Three Cheers for Chick Cars  Three Cheers for Chick Cars
Feature Article from Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car  November,
2006 - Craig Fitzgerald  As much as it wants to project the
image of the quintessential, cool, devil-may-care 1960s European
roadster, the Miata has always been unfairly labeled as a "chick
car." Maybe that's because Mazda made the fatal mistake of
offering it with an automatic transmission.  If you've ever
driven one, you know how false a characterization that is,
because a used Miata is the most capable handling car on the
road for less than $5,000, and will whip the snot out of cars
five times as expensive as soon as the road turns twisty. But,
if you want to drive one, you've got to resign yourself to
suffering the slings and arrows of the unreconstructed.
Compounding the sorority pledge image, the 1990 Miata I owned
was painted white. It looked like a breath mint with a thyroid
condition.  But after six years of goofy fun throwing the Miata
into every corner I met with my right foot pla