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Convertibles
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Written by Jeff Zurschmeide
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Friday, 01 May 2009 |
Mazda’s MX-5 Miata is the best-selling roadster of all time. Since the model’s introduction in 1989, Mazda has built and sold over 800,000 of the plucky little sports cars – with most of them sold here in the United States.
Most of those Miatas sold here are still on the road. Miata owners love their cars with the same intensity that we old sports car enthusiasts still love our Alfa Romeos, Datsun 240Zs, Corvettes and Austin-Healey Sprites. Miata clubs are among the most active marque clubs in the country, with well-attended meetings and driving events virtually every weekend. And of course, the Miata has had a fantastic racing career in SCCA and NASA club racing, becoming one of the most popular race cars in history with the Spec Miata class.
 Too much fun!
I bought my Miata almost two years ago - a first year model I picked up for $1500. With 395,000 miles on the clock when I bought it, and over 400,000 miles today, it’s still going strong and every feature of the car still works. That’s true of an amazing number of the 800,000 Miatas that have been built and sold in the last 20 years, and it goes a long way to explain why Miata owners are so passionate about these little roadsters. As I zoom around town on gorgeous spring days like today, I still can’t believe it took me 17 years to get a Miata of my own.
So that’s the background to explain why I was so stoked when the press fleet guy pulled into my driveway last week with a 2009 MX-5 Power Retractable Hard Top - Grand Touring edition. This car is the state of the art in Miatas, and it shows that the folks at Mazda have still got the true vision and the chops to reinvent the Miata 20 years later.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 06 May 2009 )
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Convertibles
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Written by Jeff Zurschmeide
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008 |
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Few cars have been as avidly awaited as BMW’s new 1-series of cars. Until this year, BMW offered only the Z3 and Z4 two-seaters for those who wanted a BMW-branded smaller car. The venerable BMW 3-series has a much larger footprint than the new series, and so lovers of nimble, gas-sipping sports cars have been hopping from foot to foot in anticipation.  Fast and Nimble
So I was thrilled to get a chance to spend a week with the flagship BMW 128i convertible. This is the car that is BMW’s response to high fuel prices and the trend towards smaller cars in America.
Yet, after a week in the car, I’m conflicted about it. Here’s the story – it’s a great, fun car. The 128i handles like a dream small car. It’s nimble, yet solid. It loves to turn and it’s easy to park. And it’s got plenty of power, thanks to BMW’s legendary DOHC inline 6-cylinder engine. The convertible top works like a charm, and the car generates very little road noise with the top up or down. Inside, it’s all BMW comfort and modern conveniences. What’s not to like?
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 September 2008 )
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