Miata Is Always The Answer! After Some Convincing...

"PICKLEBOY" (pickleboy) 04/08/2014 at 11:44 • Filed to: Miata, the answer, practical, classic, vintage

6

55

OK . So about a week ago I asked you guys for some suggestions what to get my brother for his second car, having totaled his first car, a 96 Honda Civic Ex Coupe. I appreciated the responses and did read all of them, but I ran across a little gem while exploring the wonderful realm of Craigslist. A gem which surprisingly took quite a bit of convincing for my brother to consider let alone purchase.

A Mazda Miata! Because we all know " Miata Is Always The Answer. "

Ok , big deal right? Miatas are everywhere on Craigslist some great, some not so great. Well this particular Miata is a not great, its amazing! And here's a little story of how I convinced my brother to buy one of the most impractical cars.

If it seems like I'm excited, its because I am. I consider myself a car enthusiast, something my brother is not, but he still likes a fun car and as the only gear head in my family we have never owned any kind of sports car til' now. (BTW for some background. I am 19, a junior in college, and my brother is a senior in high school)

My brother just wrecked his first car, and while we waited for Allstate to finish up our claim, my brother and I began searching for his next car. He wanted something practical, with 4 seats, plenty of trunk space, and it needed to be fun, but he particularly wanted a Civic Si. With a 8k budget we quickly found out that people that sell their Civic Si's think they are worth much more than they really are. By much more I mean their car according to KBB is worth 7 or 8k private sell and they are asking for 10 or 11k . So we quickly took that off our list. So then we began to look at any coupe or sporty sedan that would meet his needs.

I personally drive a 2006 Toyota Corolla S (It's an Automatic; not what you call an enthusiast's car, I purchased it before I became a gear head, but this car still has a special place in my heart lol) but for our car search I first suggested a Toyota Celica, Mazda3 (hatch or sedan,) Honda Prelude, and of course the Mazda3. In the midst of the search I came across a white Miata.

It was described as garage kept, well maintained, with 52k miles, with no damage on the paint, a clean car fax, with only one picture of the car and the seller's location was in a wealthy neighborhood in our city so I immediately assumed the owner was an older man, which was a good sign. All for $4500. I thought it's description was too good to be true (as that happens quite often on Craigslist)

So I mentioned it to my brother and I got the following responses "The Miata is too small ... I hate convertibles... its a girl car ... its too old ... its UGLY ... its dangerous and extremely unpractical , it has 2 seats.... that makes no sense for me to get that" and there were very many other similar statements he sent me over text while I desperately tried to convince him to consider it. So I gave up trying to convince him, after all, he wanted something with more than 2 seats, more space, and bigger.

Well the next day he calls me and begins to tell me how he called the guy about it, where just the day before he swore he would never want it (he later told me how he looked up videos of the Miata and reviews which made him consider it.) It turned out that the seller was in his mid 70s who had two hip surgeries and could no longer shift gears easily and he had just purchased a new 2014 Automatic Miata. My brother told me he seemed very disappointed that he had to sell his Miata and that it was more fun to him than the new one, but he needed to get rid of it. So my brother got a date and time for a meeting, my brother doesn't know how to drive stick, so I had to go with him.

Sadly the seller ended up having to move the date back a day because he forgot he had orchestra tickets for that afternoon, so it was now on a friday. I was very disappointed to hear that because I was then unable to make it to the test drive because I was in Atlanta for an engineering competition, so my father had to go with my brother. *Side note* My father is all about practicality and was immediately against purchasing this vehicle. He said there was no way he was going to be ok with my brother buying a 25 year old car, let alone a 2 seater, but he went anyways.

To shorten the story, they went to the test drive they were extremely impressed with the car. My father drives a 1992 Mazda B2600i which he has babied and told me the Miata was in better shape than his 23 year old truck (which immediately surprised me) My father was so impressed that while my brother went on a ride with the seller, he told my mother " If Trenton doesn't buy this car, we're buying it ." My brother ended up liking the car and bought it for $3750 after talking him down from $4500 because the first owner of the car took the AC out of the car and being in Savannah, GA you need AC when its 90+% humidity and 100 degrees even with a convertable.

Now how amazing is it? It's a 1990 , just below 52k miles, practically mint condition amazing! It has a clean car fax, not a single scratch on the paint (not exaggerating,) everything works, it's bone stock (even has the original radio,) the soft top looks brand new (did I mention it's original,) the list goes on and This Miata is no crack pipe at a mere $3750.

I may be too excited about this car, but I think its an amazing find. Considering most Miatas are modified in some way and that many of them are over valued (example: theres a 1990 on savannah.craigslist with 110k miles asking for $5200)

It's my family's first sports car. It's a classic (going to get GA vintage tag) AND since my brother has to learn stick, we traded cars while he's learning, and I get to drive it for the next week :) We already ordered a roll bar for it as my parents made it a requirement for my brother to have one, but why wouldn't you want one?

Did I mention I'm excited? and its not even my car lol.

Reigntastic > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 11:49

0

That's absolutely a great find, car looks beautiful. No serious gaps, and adult owned and driven. You don't find NBs for that price in that condition with such minimal mileage, that's almost museum quality as far as I'm concerned.

I hope your brother is nice to it.

PICKLEBOY > Reigntastic 04/08/2014 at 11:54

0

thanks, trust me, I won't let him mistreat it as much as I can lol, but he's a careful driver so it'll be in good hands. I've always thought about getting a miata one day but always told myself it had to be a NA miata and that's what we got.

UKGTR335 > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 11:54

0

Wow, nice find. Car looks very clean! Have fun!

waymoe > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:03

2

Your younger brother totaled a honda civic so you convinced him to buy a miata. Your brother is going to die and it's your fault. OR your brother is going to total this car and kill someone, still your fault. That being said, all I really want to know is how much Mazda paid you to write this.

Reigntastic > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:06

0

How'd he total his civic, jw?

Brian, The Life of > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:14

1

Well played, Pickleboy. Way to prosthelytize and grow the flock of the Faithful! ;)

PICKLEBOY > Reigntastic 04/08/2014 at 12:16

0

Well he tried to avoid a cat that ran infront of him, hitting the curb. It took out his radiator and bent some of the front suspension.

PICKLEBOY > waymoe 04/08/2014 at 12:17

1

I wasn't paid to write this by anyone and accidents happen. He'll be fine. Go troll somewhere else

zeontestpilot > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:21

0

I like how this story had a happy ending.

PICKLEBOY > Brian, The Life of 04/08/2014 at 12:22

0

I wrote it here because I knew the flocks would love it lol (hence the title)

Having read many articles on the Miata and never owning one now that I've been driving it for a few days I see why there's so much hype. It is lots of fun

PICKLEBOY > UKGTR335 04/08/2014 at 12:22

0

Thanks, just wanted to share my first Miata experience

PICKLEBOY > UKGTR335 04/08/2014 at 12:23

0

thanks

PICKLEBOY > zeontestpilot 04/08/2014 at 12:24

0

and I am enjoying it more and more, it's been raining for the past 2 days here in Savannah though, want to put the top down so bad

MPA > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:26

0

You need to de-tooth the thing - the tow hooks on the front ;)

PICKLEBOY > MPA 04/08/2014 at 12:28

1

were wanting to keep it as original as possible, the only things were going to change are adding a roll bar and maybe swapping the stereo out for the headunit my brother had in his civic

Soloburrito > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:28

0

Wow that Miata is so nice, I kinda hope you guys don't do anything to it. Find a beater Miata to upgrade/track if you ever want to. Baby this one forever and ever!

waymoe > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:31

2

I am not a troll. I am waymoe. Waymoe is love. Waymoe is life.

Reigntastic > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:35

1

Oh, that's no fun. I remember my dad giving me the "why you should run over cute animals instead of swerving" talk.

zeontestpilot > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:36

0

Ha, you're making me jealous. I'm on a voyage of purchasing a second car but its extremely difficult in Michigan because its where the Big 3 live. Finding a used, decent priced anything that isn't GM, Ford, or Chrysler is quite difficult.

Bryce Womeldurf > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:40

0

Seems like a pretty fair price. That sucks about the AC. Without AC it would kind of be a deal breaker for me in Florida, but I'm guessing Georgia is slightly less humid than it is here. I bought a '95 last year for $2800 with 128k miles. With tax it was a little over $3k. I bought mine in Orlando, FL and drove it home to Tampa, but unfortunately it overheated on the way and blew the headgasket. So it was an expensive first year, roughly doubling the cost of the car, between the HG, the radiator, timing belt, water pump, hoses, hoses again after the oil cooler leaked into the coolant system. It finally got reliable to drive around October and I've been driving it every chance I get ever since. I went through a similar situation with my little brother last year, with him totaling his first car. Only in my case, I bought a Miata (to replace a car I'd sold a few years ago) and he replaced his wrecked Cobalt with a used Wrangler. I'd recommend he clean out the front fenders every few months as well as the drains behind the seat belts. Leaves and pollen will settle in the fenders potentially causing rust. And if the drains clog, he'll probably end up with water in his trunk.

Also, he might want to check the condition of the rubber boots under the leather shift boot. I recently changed the rubber boots under mine and both were completely blown. It shifted okay, but notchy before, and I came to find out that it had no tip bushing on the bottom of the shifter. This past weekend, I just changed the transmission fluid, the turret fluid (same as trans) with the Ford fluid that Miata owners rave about, and changed the differential fluid for Redline fluid, refreshed all of the bushings and boots in the shifter and the difference is incredible. I didn't realize it but I had been shifting up at only 4000 rpm most of the time, because things didn't feel exactly right staying at high engine speed for very long. Now, with the new bushing, everything is so smooth that I find myself holding a lower gear for longer and riding the gear all the way to redline. It's a very different feel, because I actually found myself holding myself back from overdriving the car yesterday. I could finally feel the weight moving around. You could really push it further.

Other than that, I'd go through the baselining checklist on miata.net for tips on what to look at as far as maintenance. Alignment and tires are supposedly huge factors in these cars and as soon as I get a little money together I'm planning on getting what's called the Lanny alignment.

Despite what people might have you think, it's not really as impractical as some might think. I was once able to fit $250 worth of groceries in the trunk. It sure is a hoot to drive though. I was actually giggling when I came home yesterday after driving it with the refreshed shifter. It made a huge difference. Much more than I thought it would.

P.S. sorry for the long post. I get excited and have to share the geek knowledge that I've learned over the past year. It's an exciting car to own.

707Miata > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 12:56

0

That Miata is immaculate! Make sure you watch out for those short nose crank issues, however

PICKLEBOY > 707Miata 04/08/2014 at 13:37

0

Please explain?

PICKLEBOY > zeontestpilot 04/08/2014 at 13:42

0

That sucks, good luck to ya though

PICKLEBOY > Reigntastic 04/08/2014 at 13:43

1

Yeah he said never avoiding a cat again

PICKLEBOY > Soloburrito 04/08/2014 at 13:43

0

that's the plan

PICKLEBOY > Bryce Womeldurf 04/08/2014 at 13:51

0

No don't be sorry, thanks for sharing, Ill check those things out, although could you explain where this drain is you speak of?

Btw I'm sure we are just as humid as you are in florida, just not as hot. We still get into the upper 90s with 90+% humidity here. And it is pollen season, already got it in the car

Bryce Womeldurf > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 14:47

0

This thread should give you an idea of where to look.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.…

And this one shows how the fender opens.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.…

If he smells gas, that's not unusual in these cars. There's a fill hose in the trunk, behind a panel on the left side of the trunk that would most likely not be leaking but be the cause of the smell. It's a simple 2 clamps remove and then install a new one if that's the case.

A few other things that could cause that in this link.

http://revlimiter.net/blog/2012/07/h…

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 14:48

0

That is a great find right there! Im partial to NB miatas because that was my second car but that is the score of a lifetime right there!

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 14:50

0

Its isolated the the 90 and 91 models. Here is a link about it though http://www.miata.net/garage/cranksh…

PICKLEBOY > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 04/08/2014 at 15:38

0

thanks

PICKLEBOY > Bryce Womeldurf 04/08/2014 at 15:39

0

appreciate it, I don't smell gas, but I'll look into those things

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 15:40

0

Yea anytime. Have your brother join a miata forum. (im part of this one: http://forum.miata.net/vb/index.php ) There is a wealth of knowledge to be had

Bryce Womeldurf > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 15:48

0

Hah, yeah, mine had a cornucopia of bad smells. So far I've changed that hose, the shifter boots, and the CAS o-ring at the back of the head, which were all creating bad smells.

The Real Dacia Sandero > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 16:46

0

Wow that's a near perfect specimen of an NA. Immediately check for short nose crank issues(google if you don't know about it) and follow the abatement process on the upcoming timing belt change.

An a/c system can be bought on the forums for about $100. It's easy to re-install as it was a dealer add-on for many cars. However, they really suffer when the a/c is on. Look into a cool breeze scoop, and replace the weatherstrip at the back of the engine bay(it lets heat into the fresh air intake for the hvac system). You may be able to get by without it. I live in NoVA, but am very familiar with the Savannah heat.

That is an incredible deal on the car. It should have sold for roughly $4,500, and NAs are steadily raising in value. Tell your brother to keep the mileage low and keep it clean. If you want to heavily modify and thrash it, flip this for a profit and find a higher mileage example, as cars this clean are becoming very rare.

Rosenthal Mazda, Moss Miata, 949 racing, good-win racing, and Flyin Miata will become very good friends with your brother's wallet. Avoid Go Miata, they're sketchy.

NA Miatas are wonderful in that they are impractical in a very practical way. I can fit a ton of stuff in the car, and with $150 spent on a luggage rack you can hold all the luggage two people need. I've got a '91 and love it.

The Real Dacia Sandero > PICKLEBOY 04/08/2014 at 16:52

1

Look into the Jeff Anderson mods for the stereo. You can add an aux in while retaining the proper controls for headrest speakers. The sound with a set of clearwater door speakers(expensive, but worth it) is really good. The stock radio is really good once upgraded. Plus, you never have to worry about your radio being stolen.

PICKLEBOY > The Real Dacia Sandero 04/08/2014 at 19:10

0

I appreciate all the help, didn't relize go miata was sketchy, any reason why?

And he is going to daily drive it but it's definitely going to be staying in our family.

I've been enjoying it the past few days.

The Real Dacia Sandero > PICKLEBOY 04/09/2014 at 02:19

0

Basically, Go Miata has no stock. They just drop ship from other companies. This can cause weird problems and people have had trouble with them. I ordered from them once and it got messed up after taking like 3 weeks to ship. There are far better vendors for anything that they sell.

As long as it's going to be treated well, good. Just make sure he takes care of it. And enjoy, they are fantastic cars.

PICKLEBOY > The Real Dacia Sandero 04/09/2014 at 07:48

0

good to know

PICKLEBOY > The Real Dacia Sandero 04/09/2014 at 11:22

0

there are no headrest speakers in his miata, but I just read about Jeff Anderson, what does do aside from increase factory radio output? Does he put an aux input into the stereo too?

The Real Dacia Sandero > PICKLEBOY 04/09/2014 at 21:38

0

He does some reliability and sound quality upgrades to the radio as well as add an aux in and can add a cd player to it as well. Also, he will replace any components in the radio that are going bad after 20+ years.

On the early cars, you either have to spend $200 on the jdm radio surround that has a normal sized opening, or deal with an aftermarket radio that doesn't fit right. I'm really happy with my radio upgrades, I highly recommend it.

PICKLEBOY > The Real Dacia Sandero 04/10/2014 at 07:04

0

aftermarket doesn't for the radio? It appears to be the same size as a normal radio head unit? I'm just curious, he doesn't plan on doing any audio mods soon, but he does have a head unit from his previous car. I'd prefer to keep the factory head unit but he doesn't really care

The Real Dacia Sandero > PICKLEBOY 04/10/2014 at 16:15

0

It looks like a regular size opening, but it's slightly narrower and taller than a regular 2 din radio opening. You can put a regular size radio in, but it hangs out and looks weird in my opinion. All said, the mods for the radio will be about $100. It's worth it in my opinion though.

anothermiatafanboy > PICKLEBOY 04/12/2014 at 21:09

1

That looks exactly like mine! Same color and wheels. I bought mine, a '96, with 52k miles. It isn't as clean as that one, and I paid more :/ He will love it though. And if he ever plans on getting a hardtop (I love mine) he should make sure the rollbar will work with it.

Dsscats > PICKLEBOY 04/12/2014 at 21:57

1

This is basically the same story with me and my 300zx! (Minus the crash). Found it on CL for waaaaay to cheap with only 50,000 miles, saw how clean it was, bought it.

Sam Payne > PICKLEBOY 04/13/2014 at 00:03

1

That is an amazing find. I have a 95 I bought with 35k, paid dearly for it - but a rust-free car in the midwest commands a good price. Your brother will love it - just try to get in as much time as you can before he learns manual. Leave it stock, and make small incremental improvements, because it's easy to get carried away with that car.

It's actually a very good car in the midwest - 50/50 weight distro means sliding on snow is a perfectly controllable ordeal, and it's light so it doesn't sink into the snow as much as other cars.

Leave the a/c out - it only adds weight.

Take a day to change EVERY fluid on that car.

There's a lot of good stuff and good people over on miata.net, if you haven't looked yet.

Now, sell that Corolla, buy a Miata, and join the club.

Sam Payne > Bryce Womeldurf 04/13/2014 at 00:07

0

I'm digging those steelies

G/O Sucks > waymoe 04/13/2014 at 00:09

1

Trollllllllll...

meatatarian > PICKLEBOY 04/13/2014 at 10:55

1

great looking car, congratulations on leading your brother to a good decision! I need to own one of these at some point...

avens > PICKLEBOY 04/13/2014 at 12:54

1

It's my family's first sports car.

avens > PICKLEBOY 04/13/2014 at 12:54

0

It's my family's first sports car.

Dunnik > PICKLEBOY 04/13/2014 at 18:55

1

Score.

She's a cutie.

Bryce Womeldurf > Sam Payne 04/14/2014 at 00:24

0

Thanks. Life gives you lemons and all that. It was supposed to have the daisy wheels but it turned out to have steelies with ugly wheel covers (dealership was being lazy using a photo of another Miata). The steelies underneath were a bit rusty so I sanded them down, stuck some playing cards between them and the tire and painted them. Two have cracked paint (back two) but I'll probably clean them up soon. Still looks pretty good from 10 feet away.

PICKLEBOY > Sam Payne 04/14/2014 at 07:52

0

I would sell my corolla lol, but I'm going to be going to and from Atlanta this fall (transferring to GA Tech) and I'll need the fold down seats and trunk space haha

PICKLEBOY > avens 04/14/2014 at 07:53

0

This made me lol haha

Patrick Shea Laking > avens 04/30/2014 at 18:38

0

Family Guy mocking Miatas... Too funny...