Boy, lots of replies here!
I'll try to address some questions/comments.
In the Saturn I average about 40-41 for the better 9-10mo out of the year (cars bone stock). Winter drops me down to 37-ish. Regardless of how good this car is though no amount of lowering/modding is going to make it 'fun'. It's still going to be a FWD car (the most horrid of drive configurations IMHO), with a spongy chassis, numb feel and not a sporting bolt in the whole of its construction. It's a great car and I have tremendous respect for what Saturn did when they built it but it bores me to tears.
I figured aero and ridiculously short gearing would hurt me on the Miata. I considered a 3.64 R&P swap to be pretty much mandatory. If I could get even NEAR 40mpg (even 36-37mpg) it would be worth it, to me. I was really just wondering what a carefully driven Miata could accomplish as it seems like my best bet for that all-elusive 'fun/milage' ratio that I long for.
