Everything This Car Enthusiast Knows About Cars, He Learned From the MazdaSpeed MX-5 Miata
Celebrating 30 Years of the MX-5 Miata begins with celebrating our fans and their stories. We asked owners and enthusiasts from around the country to submit their MX-5 stories to celebrate the debut of the 30th Anniversary MX-5 Miata at the Chicago Auto Show.
Brandon Matthews has always been drawn to cars. Over the years he’s owned various types, but it all changed when his friend let him drive his MX-5 Miata.
“We took it to a local rallycross,” Matthews explained. “I had never really driven one, I thought they were cool but I really didn't know much about them. After getting to drive it for a while, I fell in love with the MX-5 and had to get my own.”
Matthews is currently studying mechanical and electrical engineering in college, which has come in handy when it comes to fixing and modifying his MazdaSpeed MX-5 Miata.
“I enjoy working on my own cars a lot and I've had a couple over the years that were just a pain to do anything on,” Matthews said. “My favorite part of the MX-5 is the ease of maintenance. Parts are relatively inexpensive since there are so many MX-5s on the road and Mazda just engineered the whole car really well.”
For prior cars, Matthews would take them to a mechanic for more complex projects because they weren’t easy to work on. This is not the case with his MX-5.
“I swapped the transmission out a couple weeks ago in my garage under four jack stands, and put a new one in, and replaced the clutch,” Matthews said. “I’ve never done that before.”
Matthews has also expanded his friend group through the MX-5 community, which has allowed him to meet people from all across the United States.
“They're all pretty helpful,” he explained. “They're always happy to help out and have been a great resource for spare parts. Everyone that I met through these MX-5 clubs and groups have always been friendly, super helpful and just really nice. I've made some friends on these Facebook groups that are from out of state. We’ve even met up when they’re in town.”
Photo Credit: Andy Carter @AndyCarterPhoto
Matthews’ MX-5 has taught him most of what he know about cars, from maintaining to upgrading, to tuning, and most importantly, how to love them.
“I love my MX-5. I always enjoy road tripping in my MX-5,” Matthews added. “Even though it’s a smaller car--and I’m a tall guy--I find the term "cozy" describes the car much better than "small.”
