Not for the first time, I noticed my 92 Miata was turning 3500rpms at
65mph in 5th today and it occured to me that actual "wear" on the engine is much higher in this car than my others. My wife's 4cyl Accord turns about 2900 at the same speed and my V6 Runner turns 1900 at that speed. Based on this, the Miata mileage (120,000) actually reflects much more engine "usage" than most cars. If it were the Accord, it would actually be at 140,400 and the 4Runner would be at 174,000. I know it's all in the gearing but considering how tight my engine still is (and many others I've been in with considerably more mileage) it speaks even higher of this engine design. Then I factored in the fact that I usually don't use 5th gear unless I'm on a long trip, and it is even higher than this (I like the acceleration in 4th at 65mph too much to go for the higher gear and gas mileage on shorter trips). It's also one more good reason to stick with those 3K oil changes since that equates to 4.3K in my Runner. I'm fortunate to live in an area where most of my driving is 65, even on the twisties on the way to work! Just some idle thoughts about how good this car really is.Tom
92 Red