General Miata Chat A place to talk about anything Miata

Should I buy this car?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 08-25-2017, 06:49 AM
  #41  
Moderator
iTrader: (12)
 
sixshooter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 20,652
Total Cats: 3,011
Default

The most important pictures are always under the hood.

But the car looks nice. Probably worth $5500 around here depending upon actual modifications versus speculation. Obviously you are in a different market. If there are no other Miatas but that one then there are no other Miatas but that one.

You should consider buying a Miata elsewhere and shipping it to you. If I recall correctly, you can get a vehicle shipped from the east coast of the US to Bremerhaven for around $1500-2000.
sixshooter is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 07:47 AM
  #42  
Newb
Thread Starter
 
Jimbo191's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 20
Total Cats: -12
Default

Originally Posted by sixshooter
The most important pictures are always under the hood.

But the car looks nice. Probably worth $5500 around here depending upon actual modifications versus speculation. Obviously you are in a different market. If there are no other Miatas but that one then there are no other Miatas but that one.

You should consider buying a Miata elsewhere and shipping it to you. If I recall correctly, you can get a vehicle shipped from the east coast of the US to Bremerhaven for around $1500-2000.

Yeah it does look nice- im getting a picture from under the hood to show you guys.
Jimbo191 is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 10:02 AM
  #43  
Elite Member
iTrader: (6)
 
ryansmoneypit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: A cave in Va
Posts: 3,395
Total Cats: 456
Default

still though, for 3-4K usd I think you can have a complete MK turbo kit. New stuff from this century. dont hold me to the price, go to the website and check it out.
ryansmoneypit is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 10:32 AM
  #44  
mkturbo.com
iTrader: (24)
 
shuiend's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Charleston SC
Posts: 15,177
Total Cats: 1,681
Default

Originally Posted by ryansmoneypit
still though, for 3-4K usd I think you can have a complete MK turbo kit. New stuff from this century. dont hold me to the price, go to the website and check it out.
I don't ship out of the USA. It costs to damn much due the sizes of my boxes.
shuiend is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 10:59 AM
  #45  
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (1)
 
turbofan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Lake Forest, CA
Posts: 7,951
Total Cats: 1,004
Default

I mean, OP, it looks like a clean car, but still, you're going to have a bad time with your current knowledge level. You need to do one of three things:
1. learn a LOT more about turbo Miatas before buying one that's already turbo'd
2. buy a stock one and mod it yourself so you will learn as you go
3. Be prepared to deal with headaches and setbacks and huge shop bills when issues inevitably come up, which will probably be with regularity. You could easily have a small fuel or timing component fail and not know what's wrong til an essential engine part decides it doesn't want to play anymore.
__________________
Ed@949Racing/Supermiata
www.949racing.com
www.supermiata.com
turbofan is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 12:33 PM
  #46  
Newb
Thread Starter
 
Jimbo191's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 20
Total Cats: -12
Default

Originally Posted by turbofan
I mean, OP, it looks like a clean car, but still, you're going to have a bad time with your current knowledge level. You need to do one of three things:
1. learn a LOT more about turbo Miatas before buying one that's already turbo'd
2. buy a stock one and mod it yourself so you will learn as you go
3. Be prepared to deal with headaches and setbacks and huge shop bills when issues inevitably come up, which will probably be with regularity. You could easily have a small fuel or timing component fail and not know what's wrong til an essential engine part decides it doesn't want to play anymore.

1. Im not sure how to learn more, its hard to read EVERYTHING and have nothing to compare it to in real life.
2. Seems like a thing that i would never do, i just want stuff to work so i can enjoy it.. - i would never turbo a stock one, just do minor things to it..
3. Is this a matter of knowing when things doesn't SOUND right, and catch it before something else goes wrong? I was told by the mechanic who build it, that if i weren't to use it everyday i wouldn't have to much trouble. But using it everyday i would have difficulties keeping it running as well, not knowing when stuff doesn't sound/feel right... As you say..

What to do :( Maybe i should never have tried the turbo car, and i would have loved a stock one?
Jimbo191 is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 12:36 PM
  #47  
Newb
Thread Starter
 
Jimbo191's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 20
Total Cats: -12
Default

Originally Posted by ryansmoneypit
still though, for 3-4K usd I think you can have a complete MK turbo kit. New stuff from this century. dont hold me to the price, go to the website and check it out.
True true, They dont ship, But there is probably places in europe with the same kind of kits..
But you need to do suspension, LSD and all kinds of other stuff to go along with the turbo for it to stay together, and then it gets expensive!
Jimbo191 is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 12:38 PM
  #48  
Senior Member
 
Schroedinger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 790
Total Cats: 188
Default

Originally Posted by turbofan
I mean, OP, it looks like a clean car, but still, you're going to have a bad time with your current knowledge level. You need to do one of three things:
1. learn a LOT more about turbo Miatas before buying one that's already turbo'd
2. buy a stock one and mod it yourself so you will learn as you go
3. Be prepared to deal with headaches and setbacks and huge shop bills when issues inevitably come up, which will probably be with regularity. You could easily have a small fuel or timing component fail and not know what's wrong til an essential engine part decides it doesn't want to play anymore.
I think buying this car would be an excellent way to learn about turbos and miatas. Lesson of a lifetime!
Schroedinger is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 12:43 PM
  #49  
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (1)
 
turbofan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Lake Forest, CA
Posts: 7,951
Total Cats: 1,004
Default

If you don't want to learn, you have three options:

1. Buy something pre-built, and spend headaches and money to fix it when it breaks, hoping that you've placed your trust in the right mechanic.
2. Buy something and pay to have it built, spending tons of money along the way
3. Buy something that has the performance you want in its stock form. This car you're looking at probably performs maybe a bit better than a stock S2000 or Porsche Boxster. One of those in stock form may be more to your liking.

That's seriously it.
__________________
Ed@949Racing/Supermiata
www.949racing.com
www.supermiata.com
turbofan is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 12:47 PM
  #50  
VladiTuned
iTrader: (76)
 
18psi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 35,821
Total Cats: 3,481
Default

Let me get this straight:

You don't want to spend a lot of money
You don't want to work on the car
You don't really wanna learn

Honestly, why not just go buy a sports car and drive it?

*edit: Ed beat me to it
18psi is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 12:49 PM
  #51  
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (1)
 
turbofan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Lake Forest, CA
Posts: 7,951
Total Cats: 1,004
Default

__________________
Ed@949Racing/Supermiata
www.949racing.com
www.supermiata.com
turbofan is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 01:03 PM
  #52  
Junior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
mitymazda's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: El Dorado/Sacramento
Posts: 276
Total Cats: 266
Default

Ah shucks if your dead set before you got here just buy it, what's the worst case scenario. I mean really what's the absolute worst case scenario?
Let me tell ya there's a '99 ae in the shop right now - very pretty - but as soon as you open the hood and see that dual injector setup flashbacks of the hot ex girlfriend who tried to stab me with a butter knife come rushing back. This car your looking at - much like my two examples - is likely a case where the bolt-on's don't make the machine worth the hassle. Close the hood slowly step back and walk away!
mitymazda is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 01:04 PM
  #53  
Junior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
mitymazda's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: El Dorado/Sacramento
Posts: 276
Total Cats: 266
Default

This coming from someone who doesn't even know what he doesn't know.
mitymazda is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 01:33 PM
  #54  
Elite Member
iTrader: (4)
 
psyber_0ptix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 4,648
Total Cats: 544
Default

Echoing all of the above....


If you want to learn, buy a stock car, and learn to maintain it on the bare minimum. Learn how to change your oil, repair bolt on parts etc. If you inherit a project, and things go wrong, you don't learn **** by taking it somewhere and throwing money into a shop to take care of it for you. You will have a more aggressive learning curve, become more frustrated, and overwhelmed when troubleshooting a basket case. You will end up blowing more money on the car, and be telling all the new kiddo's on the forum to just buy a stock car and go from there.
psyber_0ptix is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 03:03 PM
  #55  
Elite Member
iTrader: (6)
 
ryansmoneypit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: A cave in Va
Posts: 3,395
Total Cats: 456
Default

A turbo car is not a good decision for you right now.
ryansmoneypit is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 04:08 PM
  #56  
Retired Mech Design Engr
iTrader: (3)
 
DNMakinson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Seneca, SC
Posts: 5,009
Total Cats: 857
Default

Buy the car.
Break the diff.
Replace the diff.
Remove all of the turbo junk.
Then you will have an N/A NA for more money than an N/A NA that you just buy.

Car is pretty. To continue the girl analogy, it's like a hot chick that has VD and a bitchy attitude.
DNMakinson is offline  
Old 08-25-2017, 04:44 PM
  #57  
Moderator
iTrader: (12)
 
sixshooter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 20,652
Total Cats: 3,011
Default

He said it has a 1.8 diff already.

I've changed my mind. You should buy it. You've got support and it will be a good learning experience and it looks like a clean car. I'm sure it's been well taken care of judging by the way it looks. You can modify it and improve it as time goes on as a part of your learning experience and things will continue to improve incrementally.

By the way, your English is better than that of my daughter who has lived in America all her life, albeit not with me (adopted).
sixshooter is offline  
Old 08-26-2017, 12:55 AM
  #58  
Junior Member
 
The Driver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Lakewood (Green Mountain) CO.
Posts: 250
Total Cats: -63
Default

Originally Posted by DNMakinson
Buy the car.
Break the diff.
Replace the diff.
Remove all of the turbo junk.
Then you will have an N/A NA for more money than an N/A NA that you just buy.

Car is pretty. To continue the girl analogy, it's like a hot chick that has VD and a bitchy attitude.
A hot chick with VD (STI?) is completely doable with the appropriate protection...
The Driver is offline  
Old 08-27-2017, 10:34 AM
  #59  
Newb
Thread Starter
 
Jimbo191's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 20
Total Cats: -12
Default

Originally Posted by sixshooter
He said it has a 1.8 diff already.

I've changed my mind. You should buy it. You've got support and it will be a good learning experience and it looks like a clean car. I'm sure it's been well taken care of judging by the way it looks. You can modify it and improve it as time goes on as a part of your learning experience and things will continue to improve incrementally.

By the way, your English is better than that of my daughter who has lived in America all her life, albeit not with me (adopted).
Interesting, what made you change your mind? The looks of the car?
Thanks m8, i guess living in California for a while, and traveling quiet a bit, have improved my English.

So here are pictures of the engine bay, let me know what you think




Jimbo191 is offline  
Old 08-27-2017, 03:23 PM
  #60  
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (1)
 
turbofan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Lake Forest, CA
Posts: 7,951
Total Cats: 1,004
Default

Looks old. I don't like what I can see of the downpipe. Any pics of the turbo area? Looking down from above or showing the exhaust part of the turbo better?
turbofan is offline  


Quick Reply: Should I buy this car?



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:44 AM.