and not just a regular Miata, she wants a turboed Miata. Last week the wife and I were at a family function, and her sister was there. Her sister has driven my car when it was in its NA state. So this last weekend she asked to take my car to the store. When she got back, she had the biggest grin on her face. So today I am checking my e-mails, and I have a letter from her. Stating that she is going to go look at 3 Miatas in our area for sale. And that she wanted to know how much I would charge her to turbo charge it.

I am not sure I want to encourage this. One thing I have learned as a mechanic, is NEVER work on family members cars.

 

How serious is she? I'd be interested in setting up a customer turbo car.

 

Cody's car would be a good one...although it's a tad bit far away.....


Oh wait..CA, nvm

 

Yeah, I'd let someone else do it that you trust, like Sav. YOU WILL OWN EVERY PROBLEM she ever has with it otherwise.
I won't do that again.

EDIT: Why don't you just suggest that she buy a MSM so you won't have to screw with turboing it. You can't beat factory reliability when someone doesn't know **** about cars.

 

+1 But unless she's willing to drop some bills an msm is out, no?

 

The #1 reason I never do side word for co-worker. I don't want their attitudes when something else craps out and their too dumb to know it wasn't my fault.... or too redneck to not think of blaming me first. Same goes for family.

My bro's Cutlass was acting up and he begged me to cut his cat off because he was sure that was the problem... So I cut it off and welded a straight pipe in. 3 weeks later he's bitching about gas mileage and exhaust noise and how it still runs like **** and I should un-do it. WTF.

 

Have her come drive my car and see if she still wants one man

 

She is pretty serious, I think, I am still trying to gauge her. I know she is tired of her pos Camary.

There is a Miata under a tarp 3 doors up from her mom's place, non-runner, told her it was too much work. (because I am trying to buy it from the guy for cheap mostly) There is a body shop here in Salinas that has 5 Miatas for sale. One of them has a FM turbo kit already, guy wants 6k for it. I am trying to convince her to buy that one. He also has a JR supercharged engine sitting on the floor that he said he would swap into any of the cars for $2k. The other Miata is in the bay area.

MSM is way out of her price range. I am thinking she is trying to stay under the $5k mark. It is doable, just finding the right donor car.

 

id sell you mine, but youre in cali

 

5k total, I assume? Hard to get a car, bring maintenance up to date, AND get it turboed for $5k.

 

your car has inspired a hole mess of trouble in my household

my thoughts exactly. Would be a tough build even with e-bay parts.

 

Patience and mechanical aptitude are key in doing this, and she probably has neither.

I've got half of her budget into mine, but I've been working on it since last November, and I got the car for free (with blown motor).

 

It's doable, but not at the level of quality I'd want to put under the hood.