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Abe Froman posted:I'd figure I'd ask this question here instead of starting a new thread. My dad is looking for a small convertible and was solely focused on a Capri but I've managed to get him to look at the Miata. What is too high mileage for this car? He's looking at a 1990 with 150k miles on the clock. It's in excellent condition and comes with a hardtop and the soft top. The guy is asking $3500, which seems a little high to me for a car that old with that miles. 90 with 150k, hardtop/softtop, decent paint, and RECORDS for $3500 seems about right. I'd pick it up without a second thought.
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Jul 25, 2009 22:23
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Considering that the hardtop can be sold for near $1k on its own, yeah, that sounds right since if he's not concerned about having the solid roof, he's then looking at closer to $2500 for the car. There's just about no such thing as too many miles on a Miata. They're lightweight, simple cars with low-compression four cylinders. A '90 should have relatively limited options too, so there's less accessories to break. Assuming there's no rust, it's a fair deal and will run at least another 50k miles without thought. The only thing he'll want to keep in mind is that when he changes the timing belt, the short-crank 1.6L cars ('90 through mid '91?) are set up so that it's possible to put everything together in such a way that it will damage the crankshaft. It won't cause any unexpected failure at any other time - only if someone does a timing belt and puts it back together incorrectly.
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Jul 25, 2009 23:23
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Thanks for the info. I think he's now looking at a '99 with 108k on the clock for $4800 and an '02 special edition with 80k for $7900. I'm not sure which way he'll go, but I'll let him know that if the maintenance is documented well enough on the '90, that he can go that route.
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Jul 25, 2009 23:25
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Of the three, I'd personally go for the '99. It's got enough mileage that it's well out of the range of the (admittedly rare) #4 main bearing failure, and if the top has been replaced, it should be as close to a problem free car as one can ever buy. Speaking from experience, my '99 is just short of 102k and runs like a top. Most work I've had to do was the timing belt / waterpump, which I pushed to 100k and had no issues with.
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Jul 25, 2009 23:33
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I replaced the plugs and wires about a year ago. I think I'll go ahead and buy a set of plugs and see what I find. What throws me is that it all but goes away after about ~20 mins of driving.
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Jul 26, 2009 15:37
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I got myself a gorgeous blue eunos roadster from a chap over in Warrington last week  I've been thinking about replacing my MK1 MR2 with an MX5 for quite a few months - the main reason being aftermarket parts availability for the MR2 being pants and the MX5 having a strong enthusiast community. When I test-drove it the first time it had a blowing exhaust which he was about to replace. Apart from the loud noises at the back it drove OK, and only had a few dings like sill protector scratches, and a bit of stretched stitching on the soft-top. Oh, and a wet trunk where the apprentice had apparently got a bit too handy with the pressure-washer. I'd seen a few 5s the previous week, and in comparison this one was like new. I put a deposit down, and left them to install the exhaust and correct a few scratches. I picked the car up a week later. Over the next few days I sorted out a few niggles, some of which i'd asked to be sorted out for me, and others that cropped up:
The troubling thing is the noises it started to make. I noticed a little bit of buzzing/graunching from underneath on my way back from Warrington but thought it was just "unfamiliar new car" noises. Over the week it got worse. I bet some of it is just heatshield noise from a rushed cheap exhaust install, but some of it is definitely clutch related. When you clutch out to set off, at about half-way up the clutch will make shuddering/scraping/squealing noises. Occasionally, when you're sitting at lights, it'll sound like it catches and it'll squeal loudly for a few seconds then go quiet again... After seeing the glowing recommendations about Steve at MX5 Motors I gave him a ring and he had a look. I'd got a 1-month "warranty" from the guy I bought the car from, but personally it's less hassle for me to take it to someone who knows 5s for them to have a listen, rather than truck all the way over to Warrington again on a dodgy clutch!  Me mincing in front of the old MR2  AWOL light seal   The 5! A few days later... Steve from MX5 Motors was right. It was the pilot bearing - he replaced it, and checked the rest of the clutch over. The final price came in WELL under his original quote too. Brilliant.  Still a bit of a quieter exhaust rattle at 3K, but I can deal with that for now... meltie fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Jul 26, 2009 |
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Jul 26, 2009 23:36
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Abe Froman posted:I'd figure I'd ask this question here instead of starting a new thread. My dad is looking for a small convertible and was solely focused on a Capri but I've managed to get him to look at the Miata. What is too high mileage for this car? He's looking at a 1990 with 150k miles on the clock. It's in excellent condition and comes with a hardtop and the soft top. The guy is asking $3500, which seems a little high to me for a car that old with that miles. The 1.6 was a tough motor, but even so 150K on the clock and it's pretty well eaten up. I know a buy who's bought several early nb cars (a '99 and a '01), he got both for around 4, this is 60K or so miles on the clock, and body in pretty good shape. Neither had a hardtop though, those are fairly pricey items and nice to have. I vote the guys a bit high on his price. If you would talk him down to more like 2 or 3 you could drop a different 1.6 or even a 1.8 into it without too many problems- though in the long run looking at a different car would probably be best.
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Jul 27, 2009 03:09
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Go back to Miata.net.
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Jul 27, 2009 05:17
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PadreScout posted:The 1.6 was a tough motor, but even so 150K on the clock and it's pretty well eaten up. Aren't there 1.6L cars with turbos and 200k+ miles on them? Hell, didn't one of the goons own one like that?
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Jul 27, 2009 05:33
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IOwnCalculus posted:Aren't there 1.6L cars with turbos and 200k+ miles on them? Hell, didn't one of the goons own one like that? I bet there are, there are also K75s running around with 350K on the clock, that doesn't mean you should run out and buy a used one with 300K miles on it.
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Jul 27, 2009 11:07
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Abe Froman posted:I'd figure I'd ask this question here instead of starting a new thread. My dad is looking for a small convertible and was solely focused on a Capri but I've managed to get him to look at the Miata. What is too high mileage for this car? He's looking at a 1990 with 150k miles on the clock. It's in excellent condition and comes with a hardtop and the soft top. The guy is asking $3500, which seems a little high to me for a car that old with that miles. Miatas are generally good to 200-250k. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a 150k mile car, provided it was well cared for.
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Jul 27, 2009 12:08
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Two hard top questions: 1. Important, is there any change in height from the soft top to the hardtop? I'm 6'2" and fit in with the top up, but not by too much. does the hardtop reduce the height of the cabin? 2. I've found a seller, and he says the he believes the striker places are attached to the top. I'm not sure though, because for my NA the only strikers I need attach to the seatbelt towers. If he does not in fact have those, is it possible/safe to drive the car back from picking it up with the top latched to the windshield and the frankenstein bolts? Lastly, am I correct that a 95 NA only needs the side-mounted strikers, and that an OEM mazda top will latch to the windshield and bolts on the back without any additional hardware?
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Jul 27, 2009 14:13
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In case anyone was wondering, I replaced the plugs and wires and the problem is gone. Hopefully it stays that way
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Jul 27, 2009 15:27
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I tried to pull out my MSMs headlight assemblies this weekend (bad seals are making the insides fog up), but after removing the two bolts holding one in place I noticed that it seems to be held in place by the fender. Do any of you guys know what else I need to remove so I can pull the headlights out?
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Jul 27, 2009 17:36
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The Third Man posted:Two hard top questions: 1. I think the hardtop will reduce headroom just a little bit, but I'm not sure. 2. You can drive it without the side strikers, i know a few people (myself included) who got lazy and never installed the side strikers (I really should though). The only thing is that you should make sure the front latches are properly adjusted and the top fits nice and tight. [disclaimer: if your top falls off I am not responsible]. I'm not sure what the seller is referring to. 3. You only need to add the side strikers that bolt to the body in front of the seatbelt towers. That way you will have 4 latch points in total, plus the f-bolts on the back.
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Jul 27, 2009 17:51
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couple folks on miata.net said it actually increases headroom by a bit, so that was encouraging. Thanks for the advice.
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Jul 27, 2009 17:54
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The Third Man posted:couple folks on miata.net said it actually increases headroom by a bit, so that was encouraging. Thanks for the advice. In my '99 it increased headroom by like a half inch or so. Hope you have a similar experience.
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Jul 27, 2009 18:13
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Oh, my mistake then. I'm not tall enough to worry about headroom. 
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Jul 27, 2009 18:46
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I just want to say one thing: gently caress heater hoses.
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Jul 27, 2009 23:40
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fatman1683 posted:I just want to say one thing: gently caress heater hoses. )
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Jul 28, 2009 00:28
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fatman1683 posted:I just want to say one thing: gently caress heater hoses. I knew I should have changed those when I did the CAS o-ring the other day. This is going to end up biting me in the rear end at some point I'm sure.
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Jul 28, 2009 01:59
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DreamOn13 posted:I knew I should have changed those when I did the CAS o-ring the other day. This is going to end up biting me in the rear end at some point I'm sure. It's probably a lot easier if you do both of them, but AutoZone didn't have the return hose (which hadn't blown), and I had to replace the inlet hose (which was blown) so my girlfriend could get to work, which meant I had to do the whole thing with the return hose in the way. So yeah, gently caress heater hoses. e: This car has given me no end of cooling system problems. The water pump is leaking but only when you put 50/50 in it; straight distilled water doesn't leak. And the thermostat wasn't opening. It doesn't help that I'm trying to buy a house so I'm pretty much flat broke right now, so we're having to top up the water twice a day, and I had to pull the thermostat and put the housing back together empty to keep it from overheating. I'll be so loving glad when I have a house and a garage and can fix this poo poo instead of having to halfass it. fatman1683 fucked around with this message at 02:40 on Jul 28, 2009 |
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Jul 28, 2009 02:36
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gently caress I LOVE MAZDASPEED 
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Aug 1, 2009 19:33
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My girlfriend hit an Expedition today. She was in the right lane on a service road when the SUV pulled out of a driveway, got halfway into the lane and stopped. There was traffic in the next lane so she couldn't avoid, and she couldn't stop in time so she ended up clipping the front of the Expedition, stoving in the front passenger fender, denting the door and scraping the paint down the side of the car. There's even a minor dent in the rear passenger fender, and the passenger mirror is shattered. So it seems like I need to replace the entire passenger side of the car. My main question is, how hard is it? The last time I did bodywork it was on a full-monocoque Fiat, and had to be cut and welded. From looking at it, it seems like the Miata fender just bolts on, but I want to be sure before I start looking for parts to do it myself rather than taking it to a body shop. e: vvv I was afraid it was going to be something like that. Hopefully the quarter is salvageable, maybe some PDR and a touch-up. vvv fatman1683 fucked around with this message at 14:38 on Aug 2, 2009 |
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Aug 2, 2009 14:18
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Fender and door bolts on, quarter panel is bonded.
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Aug 2, 2009 14:23
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I just cleaned my top with Simple Green, lots of scrubbing with a brush and a towel, and a shitload of water. I'm pretty impressed with the results.    
Lusso fucked around with this message at 06:55 on Dec 29, 2009 |
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Aug 2, 2009 20:28
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Wow, thats incredibly clean.
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Aug 2, 2009 20:46
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Any advice on getting a steering wheel recovered? The top left quarter of my steering wheel is very worse for wear and starting to crumble a little. Would it just be easier/cheaper to buy a used or new wheel?
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Aug 3, 2009 02:06
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AkrisD posted:Any advice on getting a steering wheel recovered? The top left quarter of my steering wheel is very worse for wear and starting to crumble a little. Would it just be easier/cheaper to buy a used or new wheel? Both easier and cheaper to buy a used wheel in good shape.
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Aug 3, 2009 02:59
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Oh noes  Expect a project thread soon...
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Aug 3, 2009 04:59
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Baby Hitler posted:Wow, thats incredibly clean. Yeah, I was surprised at what a big difference it made. iscariot posted:Expect a project thread soon... Awesome.
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Aug 3, 2009 05:09
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My dad hit the magic age of 50 and is looking for a fun car to drive around. He's currently looking at a manual 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata. It has around 22K miles, and the dealer wants $16.5 US. Is this a good price for it? I've looked around a few dealers and this seems to be the going rate for having this low mileage. Are there any reliability issues are anything that I should look out for when I test drive it? I know next to nothing of Miatas, I'd appreciate any help.
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Aug 3, 2009 05:39
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Mazdaspeed Miatas aren't really that great. For 16k, he can get an NC Miata which doesn't have terrible heatsoak like the MSM.
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Aug 3, 2009 05:41
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I'm still wondering if there is a general consensus on what the best course of action to fix the clutch shudder problem that afflicts some early NBs is. My 2003 has this problem and I can say it's definitely affected by humidity (more humid = more shudder) and slightly by temperature. It's only slightly annoying most of the time, but on bad days it feels like the whole driveline is being shaken apart. Is this a problem with just one component in the clutch assembly (clutch disc, pressure plate, flywheel?) or would I be better off replacing the whole shebang? If it's the latter, does anyone have experience with the Flying Miata "happy meal" package with the 13.45lb flywheel?
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Aug 5, 2009 03:37
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Well I just placed the order for a new timing belt/water pump kit along with a bunch of goodies from rosenthal mazda (finishlineperformance.com). My water pump has been making all sorts of fun noises lately, so I figure it's time to bite the bullet. Anyone south of Chicago, IL want to help me fix it? I can't wait to fix that, and then that stupid heat shield under the car that must resonate at exactly 3200 rpm argh!
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Aug 5, 2009 04:19
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794613 posted:and then that stupid heat shield under the car that must resonate at exactly 3200 rpm argh! Oh man I'm glad I'm not the only one.
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Aug 5, 2009 04:30
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794613 posted:and then that stupid heat shield under the car that must resonate at exactly 3200 rpm argh! Do yourself a favor and take them all off. You'll get one off and it will stop for a few days, then another one will start buzzing. I've taken every one off I can and now the stupid downpipe is buzzing
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Aug 5, 2009 04:31
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My Miata got squooshed
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Aug 5, 2009 04:58
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Just in time: http://jalopnik.com/5330203/mazda-mx+5-superlight-concept
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Aug 5, 2009 17:29
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 13:49 |
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Phone posted:Just in time: http://jalopnik.com/5330203/mazda-mx+5-superlight-concept I saw that this morning; if they had the balls to release that with a little flyscreen, it would be the best thing ever. Especially if you could get one of those little single-seater covers to cover up the passenger seat, etc...
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Aug 5, 2009 20:12
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