Hot Drive Toy Hunt

Today, around 10 am, I took the car out for a drive on a breezy 102°F day. I did this to search for a specific Megatron action figure that just came out and is hard to come by. I'm not the only 30-something dude that collects Transformers, ya' know, so I had my work cut out for me.

 

Thankfully, Dallas is just lousy with Targets. We have so many Targets it's concerning. We even got Super Targets. Do you have Super Targets in your neck of the woods? Probably not.

My trip took me down a long, four lane highway that is the only way out of town. So, even at 10am on a Tuesday, it was backed up, causing many stop-and-go shenanigans. This is opposite of the kind of driving the Miata is designed for, but she performed well.

 

Many say driving a stick in stop-go traffic sucks, but the car's light clutch and easy to use shifter were more than agreeable to me.

 

I turned the manual air conditioning to the coldest setting, "Max A/C", cranked the fans to full blast, and split the airflow between the lower and upper halves of the cabin. Oh, I also closed the vent furthest from the driver's seat because, well, I need that A/C more than the empty chair did. 

Compared to any other modern car, like my partner's big ol' Hyundai Palisade, the Miata does not cool the cabin nearly as quickly or get as cold. But it does cool it to warm-but-not-sweltering-hot levels within a couple of minutes.

Your back will stay moist for a while as air doesn't flow well through the seat, but you won't be sloppy wet from sweat anymore. After about 10 minutes of motoring, especially at highway speeds, the cabin cooled enough to where I could turn the fan speed down to about 50%. That saves my precious ears from extra noise. I have limp-wristed ears, you see. But really at that point, it's as comfy as any air-conditioned space could be under a Hot Texas Summer.

By the way, the Hyundai Palisade gets to that point of comfort in about 5 minutes, tops. And it had better since its beefier air compressor is hooked up to a stronger V6 engine and must cool up to 8 passengers all at once. Toss in the cooling seats function and, yeah, it is much better and efficient at keeping you dry and relaxed. 

 

And you might ask, "Why compare the two when they're completely different cars?". The answer is simple: comparing and contrasting is fun. Let's move on.

 

I pulled into Target #1's lot, and ah, would you look at that? A Miata-friend! With aplomb, I parked as close as I could and gave it a hearty ahoy matey. 

 

The NC2 Miata owner wasn't anywhere to be seen, but I could still appreciate that it's probably the happiest looking generation so far and I adore it. It was much maligned back in the day for having a "clown smile" which is insane, but back then, every car was trying very hard to look very angry. I don't know why that was. 

 

But it was also a time of planking, Pumped Up Kicks, and eating in gastropubs that looked like 1940's industrial foundries. Things were weird, okay? 

One photo and a trip inside later, I returned, Megatron-less and thirsty. Thirsty for toys. I zipped down 75 to Target #2, a Super Target. 

What's Super Target, you ask? Weird you didn't ask me that earlier, but it's literally just a big Target. Back before Target sold groceries, Super Targets appeared to sell merchandise and groceries. Nowadays, all Targets sell both.

Here, I found a Volkswagen GTI to park next to. Inexplicably, the compact hot hatch towered over the Miata in a way that defies explanation. Somehow, the Miata is smaller on the outside.  

Inside were fewer collectibles than the last Target. Can you believe it? "Super" Target my ass. I quickly left, puttering down the highway to the final one before having to head into Dallas-proper for my search. 

Oh goody, another Mazda to befriend in Target #3's lot: A late model Mazda 3 hatchback in Soul Red Metallic. 

That paint color is similar, but not quite the same as the ND3's Soul Red Crystal Metallic. The original has a more red-orange vibe in person than the ND3's red, and it has a more pronounced metallic effect to my eye. The Miata's red is deeper, richer, glossier, and shifted more under the light. Clearly, both look great. 

I went inside. In the toy aisle, a man with Big Collector Energy zipped past. His urgent gait and feverish vibe were unmistakable. He too was a fellow hunter. There was comfort in this space. 

Uh-oh. What if he was after a Megatron, too? Was I prepared to beat some ass today? Over a toy? In Target? Yes.

He reappeared, his aura dimmed, as his remarkably large ass retreated, despondent and empty handed. I braced myself for a reality where both Target #3 failed me and I never got the man's number. I could handle one, but not both. Woe is me! 

But lo... There he was. Under a phalanx of Bumblebees and tucked away on a low-shelf behind a Grimlock, I found Megatron. 

Hell yes.

Shedding a lone tear for Craigslist's dismantled missed connections section, I motored up the road and then east, back into town. The A/C performed excellently at those speeds, as most do, and the ride stayed cushy as ever.

Like no other car at its price point, the Miata transforms from a go-kart runabout to a real car without compromising its mission of fun above all else.

Sure, the summer sun bleeds through the windshield and singes bare knees and cell phones with cruel and merciless intent. And getting in and out of something so small when you're all wet and sticky is just the worst.

But it can do it, dammit.