover the quarter-mile and topped out at 116 mph.”
It is not a muscle car, but a whole lot of fun to drive. It will hit 80 or 85 mph in 3rd gear (it has a 6 speed) before the car’s computer calls me stupid by shutting down the fuel flow before I blow a gasket. Continue reading “Get a grip Dude!”