The story starts about 34 years ago.
It was December 1992 and our very first road trip from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park in America. And why hire an MX-5 (or Miata as they called it in the USA)?
ML (then girlfriend, now wife) and I, having arrived in San Francisco two days earlier, made our way to the nearest car-rental outlet to hire a ‘small car for the two of us’ – only to discover that the holiday season meant that all the small cars were taken.
As we were walking out from the place, the shop assistant said, “There is a little Miata out there if you are interested.” Miata? A tiny, tiny car for a long road trip (300 kms to Yosemite National Park), then a swing around to Carmel, then back to San Francisco. Quite a bit of driving in cold, cold winter and a soft-top, too. ML said: “Let’s go and have a look. No harm.”
The Miata was small. Very small. Red with a black canvas soft-top. Manual gearbox and the tiniest of boots that could only take 2 small soft bags plus my camera gear. I had brought along my incongruously large Pentax 6×7 medium-format camera for B&W landscape shots of Yosemite, ambitiously (foolishly?) following the path of Ansel Adams, the famed landscape photographer who spent most of his life there and came up with iconic shots.
Hitting the road
A couple of hours later, we started loading our bags into the Miata and made our way to Yosemite. Along the way I drove slowly, trying hard to get used to driving a left-hand car (first time), driving on the wrong side of the highway (first time) and driving a soft-top car (first time).
Lots of first-time-experiences… and lots and lots of fun, too.
Memories of the drive
Along the way to Yosemite, the traffic was a little heavy but the little Miata was doing great, notwithstanding heavy trucks buzzing by this first-timer driver, especially around the Bay area. We followed advice given by the guy at the hotel front desk to use Route 120 (or Route 140). I drove carefully and well within the speed limits along the highway and then some stretches of winding roads and steep inclines.
All good and well within the capabilities of the modest 1.6-litre (non-turbo) engine which was a little noisy when pushed (soft top with minimal insulation, etc). I recall the Miata was economical when it came to petrol consumption. Back then, the price of petrol there was about US$1.20 per gallon (a quarter of what it is today).
On the road, the Miata felt good and planted notwithstanding the cold, slightly wet and slippery road conditions. The manual gearbox felt notchy and gear changes were fairly easy. Steering was not too heavy (not sure it was power-assisted, probably not).
Overall, it was an easy car to drive and ate up the miles very quickly. It was a most enjoyable experience tackling the winding roads. I wished the small 1.6 litre engine was a wee bit more powerful and this lack of power was most felt during the steep inclines.
From Yosemite National Park, we drove alongside some very scenic seaside highways to meet up with some friends in Carmel. We enjoyed a couple of memorable meals with American friends and thereafter made our way back north to San Francisco to return the Miata. Overall, I recall we drove a total of 750 miles over the 5 days.
A few more days in San Francisco and then back to work in Malaysia… with many happy memories of San Francisco, Yosemite – and that little red Miata.
Meeting the successor 30 years later
In 2022, almost 30 years later, ML and I visited the Bermaz car showroom to see the latest MX-5. Nice. Very nice. Then the sales guy showed us a mint condition secondhand MX-5 RF hardtop with white pearl paintwork and burgundy/brown leather sets and genuine low mileage. After a bit of thinking about it, we bit the bullet and bought that secondhand white MX-5 (trying to re-live the old days in San Francisco perhaps?).
This MX-5 became my daily-user from our home in Bangsar to my office in KL city centre, with occasional drives to Klang for bak kut teh and several trips to Putrajaya for work. A reliable and easy-to-drive car with more-than-sufficient power (155 bhp and 0-100 in 7.2 seconds). The automatic gearbox works like a charm and it’s a most enjoyable car to drive.
Like the old Miata from the 1990s, this latest MX-5 handles just as well (actually even better) and with loads more power. The hardtop in the newer MX-5 means that the cabin was a lot quieter and feels ‘safer’. The leather seats are supportive with a good feel (better than fabric in the 1992 Miata) and the aircond is efficient and cold. Plus, yes, nice Bose speakers, Bluetooth and other updates.
This MX-5 is the current ND series, ie the fourth generation. Compared with the 1992 Miata (NA series) that I drove and enjoyed in 1992, the current ND series looks a lot more modern, much better built and the quality of its interior is far superior and more premium. The RF (Retractable Fastback) version is much quieter and, with its 6-speed automatic gearbox, makes it as easy-to-drive as your typical sedan car.
One more thing: during the past 4 years of ownership, I have experienced very good aftersales service by the folks in Bermaz and the cost of ownership (services at 10,000 kms or every 6 months) is affordable and very reasonable.
POSTSCRIPT:
The MX-5 is up for sale now. Having enjoyed it immensely for 4+ years, I am looking for a good home for it. Its current mileage is still a very low 29,750 kms with full service history from Bermaz. The car has been very carefully maintained, always parked in covered carparks, immaculate interior and possibly the best MX-5 of its kind in KL. Interested? Text/call me at 012 200 1788 (EC Tan) or contact me at tec@tanengchoong.com.my for a viewing in KL city centre (weekdays) or Bangsar/Damansara Heights (weekends).
