Victor wrote:
>I believe that Mazda is also roadster nuts as well. They seem to have the
>proper spirit. Unlike other car production runs, where a great sports car is
>produced and subsequent models get bastardized down to "sporty" cars, the
>Miata has been becoming more of a sports car as it ages.
>
>I would be a proud Miata owner.
I agree totally with Victor. Consider what Nissan did over time to the Z
car. It went from a relatively inexpensive, super-fun, wonderfully
balanced "sports" car, to the bloated, heavy ZX series--complete with
digital this-and-that and plush interior. Ughh! The 300Z was supposedly
an attempt to return to the sport philosophy of the original 240Z, but they
missed the mark by more than a few thousand dollars.
If Nissan had held as true to the 240Z/miata philosophy as Mazda has over
the past 20 years, I don't think that it would be owned by the Italians at
this point. Let's face it--Nissan's plight is a result of poor management
and bad decisions. Let us hope they have learned their lesson and the
upcoming 350Z will be closer to the 240Z/miata philosophy of fun,
mid-priced sports cars than the bloated and overpriced Z/ZX cars of
Nissan's not-too-distant past.
There's a reason I'm restoring a '78Z and not buying a newer sports car.
Alex Avery
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