• Quicker then my previous car
• Good gas milage
• Large amount of trunk space
• Capability to seat 4 (as my 200 SX was really a small 2+2)

My best friend had purchased a Gen II Talon which gave me a taste of the modern sports coupe market. A quick trip to the local library to sift through microfiche produced several magazine reviews of various sports coupes. Cars in the summaries included the afore mentioned Talon/Eclipse, Ford Probe GT, Acura Integra GS-R, Honda Prelude, Mazda MX-6, and Nissan 240 SX.

At this point, I simply looked over the specs, and decided it was time to test drive cars. Initially, I liked the looks of the MX-6 and Prelude the most. The MX-6 and Probe had V6 engines, the Prelude the most HP. Of course I also had little overall knowledge as to how cars worked, power vs torque, and many other enthusiast concepts. In general: I was far from a CarDork! In the back of my mind, I also held dear the idea of finding a 300 ZX that was used for the same price as a new sports coupe.

I dressed fairly normal for Orlando weather when going car shopping: shorts and a T shirt. Yes, I could have dressed a bit GQ to be taken more seriously, but I wanted the sales schleps to look at me, and pre-judge me if they liked: this is not a Porsche we are talking about, so if they are snobs it will show through. It also provided me with a card to pull on their sales manager should they show me disrespect. Orlando is very competitive for car sales, and none of these models were hard to get.

First stop: Honda dealership. Prelude VTECs were pretty rare. I did not think of looking at the Si. If I was going to get the Lude, I wanted the VTEC. However, at a list price of over 26K, this car was quickly dismissed. The sales idiot did not help matters when he would not let me test drive one without a fight. The Lude has no back seat and little trunk room, so it did not fit the criteria too well.

Second stop: Nissan. Sales idiot did not give me the time of day. There were several used Z's on the lot for 20K. He suggested I look at something in the Sentra price range. OK, so I was eating a Slurpee at the time I came in, but it was 95 degrees outside. I demanded to see the owner. I started reeling off how I have a BS in Computer Engineering, want to spend about 20K on a car, have always liked the ZX, and am interested in the used ones I see. However, his sales representitive treated me like a dog, and I will not even look at that nor the 240 SX which is in the same price range. I pointed out how the sales idiot had no clue who he was dealing with, and could not even retain accurate information about the cars on this lot (he was mis-quoting specifications left and right). SoI departed, fairly pissed off at first but eventually with a smile on my face: there are always other cars and other dealers. Never let anyone cause you any grief. If things had went well, I may not be here with this page as getting a Z would have meant I would not own a miata :)

Third stop: Acura dealer. A frost white GS-R coupe sat in the showroom. It was a demo with 4K miles on it. I sat in it and my bro D.J. simply said "Yes". Apparently to his eyes, this was the car that looked 'me'. The only problem now was the color. I liked the Stealth Gray Pearl on the 4 door GS-R, but it was not available on the coupe. The 4 door GS-R is a wonderful car in its own right. A very capable sleeper sedan thats not too much heavier, and just about the same performer as the coupe. But I had decided on the coupe for 2 reasons: trunk space of the hatch, which is a dying car-type in the current market, and demographics. Lets face it: at 22 years of age, driving a 4 door to me seemed older then I wanted to be. Now this bright idea of mine also accentuated my youthful stupidity: coupes are way more expensive to insure then sedans. I learned that lesson in the insurance office when getting my policy set up. In my case, it was a 40% hike. OUCH!

The other cars on my list were quite capable, but never were considered after I looked at the GS-R. The Probe is a bit on the small side. The MX-6 basically the same car (and to me a bit sleeker looking). The Eclipse is a nice car, but lacks a back seat and even with a hatch, has a small trunk. Not to mention the performance model is a bit heavy and a turbo car, which in my age braket was something I did not want to insure. I did not feel any pain to get the Z...there would always be time for that in the future I presumed.

I pampered the Teg all summer, and eventually drove north to start working in the fall. I did not really push the car. I almost never hit the redline. Basically, I drove like a wus for what the car could do. This all changed when I stumbled upon GeeSeR's web page, linked from Tuan's Integra Performance Page. Fast forward a few years, and I am so very happy I chose the GS-R. The way I now drive the car, I cannot believe I babied it so much that first year or so! That is not to say I abuse the snot out of the car, nor that its wrong to drive a GS-R under 5000 RPM all of the time. I just believe to fully enjoy the car, you need to spend some quality time in the VTEC range. Whether that is merging on the highway, leaving a toll booth, or some driving schools and SCCA Solo II events. Now, if you read this you may notice a similarity in how people drive miatae. Perhaps the cars are not that different in function, even if they are in form.