I've also switched vehicles a bit since then (big surprise! haha); which, to those who know me, I change cars almost as often as some people change clothes.
The '11 Mazda 3S hatch was replaced about a year ago for my 2012 VW GTI and my Kawi 650R was swapped for my Suzuki SV1000S about ~8 months ago. When I bought the VW, I told myself I was only going to reflash it & maybe pickup some new wheels/tint... I did that after about a month or 2 of ownership (as soon as APR had a reflash sale haha), and honestly haven't really wanted to do anything else to it since. The car is a wonderful daily driver, I can't say enough good things about it (don't let me get started on another rant). To say that I'm (oddly) content with my GTI and have no intentions on getting rid of it at this point would be very accurate. Give me another year to change my mind haha. However this thread is not about my VW....
Before selling my old '90 Miata there were a lot of factors that played into that decision. Basically, I bought it so that I could get into a bit of autoX (I could surely use more practice at dodging cones), have something to tinker with (to avoid wrenches touching my new/financed daily driver) and maybe utilize it for the occasional track day. However, I switched careers (large initial pay cut), switched parenting schedules with my son (due to work schedule), no longer had access to a garage and ultimately couldn't use my Miata for anything I originally bought it for. So, I bought a bike... and I LOVED it! I loved it so much in fact that I wanted another one with a bit more grunt haha... so I got a "grunt-ier" bike and have no intentions of getting rid of it.
However, here it is December and I can't hardly ride the damn thing without my hands feeling like going to contract frostbite and fall off! So, here I am again...
In retrospect, buying and selling my old Miata was a very good thing. I learned a lot from my experiences with it and am planning on doing it right the next time around. It was actually a good idea to sell it when I did, as I was correct, for at least the first ~6 months after switching careers I wouldn't have had time (or funds) to work on it, no place to work on/store it, I had my son on all my days off (he was a bit too young to take to track events then), and for the past year my days off have been Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday (I work x4 10hr shifts).
However, my financial situation has now changed for the better, my son is now old enough to go pretty much everywhere with me (and he does!!), I'll have a place to store an extra car and most importantly my days off this year will be Sunday/Monday/Tuesday (<--most people might not think that's significant, but most track/autoX events are on Sat/Sun). So I'm thinking about getting back in the saddle & picking up another NA Miata.
In truth, I actually miss my old blue little 2-seater.
Right now the only things I'm looking for in a Miata are the following:
-1994-1997 model years, mostly because it makes sense to start off with the 1.8L motor for a number of reasons (more power/torque, bigger brakes, more bracing, Torsen LSD, slightly larger aftermarket, ect).
-Torsen LSD.
-Manual transmission (as if it wasn't obvious haha).
-I truly desire the car to be BONE STOCK (<---can't stress that enough!).
-An "R" package car would be nice, but they're extremely tough to come by.
This time around I want this to be a car I keep around for a while. I imagine for first year or so the car would mostly just routine maintenance and a couple minor parts here and there, but nothing drastic. If I decide to keep it long-term, I could see it becoming a project I could work on with my son when he gets a bit older... maybe even a V8 swap if the stock 1.8L popped one year haha. Who knows. For starters though, just a healthy car, with a straight frame/body to get back out there. I'm not pressed for time, I might even take 6-12 months to shop if needed.
Any other things I should look for this time around? Recommendations?
Thanks in advance!
-Brandon
