That may be why I like my old Miata so much for commuting. For one, my commute is a dream . . . wide-open country roads in W. TX. No traffic. The other, the Miata is so fun to drive even at the speed limit. Fresh morning and evening air just puts a smile on my face -- no matter how much crap happened at work.

I feel bad for you guys dealing with city traffic. Yuck.

 

That's why I'm typically in the office around 6:30 and out around 3:30. Or sometimes just bail on the afternoon all together and work from home.

If I leave before 6:30, I have about an 10-11 drive (all surface streets 45 or below). If leave close to 8, it becomes a 30+ minute drive bumper to bumper stoplights for miles.

 

I think you just verbalized the reason I still hold onto mine. Even driving at legal speeds and used as a commuter, a fun street car still makes me happy. Hit the nail right on the head!

 

As a % of income, I probably spend 5% or less on the Miatas. Married, we own (pay the bank monthly) our train wreck of a house, all the cars are paid for, no kids.

I got a good deal on both my Miatas and they came with some nice parts. A lot of upgrades have been funded simply by selling the parts that were being replaced. I'll hoard cash and wait for deals too. The NB is edging farther and farther toward race car stuff (still very much a street car right now though), while the NC is getting mods that make it something fun for me to drive every day, while remaining a car that my wife and I could drive cross country if we want to (already did that in it last year). Spending money even on the NC is difficult for me to justify with the NB that I'd enjoy the mods more on. And now I'm here and all I can think about is swapping the supercharger for an MKTurbo kit...

 

I told my wife about this thread and she said, "All of it! " and we both laughed our asses off. In truth it is a tiny percentage. My car is one of the cheap ones and my races only cost $400 a year, and it doesn't eat up too many consumables besides transmissions.

In short, the real answer is:
Not nearly as much as I'd like, way more than my wife wants me to.