Cold Sunday morning picture of the Wagon

"MazdaMonkey" (jimmythemonkey) 02/04/2015 at 11:47 • Filed to: None

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Cherry_man1 > MazdaMonkey 02/04/2015 at 11:48

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o.o purdy.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MazdaMonkey 02/04/2015 at 11:51

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This... is not a Mazda.

MazdaMonkey > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 02/04/2015 at 11:57

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The Miata is my weekend car!

MIATAAAA > MazdaMonkey 02/04/2015 at 12:00

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SO BLUE!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MazdaMonkey 02/04/2015 at 12:03

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Perfect pair? Perfect pair.

How many V wagons are there in that color with the manual? Two?

MazdaMonkey > MIATAAAA 02/04/2015 at 12:12

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haha, yes! I have a problem with buying blue stuff . . . Almost every car I have owned has been blue. And my wife drives a blue TSX wagon!!

MazdaMonkey > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 02/04/2015 at 12:14

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You would be surprised - I think there may be close to 25 or 30! A GM employee told me that the blue wagons had the highest MT take rate of all of the V2s, something like 70% of blue wagons were ordered with a stick!!

Still, it took me the better part of a year to find a blue wagon for sale. And I had to travel up to Boston to get it. They don't pop up very often.

mr2gud2u > MazdaMonkey 02/04/2015 at 12:17

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I'm so jelly

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MazdaMonkey 02/04/2015 at 12:18

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So people who prefer blue cars are more likely to be serious enthusiasts? This is very interesting, and I think more research is necessary...

I'd be very tempted if you ever considered selling it!

What's your opinion on the new Miata?

MazdaMonkey > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 02/04/2015 at 12:32

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The funny thing is, a week after I found the blue wagon and brought it down to Atlanta, I found out there is another blue wagon in town - and he lives a couple of miles away. Big coincidence!

I love the new Miata. Looks awesome and the weight savings is impressive. I wish it had more peak HP, but it apparently has more torque across most of the range compared to the NC. A common mod in the NC community is to swap out the block for the 2.5 from the Mazda3. This doesnt result in much extra HP but adds a ton of torque, and the driving experience is night and day. I have yet to see the car in person though, so I will withhold my judgment until later this year.

The Miata is just a totally different driving experience than most other cars on the road. The car just feels perfect and is so much fun to drive, especially around town. If I head up for a mountain run or I am in the mood for a really spirited drive, I grab the Miata keys (instead of the Cadillac) because it is ultimately more fun to blast around town (and a lot less stressful). However, if I want to give myself (or my passengers) goosebumps, few cars produce an adrenaline rush like the V. You can get to scary illegal speeds quite quickly, which is a lot of fun, but its a a bit stressful and requires your up most attention. The Miata is more carefree fun. Both cars serve a distinct purpose and I am just lucky to have a wife that shares in my hobby and pushed us to get both!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MazdaMonkey 02/04/2015 at 14:10

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I definitely feel that last point. My wife doesn't exactly "share my hobby" but she knows it makes me happy and encourages me. When I was in the market a couple years ago, I realized that an E90 M3 might actually be within my grasp, so I test drove one, just to know how it compared to the other cars I was test driving (G37 sedan, for example). I was smitten, but it was $10k more than I was really planning to spend. My wife - I love this woman - told me that I'd regret it if I didn't buy it and to just go get it. And once I had it, she encouraged me to get it out to the track! I am a lucky man...

Now I just have to convince her that we need a lightweight two-seater to go with it - ha!

MazdaMonkey > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 02/04/2015 at 14:32

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That's awesome man!! I love the E90 M3, especially in blue (obviously). What color did you end up getting?

My wife really loves the Elise. She wants one in BRG, but its hard to justify having two totally impractical two-seaters! The Miata is a great third car though - very cheap to buy and operate. The incremental expense is quite small, and you won't find a car that is more fun for the money!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MazdaMonkey 02/04/2015 at 14:59

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My daughter's middle name is Elise. =) And my wife likes the looks of them, too. And I've confirmed that I fit, with a generous fellow at Motorsport Ranch - Cresson.

I love most of the BMW blues, but I ended up going with SSII:

MazdaMonkey > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 02/04/2015 at 15:47

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Very nice!! The E90 is my favorite of the M3 body styles. I had an E36 M3 many years ago but didn't hold onto it long because the previous owner had beat it the car up so bad it was literally falling apart. I swore off BMWs after that, but the E90 Me was the first new model that I really liked. How has reliability been for you?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MazdaMonkey 02/04/2015 at 16:54

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Thanks. I've really enjoyed owning it; it's a pleasure every time and I love the idea that I'm making memories with my kids whenever they're in it. And having such a capable car for flogging at days at the track and for back road trips with friends that is also so nice to drive home on the interstate afterward always blows my mind.

I bought it with some remaining factory warranty and thankfully caught the AC evaporator before it expired - a common problem and a pricey fix. I went ahead and bought an aftermarket warranty (EasyCare TotalCare) for peace of mind, but have only had to use it for tire coverage (twice). Been pretty solid overall. There are threads on the forums about rod bearing wear that I'm watching closely. Yet to shake out how prevalent an issue that is, but I'm going to keep driving it hard and doing Blackstone reports until it's clear what the right steps might be for preventative maintenance.

I love the idea of keeping this one (or maybe an '11 ZCP, in blue?) in my stable for many years to come, and hope it works out to do so.