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JJ Gets A Car

Now that JJ has retired from automotive journalism after 18 years, it seemed to make sense for him to have his own car. He went looking for a particular thing --

He found an unusual 1997 Miata M edition, that had really only been driven on sunny weekends by a lady who put less than 3,000 miles a year on it (by comparison, JJ has put about 450 miles on it since Wednesday, when he drove it home from New Jersey).

Less than 3000 of these cars were made: all-wheel disc brakes, limited-slip differential, radio speakers in the SEATS so you can hear music when the top is down, and like all Miatas is a fun, light, sharp-handling sports car. Okay, and it's more fun than a bag of ferrets to zoom around on a day like today with the top down. Green with tan convertible top is just a bonus, he insists...but somehow I think he likes that better than if it had been any other colour.

There's a "butterfly" suspension stiffener in its future -- a performance thing, not a safety feature. The previous owner's sheepskin seat covers are a point of mild contention: I think they are comfy, if not authentic standard, and this car DOES NOT HAVE heated seats. The original leather underneath is in good shape, precisely because she always used the sheepskin covers.

It's fun to be driven around in, though after the laser eye surgery, we're waiting a couple weeks before doing more top down driving with me in the car.

JJ...is very happy to have his own wheels, after 49 years, for the first time. His desire for a car like this began in the summer of 1973...so it's been a while coming.

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