by Greg Zelazek
Well, as many of you with families know, there comes a time when additional 'wheels' needs to be purchased so fledging drivers can get themselves to school, jobs, trouble or whatever else they can find to get themselves out of the house. That time has come to our household and when asked (or told) what kind of car to get, I politely pointed to the Toyota Camry and quoted Clark Griswald: "If you hate it now, wait 'til you drive it!" This means I get to find something more interesting for my commute.
The Miata was one of my choices for all the obvious reasons, and, as an early Elan owner, I knew I could feel right at home. Clark Lance, one of our east coast members, let me drive his early version, a 92 I think, and it was everything everyone says it is.
I found a really clean '01 and after a test drive (gee, is this thing really that slow?) the Zelazek's and the dealer struck a deal. Woo Hoo, I've got an everyday Lotus!
Okay, so after two weeks of driving it, here's my take on the Miata. At least its not considered a 'Ricer'. The ricers see Miata's demographics as young girls and balding old men. I'm pretty sure I fit in one of those categories. Its horn is REALLY Japanese sounding. Yep, only one horn that sounds like a toy. Time for a set of truck air blasters. The exhaust note is, well, REALLY Japanese sounding. Time to peruse the Moss catalog for something to let me know I'm driving something other than a sewing machine. The gearshifter, on the other hand, is fantastic. Definitely, Elan-like. The power steering and power brakes certainly make it very civil. So lets hop in the Elan for a back to back comparison.
Whoa! Its like going from boxing gloves to bare knuckles. I kinda like having the same horsepower and more torque pulling about 800 pounds less. And running through a set of big bore headers, into a 2" exhaust lets me know where my revs are. And lets not forget about the 'attention getter' factor. The Elan definitely turns heads whereas the Miata, well, there's plenty of them out there. Remember the old days when sports car drivers waved at each other? I now have Miata drivers, especially those in modified ones, wave at the Elan!
It was said to me that I may consider selling the Elan because I have the Miata, ie, a replacement. NAHHHH! These two cars compliment each other and after a week in the Miata. I yearn for the bare knuckles drive of my Elan. And after a weekend of feverously watching the temp gauge, checking the oil level and coming up with another punch list of things to improve. I'm ready for the Miata on Monday.