Car Buying

May the 4th Be With You


Our previous Miata was named The Emperor and this little “action” figure adorned its dash top for several years. The car may be long gone, but the figure still resides with us on a shelf in the computer room.

Coincidentally, I just noticed today that The Emperor’s twin brother is for sale on Bring a Trailer. Poor thing has been locked away for nearly its entire 16 year life, it has less that 7,000 miles on it. It listed for $26,195 new and right now the high bid is only $6,600 with 2 days left.

I was half tempted to bid on the thing, so much so, that I actually created an account on the site, but then figured the sale price would probably be more than $10 thousand in the end and it just wouldn’t be worth it. I am still going to keep an eye on the auction out of curiosity though.

Happy Miataversary

Twenty-eight years ago today on a cool November evening Donna & I drove over to Augusta after work in our 1981 Honda Prelude (which looked remarkably like this.) Donna drove the Prelude home alone. I drove home in our brand spanking new 1990 Mazda Miata (which looked remarkably like this.)

Ever since that day we have always had a Miata in the garage.

Tonight as we traditionally do every year on this holiday, we’ll gather the family and our pets around a crackling fire in living room and read aloud the story of how Brian Buys A Miata.

Purple Whale Harpooned

by the Japanese whaling ship Nissan with a German spear made in in Great Britain…

Guess I won’t be submitting the What Car Should You Buy form after all.

We had our eyes on a Mini in Spartanburg and had planned on going up there on Saturday to test drive it. It is a 2012 Cooper Base in Spice Orange for eleven and a half thousand bucks. It has the dual panel sunroof, which really interested us, and had less than 40 thousand miles on it. The only thing that worried us was that it had been on their lot for over 2 years. Why hadn’t somebody bought it already? Then I searched for Minis for sale using different words, adding Augusta to the mix, and found one for sale at Nissan of Augusta (I’d link to the listing, but they already pulled it off the web), one-forth the distance away.

We were going right near there, to go to Cars & Coffee, so after looking around at the lines of Mustangs and stanced imports for a few minutes we drove 1/4 mile further down the road and test drove that Mini. It didn’t have the sun roof we liked and it was couple thousand more than the one in Spartanburg, but it was right there and it was basically brand new, as it only had 16 thousand miles on the odometer. We both liked it. It was smaller then the Sonata, a half a foot narrower and nearly 4 feet shorter, but it rode like the bigger car.

We left there and drove a couple more miles down the road to the VW dealer to test drive a new Beetle. Donna’s first car was a Beetle and we both sort of liked the looks of the new one, so we wanted to drive one of them to see if it could get on the short list of possible Sonata replacements. Short answer no. It was shorter than the Sonata, but almost as wide and Donna spent the whole short test drive scootched up in the seat trying to judge where the front of the car was.

After the Beetle disappointment, we came back to Aiken to go to the Chocolate Festival at St. Mary’s Church to eat lunch, shop for used books and eat several bucks worth of chocolate desserts. By that time we finished, it was too late to drive to Spartanburg to test drive that Mini before the dealer closed, so we went home.

At first we thought maybe we would wait until next Saturday to drive a hundred miles to see if we wanted the big sun roof and the orange color, but then thought, we’d wait, drive up there, not think the sunroof was worth it, hate the color, come back to Augusta and find that the Mini would have been sold on Friday. We stripped all our personal items from the Sonata, grabbed the title and went over to Augusta.

The Mini interior had changed slightly, here is a 2003 picture and here is a 2013 picture. Not really a radial change, so the big change must have been with us. We are still not sold on the big dinner plate sized speedometer in the center of the dash (there is a digital speedo in the bottom of the tach which is front and center), so maybe after a while it won’t bother us.

Jalopnik “What Car Should You Buy” Submission Form

Donna and I are thinking of replacing the Sonata. It is a comfortable ride, but it is too darn big. You would think that after 6-1/2 years we would have gotten used to it, but no. I am still occasionally liable to cut a right turn short hitting the curb and getting it correctly length-wise into a regular parking spot is a hit or miss proposition. Visibility out the back is awkward and it is even worse for Donna because she is shorter than I am. We both agree that on paper the perfect car for us would be a Mini, but we were non-pulsed the first time we tried one back in 2003.The car has changed some, we’ve changed some, maybe we need to try one again. And probably will this weekend.

If the Mini fails to light our fire once more, I’m not sure what we should try next, so I’m looking for suggestions. One possibility for suggestions is on a car website I read daily, Jalopnik. They have a feature called What Car Should You Buy? where their crack staff make car buying suggestions based on how you fill out a submission form. I have reproduced it below with how I would fill it out. If we are underwhelmed by the Mini again, I might actually send it in, even though it seems as if their recommendations are there more for their entertainment value than anything else.

Name: Brian & Donna

Email: xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.com

Would you be willing and able to provide a picture of yourself for the article? A picture of me, yes, but my wife feels that you are stealing a little bit of her soul anytime her picture is taken, so probably not her. Besides, someone has to press the shutter button.

Tell us about your situation We currently have a 2011 Hyundai Sonata that is just too darn big. The largest car we ever had before this was a 1983 Honda Prelude. We also own a 2002 Miata.

What are some attributes that you want from this car? It needs to be smaller than, but have the same ride comfort, as the Sonata.

Where do you live? Aiken, South Carolina

How old are you? Early 60s

What are your hobbies? Random road trips, bicycling, hiking & geocaching

How would you describe what you do? One retired and the second soon to follow

What are some cars that you like? Please explain why you like them. She likes beetles & he likes little 2 door coupes, probably left over warm fuzzy feelings for our first cars, a 71 beetle and a 73 Datsun B210.

Are there any deal-breakers? No Minis of any ilk, tried ’em, didn’t like ’em. Did I mention smaller than a Sonata?

Is there any other lifestyle information that would be helpful in determining the best vehicle for your needs? Although the weekly mileage will mostly be under a 100, we are prone to week long road trips of around 1500 miles. We checked “a little of both” in the type of driving category, but in reality it is more back roads driving. We live in a small town, nowhere near city sized and highways are for 18-wheelers.

What is your approximate price range?
Less than $5000
$5000 – $10,000
$10,000 – $15,000
$15,000 – $20,000
$20,000 – $25,000
$25,000 – $30,000
$30,000- $35,000
$35,000 – $40,000
$40,000- $50,000
$50,000- $60,000
$60,000- $70,000
$70,000- $80,000
Above $80,000

How long do you you plan on owning this vehicle?
1-3 years
3-5 years
5-7 years
7 years or more

Approximately how many miles a week do you drive?
Less than 100 miles
100-200 miles
200-300 miles
400- 500 miles
More than 500 miles

What type of driving do you do regularly?
Highway
City
A little bit of both

What body style? Check all that apply
Sedan
Coupe (2-door)
Convertible
Hatchback
Wagon
SUV
Crossover
Pick-up Truck
Minivan

On average how many passengers (including driver) will occupy this vehicle?
1-2
2-3
3-4
More than 5

Do have a preferred transmission type?
Automatic
Manual
Can’t drive a manual, but I’m willing to learn
No preference

Do you have a preferred drive type? Check all that apply
Front-wheel drive
Rear-wheel drive
All-wheel drive
4-wheel drive
No preference

Dealer Inventory

For the longest time the Mazda dealer in Augusta has only had 3 or 4 Miatas on the lot at one time. In the beginning, they were all automatics, but now the manual transmissions are starting to come into the mix. Plus the number of cars showing in their inventory on the web has steadily been growing. When I looked the weekend before last they had a dozen Miatas in various colors and trims.

The Sport model which I would prefer because it has less of all superfluous driving aids, including a satellite radio that I would not pay for after the trial, but would leave the ugly antenna still prominent on the trunk lid forever, but mainly because it is the least expensive one. This model is only available in 4 colors, red, white, ceramic (semi-gloss white-ish gray) and black. So in the spirit of martial harmony and compromise we played Remove-a-Color with Donna going first. She predictably chose black and I predictably choose red. We had sort of previously compromised on white, but she wanted a look at the ceramic.

A check of inventory showed the same 12 cars over at Gerald Jones Mazda, so Sunday morning we drove over to look at the two remaining choices. On the same lot with Mazda is a Gerald Jones VW as well, so for kicks I looked to see how many Beetle convertibles they had. Donna has always had a soft spot for them (I wonder why?) and it is more about the convertible experience than the Miata experience. They showed two, a special Denim edition (light blue with denim top) and a bronze with a tan top.

Out on the gi-normous lot there were exactly 3 new Miatas (red, black and ceramic) and 2 Beetle convertibles (both used.) Pressed our faces against the showroom windows of the two dealers and there weren’t any cars in either one. So the trip over was pretty much a waste. Not a total one though as Donna didn’t like the ceramic color at all. I still would like to see the Arctic White in person though.

Started up, went down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 208

Sitting In An ND II

ND <= NB

Now having had to spend big bucks twice to get the Emperor running in the last month, we thought maybe we should go check out the new Miata once more to see if this could be an option for the next time we have to pony up half the Kelly Blue Book of the car to get it running right again. Eight months ago we sat in a new one, with mixed feelings, but didn’t drive it because it was an automatic transmission. I understand why a lot of folks choose one, but for Donna and I a Miata has to be a row your own.

We arrived at the Gerald Jones Megaplex1 and made our way through the lot to the Mazda area. Parked near the street end of the lot somewhat close to a couple of Miatas they had near the entrance to lure in buyers. And because we didn’t get there until 11:00 AM or so there lots of potential customers wandering the lot with salesmen cruising around in golf carts trying to herd them into a cubicle in the showrooms. No one zeroed in on us so we walked over to the dark gray and the white/gray and I looked inside, both were automatics. We then made our way towards the buildings to find somebody to get a car to drive. During the 50 yard walk still no on approached.

Close to the showroom was a Miata in a shade of blue (called Reflex Blue that is really a medium gray with blue undertones.) I looked inside it and it was a stick. Donna said, “This is a pretty blue.” And comparing it to the two grays we saw already and the black Miata right across from this one, she was right, it was the nicest looking Miata we’d seen so far, but sort of in the way of it being the most attractive of Cinderella’s ugly step-sisters.

It was unlocked, so I opened the door and got in the driver’s seat, Donna got in the passenger seat and we tried it on for size. I pointed out the awkwardly placed cup holders. Explained the no glove box thing and opened the cubby between the seats to show the spot that is supposed to replace it. I unlatched the top and threw it back. Nice. We got out, walked around the car and changed seats. After another minute or two with still no salesman approaching, we headed into the showroom.

The gatekeeper asked us what we were looking for and I said a Miata to test drive. He send somebody off to find somebody else. Soon Wade appeared, after handshakes all around, I said I’d like to drive a Miata with a manual transmission. He started walking out towards the two Miatas near the lot entrance and after a few steps I stopped him, telling him they were autos. Wade turned back towards the showroom, so I pointed towards the blueish one we had sat in before, “Oh, that one is sold already.”2 Then he turned towards the black across the way, I had peeked inside that one too and it was another automatic, so I let him know.

He said wait here, and went inside to check their inventory. The only stick they had on the lot was the Club on the showroom floor and told him I wasn’t interested.3 “Well, we have two sport models coming that have manual transmissions, I’m not sure exactly when, but would you like me to let you know when they get here?” I said, “Sure,” so we traded business cards. After rereading our experience from last August again, this is the exact same thing the salesman told me then and I never heard from him.

We have now sat in the new ND Miata twice, but still have not driven one.

Absolutely No Overnight Parking

One of the local car dealers is having a HUGE TENT SALE tomorrow between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM ONLY! They make sure to tell us twice in a loud voice that there is absolutely no overnight parking. <sarcasm>So I’m guessing they must have limited parking. Or maybe they don’t want you to drive in, park and wait for them to open their doors because that just wouldn’t be fair to the folks who want to show up in the morning, there wouldn’t be any parking spots left for them.</sarcasm>

[—— Stop reading here Sandy. ——]
Big match up this week for the Purple Whales, we are playing the Swamp Rats SR who are much better than their 3-3 record indicates. To add to my troubles I have my two main running backs on bye week, so I am going to be missing their combined average of 38.5 points. Still, I have cobbled together a team of subs and right now, according to ESPN predictions, I am an 8 point favorite. We’ll see…

The Purple Whales are in the West Division which consists of 6 of us from the Fabrication Department. The East Division consists of mostly QC with a couple of Assembly Dept folks. For the first 5 weeks we were just playing amongst ourselves in the division, but last week we started playing the teams from the East. As a whole we dominated them, winning 5 out of the 6 matches. Our only loss was because of our manager, his team is now 0-6. And it doesn’t look good for Team Argyle Pilgrims this week either, right now he is a 50 point underdog. Poor guy, I feel so bad for him I decided to make up a team logo for him. This is what I have so far: