Road Review: Nick’s 1993 Mazda MX5 Miata
Posted: December 15, 2011 Filed under: Photography by Dan Valanzola, Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1.6, 1992, 1993, 4, 92, 93, Beat, Car, Cat, catback, Convertible, Cruising, driving, exhaust, Flyin, four, full, fun, girly, great, handling, HFC, Inline, joy, magnaflow, Mazda, Miata, Mind, mine, motor, my, N1, NA, Over, own, photos, racing, review, Roadster, Sport, Sports, stage 2, Suspension, Test, Thoughts 1 Comment »
My ’93 Mazda Miata
The Mazda Miata is, in many ways, a controversial car among auto enthusiasts. On one hand it has a huge enthusiast following and is one of the best selling sports cars of all time, and on the other hand there are many people who wouldn’t call it a sports car at all. The later often likes to stigmatize the Miata as a “girls car” that is more of a fashion accessory than a driving machine. For a while I was one of those people, I thought the Miata was too slow to offer any excitement. However, a few years ago, I got my hands on EVO Magazine’s piece on the 100 greatest driver’s cars of all time and I was shocked to see the Miata in the top ten. I read their reasoning on their choice, and their general thoughts on the car. They said it was like many faster sports cars, but the whole experience is in slow motion, and that it really allows you to both savor the experience of driving and work on your technique. My mind was forever changed about the Miata, so much so that I decided to buy one a few months later to have as a fun second car. I have now owned it for around a year and a half, and have tried to sum the car up for you below. Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: Infiniti G35
Posted: September 20, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 3.5L, 35, 350Z, buy, comfort, G35, great, Infiniti, info, Luxury, manual, Market, Mind, Modded, Modified, motor, Nissan, Over, saint, secondhand, Sport, Transmission, Used, V6, VQ, Z Leave a comment »
G35 Coupe
The G35 pretty much saved the Infiniti brand when it came out. It offered an extremely solid package for a very good price offering better performance than its German competition for less money. The G35 shared its platform with the Nissan 350Z, making the sedan a four door sports car and the coupe a more comfortable Z. It was a rock solid lineup and they sold like hotcakes to executives and enthusiasts alike. Now they are among the best used cars you can buy if you’re looking for something that’s got everything. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: ’91 Dodge Super Ram 350 Cummins Turbodiesel
Posted: September 15, 2011 Filed under: Off-Road Able, Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 350, Banks, Cummins, Diesel, Dodge, great, manual, Mind, Minnesota, MN, motor, Over, Pack, pick, Pickup, power, Ram, Super, Torque, Truck, turbo, Turbodiesel, up 2 Comments »
Super Ram 350 Cummins
For me a pickup needs to be something I’m not afraid to get dirty or ding up, but it needs to be mechanically bulletproof and able to haul anything you can throw at it. A good truck also needs to have some balls when you step on the gas pedal and a good ride so you can relax on your way home from a hard day’s work. My uncle George’s Dodge Ram Cummins is just such a truck and he was nice enough to let me take it on a spin during our family reunion. Read the rest of this entry »
EVO: Roadsters in the Italian alps
Posted: August 14, 2011 Filed under: Auto Idolatry | Tags: 3.8, 4.2, 4.7, 6, 8C, 911, 997, Alfa, Alps, Aston, Audi, Cabriolet, Comptetizione, Drive, Evo, Flat, great, GTS, Italian, L., Magazine, Martin, Mind, motor, Over, Pass, Porsche, R8, Road, roads, Romeo, six, sound, Spider, Spyder, Stelvio, Test, V8, Vantage, volante Leave a comment »Video from EVO Magazine from their test in the Italian alps. The contenders are the drop-top versions of the Audi R8 4.2, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Alfa Romeo 8C, and the Porsche 997 GTS. They ask which car sounds the best, and which one you’d have if you were to pick. While the Audi or Porsche are almost certainly the fastest, I would pick the Alfa Romeo hands down because it speaks to my soul. What would you pick for a blast through the Alps? Tell us in the comments.
-Nick
Just Cruisin
Posted: June 26, 2011 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: automotive, Cars, Cruising, Drive, driving, enthusiast, Excitement, for a, fun, getting lost, going, great, Insights, Mazda, Miata, Mind over motor, MX5, pleasure, roads Leave a comment »
My Miata on a lonely back road
Today was one of those utterly free days where I could actually do whatever I wanted, so I decided, having just gotten my Miata back from a long stint at the shop, that I would take it out and just go on an aimless cruise to wherever the road took me. Read the rest of this entry »
