Actually, I'm one of those weird souls that was seduced by the Miata,
but came back to the fold when I bought my BGT V-8. The Miata is
actually a Toyota Corolla disguised in a roadster body, it handles well,
simulates all the right noises, has a great driving position and
everything falls readily to hand. The problem (and a very personal one
for me) is, it doesn't INVOLVE the driver over time. The car is so easy
to drive and maintain that it became boring, and I begin to take it for
granted. That's why you see so many of them with the hardtops
permanently affixed. It has become just another commute car.
OTOH, LBCs can NEVER be taken for granted. Whether it is the symbiotic
relationship that develops between the driver and the car (arcane
maintenance rituals performed by the driver, rewarded by sporadic
intervals in which everything is working RIGHT) or the subtle
adaptations that the driver must make to the idiosyncracies of the LBC,
both processes dictate constant driver involvement. If you take a Miata
for granted, nothing will happen, but if you try the same thing with an
MG, it will turn around and bite you after awhile. I enjoy the challenge
that the MG poses, and I try to be one step ahead of its next trick - it
becomes a game!
The Miata is a wonderful car for those folks that only want to wash them
and get the oil and timing belt changed every so often. When I sold
mine to get the V-8, I wish my wife could have ponied up the 10 grand,
because it was a car she liked and I know she would not be calling me
from downtown to be rescued every few months. She also has no desire to
preflight the beastie like an airplane before every drive, something I
do with the GT V-8. This does not make her or the car any less
"worthy", it simply means that there is less driver/car involvement.
Humans analyze the world by comparison with previously internalized
information. That's why it is so prevalent to see Miata discussions on
this list (or Triumph, or Fiat, or Alfa, etc.). Each is a part of the
large subset "Sports Convertible", and it helps us to define our place
in the world by knowing what else is out there. What IS a problem is
when people try to bolster their position as MG owners by placing value
judgements and badmouthing the other members of the subset. Triumphs
are rebodied tractors, Fiats are junk, Alfas are oddball, and Miatas are
for poseurs. It even gets more ridiculous when the MGB and the MGF
drivers start going at it - the oil leaker vs.the blob! Talk about
insecurity! Don't we have enough self-confidence in our choice of car
to be able to sit back and appreciate other people's passions without
putting them down? I've taken my GT V-8 to local hotrod "show and
shines", and I was accepted into the group (after all, the GT V-8 was
Abingdon's closest thing to a hot rod). You can learn a lot from the
hotrod crowd, or the vintage American guys, or yes, even the Triumphs
and Miatas. Each fills a niche, and each has its own circle of
enthusiasts. And not everyone gets bored with a Miata, either.
So wave at the next member of the "Sports Convertible" subset you
encounter. It'll make you feel good.
Cheers, PK
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