Hi!
You sound much like I did before I purchased my Miata- reeeeaaaalll iffy!
Then a car accident that totalled my previous vehicle
decided it all for me and launched me into this love affair with my new
(old) car! I used to be a car salesman back when, so I
hear you when you voice trepidation about driving one at a dealership, but
I'll tell you this- car salespeople will respect your need
to shop and think as long as you are up front and tell them you are still in
that stage. They will call and ask later on if you had decided or whatever-
as any good salesperson will do- but know they are just people like you and
me. I felt so sorry for the salesman I bought my Miata from, as I "took no
prisoners" when it came to the don't-bug-me-and-let-me-decide-edness I
unnecessarily harped at him from my first phone inquiry to finalizing the
paperwork. "Miatas sell themselves," he said. "I don't
HAVE to push a sale on these cars." And they can be helpful- they'll call
you when they get a car in that you might be interested in.
So don't be afraid of the salepeople- just remember they work for YOU, not
the other way around. They don't really see a DumDum sucker when they look
at you, as the cartoons of old depicted! Especially if you're educated on
the vehicle and sure of what you want. Were I still a carsalesman, I'd
admire the fact you knew what you wanted and weren't going to be "sold" by
anything other than the car itself. Practicing "Buyer Beware" and following
through with those vehicle checks (a lot of dealers will provide a carfax
report for you at no charge) will assure you won't get a car you don't want.
As for gasoline, I always put mid grade (89) in my Miata, and treat "her"
occaisionally to a tank of high test for no other reason than I just love
this car, for it runs beautifully on mid grade. My friend purchased a '97
because he liked the pop up headlights and that was the last year they had
them, and he just loves the car. His wife totalled his previous car (a 90
Miata), so he found another for himself.

On your insurance query, I pay the same premium on this car as I did on my
previous, same year car (which was a minivan of all things!). It does
depend on your driving history. I hope others here will pipe up on their
own insurance costs and knowledge for you, because I'm not educated in it
enough to even guess. I do know your insurance company will welcome the
opportunity to quote for you what you could expect to pay based on your
existing history with them. You have but to call, give them the make,
model, year, safety devices and price range of your desired vehicle, and
they can have it for you in a flash- people do it all the time, and it's a
part of their job. I did this before my purchase- I don't like surprises
when it comes to things like that! Trust me- they won't mind doing that for
you at all.

I have owned a TR, an MG, and a Fiat Spider. DON'T buy any of those! Your
friend's experience was typical of any of those cars! But they ARE such
fun! (But Miatas are "funner"!!!)

I hope to read you have bought and love your Miata sometime soon- life's
just too short to waste time driving anything less!!
Keep us posted on your progress.
Candy93red

"Rivergoat" > wrote in message
...
> Hey Candy:
>
> Thanks for the tips. Because of such high costs, in many respects I
> don't want a new one, but one maybe only 2 years old. Yes, I've
> started studying Consumer Reports and various other areas of research.
> I also took the advice and spent time today on miata.net reading about
> things to look for. Much of it common sense when looking at
> "pre-owned" but well worth repeating.
>
> Years ago a friend had an MG (we decided that MG stood for "might go"
> as that car spent more time in the shop than on the road, but that's
> typical of many MGs; and I once read an article that said the British
> Triumph was the best reason to take up walking!!!). Anyway, point is I
> had a chance to drive the MG a little. We took it up around Bodega Bay
> (I live around the San Francisco area) and I must say I had a blast
> with it. The Miata is for all intent and purpose much like the MG I
> would imagine, that is as far as a roadster is concerned. It's just a
> LOT more reliable.
>
> When I'm truly ready I'll look at cars in person; I have checked on
> line sales, however. I even saw one in my area that would basically be
> the perfect one I'd look for, though I just can't commit to it just
> yet, there are work issues that need resolving as our company is
> fighting for some well deserved rights. But that's blah blah woof
> woof; there will always be cars around. I hope to make a dealership
> truly sweat, not me. I would plan to do as recommended and crawl all
> over and under one (or more). Drive a new one? Yeah, maybe, but until
> I win the lottery I'd rather get one for $10,000 less! Good tip about
> driving with the windows and top up, however; I'm gathering they are a
> bit noisy and it's best to hear it run in as quiet an environment as
> possible.
>
> Lastly...what about gas? Do they really take the highest octane (91
> around here) or does 89 do a good enough job, let alone running 87? I
> prefer 89 now depending on prices. Also, you did bring up insurance.
> How does a Miata compare with a standard coupe? Obviously my own
> insurance and my own record will ultimately determine, and I would
> call them when ready.
>
> If my Honda just gets to be too much, I'm still confident I could find
> a new home for it quickly as it's a rather rare model. I could easily
> drop $3k-$5K in it without blinking, but I may be blinking. We'll see;
> thanks, I'll keep reading the boards and studying up. I'll post when
> I've actually started test driving one, too!