Car World: Mazda Miata

Well, as my senior year goes on, I naturally have to look at a vehicle for myself. I was blessed to have a vehicle to drive; a Nissan Frontier 2001 XE Crewcab. Sadly, it simply won't meet my needs for college and the future.

1. It's a gas guzzler. It gets 15 miles per gallon average due to the factory lift and large tires.

2. The rear-row seat, while nice to have, is useless space to me, since I never ride around many people.

3. A truck isn't something I need, as I do not have a need to use a trailer or carry things.

4. It has terrible insurance premiums.

The simple solution. Sell it, and use that money to buy a small, two seat car. The Mazda Miata meets my requirements.

1. Small and compact. This makes it easy to park, and it gives me better coordination with the vehicle.

2. Decent gas mileage. While Civic would scoff at 25 miles per gallon on an in-line 4, that's pretty good for city driving. Certainly not Jetta or Civic material, but the gas mileage is satisfactory.

3. Cheap. The first generation used ones have excellent equipment (many have leather seats and CD players plus premium sound) and rarely cost over 7,000. Not many good looking roadsters are that affordable. The second generation run about 10 to 13,000 on average. Too much, but still cheaper than alot of new cars which only have basic equipment.

4. Convertible. This is very important, as I love driving with the top down in a car. Not only that, but they are hand-powered, not motorized, which makes repair jobs much cheaper.

Overall, I think I want a Miata. I'm still shopping around, but it's difficult to find a roadster for so little money. Here's to the future. :)