Blown NA for cheap, fixing it a good idea?

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I've been shopping for miatas for a good six months and recently my whole philosophy on them has changed.  I'm no mechanic, my skills are limited to oil and spark plug changes.  The only miatas I see that I like have high milages.  Is it a better idea to get a cheap miata, one that isn't crashed, and fix it up?  Replace all the wear parts, clutch, water pump, new seals... and make it like new or should I just get a newer model?

If you aren't going to provide the labor needed to bring a old Miata up to speed that has not been well maintained it's better so spend the bucks on one that it.  I'm not saying newer, because you can file cherry NA's that are prime examples.  The bottom line.....what is your price range?

It's about 10,000.  I've been looking and I've found ones that are like 2,500-3,000 that haven't been crashed and no electrical damage.

I think you have to answer this question yourself. I work on my own cars for the most part because I like to. In terms of time and cost, over the years it would probably have been cheeper to have paid someone.
At the most basic level I'd ask how much is your time worth? Is fixing the thing something you would enjoy doing as a challenge? Will the rewards of doing the work yourself balance out the investment you will have to make in tools?

A clean car with detailed records is usually going to be a better buy in the long run.
Keep in mind when you buy a shabby car, you really don't know where the repairs will end.  A Clutch and timing belt or a transmission and engine? Hard to know ahead of time based on the premise that you're willing to start with a car that has been been thrashed.
Maybe a good compromise would be a high miles car that passes a pre-purchase check with a mechanic you trust just so that you avoid major troubles.

You mention that your skills are limited to oil changes and sparkplugs.  So the question is do you want to get a project car to quot;expandquot; your skills?
With limited skills, and a price range like yours, you might be better off taking your time and finding a clean, low mileage, well maintained NA for ~5k.

I could work to quot;expand my skillsquot;.  I have friends who work on LT1 F-bodies.  This obviously doesn't help with a four banger miata but I would have tools available to work with.  I would most likely get a high milage miata but what would I need to look for?  Like I know I can't do a tranny job and it's expensive to fix.  I could do a clutch and timing belt with a little help (I've had some experience with them).  So with like 5k to spend on repairs what do I need to avoid?

$10,000 will buy you a lot of Miata. Low-mileage NAs go for half that. Lower-mileage NBs go for under that. We've even seen NCs go for the $10,000 range. If you're looking to quot;expand your skills,quot; buying a project car and then relying on friends for assistance is a good way to annoy friends, while simultaneously ending up with an unfinished project down the line that may or may not ever be finished.
Not trying to be disparaging, but I've seen a lot of people with grand plans wind up frustrated and upset, and winding up WAY overbudget. Even if the car is free, depending on needs and goals*, it's possible to spend boatloads of money without achieving desired results.
That's not to say that people haven't gotten great deals on Miatas (and other cars, like my buddy's Jeep that we fixed up) that have needs and then turned them into great cars, but with so many quot;needs nothingquot; or quot;needs nearly nothingquot; cars out there, it's kind of silly. Even sillier when we're talking about a $10,000 budget.
Buying a better car to start off with allows you to work on the car because you WANT to, not because you NEED to, which is a better bet for somebody just starting off. Let's say you buy a lower-mileage NA for, say, $8000 that doesn't need anything. Then you decide to, say, learn how to install new shocks and/or springs- you can shop around, find something you like, and install it at your leisure. And you can drive the car in the interim. Nothing is more depressing than a money-pit project sitting around that you haven't even DRIVEN.
Anyway, unless you feel like learning the intricacies of bodywork, you should avoid rust. This is a problem, because WAY more cheap Miatas have rust issues than mechanical issues. Within your budget, it would be possible to buy a pretty cheap Miata (under $2500), and rebuild/replace pretty much every wear item. But, if you're learning, that could take a really, really long time. If you're in for a months/years long project, go for it.
*You really need to define your goals here. It's possible to take the junkiest Miata and get it running with junkyard parts for not much money. But if it's a project car, it seems silly to make it just a hodgepodge of junkyard parts, so you're likely to be looking at new parts, which cost more. I mean, you could just toss in a used engine to replace a blown one, but I'd rebuild it or put in a rebuilt/new engine. You're also likely to look to the aftermarket (Hey, why spend, say, $100 on a new factory part when an aftermarket part is better and is $150? This adds up fast. But, there's no sense doing work twice if you plan to upgrade later), so just be realistic.

This one looks like a candidate.
mdc/cto/1264350744.html
Here's another one.  Not sure, where in S. Fla you're located.
cto/1261237684.html
It's got the 1.8 and the 7 spoke wheels.
As far as repairs go, I'd probably expect around 1-1.5k to get make the car nice as long as it doesn't need anything major.

1+ for what Hobie says. With your budget you can buy just about any NA or NB, and possibly even a NC. Drive a few, and decide which you like the best, they all have their strong (and weak) points. Then buy the best example you can find, even if you have to drive a few hundred miles to get one. You will be money ahead in the long run. The black car listed in the thread above looks like a good prospect. Check out the garage section below as to what things to check for when looking at a car, and take along a mechanically inclined friend if possible to help check it out.

Hey guys, sorry I've been gone but i was a little discouraged, i guess i got some bad advice here on my end. But don't misunderstand me, i didn't intend to rebuild the suspension or fit a new water pump myself with my limited experience, i was just saying me and my friends wouldn't have a problem spotting and diagnosing problems.
With the quot;project carquot; angle, i was more thinking of buying a little more worn out late year (95-97) NA and have a local mechanic fix it up. I'd love a complete bottom-end-up rebuild with forged everything but a simple freshening up of the wear parts would do nicely. I hope none of you misunderstood me.
I still want a miata, but i'm worried about buying a high milage car, but i dont want a newer car because in general they suck. (Boyfriend edit: Her other shopping option is a frigging scion ) In a way i want to quot;Have my cake and eat it tooquot;, i want the quality of an old NA miata, with the luxury of not having to worry about a new car's reliability.


Originally Posted by Karaboo
I've been looking and I've found ones that are like 2,500-3,000 that haven't been crashed and no electrical damage.

I bought a running Miata with 125k a year and a half ago for $2200.  It's needed head cover seals, hoses, minor sheetmetal repair, spark plugs, radio sleeve, clutch cylinder, brakes, and shift boots and a few other things.  But basically it was a running, reliable car when I bought it and still is.
-b.

you can find a pretty nice relatively low mile (maybe 100-120,000) Miata in the central/southern Florida area for 3-4000tops. It would need little most likely and hey, with the knowledgeable and helpful folks around here, anyone can do a LOT to a Miata!

[QUOTE=Karaboo;3961739]I still want a miata, but i'm worried about buying a high milage car, but i dont want a newer car because in general they suck.
Have you driven an NC ?


Originally Posted by Karaboo
i dont want a newer car because in general they suck.

That's clearly an opinion, not a fact. NBs and NCs are a blast to drive and have all the reliability and more of the early Miatas.  If it's a price issue, well then NA's might be preferable.

I am from the school of buy the very best you can and you will always get your money out of it assuming you take the kind of care that a lower mileage pristine car deserves. If you are looking at spending in the neighborhood of $10,000 there is only one car I would consider. This particular example will hold its value better due to the rarity of the color and would not require any short term maintenance. Hope you don't mind Tom.
ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT


Originally Posted by seangh
That's clearly an opinion, not a fact. NBs and NCs are a blast to drive and have all the reliability and more of the early Miatas.

Agreed about NB, not about NC.  The NC is less friendly to modifications than the 1989-2005 cars.  And more luxury crap (power windows, steering, A/C, etc) is mandatory rather than optional like on the early cars.
I'd take a pristine 2005 over a brand-new 2009 any day of the week.
-b.


Originally Posted by Karaboo
  Like I know I can't do a tranny job and it's expensive to fix.  I could do a clutch with a little help (I've had some experience with them).  So with like 5k to spend on repairs what do I need to avoid?

How can you do a clutch job without removing the tranny. In other words if you can do a clutch you can do a tranny. there is nothing on an early NA Miata that is too difficult for someone who is persistant and owns a good manual.