See, I disagree with you there AJ. They are two different cars by all means. But to me, getting out of a Miata like yours, I would be just as proud of it as a Vette...will it get the attention the Vette gets? No. Would I be bringing girls home in the Miata...probably not....the Vette...probably could.
But then again, any sports car I would be proud of. My Cobalt...not so much.
I think I'm going to have to do some reading because now I'm curious about the Miata and what it's capable of in terms of power...no swap, just NA or FI.
And I didn't realize so much changed in 09 with the RX8...especially the R3 model. I may very well have to consider one of those in about 3 years. By then they should be decently priced and still have semi-lower mileage.
This is why I like Porsche's so much. I would really love to get into a 944 (944 Turbo even better) or a 968 (but I prefer they front end styling of the 944). Ultimately I would love to get into a 996 or 997 some day. But I'll take baby steps first.
Maybe if I start working on it, I can get something then trade up a few times until I'm into something I really enjoy.