MX-5 Commuter?

Well I have to say here that I sure can see him getting those numbers from a 1.6 L. I got the same kind of milage from my '91. You just need to keep your "lead foot" home in a box to do it. If you drive the speed limit and don't "Hot foot" the starts, it can be done. I have not had my

2003 LS on a long road trip, but I am getting 32 to 34 MPG with it around town and some freeway trips. The key is, you must want to get good milage when you drive. MOST Miata drivers drive harder than that, so they get much less milage. On a trip I made in the '91 (1.6 L) we went from Western Washington to Eastern Washington and back ( that is over two mountain passes, Sealevel to 4,000 ft and back) and got 39.? + and covered a little over 600 miles. The freeway speeds were 70 MPH and the country roads were around 50 MPH.

1.6 L will get very good milage, if you try!

Bruce Bing "03 LS

My 04 MSM gets very bad mileage, 22-23 mpg, all the time. On premium gas no less. On the other hand it's such a blast to drive that I don't care (too much).

Believe it or not as you wish. I'll be glad to show you my gas receipts. My best mileage was nearly 40 mpg on a business trip to Baltimore.

Iva & Belle.) '90B Classic Red.) #3 winkin' Miata

Psst, Bruce, I'm not a "him" !

While most of my Miata driving is done on back roads, highway driving (i.e. steady long-distance driving, not start-and-stop driving) does indeed get my little 1990 an average 36-38 mpg. And I've got the receipts to prove it.

But track driving, like the course I just took at Pocono Raceway, drops the mileage down under 15 mpg!

Iva & Belle.) '90B Classic Red.) #3 winkin' Miata

Sure, but it still doesn't look quite as clean as a coupe.

But they kind of *are* going to be offering a coupe version with the retractable hardtop option.

It's not that I don't believe you, but having a toddler in the house immediately rules out using my '95 as an only car. I tried it when I was single in my early 20s, but after buying a house and the things that come along with that, I'm not going to try it again.

Heck, I could barely get the last laser printer I purchased into my FX...there's simply no way it would have fit in the Miata. I can't help but think that the Miata-only owners are leaving out some interesting details as to how they get cargo moved from one place to the next, and when I say "cargo", I mean things like that new printer or a lawn mower or virtually anything if you happen to be carrying a passenger. I can't fit my laptop case in the car if I'm carrying a passenger.

I wouldn't call it a coupe. That is why I said you "basically" have one with a hardtop, as in not quite, but with many of the same benefits.

It still doesn't look as clean as a coupe, as you mentioned yourself, nor will it be as stiff as if the roof were metal and part of the monocoque structure of the car. I would call it a convertible roadster with a retractable hardtop, definitely not a coupe.

As far as hauling big items, I have gotten creative and even removed the passenger seat to get a TV home one time. There has been more than one long box that I have shipped that fit in the miata passenger seat but would not fit in a Camry, because the rear Camry doors would not close and I had no height limit with the top down.

Since I know roughly 138,000 people who drive pickups and SUV's, and many of them owe me favors, it has never been much of a problem getting big items like lawnmowers from place to place.

If I were married with kids at home, I would definitely have a second, larger car, so that both adults would have a vehicle and for when more than 2 people needed to travel.

Pat

One of the universal truths: It's better to know someone with a pickup truck than it is to own a pickup truck!

Same goes for a boat.

What is the old saying about it being better to rent than buy? Anything that flies, floats or...... oh yeah, that too. ;-)

Pat

Ok, I am arguing with tooloud and agreeing with XS11E. What the hell is going on here? :-)

You just have to look at the situation from the other end of the telescope. With a miata as an only car, you won't have too many friends asking you to use your vehicle to help them move large items.....

Pat

I just brought home a color laser printer in my Miata a month or so back. Or I should say, to my place of work.

You would be surprised what fits after you take it out of the box. In my experience, the main problem with items like this is not size, but weight. I could get it into the Miata, but not out of it without some help. The same with my radial arm saw which I did *not* take home in my Miata. The head might have fitted, but there was simply no way I could have lifted it in or out of the Miata.

Leon

Sorry Babe, I guess I just got caught up in the heat of the battle :-) I know you are not a "Him" and I am sure you are getting the miles you say you are. The 1.6's will do it very easy.

Bruce Bing '03 LS

Exactly, same here. If it's too big to fit in a Miata it's very probably too heavy for me to carry anyway. In either case, my solution is simple - I buy it online (which is usually cheaper anyway), and have it delivered to me at home. Anything that's that big & heavy is very likely to come with free delivery; saves time, hassle and expense all-round.

Eric

last 2 tanks, my 1.6 2001

45 litres lasted for some 370miles (600km), thats around 37mpg, or 6,6l/100km

average speed 60mph (90kmh), all on open roads, no urban-highways

Last weekend I took a trip from central Ohio to Richmond VA and back.

1037 miles on roads with speed limits varying from 40 to 70. Going I took mostly Interstates, on the way back I took some back roads through the mountains of West Virginia. Mileage averages out to 35.0 mpg.

I've tracked my mpg since I bought the car 13 years ago. Over the last

106K miles my mileage has ranged from 19.9 to 38.0.

Jim

The problem with taking everything out of the box is that I *need* most of the boxes, because a lot of the stuff I buy ends up getting shipped someplace else. Folding the box up doesn't work very well either, because it still makes for a large, rather awkward piece of cardboard that has to go somewhere.

I do know what you mean about the weight thing, though, and I've run into that more than once, too. In any case, I probably shouldn't complain about the Miata's cargo capacity--that's not what the car is for (mine, anyway) and at least it's got *WAY* more space than pretty much any convertible from GM. I think the new G6 convertible has 2.2 cubic feet of cargo space when the top is folded down; that's absolutely ridiculous for a 4-place car.

I bought my first Miata new in Feb04 for the sole purpose of a commuter car. I drive over 100 miles round trip 5 days a week and I wanted something that would be fun to drive. It was the best decision I have made in a long time concerning auto's. It is a '04 Silver and I opted for the 4sp auto tran because quite a bit of daily drive is city and I thought I would soon tire of the 6sp standard. I now have over 78,000 miles on it and have only changed oil regularly. I exceed 100mph probably twice a week when passing on the highway and almost never loose the race from red light to red light (very bad jack rabbit driver!!) and I still get about 28mpg with 87 octane regular. I have been extremely impressed with the performance of the A/T even though I know a standard is much more fun. I also drive with top down most of the time, even in 100+ weather.

Regards,

04Silver

I don't know where you're shopping, but in the online world I know, "big and heavy" doesn't usually equal "free shipping", except at Amazon, and I can't buy everything there. I was barely able to bring home my last computer (sans monitor) even after taking it out of the box because I hadn't been expecting to buy a computer that day and I had someone with me. The tower simply wouldn't fit in the trunk, so here we were trying to wedge it into the space between the back window and my seat. My passenger had to move his seat to an uncomfortable position for the 45 minute drive home.

On top of that, I've found that wedging large items into small cars has a habit of scratching everything in sight, especially if you've got leather seats. Don't get me wrong--I love my Miata--but it just wasn't designed for hauling cargo and I *really* don't care to find out what happens if I get into an accident with a color laser printer or radial arm saw sitting in the passenger seat. I lived with the Miata as my only car for several years, but I was also 21 and didn't mind making my passenger hold the cargo that wouldn't fit in the trunk. Now it's kind of embarrassing.

Here's what I brought home today in my miata. It did take two trips and a little creative trunk and parcel shelf packing.

I would have preferred your Nissan for this one, I think. :-)

Pat