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I am in the market for a "beater" Miata under $5k. Rust seems to be a big issue for these cars, and I have no clue what level of rust is safe and what should send me running. I live in the city and am too poor to pay for off-street parking only (Cambridge, MA-- its $200/month for off street uncovered). I'll probably find somewhere to stash the Miata for the winter, but this car is going to live on New England streets most of the year. So I know I wont be helping at all with the rust situation, and given that I'm totally fine buying something that isn't 100% rust free now. That said, I don't want to die in a crash because the car is actually swiss cheese underneath. Are there any basic things to look for to separate out the deathtraps from just cosmetic, or at least cars that wont be deathtraps for at least a few years? For example, does some evidence of rust on the rocker panels suggest any structural or safety problems? As a first step, I'm not looking at New England cars at all, my dad is checking out cars I find in the MD/DC/VA area and will drive one up for me. I found a nice NB on Craigslist that otherwise looks great, but the seller sent me the following picture when I asked about rust:  Is there a way I can tell, in pictures or in person, if this kind of rust is evidence of something much more serious? I've read that the seat belt mounts are first things to go in this area, which is pretty horrifying. mcgreenvegtables fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Mar 8, 2017 |
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Mar 8, 2017 15:27
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Finding a Miata without rust will be difficult because they have sold so many. Since the car is "cheap" they often tend to also not get much care.. especially if the car has changed hands a couple of times. Rocker panel rust is probably where it begins and becomes the worst. I have an NB Miata, and it has some minor rust, but if you're going to be driving a beater I'd say focus more on the underside of the car where the frame rails are and rust for where the important suspension bits are. That rust you see could also be caused by the weep drainage hole for the top. A lot of owners don't check and it becomes plugged and well.. you know what happens next. With that being said, I am throwing my NB2 up for sale here pretty soon so I can get back into motorcycling. I live in Northern VA about 20 miles from DC. The car is a 2003 Black NB ~65k miles. It's always been garage kept and maintained well, but I'm the third owner and can't speak for any PO's. I just changed the timing belt, all front seals, fuel filter, water pump, and did a fresh brake fluid flush. Let me know if you would like to come check it out.
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Mar 8, 2017 15:38
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Awesome, thanks for the advice. And very interested in checking out your car! I have been dreading the idea of doing the timing belt on the street and getting heckled by uppity neighbors. You don't have PMs but you can email me at da green at gmail.
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Mar 8, 2017 15:47
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Np, sent an e-mail!
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Mar 8, 2017 16:49
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I like where this is going
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Mar 8, 2017 16:56
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I would not buy one with that much rust. Some rust on the underside bolts ok, the body should be rust free except for some scratches or dents that popped the paint to the metal. Bubble death rust is a no no. Find one only driven in the summer or fly somewhere to buy one. Even here in the midwest you can find rust free ones all the time.
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Mar 8, 2017 17:01
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Just fly south and drive one back up, it's not a big deal.
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Mar 8, 2017 20:35
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The rust on the rear rockers starts on the inside from a plugged drain hole. If you can see it on the outside there isn't much left. I live in NC and I'd consider that car only good for parts.
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Mar 9, 2017 05:00
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Applebees Appetizer posted:Just fly south and drive one back up, it's not a big deal. Yes this a million times why don't more people do this? You have the whole rest of the country to get rust free cars from
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Mar 11, 2017 17:46
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If you're going to keep it on the street, go even lower on price and get one you can live with. Cars with rocker rust aren't going to fall apart. The easy/janky way to deal with it is just to cut it out and flare over it.
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Mar 11, 2017 18:21
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destructo posted:If you're going to keep it on the street, go even lower on price and get one you can live with. Cars with rocker rust aren't going to fall apart. The easy/janky way to deal with it is just to cut it out and flare over it. I ended up following this advice. Just scored a 2003 in Garnet Red with 130k. $4300. Came with a hard top, leather, 6 speed, and LSD. Some rust on the inside of one of the rockers next to the tire, but it doesn't seem structural and isn't visible unless you crawl under the car. This was the best car for the price I found on craigslist, and I looked in Atlanta, Nashville, Richmond, etc as well.   My dad picked it up in Maryland this afternoon. Will post more in the Miata thread when I get it up to Boston.
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Mar 11, 2017 20:34
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get a roll bar
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Mar 11, 2017 20:41
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puberty worked me over posted:get a roll bar Is it unsafe without one?
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Mar 11, 2017 20:43
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mcgreenvegtables posted:Is it unsafe without one? Nice find! Garnet red is pretty rare, and with a hardtop that's a loving steal. If anything, given that hardtop theft is becoming a real thing thanks to the lovely 240/Honda kids buying these cars, if you don't have a place to keep it, you may want to invest in toplocs.
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Mar 11, 2017 21:15
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mcgreenvegtables posted:Is it unsafe without one? it's unsafe regardless but the roll bar makes it more unsafe when you get rear ended by a GMC Yukon but at least you'll get knocked out from your skull hitting the bar instead of having to experience the excruciating pain of your entire body being folded up as the meat in a sheet metal sandwich puberty worked me over fucked around with this message at 21:30 on Mar 11, 2017 |
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Mar 11, 2017 21:28
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Is a broomstick-test roll hoop a requirement for any local tracks? That's the only reason I can see for getting a "proper" one. And a "not proper" one is probably useless aside from looking nice, if you like that sort of thing.
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Mar 11, 2017 21:31
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InitialDave posted:Is a broomstick-test roll hoop a requirement for any local tracks? yes all the orgs around here broomstick test
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Mar 11, 2017 21:32
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For the hardtop, if you have a garage, BMW sold a hardtop hoist for the E36/E46 convertible, bet other manufacturers did too. Maybe see if you can find one, it's a neat low-effort removal and storage option.
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Mar 11, 2017 21:43
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destructo posted:No? And on the street it's pretty much pointless and more of a liability if you get rear ended (I have a rollbar :v) Definitely no place to keep the top. Luckily it already came with top locks. I was thinking it might do me good to actually keep the hard top on as much as I can when I'm parking on the street. To deter theft via slashed soft top and make it look more like an actual car. But if hard tops are really getting stolen maybe this is counter-intuitive. Low deductible comprehensive was pretty cheap on the car, but not looking forward to fighting with insurance about the value of the hard top and if its covered or not.
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Mar 12, 2017 01:35
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