News Roundup - November 21, 2018: Android Auto!

So one of the things that is missing from my Miata is Android Auto. I had it built in to the Acura system when I had that car and really liked the integration. Unfortunately, Mazda really only started to deliver cars with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as part of the infotainment system with some limited 2018 models and they are expanding for 2019. Definitely behind the curve in my opinion. So today's first article was particularly interesting to me.

News Roundup - November 14, 2018

So over on Google+, I was never a big fan of the Collections feature. Nevertheless, back when I got my Acura earlier this year I set up new collection to share news stories regarding Acuras. Not sure what I'll do with that since I've moved on from Acura, but I do continue to follow some Acura race car drivers and teams - maybe something dedicated just for them (or they could end up here despite being the "wrong" brand). I followed that collection up with a new collection focused primarily on the Miata MX-5, though some general Mazda news gets in there along with Fiat 124 Spider news (since it is essentially an MX-5).

Since starting those, Google has announced they are shuttering Google+ for consumer use in August 2019. So I've been trying to decide what to keep going when that happens and how that will be achieved. This post is my first test of possibly sharing some news items via this blog to try to replace the Miata collection.

A Quick Mabry Mill Run

Top dropped - time to get twisty!

As I write this entry, I realize it has been three months since I got the new Miata MX-5. I recently clipped through the 6,000 mile mark. Mileage has been a bit high as I made a couple trips in October that were a bit long - one to the Nashville, TN area and another to Washington, DC. One of those was planned, the other was on short notice. Overall ownership experience has been mostly positive, although I do have one problem I'll need to do a quick write-up on. I also realized I have at least one story in the queue here and probably two more that I need to add.

Back to this particular entry though. This past weekend an event was held down in the Deal's Gap / Tail of the Dragon area called TougeFest. For those who don't know, Touge is a Japanese word (or at least based on a Japanese word) for "pass" and really refers to mountain passes. Those who enjoy driving the "twisties" know mountain passes are good places to find roads that traverse the gaps between mountain peaks, winding up and down mountainsides. Touge has been adopted to refer to these (often) narrow, twisting mountain roads and the fun that can be found in driving on them. The TougeFest event (from what I can tell) is based on the many car or motorcycle specific events held at the Tail of the Dragon (like MINIs on the Dragon or Miatas At The Gap). TougeFest shifts the focus just a bit to the driver and enjoying the roads, so all vehicles are welcome.

The view ahead

That's a whole lot of window cleaning products for such a small windshield!

Besides being the first Mazda I've ever owned and the first 2-seater, my new MX-5 Miata is also my first convertible. I expect I will learn several lessons around convertible ownership over time. For example, one thing I picked up reading some threads is that even if I feel comfortable leaving the top down somewhere while I go eat a meal, do some shopping, etc., there is a threat from outside things getting into the car other than to steal. E.g. birds crapping on my seats!!! So I need to be prepared for stuff like that if I decide to park it with the top down.

During the first week of ownership, one surprising thing I discovered is that the windshield has a tendency to fog up even with the top down. Which for me, is rather annoying as I really like my windshield to be crystal clear as possible. In fact, I probably tend to get a little bit OCD-ish when it comes to the windshield. With my MINI, the windshield was so pitted for so long, I kind of gave up. But now I am back to trying to figure out how to keep things clean so I can see a clear view ahead.

How I got to a Miata

My new 2018 MX-5 Miata Club in Jet Black Mica. Picking it up from Flow Mazda in Greensboro.

This is really a follow up to the introduction post that launched this blog. I wanted to go a little more in depth into how I ended with an MX-5 Miata. Not only do I have one, but it is my only vehicle and daily driver. Which means I am expecting some challenges with real life activities as a result of having such a small car. Since I've never really outlined it anywhere online, figured I might go all the way back to the beginning of my driving history and recount what I can remember of cars I've driven through the years.

When I first got my driver's license, my family had quite a few vehicles. A four door Chevy Nova that was my mom's car. We had a station wagon. A truck. A VW bus. A VW fastback. I think that was all. It was a full driveway with cars parked on the street as well.

Initially I was limited to driving the Nova. Which meant sporadically when it was available. My dad tried to teach me to drive a stick in the VW fastback, but the clutch was so tricky, I could not get it at first - at least not on hills. Then we switched to trying to "learn" me in the VW bus. Despite the sloppy shifting in that, the magic of finally "getting it" occurred in the VW bus. So it briefly became my car to use. Soon though, my dad swapped me into the VW fastback and it effectively became mine to use.

The first thing...

2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata all weather mat - driver side. Note the mounting post/port.

I'm still working on a longer post about how I ended up with a Miata for my current daily driver (and only car). But, I have to get going and help my daughters get moved off to college so I'm just going to quickly crank out this shorter entry.

I've never been big into the whole modding vehicles scene. Not sure why, but for the most part I much prefer my cars to stay stock or very close to it. I also tend to shy away from any mods that are destructive in nature. In my MINI, pretty much anything I did was stuff no one would ever see like the mod to always put it in Sport mode when I started it up.

A little welcome message

2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata, Club edition(?)

Before I start getting into the blog posts here, figured I would write up a quick introduction message. Especially since blogs feel like they are so 1990's-ish compared to all the social media platforms that are out there. The one benefit that I find with blogs is the ability to do longer, more involved content and I'm hopeful that will be the case with this location on the web as well.

As far as why I am starting up a new blog, it corresponds with a new car I just recently acquired. That car is a new 2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata. I'll go into more detail about it in future posts. The main point for this entry is that I can tell after just one week of ownership that it has stirred up some of the same excitement I had for several years of MINI ownership. I suddenly find myself considering road trips I can take, researching products and methods to take care of the new ride, and learning all I can about the culture of Miata owners.

With my MINI, I wrote about all that stuff within an existing blog that I had, so MINI posts ended up getting mixed in with lots of other topics. Which I'm not opposed to someone finding out that I also have interests in D&D or fountain pens or marathon running or the English Premier League. But it just seems to make some sense to me this go round that I segregate everything Miata related to its own little corner.

Hope you enjoy reading about this ownership journey and my experiences with my new Miata. And my apologies for this entry not being tagged - it should be the only one which is fitting since it should be the only introduction.