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Inside Mazda

A Mazda Family discovers the MX-5 RF

Love at first sight with the MX-5 RF

Mazda Family Loyalty

The all-new Mazda MX-5 Miata RF is making quite a splash as the first models start arriving in dealerships. Longtime MX-5 Miata fans are excited about the new power retractable fastback, but the bold design is also pulling in sports car enthusiasts from other brands as well as Mazda owners who have not yet joined the MX-5 Miata community.

Kevin Edgren is a longtime Mazda driver, when he heard about the MX-5 RF after it was revealed at the New York International Auto Show, Kevin was ecstatic.

“I loved the lines,” Kevin explained. “It looked like a coupe. Then when the roof was lowered, I knew I had just seen my next car.”

Kevin didn’t need much selling. He and his family have been driving Mazdas for over 12 years.

“We currently have four Mazdas,” he said. “I have a 2004 Mazda6 Sportwagon that I bought new. My wife picked up a 2016 Mazda3 Grand Touring just a few months ago. My daughter purchased a 2012 Mazda3, and my younger son drives a 2001 Protegé MP3. My oldest son had a Mazda3 when he was single, then had a Mazda5 when he had kids.”

Kevin is still passionate about his Mazda6 Sportwagon after 12 years of ownership.

“I’m a big fan of wagons,” he explained. “I went to the Mazda website, did a search and found what I was looking for – a Sport package with manual transmission and a BOSE stereo, about 100 miles away.  I emailed them, got a good price, made the arrangements, and took the train to pick it up. That was over 12 years ago and I still love the car. I still look at it when it’s parked and think what a great looking car it is. It’s been the most trouble-free car I’ve ever owned.”

Like many Mazda owners, Kevin has a history with sports cars that informs his buying decisions.

“When I was 20 years old I bought a Porsche 914 2.0,” he said. “I absolutely loved that car. It wasn’t the fastest car in town but the handling was fantastic. One of the things I really liked about it was the removable hardtop that stored in the trunk.”

And while he loves his Mazda6 wagon, he’s at a stage in his life where a new convertible can fit into his budget and his lifestyle.  

“Now that I’m older and the kids are gone, I’ve been wanting to get a fun two-seater again,” he said. “I felt like the guy in the Mazda commercial that gets a new MX-5 to replace the one he had as a kid. The RF looks like the perfect replacement for my old 914. Last month, I flew down to the LA Auto Show and saw it in person.”  

Once he sat in the RF, Kevin was sold.

“I’m planning to get one on my birthday in a year and a half,” he said. “It will be hard to wait, but good things are worth waiting for.”