Id hazard to guess there are more SUV’s on our roads than standard hatch backs or sedans now days. Prior to us buying our Nissan on 20/2/ 2020 neither of us had bought a new car since the 1980’s Back in the 1980 you’d more than likely see a South Aust made Holden car ..or a Victorian made Ford …or a Toyota that was made in Victoria although some of the smaller cars were imported …Australia no longer makes any cars @John Brunner
I bought my car because I liked it. My best friend drives one and I fell in love with hers, so I had to have one, too. I've had it several years and still like it.
My dad had a litany of "off beat" vehicles: -Vauxhall -Studebaker -Simca -Nash Metropolitan Goodness knows what else he had before I was born. Lots of good American car makers have come & gone, while some endure. I forget the history of Mazda manufacturing here...I believe it used to be under a joint venture with Ford...or perhaps Ford owned them for a brief period. Mazda and Toyota have recently opened a joint manufacturing facility in the state of Alabama, with a 400,000 vehicle-per-year capacity. It's tough to pick apart "Made in XXX" these days due to domestic manufacturing of components and domestic labor of assembly.
If I had a lot of money, there would be new ones in my driveway every couple of years. They're great cars and I wish you'd had a couple of these, especially the Miata. They, like motorcycles, help keep you young of heart, mind and spirit.
I got my car because it was unlocked and idling with the keys in it, full of groceries, and appeared abandoned.
I don't think anyone wants ours. My impressing days are long gone so I like our vehicles a little on the trashy side. Or old and worn like me. Hubby still holds up well though and I want to keep him that way so no flashy autos. That way nobody wants to kill car jack, rob us over one . Its a type of freedom in a mad max world.