Larry,
I don't recall reading anything today that said the Miata was anything short
of a very good car. In fact, I don't recall EVER hearing anyone say the
Miata was anything other than wonderful.
However, I think a car DOES have a lot of influence over who drives it and
how it's driven. If it didn't, the manufacturers wouldn't bother coming up
with cars like the Miata, or the Lincoln Town Car (oh sh_t! I just made
myself sick) or the Spridget.
As for your Porsche analogy, consider this: Porsches used to be a step up
in the progression from Triumphs and MGs to Ferraris (with most stopping at
MG/Triumph/Healey and the others at Porsche/Jaguar/Mercedes), just like from
Craftsman tools to Proto and Snap-On. The car was more of a tool to help
you drive "better"/enhance your driving enjoyment. Then, a terrible thing
happened: Porsche went from being recognized by only the knowledgeable to
being recognized by the masses. Consequently, the balance of Porsche buyers
began to swing from "drivers" to status seekers (hence, "the prick on the
inside") and Porsches began to be designed/built more and more as a "see-me"
car than as an all-out sports/GT car, with the end result being the Cayenne.
In today's automotive market, with the staggering cost of
design/development/Fed certification, a car MUST have a very wide appeal to
be a success. To me, the wider the appeal, the more "homogenized" and
boring the car becomes. For wide market appeal, the car has to be
"perfect", as in "idiot proof". And I hate idiot proof ANYTHING! Except
computers, of course, 'cause I'm an idiot when it comes to computers.
Bud Osbourne
-----Original Message-----
From owner-spridgets at autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-spridgets@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Larry Miller
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 4:59 PM
To: Tom and Sharon Shirley; Bud Osbourne; Spridgets
Subject: Re: FW: was Alpha Romeo, now Miata (No Lbc)
The car has no control over who drives it or how they drive it. Who and how
it's driven also have no bearing on the relative merits of the car itself,
only on the driver. I don't own one but had an extended drive in one and
think the Miata is a great car.
It's like the old joke "The difference between a Porsche and a Porcupine is
that the Porsche has the pricks on the inside"
If I based ownership of a car on how other people drive theirs I would not
have any cars.
Larry Miller
2002 Jaguar S Type V8
1978 Porsche 911SC Flat-6
2000 Toyota Tundra 4x4 V8
1959 Bugeye 4 Banger
1959 Bugeye (undergoing rebuild)
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