"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
12/09/2016 at 12:23 • Filed to: $200 miata, decay's beaters, cheap miata
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"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
12/09/2016 at 12:23 • Filed to: $200 miata, decay's beaters, cheap miata | 2
| 23 |
After a few months of general laziness and awaiting used parts, I finally have a running shoestring budget Miata! I’ve had it out the past few days and, *all things considered* it actually drives pretty well.
*the unknown alignment (poor, judging from tire wear), unknown miles on motor, no power steering, 50lb front wheels, and 4 bald mismatched Chinese tires.
Found a friend!
Even in this sorry state I can see what the draw is for these cars. It is slow as hell but I can drive it like an absolute maniac everywhere. Makes my FR-S feel like an M5 (in weight, general comfort, and speed!). It’s the closest I’ve come, in a car, to the feeling I get when I ride a scooter. This is probably amplified by the fact that I care very little for it’s mechanical well being. Plus I was getting some really funny looks driving around while it was snowing yesterday wearing ski gear with the top down!
Now that I’ve had it out for a bit and know everything works acceptably well I’ve decided this is going to be my new track car. As I go to more and more track days I realize that it’s only a matter of time before I have an incident. I’d rather that happen in something I can walk away from without issue, than my FR-S. To get to the point where I can reliably track it I need to do the following.
Roll bar , should be able to find one used for pretty cheap.
Swap to the new rear subframe, current one is bent.
Brake pads , no idea what’s on there now, probably autozone or something
Tires , I have a set of daisy’s but the set has two flats. The ones I do have are terrible condition
An alignment , Might try to do this myself. I’ve always wanted to learn how.
That should be about all that’s needed for now, I need to drive it a couple days and figure out if it wants/needs anything else.
Total running cost of the project to this point is just under $500 for all parts, clutch, title transfer, fluids, etc.
CalzoneGolem
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/09/2016 at 12:28 |
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That tire ... eww.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> CalzoneGolem
12/09/2016 at 12:29 |
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I have 8 total wheels with tires that fit this car, this was one of the best 4 O.o
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CalzoneGolem
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/09/2016 at 12:32 |
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Surely you can pick some used tires for cheap in better shape than that?
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Decay buys too many beaters
> CalzoneGolem
12/09/2016 at 12:34 |
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Aren’t used tires kind of a con? Once you get them mounted you might as well have just bought new ones.
DutchieDC2R
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/09/2016 at 12:37 |
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As far as tires go, especially if youre going to track it, just get new ones.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> DutchieDC2R
12/09/2016 at 12:39 |
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Obviously, buying used tires is a very small step above buying used brake pads and a step behind buying used oil.
My bird IS the word
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/09/2016 at 12:39 |
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Those rims....
Just mad max the shit out of that car. Might as well for that price.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> My bird IS the word
12/09/2016 at 12:42 |
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CalzoneGolem
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/09/2016 at 12:51 |
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Depends. If you get wheels with tires already mounted then no problem. If you buy some thrashed skins and have to pay someone to put them on it really doesn’t make much sense. If you get some nice tires with plenty of life it can be all good especially if you have the means to mount your own.
ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/09/2016 at 13:02 |
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That is a good call on a track car. While I’m all for folks playing on the track, back when I was willing to die in some strangers high hp street car instructing HPDEs in exchange for free track time to develop the racecar, I always noticed that most of the folks there were driving street-cars that they probably couldn’t afford to write off. While folks should always be free to do what they want, I became of the strong opinion that you should only play with cars on the track that you’re willing to wad up, write off and walk away from at any time without getting a cent back out of them. I always got the impression that many of the folks there didn’t fully understand the risks they were taking.
Even in just a HPDE environment, sooner or later on the track something bad will happen. You’ll either make a mistake, or just be in the wrong place at the wrong time when someone else makes a mistake, and you’re going to hit something and/or have a big enough off course excursion to break the car. And if they’re really driving with any kind of speed, they were wearing their street cars in ways they probably didn’t realize and prepare for.. Folks with fendered racecars tend to replace running gear like wheel bearings (and even things like engine mounts) on a very regular basis, and it is pretty amazing what fasteners will work themselves loose with track time. Checking every suspension mounting bolt before every race weekend is a standard practice among club racers.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
12/09/2016 at 13:07 |
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Yeah I was already in that mode on the FR-S (checking and replacing non-wear items regularly) but can’t bridge the whole “this car is actually worth something” mental gap that prevents me from driving it like I can drive a kart. Hopefully the Miata lets me get over this and “unlock” my next level of driver skill.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/09/2016 at 13:53 |
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I know the feeling of people giving me strange looks, thats for sure!
I kinda wish I went this route, would have saved me some money. I figured buying a cheap Miata would have been a headache. But really I would have much rather used the extra money on go fast parts. Sure I like my car and the many things that make it better than a 1.6 NA, but I would be just as happy in any NA/NB I imagine.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/09/2016 at 14:02 |
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And me, now I’m wishing I’d spent just a little more on one that’s not an absolute neglected pile :p
So many seized screws...
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/09/2016 at 14:26 |
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Well Mazdas seem to come from the factory made out of rust in general, so that is to be expected no matter what. But yeah something like $2k-$3k is perfect. That would have left me an extra $2-3k for nicer wheels, suspension, good tires, and exhaust. I ended up buying all of that stuff anyways but I would be less poor now lol.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/09/2016 at 14:29 |
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My issue with the $200 miata is that, whenever I buy anything, I think of the cost in terms of the car cost. “$130 for a clutch kit?!? That’s almost as much as I paid for the car!” It really limits how much actually good stuff I will be willing to buy.
nerd_racing
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/09/2016 at 14:31 |
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I have a red hood. Where are you located?
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Decay buys too many beaters
> nerd_racing
12/09/2016 at 14:35 |
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I’m in Portland, but I actually have a hood (background of above pic). Just channeling my inner ricer and driving around without!
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/09/2016 at 15:04 |
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Haha that is definitely a bad way to think about it! I mean Miata parts are cheap but shit, a set of tires easily costs 2-3 times as much as the car with that logic anyways. Shit, now I kinda really want a $200 Miata so that I can enter every imagineable off road racing series..
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Decay buys too many beaters
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/09/2016 at 15:16 |
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Rally-cross, I’m thinking of doing a few rally crosses... with my 18s
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/10/2016 at 19:58 |
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Wait those are 18? No wonder they look so big!
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Decay buys too many beaters
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/10/2016 at 22:00 |
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Yes, unfortunately 50 lb Chinese 18" Chromies
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Decay buys too many beaters
12/10/2016 at 22:20 |
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Who would do that to an NA? 16s are large, 17s are donked, anything bigger is holy shit. I’m surprised they even fit!
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Decay buys too many beaters
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/10/2016 at 22:46 |
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The same person that did this :/
