We are Brian and Cindy and our Miata story starts in mid 2020. We decided that in retirement we would like to have a fun convertible that we could take day and weekend trips. We are about 6 years from retirement but wanted to make sure our fun car was paid off by the time we actually got to retirement. So in September of 2020 we decided it was time. We did some research and quickly found that the Mazda Miata was the car that was in our price range and style we were looking for. A recommendation from our great friends Bill and Kelly sealed the deal.
We quickly found that finding a Miata exactly like we wanted was not possible. We decided on what style and features we wanted and found one close to what we wanted to test drive. (about an hour away was the closest) Once we test drove it there was no turning back. We went to our local dealer to order one from the factory, with the color and options we wanted. They actually were able to locate one almost exactly what we wanted. At that time the car was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a ship destine for the US. The manager made some calls and about 2 days later let us know that it was coming to us in Hagerstown Md.
Our Miata is a 2020 MX-5 Miata Club series that is Soul Red, Automatic Transmission with a soft top. It has the basic options along with the appearance package and interior lighting up grades.
Our intent is not to use it as an everyday car. It is for days that the weather is perfect to put the top down and go on a day or weekend trip to enjoy the sun, sights, sounds and we have found out smells (both good and bad), that come with convertible life.
We decided to start this blog to share our adventures. We have thought about the best way to proceed, one of our kids suggested to give the perspective of the car itself as we travel around with the top down in our Mazda Miata. We decided for now to give the details of our travels by our perspective, although we may throw in on occasion how we think the car would be looking at the trip, if it could.
When reading the blog for the first time scroll to the bottom and work your way up. The oldest trip is on the bottom and the newest is on the top.
We hope you enjoy our adventures.
Tips and things to know
- Most people frown at the pick of an automatic transmission instead of a manual. For us an automatic makes better sense. Ideally your always on the open country road but whether we like it or not that is not always the case. City and stop and go traffic is much easier. The automatic on the 2020 has paddle shifters so if you are a manual transmission person you can simulate a manual transmission with the paddle shifters. In reality they are not the same as a manual shifter but it does let us pretend on occasion.
- There is not a lot of storage space in a Miata. It is fine for a 3 and maybe a 4 day trip max, Anything more than that you will probably need to wash clothes. It also limits what you can purchase as souvenirs or things that you may want.
- They are hard to find but at least in the 2020 model there are 2 small storage locations behind both seats. It is not a place that you want to put something you need to get to, but for things like the manual and a small emergency kit it is perfect. When storage is so limited every space should be taken advantage of.
