Miata Mailing List: August 1999, Message #353

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Hi,

I am thinking about turning in my 1987 Honda Accord for a 1997 Mazda Miata.
A colleague is headed to Europe on sabbatical and he is selling his.

Obviously, the Miata looks like a lot more fun. But is it "practical."

I am single, no kids, a college professor. I live a few miles from campus,
so I don't have a long highway commute. And I am 5' 5" tall. I like to
bike, and will be using my car to transport bicycle(s).

The first thing I will do with my new Miata, if I buy one, is drive across
the country from CA to VA. What is it like to drive the Miata 300-500 miles
per day for a week to ten days?

I also do not own a garage, so the car will be subject to the Northern
Virginia elements.

I would like to hear opinions, pros and cons of owning a Miata as your only
car, trade-offs, things I might not have thought of, and potential problems
which turn out to not be as bad as I might expect -- like how big a grocery
shop can I manage in a Miata?

Also, what should I offer my colleague for his car? And what should I be
looking for when I examine the car. It is a 1996, white, in pretty good
shape, 32,000 miles. The Kelley blue book price (avg between dealer price
and private seller price) is $12,000. I am seeing used Miata's advertised
in LA for a lot less, though. Do I get a discount b/c I am willing to buy
at the end of August? I don't want to stiff my friend, but he just doesn't
want any hassle selling the car before leaving and I just bought a
townhouse and money is definitely an issue for me.

Any and all advice is gratefully accepted. You can post to the list or, if
you think advice to a newby too repetitive for the list, e-mail me at
menes@ucla.edu.

Thanks in advance,

Becky Menes