Worth the money? *Need Advice*
 

1994 Mazda Miata Turbo Track Car CLEAN TITLE

You guys think this cars worth it?

According to the email he responded to, all the car needs is:
Exhaust
Gas
Battery
A Tune

if thats all it needs you should have no problem test driving her to make sure everything is squared away...what's you background as far as automotive knowledge? make a damn intro thread and tell us about yourself.

Its a 94...if that shit runs OK its worth 2500 bucks.

Definitely worth it, no where near a track car though. He mentions nothing about brakes, has no roll over protection, it's not gutted at all, a lot of clubs don't allow you to run unless you have a hardtop, and he doesn't mention any kind of coolant reroute.

Like I said though, definitely worth it for a street car. 1st time I've ever seen a waste gate bolted to the valve cover.

If that car was near me it would be sold already. Buy it and we'll help you help yourself to get it rolling.

This buy can be attempting, but dangerous. I dont think he will let you drive the car around, considering the car needs to be towed. Turbo may be damaged, or other components.
Sounds fishy though because all he needs left is considerably small ($$) compared to how much he already put into the project.
Go check it out if you want a non-diy turbo miata. For me, I'd probably change out most parts because they dont fit my ideal project.

Custom Race Intercooler setup and Radiator??
Is that ebay stuff?

well if I were to buy this car it would be mainly street use, more of a DD to be honest. My knowledge of automotive is descent but i would honestly have to say my mechanical skills aren't too great. I was hoping this would be a good car to get my hands dirty with, and a good foundation for a start. But I do think something is fishy. Seller lives near by but im worried I wont be able to spot any mechanical problems if they do exist.

Dont buy it the wastegate isnt even hooked up and that intercooler and pipe are junk, No suspension, no roll protection. I guess for 2500 its ok but if you have extra money to spend make it better.

IF you do.. ask for the turn signals and all the oem crap he has(sell it later if you dont need it).

I hate f*cking retards like the guy selling that car. Advertising false claims just to try to sucker some schmuch in. "Track car" yeah right. Oh and that car has no LSD... have fun with that.


If you're looking to expand your brain, i'd find a solid near-stock car and build it yourself. You will learn far more by having to do even more foot work and research. Although i'm guilty of buying my car with a fair amount of work, I did build 2 Miatas from the ground up...where I learned quite a bit about these cars.

im pretty sure i saw this car on CR.net , he was having some issues with it. It looks ALRIGHT for what hes selling it for, but judging by where the wastegate is blocking that valve cover breather....yeah....he deff does not know what hes doing... plus the location of the air filter is pretty crappy considering the hot air flowing through the radiator. track car my ass, more like barely running project car with some good parts!
If you think you can get her running then buy it! Id say go look at it, see if the motor even turns over and doesnt make any weird noises, and see if the car even gets into gears and moves. GL dude!

lol at setup. Seller is probably saving himself the stress.

Seems like more of a headache than a great deal. This is why i love forums, you guys have great advise. Glad i asked. What would you guys think about something like more along the lines of this?

Fastest Miata in Las Vegas

I dont really want to start from scratch because it would cost much more than a built one, not to mention the down time i would have to endure. Again thanks guys you guys are awesome.

with that title...its questionable

Great stuff thank you guys. maybe some opinions on the second link i put up?

O2 sensors in the first car are wayyy to close to the turbo.

Second link - Why does the guy have black tape on the tach? Check engine light?

Where are you located? What's your budget?

That first car would be a fine project fixer if you knew Miata's well already and perhaps had already built your own turbo Miata. If all it needs is gas and a battery to run, the seller should go down to a local junkyard and spend $20 on a used battery and $10 on a couple gallons of gas to at least be able to start it.

The reason he doesn't want to start it is because he probably fucked up somewhere along the line and the car is hurt bad... so it's been sitting forever which is why the gas is bad and battery are dead.

Overall, the parts seem like decent quality... the guy who says the pipes and couplers are bad is full of shit, looks like quality 4-ply silicone and a decently engineered over-the-rad setup with t-bolt clamps and a 12x18x3 CXRacing unit in flat black... lotsa guys here running way worse shit.

In any case, a gas and your spare battery to see if it will start and a quick drive around the block will tell you if it's worth it. If the motor is healthy, tuning is a piece of cake, and a new wastegate actuator setup is about $30... would make a helluva car for $2600 investment. But you know the guy will take lower, so I say go check it out.

The second car looks like exactly what I would build with the exception of the Emanage... why spend all that money (even for an Ultimate). If he's got it Boomslang'd and hasn't cut any of the factory wiring harness, then pull the Emanage, and sell it plus some of the other parts (spare engine) and get an Adaptronic. His pictures are for shit and there's no link to Photbucket or anything, so many more pictures needed before you would take the energy to drive and see it... and I don't so much like the manifold but again the pic sucks... it's definitely worth persuing for $7k.

Sorry to but in, I am looking for a 1994 miata. I will be a first time buyer and I heard those were the only year car that came factory stock and working oil pressure gauge. I was wondering if someone could point me in a direction that has a break down on each year miata and which option package comes with the torsen lsd?

miata.net ^

I am having troubles trying to find a break down, I only have my phone for internet use. Where about would I find it on miata.net?

They're the only 1.8 that did. The '90-'93, which had 1.6 engines, also have a real OPG. Additionally, you can retrofit the '90-'94 OPG pretty easily into any '95-'97, it's a little more work (allegedly) with the '99+


NA: http://www.miata.net/faq/Miata90-97A3.pdf
'99: Mazda MX-5 Production Information

Thank you, you all have been very helpful

Not to be a douche, but a real working oil pressure gauge wouldn't stop me from buying a newer miata... You can install one that's quite a bit more sophisticated for cheap in almost any car.

There are a few other reasons why I want a 94 beyond just a opg, the 1.8 engine seems great also its cheaper I suppose. Friends. Been talking m,e into them

Exucse the last one please, my phone sucks foe typing. I also was curious as to what I should look for when buying a miata from a private seller or dealer? There is a guy for example rhat is selling a 1994 with 153k on the engine it needs a new clutch and he is asking 2,000 for it. The only thing somewhat special on it is black ghetto looking rims. Sorry if I am tredding on this thread I don't have a high enough post count to start my own yet please again excuse me for that.

Go to the library and use a computer. Search craigslists and you can probably find what your looking for at a reasonable price. That 94 doesn't sound that great, but your in WA so who knows...

Well thank god for that.

Savington don't be a douche

Also bond, I've been checking craigslist out but my question was if there is mechincal things or flaws to pick apart when it comes to looking at miatas and knowing if its a good or bad buy? Sorry if its a stupid question but I am still learning and researching. So bare with me.

On a lighter note I am a photographer and videographer so soon I will post photos of miatas etc. Even make a video/documentary for the board one day.

Ever heard of searching?

Documentary? Wtf is this Garbage?

Also bond, I've been checking craigslist out but my question was if there is mechincal things or flaws to pick apart when it comes to looking at miatas and knowing if its a good or bad buy? Sorry if its a stupid question but I am still learning and researching. So bare with me.

On a lighter note I am a photographer and videographer so soon I will post photos of miatas etc. Even make a video/documentary for the board one day.

Yes, and I still am researching . Sorry if asking was such a problem...