Dandy's belated introduction

[— Dandy —]

I figure it's time for me to do the introduction thingy. I have been a member of MazdaRoadster.Net for a little over a year but have only recently become active as I have now become more involved with my current roadster, a 1993 Limited Edition.

The first roadster that I owned was a 1971 Triumph TR6 in damson (maroon - kind of like the 1995 M-edition merlot). I really didn't have much money at the time. I test drove several pretty nice TR6's, had one inspected by a mechanic that specialized in Triumphs and MG's, and then I ended up picking the rattiest one of the bunch because it was the cheapest. Oh the joys of growing up. I loved it when I got to actually drive it, but it was prone to electrical problems and sometimes it just didn't want to run for no apparent reason. The car kind of looked like this (except it was much rattier):



I still remained a fan of the english roadsters, Triumph and MG, and also of the Pininfarina styled roadsters, Fiat and Alfa Romeo Spiders. However, all had clever nicknames like Fix It Again Tony. I was around to see the demise of the roadster in the US market and it's resurgence in 1989 with the early introduction of the 1990 Mazda Miata, available in red, white, and mariner (Smurf) blue.

I took notice of the little roadster from Japan but my Triumph experience made me a bit leery and skeptical of anything that resembled the roadsters that I still had a fondness for. It wasn't until several years of Car and Driver's ten best lists that I finally decided to dip my toe back in the roadster waters and not just look on from afar.

In early 1998 I became an official member of the general Mazda Miata community when I became the owner of a 1992 Crystal White B package. Soon after I got the car I took a buddy of mine for a ride and the next thing I knew he was an owner of a new 1999 2nd generation Miata. My buddy was given a complimentary subscription to Miata magazine (no longer in print) from Mazda which he promptly shared with me. Soon I was a subscriber and I became more exposed to just what this little roadster could become. I found Miata.Net soon after and then the modification bug hit pretty hard. The 1992 was the first car that I really took a wrench to. I needed to with the Triumph, but it was oh so frustrating.

On the '92, I swapped the shocks. springs, sway bars, the complete exhaust - intake to tail pipe, and added a few JDM type goodies like a KG Works fuel lid:


and an RS Aizawa headlight air intake lid:

The car traveled much of the country, a lot of it on the backroads. I've been to Deal's Gap NC several times and have driven as fast as my skills would let me through the Tail of the Dragon: http://www.tailofthedragon.com/


In August 2002, I took the Crystal White on a three week road trip and saw much of the country with one of the highlights being the annual open house at Flyin' Miata. I wish I still had good pictures of my car and this trip, but alas they have been lost. Northern New Mexico in the early morning is just spectacular. However, my old Cardomain page is still hosted that has small pics, details of my car, and details of that trip and you can take a peek by clicking the link in my signature at the bottom. Here are a few of my favorite tiny pics of the Crystal White:


Somewhere in the mid to late 00's I began to get bored of the '92. The lack of real power, being so tuned in to every squeek and rattle, seeing the lady parts of my female passengers jiggle due to the harsh ride over bumps and railroad tracks (well actually I didn't get bored of that, but they found it annoying), all these things contributed to my losing the passion for my car. I began to hoard parts, supercharger, big brakes, momo steering wheel, but in the end I lost interest in installing them and ended up selling off most of the parts and the car itself. I tried Mustangs, turbo sedans, but eventually I began to miss the experience of the two seat roadster and I decided to start looking for a special one to fill the void. I wasn't sure which one, I just wanted it to be a little different and in very good condition to start with.

And then in early 2011, I came across this ad: http://www.buymymiata.com/auto_detail.cfm?ID=30 That's right, only 39k on the odometer for an 18 year old car and all the stock equipment that made a 93le a 93le. I got a fellow enthusiast from Miata.Net that I had never met to inspect the car for me as it was in Michigan and I was in Florida. He came back with the text book inspection from the Miata.Net garage and this sample of pictures among many more (you have got to love the enthusiasts in the Miata community!):





I liked what I saw, everything worked out, and in April 2011 the car became mine:


Yes, 39k on the ODO:


For a while I was't sure about modifying such nicely maintained stock le, but now I have become comfortable with it. I do want to maintain most of what makes the 93le unique but I have decided to give it more of a vintage roadster feel with a small dash of the grand touring influences of old. I'll save the details for a "build" thread in the future (if you have read this far, I'm sure you are saying "thank god").

Here is a current picture of the 93le. Not much has changed beyond the wheels, but many (mostly subtle) changes are planned:


Those are Rota RB's 15 x 7 35 et. For the Rota haters out there, keep it to yourself. I like them. I like them a lot. A classic look, they don't weigh a ton, they are an excellent low cost wheel for the street. Trust me when I say this, cost was not the overriding factor in my decision as I am sure you will notice that I am not adverse to spending $ on items that I deem to be worthy when the build thread gets posted in the future. So . . .

Hello everybody! I'm glad to be a part of MazdaRoadster.Net.