Odd O'blography

Clutch Performance

Occasionally, this topic is suggested in the WDC newsfeed: Name something that you're simply happy with...

For me, that would be my 2008 Mazda Miata convertible.

I started looking for a convertible in 2010, after driving a 'pop-top' Honda Del Sol for a couple of years. That car had been gifted to me by my older sister. It felt a little tired at 180,000 miles, but I enjoyed the (almost) open-air experience with the top removed. And the engine was still running well, so I regifted the Del Sol to my daughter and told my wife that I needed a real convertible for myself (Liz drove the Del Sol another 30K miles).

There were a number of desirable cars available at the time, even after I disqualified the four-door models as too big and the Lotus Elise as too exotic (but super cool). I considered the Saturn Sky, Toyota MR2, Honda S2000, BMW M3, even the FIAT Spider. They were all attractive cars with the top down, but less so with the ragtop up. I decided that I wanted a power retractable hardtop. That left only the Mazda Miata in my price range. But that was okay, because Mazda builds reliable cars that get good gas mileage. The Miata may be a bit short on horsepower, but it provides a ton of fun. And a Miata with the hardtop up is almost as pretty as it is with the hardtop down.

I got lucky in 2011 when a low-mileage Miata PRHT model showed up at a nearby Toyota dealership. The paint is Stormy Blue Mica, and it has the upgraded suspension package with 17-inch wheels, Bilstein shocks, and a limited slip rear differential. In other words, Zoom-Zoom! The Toyota salesman told me it was a trade-in from a guy who married a woman with 2 kids and needed the interior space of a RAV4. The salesman was also motivated by the cold February rain to move that convertible quickly. So, I got exactly the car I wanted, with only 4300 miles on it, for $10,000 dollars less than new. And I've been simply happy with it for the last fourteen years.

Something I haven’t been happy with is an arthritic left knee. The reason I finally gave up my motorcycle and bought the Miata is that my knee no longer felt solid enough to handle riding. And it’s only gotten worse over the years. I've seen doctors, I've used lots of aspirin and, recently, I've begun to contemplate a knee replacement. So, a couple of weeks ago I saw an orthopedist to discuss the alternatives. He insisted on a new series of X-rays and determined that I have advanced arthritis. Well, duh. Then he drained 30cc of fluid from the knee and gave me a cortisone shot. He told me I could proceed with a knee replacement whenever I was ready, but the cortisone might allow me to postpone an operation for another year or two.

I can hardly believe how well it worked! Why didn't I try that years ago? I started walking normally again immediately. The sun was shining brightly as I left the clinic, and so was my attitude. I felt like a kid with a new toy. I felt so good that I got a bit overexuberant on the drive home. I love cranking up the tunes and going through the gears in my Miata. I like going fast, but I admit that I'm slightly less skilled than the average grand prix driver. I missed a shift and hit the gas in fifth when I meant to be in third. The RPMs went zoom, but the car did not. Uh, oh, what's that acrid burning smell? Yep, I fried the clutch.

The car still drove okay (as long as I didn't accelerate too hard), but like my arthritic knee, I knew it would only get worse with time. And unlike the knee, there's no quick fix to make the clutch feel better. So, I took the Miata in for a new clutch.

Things had changed since my last service appointment. They have this new-fangled thing called the internet now. The Mazda shop sent me a link to a video of the mechanic going over my car. The first thing he said when opening the hood was that it smelled like burnt clutch. Not a surprise. Then he looked at the fluids. The engine oil was okay by mileage but overdue by the calendar. The differential, transmission, power steering, and brake fluid had all been changed at the 40,000-mile service, but that was eleven years ago. So, I told the shop to bring all the scheduled maintenance up to date while they were at it.

I haven’t put a lot of miles on the Miata since my retirement in 2016, but time marches on. The mechanic looked at my tires and pronounced them expired. How could that be? They had less than 20,000 miles on them since, uh, 2014. I’d never heard the term expired used for tires before, but he pointed out several places where the twelve-year old tread was starting to chunk off little bits of rubber. Adding four new tires to the bill made a total of ouch!

But I love that car, and the new clutch feels even better than my lubricated knee. So, even after the big bill, if you ask me to name something that I'm simply happy with . . .
It would still be my 2008 Mazda Miata convertible.

Zoom-Zoom!