Hello from New Mexico
 

Hey everyone I just wanted to drop a quick line and say hello. I've been lurking for a while now reading up as much as I can and figured it was about time that I actually posted. First a little bit about myself. I'm a mechanical engineer in the Air Force stationed at Holloman AFB working as a flight test engineer. I have some experience with Miatas (a 91 in particular) and quite a bit of experience in the shop. I've been wanting to buy a Miata now for some time as a second vehicle to complement the truck as I'm suffering major manual transmission withdrawal and I know how fun they are to drive on a curvy road. I'm currently looking at a 94 R package that I think would be a good candidate for turboing. It has 135k miles, seems to be in pretty good shape and the seller is only asking $2500. From what I've been reading the 94s are probably one of the best starting points for a turbo miata being that they have the 1.8L, larger brakes and diff, and still run OBD1. Do I understand correctly? My plans are to drive the car for a while in stock form to get a feel for it and make sure it's mechanically sound and then go to a mild boost setup with an intercooler that I can upgrade to higher boost down the line. Thanks for your help, this is a great resource and I hope that I can contribute something useful.

Welcome to the group. I think a 94R would be a great choice for all of the reasons that you mentioned and the price is right, too, for an R.

There are a lot of good sticky threads that will answer most of your general turbo questions. Take a look around. It's a good group.

welcome to the forums schmidty. there's a few good "how to" threads in the diy turbo section you will want to check out.

So does this sound like a good deal? 94R with ~135K on the odometer, timing belt changed at 99K, newer top and tires, aftermarket 17' wheels (I know bigger isn't better for these cars), good mechanical condition overall but AC doesn't blow cold, interior is dirty, tear in the driver's seat, the paint has sun damage and the front bumper is cracked although it does come with a new unpainted bumper. The seller is asking for $2100 which seems like a pretty good deal. I figure the interior should be easy enough to clean up, i can get some seat covers and I could do one of the $75 paint jobs on it over the winter. What do you think?

Seems like all the issues this car has is not engine related. Give it a good test drive and it if does well, GET IT!! I wish I could have gotten an R package, I settled for a hard top.

Sounds like a great deal, go for it!

Thanks for the advise. I might just take a road trip this weekend and go look at it. I just wish all the good deals we're 7+ hours away from me.

Welcome from New Mexico! Glad to see another local on here. You should def buy that car, 2100 seems like a steal to me. Do you plan on taking it out to ASR any? Ill be down in Las Cruces this fall for school (mechanical engineering, small world right?) and ill be hitting up the track as much as I can. It'd be cool to see you there.

Good luck with the build and buy a standalone ecu first thing.

I'm not sure if I'm going to track the car at all or not. It'd be fun but I already have too many expensive hobbies so it might not be good to get addicted to that too :) Where is it exactly though?

Good luck on the ME. How much time do you have left?

www.arroyosecoraceway.com

I remember it being between Las cruces and Demming, bout 30 mins or so from my place in Cruces. The track day I went and watched at was only 50$. Maybe 4-6 20 minute sessions then a time attack. Pretty effing good for the price if you ask me.

Ill be a senior this fall. I plan on going to grad school though, so I'm not out of the woods yet.

Welcome shooterschmidty! Good to see another NM native here.
Hey AlexandertheOK, I might have seen you at one of the ASR Time Attack events. I drive the green '99 miata.

For more local car news, check out CrucesStreets.com :: Home

NM ftw, welcome schmidty. Also check out racingsouthwest.com for some local car enthusiasts.

But as far as turbo miatas go.. you are at the right place.