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Purchased 25 years ago today at North Penn Mazda in Colmar, Pa. Now at 134K miles, still a great pleasure to drive and look at – such a timeless design. Seems to get better looking every year, unlike me . I’ve purchased more than 35 cars in my lifetime and this is the only one I can’t bring myself to sell. She’s a keeper for sure!
Wow! I can't get over how clean that interior is for being 25 years old and 134k miles!
How do you like the Cayman in comparison to the 7?
Thanks, that's 25 years of pampering and the fact that it's been driven only by me certainly helps. That said, pictures can be somewhat deceiving. It's very clean and I've obsessed over every blemish, but there are a few. Maybe more than a few if you look close enough! I guess I'd call it a very clean driver, both inside and out. I think that would be fair.
As far as comparing to the Cayman, wow, where to start. You can't really deny 2 decades of automotive development. As similar as they are, they're very different. The Cayman is just so solid and refined, where the FD is light and raw. Where the FD punishes you over rough roads, the Cayman takes it in stride. Even though the Cayman is only about 200 lbs. heavier, it feels much more so in rigidity and solidity. The trade-off is that the Cayman can’t match the tossability of the FD. It’s very, very good, but different, I’m sure largely due to weight and the mid-engine layout. And of course, the Cayman sounds a lot better than the FD, hard to beat the Porsche flat 6 for sound.
I bought the FD when I was 36 and drove it every day for 4 years, thru a few nasty winters with bad all-season tires. Didn’t faze me in the least to commute 60 miles a day in it. Now at 61, I can say that about the Cayman, no question. But with the crappy roads we have here, I wouldn’t want to do that in the FD anymore. However, on a nice day and on decent roads, the FD is still a blast to drive. It’s a throwback car now, not something that will ever be produced again. I suspect the Cayman will join it in my garage for the long haul.
Amazing - don't see too many original owners around. Nice to hear - hope there's many years to come !
Out of curiosity - were the mud guards an option on base models - or were those added down the road ?
Thanks! The mud flaps were a Mazda accessory that I added after the first winter, available for any of the trim levels. The paint on the area behind the rear wheels was getting pummeled by the grit and stones they put down for traction around here in the winter, creating a bunch of chips in the paint. I never loved how these looked but they were necessary, and they've now been in place for about 24 years. I'm sure the paint fade that's happened over this time would be pretty obvious if I decided to remove them now!
. I’ve purchased more than 35 cars in my lifetime and this is the only one I can’t bring myself to sell. She’s a keeper for sure!
