Ian did a thing this week.
He announced a while back he wanted a new car. Not just a different car, but his first brand new car. His current car was a 2015 with only 73,000 miles on it. It was still in great shape, but he decided it was getting old. I laughed, but it's his money. He has a thing for Miatas, but was considering a Mini Clubman or Countryman for the AWD.
Last week he decided on another Miata, but this one would be an RF. It has a retractable panel over your head, but still a beam above where the rear window is. It is more closed in and solid for winter weather than a traditional soft top convertible. His current car is a retractable hardtop.
Here is the new one. This is his 4th Miata. A 2023 with 35 miles on it. He did everything on his own. Negotiated a reasonable deal, got his own financing and decided how much down payment he would give to make his payments where he wanted. This dealer wasn't interested in his current Miata as a trade. They said they would have a hard time selling it in this market, so Ian sold it back to Carvana for $3500 more than the dealer offered.
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Here is the evolution of his cars.
His first. It started as a parts car for the race team. Ian bought it from the team so it wouldn't become replacement parts for the race car. This was a 1994, older than he is and was the first generation Miata (NA). It had a little engine, but handled really well on the twisties.
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The 1994 was a good starter car. It leaked everything from everywhere when the team acquired it. Ian put a lot of work into fixing everything before he had a driver's license. He sold it to a friend and bought Miata #2.
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This was a 2006, the first year of the 3rd generation Miatas (NC). It was a soft top and had a checkered past. Despite being shown a clean CarFax from the dealer in Kentucky, it turns out the car had been in a significant wreck when it was 6 months old. The entire left rear clip had been replaced and there was frame damage that was repaired. The car didn't have any issues, but was a pain to try to sell. Nobody would touch it with that kind of history. Fortunately/unfortunately the issue was resolved when someone pulled a right turn on red right infront of Ian and stopped to turn into a parking lot.
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Nobody was hurt, but this opened the door for Miata #3, a 2015 retractable hardtop. This was the last year of the NC.
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Great little car from Arizona. Low miles and great shape.
Six years later and Miata #4 joined the family. This is a 4th generation (ND) Miata. The 4th gens come as a soft top or the retractable center panel of the RF.
This one is much more up to date with technology and features found in most cars today. Bluetooth, nav, climate control, backup camera, adaptive headlights and lane and brake assist.
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It now has 85 miles on it and he hasn't complained about anything yet.
He's pretty proud.
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