I've got a '95 Miata that's my around-town/track car. Problem is, I barely get a chance to drive it with a different commuting pattern (picking up two kids from school) and it's only seen two track days in two years. And I figure it'll be easier to find time to get to the track if I can bring the kids along more easily. So, even though I love it, it's not getting used to its potential.
EDIT: Small gallery of cell phone photos I took this morning with more to come. The wheels are filthy. The funny circular flaps on the top came loose today. They're normally contact cemented in place for some protection because the top pinches a bit at that point when it's folded down. Didn't have any sticky stuff with me on the drive to work. :)
Details:
Black 1995 with tan Robbins top (replaced in 2011). 52K miles. I bought it with 46K in spring of 2011, so all the mods/maintenance are since then.
Tan interior with black cloth seats out of a wrecked 1990. Foamectomy on the driver's side. Good interior, with no cracks in the cluster or trim around the HVAC stuff.
Removed A/C system, baby teeth, spare tire and some of the heavier insulation on the rear bulkhead. Depowered steering with a properly welded spool valve. ZERO slop and it won't fail on you. Effort is higher, but my 4 year old son can steer the car around the high school parking lot at 15 mph w/o assistance.
Torsen rear end. FM springs, Koni Yellows and progressive foam bump stops out of a civic. Can't remember what the strut tops were at the moment, either the spec miata ones or NB's. I got them in a trade, probably with one of you people.
Dunlop Star Specs on stock wheels. Recent alignment with roughly miata.net "icehawk" specs which works nicely without ever being scary on the street. Hawk HP+ pads and Brembo rotors.
Hard Dog Hard Core Double Diagonal, wrapped in BSCI dual-durometer padding. It's THICK and as safe as a bar gets.
H4 e-code lights. Comes with Dunlop snows mounted on steelies if you're down south. Under 1K miles on those. No rust. Only driven in the winter last year, and before that I cleaned out all the debris from the drains/fenders and sprayed everything with Fluid Film.
Up to date on maintenance. Fluids freshened since last september with quality synthetic stuff. New clutch slave cylinder this spring. Timing belt/water pump/plugs/wires/VC gasket/shifter seals/filters/newish radiator all went on the day I got it.
Issues: a couple parking lot door dings that could be pulled easily enough, a little oil seeping from the crank seal (not enough to drip), unidentified buzz in the exhaust from a heat shield or maybe the cat. Hasn't been detailed in a while, so the paint could use some love, but the only significant paint issues are a couple touchup spots on the front bumper, mainly under the turn signal here. Roll bar wrapping is Joanne Fabric upholstery vinyl cut into strips that could stand to be replaced as it's getting ratty where it rubs on the roof.
I only recently started to even consider getting rid of it, and I've maintained it like I planned to keep it. Change the oil and take it to the track this weekend if you want. It's a nice handling little setup that works fine as a daily driver as long as you're ok getting to work a little sweaty in the summer.
I'll entertain cash offers, but it'd be more fun to trade even up for a replacement 'cause I don't want to be without a toy for long. Something reliable that can do a track day or autocross, but that can seat 4. Preferably made after 2000ish (or solid enough that I can feel OK putting my kids in it). Sooo, basically no particularly sketchy stuff like old civics, as nice as those are to drive. NO RUST. Something like a Honda Fit, Mazda2/3, Fiesta, EP3, SVT focus, Mini. No VWs, but a really nice E30/E36 would be good. WRX, perhaps?Miles aren't too important if it's well maintained enough that I'm reassured.
I'm in Ann Arbor. Willing to meet you half way within a reasonable day's drive. It's dusty in this photo, but it shines up well enough that it draws compliments:
