Mid life crisis looming - what to get?

I'm a sensible guy, degreed engineer, almost always driving sensible/practical (well, I did have a VW Kharmann Ghia once - great car!!)

Wife has a 6 - great runner! Never tried on a Miata - I am 6'3" with short legs, so I sit tall - means I need headroom. How is the Miata for tall folks, specially with the top closed (or is the proper term top up)?

How is the handling in inclement weather? Like the snow we occasionally get in Wisconsin?

Based on being behind some on the road - the incredibly low center of gravity with the wide wheel base - it must corner beautifully - how is the zip? Can you take off when you see an opening, shoot into it and leave the mortals gasping?

 

I'm a bit over 6' 3" 235#s and am on my third Miata, a recently purchased ' 02 which I traded my ' 95 in on. While...uh, snug, the car does "fit", headroom is not a problem with the top up.
As far as FunToDrive I've never owned any car (out of many...) that was more FTD than my ' 95 was. The ' 02 has better headlights and a glass rear window with electric defroster thereby addressing the 2 weak spots of the 1st gen cars.

The car isn't particularly fast (in a straight line), but given enough curves it would take a far more expensive sports car to stay with a Miata...like for example on the totally twisty mountain roads in southeast Kentucky. I had my ' 95 down there a few years ago: FUNtastic driving!

These cars are very durable, too. As far as Winter driving (Wisconsin is my home state...) a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks on a Miata allows almost as much fun on snow/ice as hi-po rubber does on dry summer roads. IMhO, a truly hard to beat package of four wheeled fun, and this from an avid motorcyclist (19 bikes in my garage currently). DFO

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er...no. i dont own a miata, but i've driven one and they are not particulary fast. but they are fun. if youre looking for a good reliable car ot get you around and give some thrills on the backroads, go for it. i drove my friend's the other day and it felt like a go kart, and thats why i signed up on here cause i was thinking of getting a cheap one for college. not the best "cool" car to have for my young age but with a RX engine in there who knows...
what year were you thinking? the new ones (not out yet?) look pretty sharp.
-marty

 

My brother has a Miada, I bought a BMW Z4. Check them out.

 

I'm in a similar boat. . . I hope I'm not quite to my mid-life crisis yet, it's a little early for that. But yeah, I've always had "practical" cars, and now I find myself with the means and urge to get some fun wheels.

I'm trying to choose between a new 2006 Miata or a new Lotus Elise.

The extreme looks and performance of the Lotus have sure got my attention. On the other hand. . . It costs twice as much as the Miata, and I've heard a lot of stories about worthless A/C, worthless stereo, nearly worthless headlights, rattles bumps and thunks, shoddy plastic parts, random pieces falling off the car, etc. (In other words, typical English automotive craftsmanship.) And of course, the minor fender-benders with $8000 repair bills. Also it has no cup holders, no glove compartment, tiny trunk space, tiny gas tank, and an engine roaring two feet behind your ears. Also, you almost have to be a contortionist to get in or out when the top is on it. Did I mention the Lotus costs as much as two Miatas?

And then there's all the glowing press previews I've seen for the new Miata. . . I'm sure it should be fun, somewhat more practical and comfortable, and a lot more trouble-free than the Elise. That Japanese attention to detail and QA has got to be worth a lot. And the Miata costs half as much, mustn't forget that. However. . . Honestly, the Miata looks homely to me. The Elise looks like. . . sex! (Somebody invented a word for the Elise: cargasm.) And the Miata is a front-engine car that weighs 500 pounds more than the Elise and has 20 fewer horses. It's just hard to generate the same level of excitement or enthusiasm for it -- because it's not as extreme.

I'll keep thinking it over for a little while. And looking for a chance to take some test drives.