Guest column: Cross country, solo, in a Mazda Miata

Written by Dorothy Bateman
Thursday, 02 August 2012 12:34

Getting ready to roll: Dottie Bateman with her trusty Miata outside her condo complex, Caswell Cove, in Milford. —Lillian Potter photoIn January, I retired after 32 years with Hersam Acorn Newspapers. I had only one thing on my bucket list, and that was to drive solo cross country in my 2008 Mazda Miata hardtop convertible. Since I am a woman, 75 years young, not all my family and friends were thrilled with the idea.

When I told them of my plans, the reactions were mixed. Eight out of ten said, “Good for you, please take me with you.” A couple people suggested I rent an SUV for the trip. 

What the non-drivers did not understand was that if I couldn’t drive my convertible across the country, I would prefer to fly. 

I have friends in Seattle, so driving out there was a good excuse, as if I needed one.

My 2008 Miata is my sixth one. I leased the first four and purchased the last two. I’ve been driving them for about 20 years. I sold my 2001 British Racing Green, LTD edition with 126,000 miles and got a pretty penny for it. The buyer is a friend, and five years later is still loving it and has not had one bit of mechanical trouble with it, nor did I in my five years owning it. I do remember needing a clutch once, but don’t remember which car it was.

I commuted from Milford to New Canaan for about 16 years, plus a few trips a year to Richmond, Va., so needless to say, I racked up the miles. The biggest expense on my 2001 was changing the timing belt as a preventative measure. I understand the newer ones have timing chains that may not need to be replaced. If you own a Miata, please talk to your mechanic if you have questions about the timing belt.

Another time I needed a battery charge. The tow-truck driver told me you rarely see a Miata on a flatbed. I can personally attest to that. Every one of my Miatas started up in the coldest winters, even though they were not garaged, but they are terrible in the smallest amount of snow. That is the only negative, in my opinion.

What made the cross-country trip most enjoyable was the fact the top goes up or down in 12 seconds and does not take up one inch of trunk space. That made it very easy when a storm popped up out of nowhere, and they did on a daily basis on my way to Seattle. My Miata has a six-speed stick shift, which I prefer to an automatic transmission on these smaller cars.

The beauty of such a small car is the ability to be able to make U-turns anywhere, and I did that frequently. The maneuvering on mountain roads was an absolute pleasure even though I was afraid to look over the side. 

I do not have the exact numbers, but I believe I got between 25 and 28 miles to the gallon. I had synthetic oil put in before I left, figuring I would be traveling in all kinds of weather and felt it was the best way to go. My mechanic agreed and sent me on my way after a thorough safety check. Since I did not have a return date, I packed the car tight. It’s incredible how much you can get into the trunk if you do it right.

I put on more than 7,000 miles and had a pretty comfortable ride. I am barely 5 feet tall, so the Miata and I are a good fit. What surprises most people is that a pretty tall person can ride comfortably because it has ample leg room.

I don’t recommend sleeping in it, which I had to do one night in North Dakota. They have an oil boom going on there, and many travelers like myself were unable to get a room anywhere. So I pulled into a rest area next to a family in an RV and rested, since sleeping was out of the question.

The only problem I had was when I drove over a sharp piece of metal. I heard it, yet I did not feel anything, but moments later my ‘flat tire’ indicator light came on. I pulled over immediately, which saved the tire from shredding. Wouldn’t you know that the mechanic who fixed my tire was also a Miata owner? Since he lived in Iowa, he also owned a truck, but felt the same way about his Miata as I do about mine.

By the way, I used to use regular gas even though premium is recommended. Well, for the trip I decided to use only premium and was amazed that I actually felt the difference. It is worth the extra change.

Barely a day goes by that someone doesn’t say to me, “Boy, that looks like a fun car.”

Yes, it is, and if I must grow old, I am going to have fun doing it.

Find out why generic viagra , and much more. Find out why cialis , and much more. Find out why viagra without prescription , and much more.