I've had a long day, and I'm home spending some time on the computer, and ended up here, so I thought I'd introduce myself.
I've always loved washing cars. When I was younger, I'd take dishsoap and a sponge and wash my parents' cars. The first time I did, I stopped for a second, and asked my mother if it was really okay. She said, yeah, it wasn't going to hurt anything, just don't use very much. Well, the cars came very clean, but between that, the pecan pollen, and the heat here in Texas, they never had good paint jobs.
I eventually learned to drive, and was so busy with school I didn't wash my car very much. I always had old, falling apart cars with extremely worn paint - these were the same cars I had washed as a little kid. Then, I ended up with a similarly old (1987) car, but this one had been garage kept. A nearly perfect paint job (at least comparitively)! I was enthralled! (except it was an automatic and handled like a boat, but I drove the hell out of it anyway). That car got washings and the occasional waxing with Zymol's cleaner wax. The car wasn't special enough to be to get the full, multi-stage waxing, but that paint job deserved at least some level of protection.
I then discovered what I wanted my "first" car to be. I say first because this would be the first car I purchased, the first car I chose, the first car I was fully responsible for. I wanted a Miata. Inexpensive, reliable, common (inexpensive parts and repairs), yet incredibly fun to drive. I waited months and months, and finally had enough for an NA 1.8L Miata, of some variety (that's a '94-'97, for non-Miataphiles). I wanted headrest speakers, just because, and wanted an M Edition, if I could manage it. The M Editions, except for the '95, had all the stuff I wanted. The headrest speakers, a Torsen diff, the '94 had lightweight 14" rims, the others had 15" (15 is reportedly the best size for the NA Miata). So I started my hunt. In winter (well, December... The "not-so-hot, not-so-dry season around here). I very quickly found a '94 M Edition just north of Atlanta, GA (and I'm in Austin, TX). I really wanted a '94 M, though, and this one seemed to be a good price. We bartered down to a price I liked and argeed on a day. My boyfriend and I drove out there, and discovered the car had worn shocks and tires (which the owner hadn't mentioned), but I gave in and bought it anyway. I drove it home and fell in love. I've found a local mechanic group that specializes in Miatas, and they take good care of her drivetrain, and I try to take good care of the car itself. But, I'm a slacker. The car is frequently significantly more dirty than it should be, and it doesn't get waxed enough. The paint isn't perfect - there are a few scratches, and it has swirl marks - but the Montego Blue of the 94M has such a deep, rich shine when the light hits it right. I love that car.
Pictures of the car are at
http://equiraptor.com/gallery/94M - None of the pictures really do the color justice, but at least you can get an idea. Perhaps Miatas are a dime a dozen, but I still love my car.
As you can see I'm new here as well. Lotsa good info here.
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