Yesterday I had the good fortune to run into a friend at the local Cars and Coffee, and he let me into his 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata for a quick runabout around town to see what she was like.A quick disclaimer - I can count all the cars I have driven on two hands, so I cannot claim the kind of automotive insight as, say, Matt Farah or Chris Harris. With that fist-sized chunk of salt in mind, here is what I thought as I happily putted up and down a few roads.Holy crap this car is low! His example is as unmodified as he can keep it (there are a few aftermarket longevity parts, like a Mishimoto radiator) and I felt like I was sitting ass-to-pavement. How do people lower these?!The clutch had a stupidly long throw and about 2 inches of dead travel that he hadn't quite sorted, but it was so lightweight it didn't feel like I was pushing anything at all down. Its the feeling of being a kid and "helping" your parents lift something, when really they're the ones doing all the work.The exhaust was assumed to be stock, but had a lovely little rasp. I could wind that engine out all day. Speaking of...The 1.8L "big" engine is more hesitant to rev than the naturally-aspirated EJ25 in my 2004 Subaru Outback. It takes a good bit of throttle to get the engine up and awake. When the owner got into my Subaru to see where I was coming from he kept accidentally revving to 3000+ RPM when trying to get going from a stop.And here we come to the most important takeaway I had: the Miata felt like the kind of fun that should be illegal in an era of CAFE restrictions and safety regulations. Its fun for the same reason old muscle cars are fun - unless you get one that is super tight and sorted, the prevailing sketch factor wins out and you feel like you are doing something taboo. You look at the door panels and realize the sheet metal is thinner than your willpower when faced with Girl Scout Cookies. You hear the belts want to fly loose at 5000 RPM like an auditory shift indicator and wonder how on earth this motorized Dr. Pepper can has held together for 23 years. You can out-corner anything short of a Cayman, but if you don't redline every gear getting on the highway then Immortan Joe help you, because the soccer mom behind you is on her fifth espresso and she can't see you all the way down there from her GMC Acadia.So when I got out of the car yesterday, shaking from excitement and a slight adrenaline rush, the first question I asked myself was this: Is the Miata everything the Internet says it is? And the answer is yes! Yes it is! Even with this example's worn bushings and cheap tires, everything felt tight and easy and light and functional. It is a perfect introduction into roadsters, sports cars, project cars, anything. So now, as someone who had never really experienced it, I get why Miata Is Always The Answer. via /r/cars http://ift.tt/2sVgHRp
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