Help me buy/mod a Miata
 

Yup, Along with Joe Perez, cardriverx, and Chilicharger665, I'm looking into buying a DD Miata.

This one, in particular.

2001 MAZDA MIATA MX5 MANUAL 5SPEED 2OWNERS BEST MR2 2002 2003

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1407908513

Love that color.

I know it has a lot of miles, but it also drives fantastically, AC blows ice cold, tops in great shape, and is a lot of Miata for my budget ($5500 max).

Although I'm hoping to walk in with a $4500 wad of $100s and buy it.

It's a 6 speed, which I think means torsen, with standard suspension and 1.8 brakes. That's actually a bonus, since sport brakes are expensive to replace. And I'd probably eventually do an ebay Bilstein coil over setup, although not for a while.

Cons are definitely the brown radiator and a front main seal leak, although a timing belt wouldn't be a bad idea at 177k. But to do an oil and filter change, coolant flush, ebay dual core radiator, mazdaspeed motor mounts, shifter rebuild, timing belt, water pump, front main, and rear main is $500 in parts and a 8-12 hour day off, and I'm not too worried about that.

I list motor mounts because, as you can barely see, the shifter is leaning towards the driver a bit when in neutral, so I'm guessing it's a collapsed motor mount. I had the dealer put it on a lift, and beyond the rear main and front main seal, it looked ok. Rust free!

Anything I'm missing that's sticking out like a sore thumb to you guys? Anything I should look at again when I get back to it?

I'm open to other options, the MSMs around here are either rusty:

2004 Turbo Mazdaspeed Miata MX-5 Convertible - MUST SEE

or have horrible shifters, although this one drove great.

2004 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA MAZDASPEED*CONVERTIBLE* SUPER SHARP MUST SEE !!!

All the other NB2s seem to be green. I hate green cars.

I'd like to stay away from a '99-00, cause I hate their center console with a passion, and yes, that's a deal breaker for me. And so is spending close to $200 on a center console to replace it with an '01+

I'd be open to an NA, but it'd have to be a 1.8, it'd have to be OBD1, and it'd have to be spectacularly maintained. Like, a '99+ engine, MS, amazing tune, with perfect paint and interior. Otherwise I might as turn my smurf into a DD.

It looks pretty nice. I love that color. The dealer is pretty fail for listing it as a 5 speed multiple times in the ad.


Edit: The more I look at it, the more I like it. I am jealous of you NorthWesterners.

The color is one thing I'm super excited about. Love me a blue car.

I have 2 2001's with six speeds in my garage. They both have sport brakes. One has the "Hard S" suspension and the other has the "Sport S"

You probably need to inspect the brakes before making assumptions.

other than that, looks really clean for 177K.

I did, the brakes are most definitely standard, shocks are definitely black oem pieces, not yellow or silver bilsteins. They even put it on a lift for me. When I spun one wheel, the other didn't budge. This is typical for a Torsen right? Or not a definitive test? I thought an open diff would at least spin the other wheel backwards. Both wheels wouldn't move the other, and were spinning freely in neutral.

I don't think that test on the lift is definitive. I think Torsens behave kind of like opens on a lift. Could be indicative of a stuck rear caliper though. As you know, that's common.

DO IT!! You'll have it perfect in no time.

Ah, did not realize you had actually seen it in person, I thought you were speculating based on the fact that it has a 6 speed.

Someone on here told me that the torsen acts like an open diff when one of the wheels is completely unloaded, so I don't think your lift test was definitive. I think it is very likely though, weren't the nb 6 speeds almost always packaged with a LSD?

That's what I'm going off, 6 spd= Torsen. Although with 177 miles, there's always a chance it's been replaced.

I'm getting excited to have an exciting DD.

Wow its a clone of what my miata use to look like! FWIW mine was a 2001 had the 6 speed definitely had the torsen and had the larger sport brakes. So theres a good chance it has the larger brakes. If you can get it for 4,500-5k that sounds like a great deal. I wish it had lower miles but then they would ask more for it... Good luck!

AFAIK 16 inch wheels always means sport brakes, but they have been replaced. Torsens also are open unless both drive wheels are on the ground.

torsen will spin freely if either wheel is off the ground. you need to put resistance on the other wheel.

If it has leather, then its got a torsen. I don't think there was a PEP package in 01+, just the 99-00 had that (which made it more difficult to figure out. in those cases a power antenna I think means it has a torsen).

The Torsen was offered separately, so it could have it without those things. Lastly, grab the VIN number and call Mazda USA, they will tell you everything it came with. won't take you more than 5-10 minutes.

Correct- 6spd=Torsen and spinning the wheels in the air won't demonstrate anything.

IIRC NB2s with 16" wheels automatically mean sport brakes. For example- My 02 SE had sport brakes, but didn't come with Bilsteins from Mazda.

If looking at NB2s, remember that 03+ had the T-F diff that was not-so-hot/prone to breaking.

'99 Miata FAQ

What is this world coming to? Before you know it, all of the moderators of MiataTurbo are actually going to drive Miatas...


So sayeth the dealer brochure:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1407978141

That '01 which haveth the 6-speed and the Bose radio, an LS shall it be, and standard equipment on the LS is the Torsen, when an automatic be not installed.


That's a nice find.

Yup...per de bro-sure, 16" wheels = big brakes

Since you're buying from a dealer, don't flash your cash until you negotiate a lower price first. Dealerships make a ton of money from financing, so they will often be willing to go closer to their bottom line to earn more in the long run.

+1

Comon Curly, buy it already.

Hey now, I have been driving my beater 92 with 334k on it for the past few days since we have finally had some sun. I even got my built motor back for my 94 so I may even get to see some boost this year.

Curly buy the NB it looks awesome.

Ahahaha!

If Scott winds up buying a Miata, that's just going to be the end of it all! :bowrofl:


Also, Curly, seriously, buy that fucking car already! It's perfect and you want it.

Alrighty, old DD payment was finalized last night, I have a $5900 stack of 100 dollar bills in my bed side table. Thankfully I trust those of you who know where I live with that information.

What sucks is that it's 5:50am, and I'm about to leave to work 7-7:30. Then tomorrow morning I have to be out of the house by 8am to tune a couple cars at English Racing starting at 9am.

BUT once that's done, I'm driving home, picking up my wife and going to the dealership. Fingers crossed it's still there and goes for cheap :)


What y'all have said was confirmed by Ed (turbofan). Dealers get a kick back when you finance through them, so it's a bit of a myth that stacks of cash works best. So I'll be financing 100% of the car through them, hopefully at their 2.5% rate. My credits pretty damn good, so I think it should work. Ed says that's a stupid low rate for a 2001 car though.

At least the sale of the DD will get rid of $5900 in debt that's got shitty interest rates. My wife and I weren't too worried about paying off our TV from Best Buy at 0% within 6 months, but if there's any chance we didn't, it's something stupid like 19% after that. Don't have to worry about that any more.

Oh, and of course I've already prepped my '93 for the track, so I'm about to leave for work in the race seat with a 6 point. I'll also be autotuning like a boss, in scrubs, on the way to the hospital, at 6am. I've finally hooked up my wastegate after breaking in the clutch, and it seems like the new Vishnu fuel rail is making it run pig rich.

Mileage is super up there, but otherwise that nb2 looks nice. I'm also not a fan of tan interior, but I bet its better for top down driving than black.

Overall neat car, and I think you'll love it, and welcome to the NB famiry :D

I've got a black msm interior :)

Just need a black center console and floor mats.

Black door cards, carpet, and dash are at my house!

ooh nice. swap those in and you're golden

I know where you life... I'm coming for your stacks of cash...

In all seriousness, I'm excited to see the car, I hope its as nice as the photos make it out to be

Very similar to my own search! Thats a great find as already stated. Good luck!

Haha seems like this is the season for miata buyers. Was there anything else wrong with the loose shifter mazdaspeed you drove?

It drove awesome. Felt no hesitation issues, would of loved that for a DD, just a little spendy. And yeah, the bushing had to be completely gone. Along with the lower boot. Not surprising for a hot turbo car. Pretty sure I could of walked out with that one for $7250 ish, best case.

Hmm I could get a free flight to Portland. Seems its a 14 hr drive back to LA. Hmmmmmmmmmmm :hsugh:

Edit - Forgot about the miles on the car. Can't do that :(

Ha! 157 is nothing. Just buy it.

Oh, it could possibly need new tires. They'll last the summer but not much depth for any rain.

Aaaaaaaaaand it's mine!

Little spendier than I wanted, a bargain would of been $4500, a steal would of been $4500 with fees included. But I realize they need to make a profit. So I drove off with it after paying $5,150. $5,152 actually.

Anyways, I've been diving into the car, although very little. Found the original window sticker, and it is indeed listed, VIN matching, as a 5-speed.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408142522

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408142522

So someone has swapped in a 6-speed, and apparently 16" wheels too. Which is good, it means my transmission doesn't necessarily have 177,000 miles on it. It also means I have an open diff, but that's something for another day, it still drives fantastically.

What I AM excited for, is the standard 1.8 brakes, and the rotor's $20/pair replacement costs. I've measured the fronts to be, as close as I can tell, to 10".

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408142522

Huh, nevermind, the 16" wheels were listed on the sticker. So I don't know why it has standard brakes. That or I can't use a measuring tape.

those are definitely sport calipers...

based on this:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408143496

Arg, I didn't WANT to take the wheels off this early, but y'all are forcing me.

Well ok, maybe I did want to.

lol dude yeah Mazda swapped a 6-speed in.

look @ the first line under "optional equipment"

:laugh: :party:

STOP LAUGHING AT ME YOU GUYS ALL SUCK.

Edit: Breath...

Edit2: So does that mean it should be a torsen? Or it could be a torsen?

It's a Torsen.

All the LS cars had a torsen.

Some LS cars had the optional 6-speed.

An LS car with a 5-speed had a 4.3 torsen IIRC

An LS car with the 6-speed had the 3.9 Torsen.

See how the window sticker says "torsen limited-slip differential" in the very last section?

:laugh: :laugh: :party:


Edit: Just in case you're wondering though, I doubt that the complimentary full tank of fuel is still installed.

^:rofl:
Congrats Curly! Those are exactly all of the factory options I would want in a miata.

LOL curly. Nice car man. Moar pics nao.

Well done. Build thread?

Ha! My wife would kill me. Cheap/free mods only. I did have a chance to pick up a used OBX header for $100, but I skipped. Gotta keep this one simple.

I'll throw a few pics on here, and if shows any interest I'll move it to the build section. Perks of being a mod.

First mod was the license plate removal:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408150755

Second was getting rid of THAT GOD DAMNED NARDI KNOB. What a piece of shit. They don't make shit like they used to, hence, the 1.6 5-speed knob.



https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408150728

I've also considered throwing on my MSM black door cards, but that's probably $200 of sellable merchandise that I don't really need. Doesn't take long, I'll probably throw one on just to see how it looks. The rest will obviously still be tan, so it might not work.

Let's see what else do I have left over from that MSM part out....

Need the whole black interior IMO. Unless you can sell the door cards and buy... Iono... something that makes it go faster.

Yay!!!

Yeah, I'm kinda thinking without the dash, plastic panels, carpet, wind blocker, seats, and center console, it just wouldn't look right.

I do have the dash, plastic panels, carpet, and wind blocker off that list though.

A few more pics. This is why I can't have nice things!!! They just fall apart.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408154349

I did end up with something shiny though...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408154349

This will have to be addressed soon!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408154349

Not to turn this into a club ricer thread, but I love that color. The whole thing (besides your brittle radiator) looks really good.

My first catastrophe. This popped out when I close the trunk, I'll throw the two msm ones I have in when I get home. For now it's just a little droopy.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408206599

And the clip is broken, so no it won't pop back in.

Hahaha. I broke that exact same clip on my newly-purchased '04 last weekend, while trying to figure out how to get the damned thing out. I really didn't appreciate just how much more annoyingly complex and fragile the later NBs are until I owned one. :bigtu:

I'm on my 2nd set of those too

Ahh, MSM front bar.

So, what's next?

I think we all know what comes next, MS3x and then BOOOOST!

Not what SHOULD come next... what WILL come next. :loser:

late to the thread. Congratulations curly! Your car is an LS, like mine, the 6 speed is OEM as well as the wheels. the car lists as a 5 speed because the six-speed was an option. It has Sport brakes.it should have all of the under chassis bracing that mine does.

Master Race grows by one!

I have tape holding those damn plate lights up :rofl:

Mine broke when I was installing LED's. I glued them in place with RTV. Don't think I'll ever need to get into them again.

So I broke one of the MSM lights as I went to install it, really just by looking at it. Then I realized both bulbs were kaput. Luckily they're the same as the side marker lights for NAs and NBs, so I have a few floating around. Put the one good one in I had left over, and very gingerly removed the other to replace the bulb. What a shitty design, especially the 2-piece part to change the bulb.

I also ditched the dealer plate frame seen above, cleaned the nasty plate underneath, and in the process stripped one of the screws. Took it out by gripping the head with vice grips, and chased both holes with a m6x1 tap. Reinstalled with some of those beauty screws Garage Star sells with their radiator panels that I had lying around. Looks much better, especially without the droopy light.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408248347

I also found the source of my unwanted in-cabin heater, an extremely torn upper and lower shift boot. We've all seen it, so I didn't take pics. The cat sitting directly below it certainly can't help. Stole the used ones off the MSM shifter, as the new owner (Mobius) hasn't picked it up the transmission yet. Upper one is slightly brittle and torn around the white zip tie, but it's loads better than what it was. I'll report back tomorrow on shifting feel.

BTW, if you're ever bored and want to do something incredibly frustrating, remove a good lower boot from a shifter without tearing it.

Now I desperately need a new leather shift boot, I think the heat killed from the blown rubber boots killed it.

Oh, and between the rear plate job and the shifter job I took this beast to the park, he loves the new car.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1408248347

Oh and I also washed it finally. No pics of that either. I did all this in 4 hours, including stopping by Mobius Manor for a few beers, and before Mrs. curly come home from work.

Needs more all-black interior.

I'll probably keep it all available for the time being. The no-longer-available black floor mats, overly expensive ($175+) black '01+ center consoles, and the hugely expensive ($35) softop replacement are mostly what's stopping me. If I end up having to replace the soft top in the next year or so, it'll hopefully go in with a roll bar, be black and cloth, and then I might start swapping to black from the back forward.

That and I could probably easily sell the black door cards for $200 to a local buyer (if I find one), and $200 is...$200. Or a track day, or a car payment.

And of course I'm really, REALLY not looking forward to anything resembling a dash swap.

But leather shift boot first.

Can't wait to finally see this thing tonight

Maybe some combination of Black and tan would look good? A friends S2000 came with this combo, I always liked it, but he hated it and called it "buttercup guts." To each is own I guess.

Great looking car and color, enjoy.

You'd be surprised at how easy a dash swap is if you ever do it.