miata love

[REED]

A recent visit to craigslist has thrust me back into the car market. Since I know diddly squat about buying cars, I would appreciate any help you guys can give.

2000 Miata LS
-68,XXX miles
-No accidents
-All original paint and bodywork
-Original owner
-No lien
-All receipts and service records included in sale
-VIN jm1nb3538y0153015

Recent work:
-September 2005: MD state inspection
-January 2006: Emissions inspection
-September 2006: Mazda recommended 30,000 mile service, replaced brake pads.
Tires have 10,000 miles on them, will go another 20,000 at least.

Standard features:
-5-speed manual transmission
-Power door locks, windows, and mirrors
-Bose AM/FM stereo/CD player/4-speaker system
-2-way trip odometer
-Cruise control
-Dual air bags with passenger on/off switch
-A/C
-Leather sport seats
-Center arm rest
-Fog lights
-Front air dam
-Side rocker panels
-Manual convertible top

Additional Options/Accessories:
-Removable hardtop
-Limited-slip differential
-Chrome door sills
-Panasport 15x7 wheels
-Racing Beat springs
-Koni 5-way adjustable shocks
(stock springs/shocks included in sale)

What are your thoughts?
The suspension gives me some conerns that it may have been tracked/autox.

Also - if anyone would be willing to come with me to check it out that would be awesome.

[.RJ]

The suspension gives me some conerns that it may have been tracked/autox

Why is it a concern? If the car in good shape, dont let it deter you. I'd double check on the shocks - make sure they are koni (they dont sell a 5-position adjustable shock - their adjustments dont have 'clicks')

The price is a bit high, but it does come with a hard top in a hard-to-find color, so... who knows.

[Evan]

looks like a nice car, I love the panasports and the hardtop is great to have (and expensive to buy separately

[Sijray21]

The price is a bit high, but it does come with a hard top in a hard-to-find color, so... who knows.

am i missing something? what's the price?

[.RJ]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/car?query=miata%20ls">http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/sear ... miata%20ls</a><!-- m -->

[Maengelito]

finding a hardtop is usually a hassle and normally around $1000. so if it already has one, thats definitely a plus. panasports are also awesome wheels and can be had for probably around $600 or so. as RJ said, koni doesnt make x-way adjustable shocks. its just a knob that you turn without clicks. the price is decent considering all the extras you get. i'm not positive on most groups/track's rules, but a roll bar is usually needed (but definitely recommended) so its history on track may not be extensive even if it does have a hardtop.

the things that you wanna keep an eye on is that mazda recommends replacing the timing belt at 60k. see if he's done that in his recent service. also, coilpacks are known to fail on those cars. if its a california emissions car, it will have two cats. if a coilpack goes bad, it'll throw a CEL if unburnt fuel gets on the precat. then again, the car seems to throw a CEL for anything, so dont be too alarmed if you do buy it and it comes on. regardless, the 99-00 miatas have cast iron exhaust manifolds which are very restrictive and a tubular replacement can be had for pretty cheap wether its a stock piece from 01-05 or an aftermarket one, both of which show pretty good gains over the crappy cast iron one. if it is a cali emissions car, the newer header wont have the precat, but you can get an electronic eliminator for the extra O2 sensor from baker electronics which i plan on doing fairly soon. i'm sure there are other things to look out for, but those are the only major things that come to mind. if the car is in good shape, then its not a bad deal at all

[CaptainHenreh]

It's a non interference engine, just FYI. Timing belt falls under "when I get around to it".

[Andy]

I like the NA "M&M" shaped body better. Why not buy one of those and save thousands? It has more BHP's but you'll still rolled by everything under the Sun in a straight line so who cares.

[Evan]

the NB makes a nicer daily driver and regular car. Im considering buying one now.

[Apoc]

Someone please explain to me the draw of a Miata as a daily driver.

Not trying to flame, I honestly don't understand it.

[REED]

thanks for the help guys - I forgot about he coilpacks. Right now my main concern is checking for the #4 thrust bearing - im not about to spring for a new engine. As far as a daily driver - I put around 5-6k miles a year on my car, so its not really a daily driver.

[Apoc]

Weekly driver... whatever... you know what I meant.

[REED]

I just got approved for the loan - looks like I may or may not be making it to Ferrari. Does anyone know of any reputable shops that I can take it to to have them give it a once over, check the thrust bearing issue, coilpacks, etc.

[.RJ]

If the engine hasnt exploded itself by 68k miles, its not going to. If there's no CEL, the coil packs and cats are fine. They're pretty simple cars, unless its been hacked up, its probably ok

[Maengelito]

It's a non interference engine, just FYI. Timing belt falls under "when I get around to it".

true, but its not something you want happening at the most inopportune time.

and i forgot about the #4 thrust bearing. make sure that the VIN falls in the range of the cars recalled because of the bearing. i dont think there are many 2000's that fell in that range, mainly the 99's. check miata.net. they have a ton of info on the #4 bearing. the coilpacks i'm not sure will tell you they are going bad. they either work or they dont.

as for using it as a daily driver. sure, its not as fuel efficient as a civic or practical as a wagon or as fast as a sports car, but damn its fun to drive. its not terrible on gas, its just not as good as other econoboxes. its great to have in nice weather and i think my favorite thing about it is that i can park it anywhere. i squeeze that thing in the smallest spots in charlottesville which is full of idiot drivers and parallel parking spots.

[CaptainHenreh]

It's a non interference engine, just FYI. Timing belt falls under "when I get around to it".

true, but its not something you want happening at the most inopportune time.

Yeah, but compared to the massive engine damage piston and valve salad that any honda, DSM, E30, etc would have...a Miata is small potatoes.

[REED]

and i forgot about the #4 thrust bearing. make sure that the VIN falls in the range of the cars recalled because of the bearing. i dont think there are many 2000's that fell in that range, mainly the 99's. check miata.net. they have a ton of info on the #4 bearing. the coilpacks i'm not sure will tell you they are going bad. they either work or they dont.

I doubt think the VIN falls in "the range" but i feel that "the range" isnt as acurate as some people believe, i've heard stories of ppls engines imploding in the 70K mile range and outside the "vin range" so I figure, throwing a couple bucks at it to check its clearances, or specs, or whatever the hell you call it is worth it.

thanks again for all the help - does anyone happen to have a Carfax account?

[CaptainHenreh]

I don't know much about the Miata thrust bearing issue, but I do know there are two ways to check a thrust bearings, one way is accurate and the other one is cheap.

[.RJ]

i've heard stories of ppls engines imploding in the 70K mile range

I dont buy it. If the thrust bearing clearances are out of whack, its not going to last 70,000 miles.

[Maengelito]

i've heard stories of ppls engines imploding in the 70K mile range

I dont buy it. If the thrust bearing clearances are out of whack, its not going to last 70,000 miles.

agreed. i've seen video of the crank moving like a full inch when disengaging the clutch. if that were the case while the engine was spinning at 5krpms, it would not last that long. most people on the miata boards that have dealt with this say its been an issue for like the first 10-20k miles if even that.