This is Jalopnik. It's a site for car enthusiasts. That's why one of the cars we're most enthusiastic about is the Mazda Miata. You may not think it's the right car for you, but you'd be wrong. It isn't peer pressure, but there are plenty of people here who can explain why it's the perfect car for every occasion.
Today was the Miata's 25th birthday, and Mazda issued a fitting tribute to their beloved roadster.
However, aztec1 had an even better story to go with this special day:
By March of 2013, there was so much Miata talk on Jalopnik. This coincided with the timing of me being bitten by the car bug again after driving multiple appliance cars for years due to practical reasons. I remember thinking, "I should look on craigslist and find a Miata to drive...surely the enthusiasts on Jalopnik are just that for a good reason. Let's see what the fuss is about. No worries, I just want to drive one." Found a red 1991 A with a hardtop and 77k on it about an hour from me, looked to be in good shape. It sounded like an ideal candidate for my tire kicking escapade.
The guy selling it was a very busy person, he scheduled a lot of people to come look at it at the same time at a mall. I waited until everyone left for some reason, then sat in it, and to my surprise, fit OK at 6'3" and 220. He asked if I wanted to drive it and of course I said yes. We popped out of the parking lot onto the freeway on ramp.
He looked over at me as I accelerated onto the ramp. He said, "That's the same look I had when I first drove one of these." I realized I had a huge grin on my face, close to giggling. Drove it for about a half hour. So much for tire kicking...
I bought it the next day. Had a lot of cars through the years, built some and left others stock, always took care of them of course. This is the first one that I use to get a gallon of milk but it takes me 2 hours because I just want to stay in it and find more twisties. Baselining the maintenance is a labor of love instead of a chore, one that has taken almost a year but doesn't seem like it. Best car I've ever owned by a huge margin, glad to be a part of the madness. It rekindled my love for cars in an instant.
TLDR; Jalopnik made me buy a Miata and I love it!
Glad to help. Now, can we interest you in a wagon to go with the Miata?
Photo: AP