2.0L, MZR LF-VE, 16V DOHC inline 4 cylinder (VVT), 170 HP, RWD, 6-speed manual

Term driven: 2017-2018

This car was my alternative for learning manual transmission, and is the first manual car I ever purchased–third car purchased in my lifetime. I only had it for about 6 months or so, and in that time period, managed to replace the muffler with a Magnaflow unit. I also replaced the convertible top to have the new one fail–and I have a story behind that one.

I remember when I took the test drive of this car I was absolutely blown away. It was my first time driving a convertible. This car brings the whole “zoom zoom” Mazda sentiment to life. For only having 170 HP, the car had this uncanny capability of putting your back into your seat. The car could handle, but I wouldn’t exactly call it planted–there was considerable body roll. This was similar to the old Mazda 3, and I played with the idea of lowering and stiffening the chassis but never got that far.

I bought the car used with around 70k miles already on it. Given the car I traded in had 120k, I figured that I could get another 50k out of this one at least, which gives me at least 5 years since I already had a second vehicle (the Mazda 3).

To that date, I had a problem with factory exhausts. I had driven cars with aftermarket exhausts for nearly 20 years by this point and I honestly missed not hearing my throttle response. I had custom exhaust installed using a local shop dealing in Magnaflow. The exhaust installed cost maybe $500-$600 so it was a deal. I also went through Crutchfield and installed the same model Alpine head unit from my 3 into the MX-5. This would mark the first (and only) time I installed a head unit as well as aftermarket speakers by myself.

The convertible top was torn in a couple spots. There was some leaking when it rained where the footwells would collect water. The inside of the trunk also had a habit of collecting water. It was a bit of a project although the body was in decent shape. I managed to stop the trunk leak via google search solutions. The convertible top required a professional’s touch.

So I research and find the cheapest convertible top quote I can find and go for it. I learned that was a bad idea as the top was installed fine, but tension near the glass window caused a tear right where the window met the vinyl within the order of weeks. I tried calling the contractor and he did not answer. I tried to fix it myself using a type of vinyl or cement glue and it looked horrible. The top was ruined, and some of my money was wasted. The top did not leak, but it really looked terrible. The contractor did end up calling back, but by then, it was too late.

Conversations between my wife and I lead to the decision that I would by another car of my choosing as she took the Subaru I planned on using as my daily. I had my heart set on the recently released FK8 Honda Civic Type R and actually spoke with multiple Honda dealerships on it. They all wanted around 30-50% dealer mark-ups on this model as it was limited production. At the end of the day, I was ready to pull the trigger on a brand new black Subaru WRX STI–it would take a week or two to arrive.

My colleague (and auto/finance consultant) suggested I take a look at BMWs so I set foot in the local BMW dealership where I was absolutely floored by the BMW M240i M Performance vehicle located in the showroom. I had never heard of the model before I saw it with my own eyes, but I walked out of the showroom that day with that very vehicle. The Mazda MX-5 went in as a trade towards the purchase of this BMW which would become my daily driver. It was also around this timeframe that I would sell the Mazda 3 to my brother.