Greetings and Felicitations!

Due to the death of my wife's beater, we are now happy owners of an '03
Shinsen (#711). We got it at wholesale price (local to central Indiana).
I've been doing a little research and reading about the various things that
can be done (and some that should be done) to improve this nice little car.

The first thing on the agenda is getting a roll bar. We've decided on the
Hard Dog Deuce (side brace). Their claim is that their roll bar provides
room for "full use" of both soft and hard tops. Can anyone verify this
claim?

The second item is a hard top. From what I've read, the best bet is to get
the OEM hardtop through the local dealership (who've been very nice,
thankuveramuch). Apparently the OEM version fits better, holds paint better,
doesn't leak (quite so awfully). Is this pretty much correct?

***
This afternoon I read some articles from the late 90's about moving the
spare tire from the trunk to the area beneath the trunk-- necessitating
re-route of exhaust. Is this possible, practicable, or a darn-good-thing for
an '03 MX-5? There's a local exhaust shop that I know would be quite happy
to help with this, if recommended.
***

Any comments, hints, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.