More on Miata Hard Tops, or, Truth really is stranger than fiction.....

Replying to the question of "Why people would drive their Miata on a beautiful day with the top raised?", Greg Burkhart suggested that perhaps they "Didn't know the hard top (or convertible top) was removable."
Believe it or not, it's not an urban legend. It actually happened! Gary Fischman got the story from Jim Rothschild at West German Mazda in Fort Washington, PA and printed it in the Del-Val newsletter. The story goes like this:

Jim got a call from a man who owned a Miata and was considering trading it in. He wanted to know about how much it would be worth. after given the approximate value, the man asked how much it would have been worth if it were a convertible. Jim explained to the man that ALL Miatas were convertibles. The man then confidently told Jim that, no, that wasn't true. He bought his Miata used three years ago and it's definitely a hardtop. Jim finally convinced the man and was met with a long silence. Finally the man exclaimed "You mean to tell me that I've been driving this car for three years and didn't know it was a convertible?