2000 Special Edition Mazda MX-5 Miata

2000 Mazda MX-5 Miata Description

What makes the 2000 Special Edition Mazda MX-5 Miata special?

• Mahogany Mica exterior paint, with a Parchment interior (a lighter tan than normal styles).
• Nardi wheel, shift knob and hand brake
• Six-speed transmission
• Bose sound system
• Polished wheels
• 3,000 SEs were produced in 2000.

What makes this car special?

I bought this car in August 2005 from a music teacher in rural Pennsylvania, where it had been garaged and seasonally driven.

On my way driving home to Alabama on I-75, about an hour out of Chattanooga, an hour before midnight, once within the range of my headlights, I noticed a large deer grazing…on the right shoulder of the highway. I firmly applied my brakes and began to veer to the left. At the same time, the deer looked up, and began running to the left. Since headlight range is really not very far in the dark of night, I knew it was unavoidable that I was going to hit this massive beast. So I kept braking, and apparently blinked my eyes, because it was over before I knew it was even happening. My car stopped on the shoulder, and I looked out the windshield, fully expecting to see my new car in a crumpled heap. It took my brain quite a while (truly) to reconcile the fact that the hood looked normal. Everything looked normal. Cars were whizzing by, so clearly there was no dead deer in the highway. The car really seemed fine, until I realized the driver’s rear mirror was missing. And then I noticed some blood on the front of my white summer shirt.

Apparently, the low height of the car essentially scooped the deer off his legs and through the air. There is a slight mark on the front tip of the hood. There is a small punch to the driver’s front quarter panel, as if the deer’s knee punched it, as it sailed by, before it slammed into the driver’s door mirror (and yes! my window was down). The driver’s door has a slight impression from the mirror being impacted. Deer hair was left behind on the left windshield support. The glass in the mirror atomized, covering me with tiny pieces of glass.

It was, to be clear, a surreal experience. I went to the hospital with a chipped tooth and small cut under my eye (thus the blood). The state trooper told me it was the first time he’d seen a person be more injured than the car, after hitting a deer.

I have replaced the mirror, but chose not to repair the body (for personal, epiphinal reasons).

A few years later, my boyfriend and I went on an extended road trip, covering 17,000 miles in the course of a summer. We camped much of the way, and this is what we were able to fit in the car:

2 sleeping bags

2 sleeping pads

2 duffle bags

2 computer bags

2 camp stools

2 pillows

a tent

a grill

a lantern

cooking equipment

and a guitar.

Well no, I’m just kidding about the guitar.

Everything fit well, until at the end of the trip we bought a roll of paper towels, and there was nowhere to put them except on the passenger’s lap. I was wildly impressed by how much we were able to comfortably carry! Everything had its place, and everything fit.

The car hasn’t been driven much over the last few years, mainly because I now live rurally among mountain roads, which I have a more practical car for driving on. It’s still fun to drop the top and wander these mountain roads from time to time. That would be fun to do in any sporty convertible, but it is extra fun in a Miata! (Remember the Zoom! Zoom! ads?)

And now it’s time to let her go so someone else can enjoy this sweet car.

I replaced the top in 2012, with the original (unique) Parchment color (not the saddle tan so many Miatas sport).

The car runs great. Starts up quick, still has tons of pep. All gauges work, stereo works, A/C blows cold, power windows and door locks, cruise control, and all lights work. On a short drive last year, I noticed it was low on oil. Since that day, there's been a knock that is only apparent at certain RPM. Other than that, it drives as it always has.

The current Kelley Blue Book value is $3919.

Here are the general specs for the 2000 Mazda Miata Mx-15 SE:

4-Cyl, 1.8 Liter

Manual, 6-Spd

RWD

Air Conditioning

Power Windows

Power Door Locks

Cruise Control

Power Steering

Bose sound system:AM/FM Stereo/ Cassette/ CD (Single Disc)

Dual Air Bags(the passenger side air bag can be disabled with the key)

LeatherSeats

The wheels come with a wheel lock.