I bought a 2002 Miata while at Georgia Tech. It was a fun car to drive around Atlanta at night with the top down.
The convertible top was ripped when I bought it, so one of the first projects I did was to replace it. I had little experience with upholstery, so this was an interesting challenge but not too bad overall.
Later, the pilot bearing went bad, so I replaced the clutch. The Miata is surprisingly easy to work on, and parts are cheap and readily available. This job was relatively easy and quick.
The Miata is a great car to toss around, and I enjoyed competing with other Wreck Racing students in a few autocrosses we held during my time there. I also took part in a few SCCA-sanctioned autocrosses at Turner Field during that time.
Unfortunately, the convertible top was cut by someone when they robbed the car in my apartment complex a year into my time at HScott Motorsports after college. I replaced it with a hard top this time. I liked the look of the car with the hard top and wish I had taken some pictures of it during that time.