"flyingmetalbird" (jonsavage)
04/26/2016 at 11:57 • Filed to: None
5
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"flyingmetalbird" (jonsavage)
04/26/2016 at 11:57 • Filed to: None | 5
| 16 |
I really love my Miata. I mean, I grew up with the car. It’s a joy to drive every single time I’m in it. It cheers me up if I’m having a bummy day. It makes a sweet sound and I can thrash it around on a beautiful day without worrying about breaking anything.
I love this car too much. I never plan on selling it, and I don’t think I could put a number on it if I had to. Yes, it has a little rocker panel rust. Yes, it leaks coolant occasionally. The cabin is way too noisy and everything shakes if you go over the smallest bump. But if I wrapped this car around a tree tomorrow and managed to live, I would keep it until I had enough money to completely rebuild the thing.
I wouldn’t want another Miata. I mean yeah, they’ve built a million of them and ones like mine are pretty cheap. But I wouldn’t want it. I want mine. One that smells like coolant and one that shakes and one that sounds exactly like mine.
I mean the Miata isn’t even an impressive car exactly. It’s just a small fun sports car. But it’s way more than that to me.
My dad bought the car in ‘95. I was born in ‘98 and I grew up with this car. I was washing it by the time I could stand. I played in the drivers seat and put the headlights up and down. And that’s what got me hooked cars. I couldn’t be any more greatful for it. This is the car I will keep forever. This Miata. No other Miata.
Thank you Miata!
How bout you oppo? Any cars you have that you couldn’t put a number on?
BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 12:04 |
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My Alfa 156 is like that. It's probably only worth £500 by now, but I will drive it until the engine explodes. Then I'll swap in a 3.0l and drive it until the chassis disintegrates. Then I'll repair the bodyshell and swap in a transaxle from a Maserati 3200GT and drive it until the next thing dies etc. etc.
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 12:04 |
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This one.
V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 12:04 |
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I couldn't put a number on the S600, though Feldmann doesn't seem to have a problem with it...
With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 12:10 |
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I took over as the second owner of a ‘91 Miata (ok, strictly speaking, I “bought it”) from a guy who drove it off the dealer’s lot in late 1990 and babied it for 20+ years. I’ve now had it for 5+ years myself, and I’ve maintained the log book he started, including every single gas fill-up, oil change, tire rotation, belt change, hose replacement, etc . Next to my family, I feel more responsible for caring for that car than anything else in my life.
I will never part with it, unless it is to hand it off to one of my kids.
Tripper
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 12:14 |
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My E46 M3. I bought it when I was 22 and the loan that I took out on it was almost 8k over the selling price because I was underwater on an STi that I had owned for 6 months previously. To top it all off I bought it site unseen.
I could barely afford it when I first bought it. Now almost 10 years later I’ve still got it! I could never let it go. Buying that car pulled me out a real bad spot. I have spent so much on maintenance/replacing fading plastic bits over the past 9 years that it will always be worth more to me than the money it would bring.
DutchieDC2R
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 12:17 |
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My NB Miata, that I used to own. I had some incredible fun with that car. The DC2 is awesome, faster, more mature, but the Miata was just so damn awesome. The Miata was like a cheap, middle school bag you always just dropped on the floor as soon as you came home from school, the DC2 is like the fancy suitcase you use to go to your fancy office job, thats too expensive to drop on the floor (even though I thrash around the DC2, just in a more delicate way...:p).
I understand your writing completely tho. I felt the same way about my NB. It felt like my companion, like a friend you could always turn to. Heck, I even talked to my NB......I’ve said too much...:p..
Good write-up!
Montalvo
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 12:27 |
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I measure the worth of a car by how many times I am grinning ear to ear and laughing giddiliy. When I first picked up my E92 335ix, I took an exit ramp and floored it. In the following seconds as I flew I knew I had the right car. I don’t think I will ever sell it, it doesn’t matter how shitty a day I could have as long as I have my health and that car I’ll be alright. For that fact alone it is priceless to me. In the next few years I plan to build it up into a monster that can eat M3s by the handful.
Jarrett - [BRZ Boi]
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 12:31 |
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I’ve only had my NB out for about 2 [driveable] months. I can envision myself keeping it for a verrrry long time, even if the mechanical soundness of it is in murky water..
BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 12:52 |
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I measure cars by their value in scrap metal. I’ll give you $250 for the Miata.
Party-vi
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 13:03 |
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‘49 CJ3A. Practically worthless because I will never sell it.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> flyingmetalbird
04/26/2016 at 13:47 |
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I feel the same way about my Miata. Sure it runs like a top, doesn’t leak anything, and it should be good to go for many, many more miles. But thanks to the Northeast rust and some unfortunate incidents to my body work, the car is not worth much of anything monetary wise. Even though I plan to move to So-Cal where my car would be worth even less and I could get a rust-free one for pennies, I would definitely keep my car anyways because it is my car. I hope my move out west can halt the further growth of rust and I can get the car over 200k and beyond before the chassis rusts away. I will certainly be putting money into a repaint once I am out there though and it won't be no damn Maaco special!
Needmoargarage
> With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username
04/26/2016 at 13:56 |
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I keep maintenance records like that on my vehicles, but without the fuel. What do you do with that information? Observe trends of mpg over ownership of the vehicle?
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With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username
> Needmoargarage
04/26/2016 at 14:07 |
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Yeah, MPG is one thing, but it’s the discipline of keeping the chain going that has had a bigger effect on me. I’m a very disorganized person in general but having that log book dropped in my lap has made me step up my organization and diligence.
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flyingmetalbird
> DutchieDC2R
04/26/2016 at 14:16 |
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Thanks! I like the school bad analogy. It really is like that. And it'll just be there for you in the morning.
Boaty
> With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username
04/26/2016 at 15:22 |
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Fuelly.com actually is pretty good for that. You can now track maintenance and what not in addition to the gas usage. I’ve used them for years and love being able to go back and see trends over time. Sounds like you’re doing it but if you want it digitally/in the cloud Fuelly isn’t a bad idea.
BayAreaMiataBoi
> flyingmetalbird
05/06/2016 at 23:16 |
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Actually, I thought I had that car. An almost-bone-stock ‘86 North American Ford Escort hatchback with the original engine. And then the ignition switch died at 204,000 miles.
When I pulled part of the dash off, I realized that the switch was made of +disintegrating plastic+. And so were a lot of the other parts under the dash. And I would have to pull the whole dash +and+ drop the steering column to replace the switch.
I pulled my aftermarket stereo out of the car and donated it as a tax write-off. I am still unhappy with Ford for making plastic cars, and for selling cars +with plastic parts bolted to the engine+.