Are sunny days sweeping the clouds away? Even if they are, I couldn't really enjoy them now that our 1994 Mazda Miata has a bolted-down hard top. Pout. Project Miata editor Jason Kavanagh definitely has a different idea of what makes a fun drive. He of the Angeles-Crest-blasting, canyon-carving, Lemons-racing variety while I like leisurely drives around town on my Vespa...OK, I lie, I like taking corners fast, too (though not on my Vespa).
But I do have to say, now that I don't have to worry about the soft top flying off of our crapwagon, I can kind of see JayKav's point. Sure, the enclosed quarters of our Miata feel especially claustrophobic on a beautiful day, but this car is now so focused I can almost forgive him for taking away its top-down spontaneity.
On another note, I FINALLY got the hang of that 2nd gear. The trick is to place the gearshifter in 2nd, not shove it. This has made my time in the Miata even more fun and stress-free. Oh, and bonus? It's perhaps the only long-term car I can park in my new garage without fear of scraping the sides. I want to drive it again!
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 179,510 miles
feloniousmonk says:
12:13 PM, 08/25/10
I'm torn on this: a roadster (especially one of the Miata's ilk) is meant to be topless (insert crude/clever witticism here), but I also understand the need for a hardtop on this particular Miata, given the mission you've all laid out for it.
I once owned a '74 Triumph Spitfire and it came with the factory removable hardtop. I had replaced the tranny with a later model with overdrive (!), put in a coil-over conversion on the rear suspenders (the original was an example of a transverse leaf set-up done wrong), new springs on the front and beefed up the rear diff and half-shafts. It was a seriously fun car. The ragtop was literally a "rag" top and I never used it. So in the sunny months I went open to the elements, and if it rained, I beat feet (tires) for the nearest shelter. But not because I was worried of myself or the upholstery getting wet; no, I was more concerned about the Lucas electrics even getting a whiff of moisture. Anyway, in the gloomier months I installed the hardtop... and I hated it. Sure the relative security was nice, but it seriously seemed to just neuter the entire experience.
There's something inherently wrong about a roadster with a fixed roof. It's like a crisis of purpose... or something.
tmanz says:
12:34 PM, 08/25/10
"now that I don't have to worry about the soft top flying off of our crapwagon"
there was an option between making it a coupe and having a torn up soft top.
"There's something inherently wrong about a roadster with a fixed roof. It's like a crisis of purpose... or something."
I agree. The retractable hardtop on the new models seems like it is the best of both worlds.
old_volvo says:
01:03 PM, 08/25/10
should of gone with the fastback.
slickersdrip says:
02:42 PM, 08/25/10
I like the hardtop... but maybe for when you're bringing it to the track. Otherwise I couldn't stand owning a Miata with a hard top on it-- save for the retractable top on the new models. I think when Edmunds reviewed it for the first time they called the article "Hard Candy." That sounds about right.
ed124c says:
03:42 PM, 08/25/10
If Edmunds had wanted a small car with a rigid body, why did they buy a Miata? There are probably tons of little coupes out there that they could have gotten for cheap money.
This is like someonewho has a choice of buying something flat or something round, who buys the round one and pounds it flat, gazes at it and says: "Yeah, now THAT'S what I wanted."
caroscuro says:
05:07 PM, 08/25/10
feloniousmonk,
You do have a point in that the hard top is probably better suited for our (or JayKav's) purposes.
tmanz and slickersdrip,
Agreed, I like the retractable hard top on the new models, too. Maaan, now I want one.
ed124c,
LOL
carlisimo says:
05:14 PM, 08/25/10
There are legitimate reasons for Edmunds to get a hardtop. You need it for track driving/testing, allegedly to eliminate the risk of soft top hoops flying around like javelins after an accident. Exposure to the sun is actually pretty uncomfortable. The hardtop is cheaper than a soft top, even before you consider that the hardtop can be readily resold for pretty much what you bought it for. And you can still take it off and leave it at the office.
I don’t want one for my Miata (unless I start taking long drives), but it’s not unreasonable to get one.
srlracing says:
05:20 PM, 08/25/10
I have a hard top, sadly it is on my car right now (most girls don't like it when you pick them up for a nice dinner with the top down) and it does change the characteristics of the car. I can run a softer suspension set up with the hard top on and still get the desired handling characteristics of a harder set up with the top down. Do I think I'm gaining any real world performance? Hell no, but it might give you a hundredth on the track. But I still much rather be running the car topless. It is the full experience.
dougmare says:
09:06 PM, 08/25/10
I had a '92 with hardtop and can say how much it changes the character of the car. I lived in FL, and at the peak of summer the sun could be so punishing that the hardtop would go on and stay on for a few weeks at a time. It helped the air conditioner cope with the brutal heat better, but did seem to make the car slightly more noisy on the highway. The car feels much more "of a piece" with a lid on it, but it does remove the top-down joy. The way I looked at it, I had two cars in one. When I wanted it to be, it was a sleek but serious modern sports coupe I could park anywhere. When I had the hardtop off, it became a classic sports car and a much more cheerful drive. The new retractable hardtop would *almost* make it worth getting a new Miata and levering on some coilovers right out of the showroom...
torrey151 says:
05:42 AM, 08/26/10
I live in VA, and I have a hardtop for mine. Lucky for me it is in the shed right now. If you have the room for it, ideally you need both. I will say it is easier to wash a hard-top.
ptcdawg says:
10:22 AM, 08/26/10
This needs a soft top.