I felt like my eyes were wide open: It's a 30 year old British sports car. A Lotus, fer chrissakes. My expectation is that I probably wouldn't make it to the end of the block without one of the mirrors falling off or maybe a turn signal relay erupting in smoke. That's to be expected.
What freaked me out is how it's possible to spend thousands on a four cylinder motor with a Renault gearbox. The prospect of "fixing" something multiple times. The possibility of the car being in the shop for weeks at a time.
I've had some oddball cars and I've loved them dearly. But maybe I got spoiled by the Porsche's reliability and build quality. And really, more than that, maybe I'm just reaching the age where I'm happy these cars exist and I'm still excited to see them, but I'm glad they're someone else's problem. The Miata is dead reliable and it's a hoot to drive. I'm good for a while.