Top-Down Summer

I have written before what a glorious day it is to drive around with the top down in my red Miata but this year, I had a top-down summer!

How it came to be  actually started serendipitously.

Early last Spring, I discovered that over the winter, rainwater had gotten retained inside the rocker panel on the passenger’s side (in case you don’t know, the rocker panel is the part of the car below the door).

You might ask, how did I discover this?  Well one day I was driving over to our son’s house and as I rounded each corner, I heard a sloshing noise.  I thought, wow I had never heard the gasoline slosh around inside the tank before.  When I got to our son’s house, I opened the passenger door to get something off the floor and noticed the floor mat and carpet beneath were soaking wet.

I was most puzzled how that had happened.  When I got back home, I pulled the car into the garage and then using my wet/dry vac, vacuumed the water out of the carpet and floor mat.  I then pulled up the door sill cover and shined a flashlight through the tiny openings.  Inside I could see about an inch of standing water.

The car had sat outside parked on the street seldom driven for most of the winter and apparently when I drove around the corners that day, the water level was high enough to slosh out of the rocker panel and saturate the carpet and floor mat.

I taped a small rubber hose to the end of my smallest vacuum attachment and with it was able to suction the water out of the rocker panel.  I put the top down, turned on the ceiling fan in our garage and left it for a few days to dry out everything.  While it did, I pondered what it would cost to diagnose where the water was getting in from and what it would cost to fix it.  With the car being 22 years old and constantly exposed to the elements, I decided rather than spending an unknown amount of money to get it repaired, I would buy a waterproof car cover for it instead.  I figured given how badly red cars fade; this would not only protect it from the rain but the sun as well.

Once purchased, I covered the car with it and was glad to know no more rainwater would be getting inside the rocker panel.  But then after an extended period of rain, I uncovered it to drive it and discovered something disconcerting.  In spite of the cover being waterproof, moisture probably from the atmosphere had gotten under the cover and with the tension of the cover pressing on the car body, had forced moisture under the clear coat leaving a hazy appearance.

When I had gotten the car detailed before and the person pointed out a couple of hazy spots where small amounts of moisture had gotten under the clear coat, he said the only way to fix that was to repaint the car—not doing that.

So, I put the car cover in the trunk.  For a while, I would watch the forecast and whenever rain was forecast, I would park my WRX out on the street and pull the Miata into the garage.  But that was a real hassle shuffling cars and besides we know how accurate weather forecasts are.

Then in May of this year, I got a real treat.  I was able to give my first grandchild a ride in the Miata with the top down.  It was his first time ever to ride in a convertible and it was a thrill for both of us.  I had dreamed about this day for years watching my grandchildren play in the car over the years.

When I got back home, I decided to park the Miata in the garage.  With the weather predicted to be mild over the next few days, I left the top down knowing I would get more chances for top-down driving.  I did and in fact those days turned into weeks.

I quickly discovered that with the car sitting there with the top already down, I would drive it on short errands.   Normally for a short errand like running to the post office or the grocery store, I would never take the extra time to put the top down and then back up when I got home.  But with the top already down, it was like an open invitation (pun intended) to drive it even on short trips.

Once I had made the decision to keep the car in the garage with the top down, I even attached the boot cover which covers the retracted soft top and gives a convertible a nice clean finish.  This is even more of a hassle to put on than just lowering the top.  And since I had not put in on in years, I really had to stretch it to get it attached.

Over the summer, I discovered that I drove it much more than I had in recent years. And even during the extreme heat we had in Memphis during July and August when at 7 AM, the temperature was already 80F with 90% humidity, I still drove it to the gym.  What better way to cool down after a vigorous workout than to have a nice wind blowing on you.

The Autumn Equinox officially marked the end to summer and the beginning of fall but through much of October and November we continued to enjoy warm weather through an extended Indian summer. So, during those months, I got to continue to drive it with the top down.  Then on the second weekend of November, I got another thrill.

Our in-town granddaughter had a sleepover at our house.  On Sunday morning, it was in the 70s and perfect top-down weather.  Recall that cute little girl that played in the car all those years ago…

.. well, this day she got her first ride in the Miata.

It was an absolutely perfect ride and another treat to give the second of my grandchildren her first ride in a fun convertible.

Unless you have ever owned or driven a convertible, it is hard to understand the thrill of wind in your hair and a smile on your face.

I know 1967 was the Summer of Love (I was too young then) but for me, 2024 was the Summer of Top-Down Driving!