Meet my new toy!
First, rewind a bit. Back in ’95, I bought a red ’90 Miata. I drove it for 7 years. I had a blast with it. I did 5 years of solo 2 racing with it. It was part of our wedding party. I sold it in 2002 to buy a new Acura RSX Type S. It didn’t take long for seller’s remorse to kick in. In fact, of the 2, it’s the Miata I miss more. Wanting another one has been in the back of my mind for quite some time.
This past May, I went to a BMW club event in Cape May, New Jersey with a friend of mine. He has a beautiful ’05 330 Ci Cabrio M Sport. Leave it to the 2 Canadians to be the only ones to show up in a convertible! That weekend I remembered how much I love cruising around with the top down. At the same time, my interest in the bike was starting to wane a little. The novelty of getting all dressed up on a hot day to ride it was starting to wear a little thin. Even on a nice sunny, Summer morning riding to work, all I could think was “what an awesome morning to have the top down in a little convertible”. After getting invited to a lapping evening at Calabogie with our very own Angry Chicken, the decision was made and the search was on.
I know the NB cars are probably a little nicer to drive. Stiffer platform, a little nicer interior, a little more oomph. I chased after a couple of NB’s, but they got away from me. Original NA’s were going for more than I wanted to spend, but they’re the ones I’ve always had the soft spot for.
I guess everything happens for a reason. This one came up on AutoTrader last Friday. It was only 45 minutes from home. I went to see it Saturday morning and bought it on the spot. It ticked all the right boxes and the price was right. Exactly what I was looking for! It came home today.
It’s the last of the first generation cars with the bigger 1.8l engine. It’s a base model car with no power accessories at all. This has 146,000km’s on it. It was undercoated at some point. It has no rust, no accidents, never winter driven, never smoked it. It still has the original owners manual, floor mats, and boot for the top. The top itself is still in great shape, and barely any scratches in the plastic rear window.
With selling my first one being one of the few regrets I have in life, I feel I’ve redeemed myself today! Zoom zoom…
