Jamie's 1990 Miata

I'm not a big diary writer. I'm also having a hard time convincing myself that anyone would give a shit, but I guess for posterity's sake... and since Dan asked. I wouldn't want to let 'ol Dan down! I'll begin. Nothing is simple, so bear with me. I think it's a disease, and the reason it takes me so long to order for dinner, I don't feel satisfied with any decisions unless I've explored all the options. In 1989 I was in my senior year of High School, driving the first car that I owned. A 1973 white MGB. I loved the car. When it ran. Same old story you've heard a million times. British car, yada yada yada... stupid joke... etc. I was reading a lot of the car magazines back then, so when the Miata was introduced I was ecstatic. Someone, of course had heard my prayers for an affordable, reliable drop-top little sports car. Of course there was no way in hell I could afford it. I remember them going for well over MSRP when first introduced, and I believe I was making somewhere in the $3.50/hr range. So, was I hooked? Did I just bide my time until I could actually afford one of these perfect cars? No. Of course not. I'm tempted to say how all along I knew what I wanted and I just waited until the time was right, but that would just be B.S. I still have no friggin' idea what the hell I'm doing. The MG is just kinda like the Miata so it makes a nice intro. I sold the MG for what I was hoping would be a more reliable car. Forget the British - let's get a tried and true reliable Japanese car. Of course I couldn't bear to get an old Celica... I wound up with a 280Z. So, here's a theme. Light-weight sports cars. Now, this is a theme that's NOT B.S. I really have always liked small light weight sports cars. Still do. I could spew out all the technical reasons why... and there are a lot of them. But I think the real reasons are actually far more interesting in a personal and sociological way. I think people really do see themselves reflected in their cars. (Not literally!!! Damn it, I'm being serious!) I think it's kinda like putting on clothes. You pick the style that best reflects who you are as a form of almost subconscious communication. A way to attract like minded people and to warn those different. In everything there seems to be this natural inclination for people to sort themselves out in to groups. Mods, rockers, jocks... whatever. It's much more accentuated in school, but it happens everywhere. Not that I like it. Actually, I think it's boring as hell. And I want nothing to do with it. I don't want to hang out with those losers that just want to hang out with like minded people. I want to hang out with others that don't like to hang out with like minded people... interesting paradox, eh? But it's funny... an example: I'm a democrat and I like the Miata. "Therefore", this little voice in my head tells me, "other people who like Miatas should also be democrats." I know it's stupid and stereotypical, but perhaps there is a hint of truth in it. Maybe there is a higher percentage of democrats driving Miatas? And a higher percentage of Republicans driving Crown Victorias. But enough of this boring ass bubble-gum philosophy. What am I getting at? Hell If I know! I'm just feeling kinda liberated that I don't have to make any sense right now. I vividly remember all the pressure in school to write in a certain manner. That damn standard 5 paragraph essay. Where is the art and creativity in that? God damn school - my education was such a waste of time. I would have done much better in an environment that just helped you learn, instead of trying to teach something. Learning isn't something that you can do to someone else. It's something that you can only help someone else do. My school just tried to teach us stuff - screw what we wanted. You can find the fundamentals in anything. That's why they are fundamental. And you don't really need anything else but the fundamentals... that's why they're called fundamentals! Damn school is messed up. It's causing me endless anxiety in relation to my kids. My oldest son seems to share most of my personality traits, and he is only in kindergarten. What to do, what to do... Okay enough. I'm tired and I must finish this for Dan. Focus. For Dan. Focus. For Dan... So I like light weight sports cars. I like driving fast. I've recently come across significant evidence that I don't enjoy competitive sports. I was involved in Go-Kart racing and didn't find the competing to be fun. It made the experience about the finishing, and not about the moment. I have concluded that it's about the moment, not the completion of a goal. Story of my life. Okay, not entirely. It just sounds better than, "Reoccurring sub theme in my life after I pay the bills." So to get to the point. I was interested in a car that I could afford, and could build up into a race car as fiscally prudent. I also wanted a car that appealed to me in the aforementioned ways. And was reliable. And light-weight. And affordable. And a "real" sports-car. The Miata was perfect. Or as perfect as my wallet would allow. I would still ditch the Miata in a heartbeat for an ...ehem... running Lotus. But that's neither here nor there. (such an odd expression...) I wanted a car that I could connect well with so that I could enjoy the moment - the experience of driving. That doesn't happen for me in vehicles where you are further removed from the driving sensations... as in luxury cars. So my goals should be to further the driving sensations. That sounds good. That's a nice goal. Oh, and I bet a Flyin' Miata turbo would help those sensations! ;) I should also mention that it's been so much more fun owning the Miata since my buddy Dan has joined the ranks. Thanks Dan! The anticipation over the Las Vegas event is great. It great camaraderie... not competition. ;) I wonder if I'm supposed to put the details of the car acquisition here... Oh I just thought of another experience that I had that led me to the Miata. I autocrossed for a while an Acura Integra. And I was always very impressed at the numbers people could make in a Miata. With such little horsepower. Yes, they are lighter weight, but even the power to weight ratio is higher than the Acura's. Yet the times were lower. This let me to the discovery that the Miata has the magic phenomenon where the total is greater than the sum of it's parts. I think it points to why it's so damn fun to drive. Oh yea!!! And then there was my first Miata drive! My wife and I rented a Miata in Las Vegas back in 95? 96? It was the greatest experience. I had so much fun. I loved it. I'll never forget all the times the valet guy would tear up in the rental - exiting the car with an ear to ear grin on his face. One of them even mentioned to us that that was the most fun to drive car he'd driven. You could hear the guy squealing the tires in the parking garage long before he rolled up in front of us. That was great. And a great reason to re-visit Las Vegas for the Miata showdown! Okay, I think that is enough writing. I think only Dan will get throught it all. I can't imagine a stranger would read all this mumbo jumbo. Maybe it'll help our site with the search engines. Someone will have to type,"Miata Philosophy Vegas" We've got to be at the top of THAT search!!! Jamie.

Feel free to mail any of us with questions, we love to get mail! Dan: evander@cox.net Jamie: jamie@totdots.com Website: mazdatrinity@cox.net Copyright © 2003, 2004, all rights reserved.