2002 "Answer" Laser Blue

I finally sold the '74 X1/9 I had been slaving away on for the past 7 years on and off. It was good to be free of the constant drag or having to work on the X with little or no hope of finishing it. So, once it sold and I had all that $$$ burning a hole in my pocket I was ready to press the easy button. The search began for the right Miata to complete my all-Mazda fleet (wife's 2016 6 and my 2009 3). I was all ready to get myself a brand spankin' new ND sport, but little things like kid's college education made that plan a bit undesirable. Instead I set my sights a little cheaper and started looking for the right NB. I'd owned two NB's in the past, both '99s and knew I wanted another. After searching CL dutifully every morning for about a month I found a 1 of 151 2002 laser blue in Miami. Turns out it was a car I had looked at about a year before. After some back and forth with the seller I went down and brought the car back a couple of weeks ago:

Overall the car is not as nice in person as I had hoped it would be, but overall I still really like it. Unfortunately it's not quite the easy button I had hoped as the engine has a leak on the front end somewhere, both rear calipers are leaking and it severely needs an alignment. My plans for the car are primarily autoX, track days and weekend driving whenever it's not hotter than hell here.

Best color for the NB! Nice score.

I approve. Also, define hotter than hell. Not a native floridian, hotter than hell is pretty much anything but February to me.

Nice! I didn't even know that they came in the color.

Awesome, love the color. I've only seen one for sale in that color. I even searched the nation this spring trying to find one.

Thanks all. Yeah, the color pretty much sold me; otherwise I would have definitely bought a different NB. I think this one can be redeemed though.

I am a native Floridian who grew up working on chicken farm, so in the past anything over 101 was hot as hell. But, now that I'm fat, middle-aged and addicted to A/C even 90's are not bearable for long periods of time. I'm waiting for the third week of October to arrive. That's typically when we get our first weak cold front of the season and the temps and humidity drop down to more pleasant levels.

That, sir, is a nice color. Really stands out from all the white/gray/black cars people seems to buy now. Enjoy.

You weren't in the Jacksonville Mayport area Friday evening were you?

Stampie wrote: You weren't in the Jacksonville Mayport area Friday evening were you?

Nope, sorry.

Congrats! Gorgeous color!! Look forward to seeing the build thread!

I just saw my first one that color this weekend at the CMP lemons race. Even had a black hardtop but it was a crinkle coat like truck bed liner. He had smoked headlights and the overall effect was incredible. Something about that color really butches up the Miata. Now I want one done exactly the same - laser blue with a black hard top. Congrats; I think it's worth the trouble of fixing up.

mblommel wrote: Overall the car is not as nice in person as I had hoped it would be, but overall I still really like it. Unfortunately it's not quite the easy button I had hoped as the engine has a leak on the front end somewhere, both rear calipers are leaking and it severely needs and alignment. My plans for the car are primarily autoX, track days and weekend driving whenever it's not hotter than hell here.

It's 14 years old, that's not bad. The leak on the front end is mostly likely a front crank seal (ASSuming it's oil) which you can fix when you do the timing belt Rear calipers are really easy and alignment is basically a phone call. Not a problem.

It should have AC, so even hotter than hell shouldn't stop you from using it. And nice Jongbloeds - there's a chance there are some other toys on that car, as they're not a mass market wheel. They probably came from us, so give me a PO name if you have one and I can see if I can track down some customer records.

I didn't even know NBs came in this colour and now it's all I can think about.

Keith Tanner wrote:

mblommel wrote: Overall the car is not as nice in person as I had hoped it would be, but overall I still really like it. Unfortunately it's not quite the easy button I had hoped as the engine has a leak on the front end somewhere, both rear calipers are leaking and it severely needs and alignment. My plans for the car are primarily autoX, track days and weekend driving whenever it's not hotter than hell here.

It's 14 years old, that's not bad. The leak on the front end is mostly likely a front crank seal (ASSuming it's oil) which you can fix when you do the timing belt Rear calipers are really easy and alignment is basically a phone call. Not a problem. It should have AC, so even hotter than hell shouldn't stop you from using it. And nice Jongbloeds - there's a chance there are some other toys on that car, as they're not a mass market wheel. They probably came from us, so give me a PO name if you have one and I can see if I can track down some customer records.

Thanks for the offer Keith. After having the car up in the air it looks stock underneath with the exception of a set of TEIN "Flex Z" coilovers. From what I've found they aren't really the best choice for what I'm looking to do, so a new suspension setup is in my future. The Jongbloeds are 15x9 with a set of worn 205's stretched onto them. Yuck. So I need to order a set of 225/45/15's. Most importantly when I had it up in the air I found the car had been severely wrecked in the front end at some point. Yikes. I can see where they cut off the unibody just in front of the shock towers and welded on a new front end. I'm not overly concerned because all of the pickup points for the suspension were unaffected by the surgery but it definitely makes the car less "nice". Also frame rails were crushed in a bit due to what I assume was an idiot with a lift and there is small rust hole that goes through on the DS floor pan.

The car just had the timing belt, water pump and radiator done. I think they did the cam seals too but maybe not since there is fresh oil on the timing belt cover.

First time Ive seen that color. Damn it looks good

I didn't know they came in that color either, nice!

So I want to catch you guys up on what I've done to the car so far. While I was waiting to get the key for the wheel locks from the PO (he was out of the country on vacation). I decided to do something about the ratty interior. This car was pretty unusual to start since it was one of 151 in laser blue, but it also was in the minority of LB cars with cloth interior. Seems like most original owners decked their cars out with tons of options if they went to the trouble to order a web color. Not so here; base interior, base suspension.

After over 100,000 miles the cloth on the driver's side was in typical condition for an NB2. The fabric "mesh" overlay was worn away in spots and separating from the lower layer of fabric. Originally I was going to just replace both seats with something like a MOMO Start but I was a little worried about how comfortable they would be on the street. I took a trip down to Redline Autosports in Kissimmee (about 20 miles south of me) to pick up some miscellaneous trim and a new rear bumper cover. It's a small shop that disassembles Miatas and sells the parts on the web. When I got there they had just taken in a 2003 that had been hit in the back. The interior was pretty much spotless though so I scored these:

They might not be the best for track use, but they were so nice I couldn't say no. I figured I could sell them on again and recoup my money if I wanted something racier later. Like I said the interior was pretty ratty so I decided house call from the Rug Doctor was in order. I pulled the old seats and went to work:

After about three hours of vacuuming and steam cleaning this is what came out of the carpet:

YEECH. I treated the new leather seats with Leatherique rejuvenator and let them sit overnight before I buffed them with pristine clean. I got them installed and it makes the interior a much nicer place to be.

Incidentally I wanted to say how awesome the guys at Redline are. Esteban is the owner and he is an extremely cool guy. He's a car guy and a small business owner so I would recommend them for any used Miata or Frisbee twins parts needs. I'm already in the works to buy some more replacement parts from them in the near future. I'm replacing a lot of little trim and other incidental parts the make the car nicer and they have given me some great bundle prices (anybody ever watch American Pickers?).

In reply to mblommel:

Nice Jongbloeds! I have those on my NA and love them. Sadly, one got a slight bit of damage and I can't buy a new replacement.

Fantastic, as the previous owner of a 2002 NB I wish you many happy miles together. Also, love the color and condition!

In reply to NickD:

I think Phils Tire Service still sells them. I just emailed them a month ago and they said they were getting in a new shipment.

I would recommend not purchasing until the wheels are in-house. Our experience was that delivery times were not reliable.

Any chance you're now selling this car? I ask because I just found the exact same picture you posted above on a CL ad. The location is Orlando, where you are. Did you decide to move on?

Laser Blue NB for sale

Selling my excellent condition Miata. This car is 1 of 141 painted in striking laser blue in 2002. Upgrades include black leather interior, brand new OEM floor mats, custom gauge faces, Jongbloed racing 15 x 9 wheels, TEIN Flex Z coilovers. Convertible top is in good condition. Transmission just serviced with synthetic fluid and shifter rebuilt with OEM Mazda parts. This car is garaged and used sparingly on weekends. Hardtop is not included in sale. I have a clear Florida title in my name on hand. Thanks for looking.

In reply to dyintorace:

Yes, I put it up for sale only because I would like to sell my two cars and get a new car. I just put it up yesterday and I already have 2 people coming to look at it. Are you interested enough to drive down?

Not a prospective buyer. I have my own NB project Miata that needs attention! Though it's not nearly as pretty as yours.

Good luck with your sale though. Sounds like you'll sell it quickly!

Had a prospective buyer tonight tell me the car isn't worth the $$$ I'm asking. It does have an oil leak from the crank seal but it isn't terrible. Back bumper cover also has a tear but I have a replacement from a 10AE to go with the car. Ah well.

Best of luck with your NB project. They really are great cars. I just want something a bit newer.