A Miata Unicorn Story

My wife felt bad that my project car has been undrivable for over a year as I put it back together and face repeated set-backs. So she offered to buy me something that runs as an early Xmas gift. Looking online there were the usual high mileage, banged up Miatas, much like my current one, except now they’re stupidly expensive because the market is insane. Then there was one that was an obvious scam. A brand new Facebook user, with zero posts, selling a unicorn. A 25 year old Miata with only 32k miles at blue book price. Being a sucker I contacted him anyway. Turns out it was for real. The guys dad has had this thing sitting in a storage locker and only pulled it out in the occasional drive and oil change. It is a 2 owner, low mileage, unmolested 25 year old car with every tool bag, pouch, cover, and doo-dad exactly as it was when it rolled off the line, aside from some cheap aftermarket wheels and a decent stereo.

Amazingly, three days later my project Miata finally started. The starter had gone bad while sitting on a shelf in the garage. Then a cleaned and tested injector had gotten sticky causing a misfire, and finally a brand new fuel pump had partially consumed itself and filled the filter with metal shavings.

So now I have two. At this point I’m of the mind the preserve the unicorn as an all stock Sunday driver and continue making the project car stiff, loud, uncomfortable and fast. I’m sure the siren song of FI and coilovers will eventually start calling out to me, but for now I’m going through and checking all the seals and belts and rubber bits.

Wow , clean car , make it safe with new tires etc and have weekend fun with it, 

Congratulations on the find

If you want to get rid of those "cheap aftermarket wheels" I may be interested, they're 15x8s right?

rattlecan said:

My wife ... offered to buy me something that runs as an early Xmas gift...

You have a wife that buys you Miatas AND you found a 32K-mile NA8 at KBB price?  Be careful crossing the street...sounds like you've used up your allotment of good luck for a while!  Next you'll tell us the cruise and A/C both work and there was a $1000 scratch-off in the glove box.  Seriously - congratulations.

Are those real Advanti Storms?

Wheels and shift knob aren't stock.  Return those to stock for a huge value spike!

I too recently got a mostly stock clean Miata as a Friday fun car.  I'm still doing the suspension.  The radiator spring a leak on me yesterday.  Old plastic doesn't last.  It will age out eventually.  Mine has 86k mikes though. 

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

The wheels are XKR reps at a whopping 22 pounds each. The radiator is the original brown plastic one. It'll be the first thing to go. The shift knob is too small and too light, it's gonna go too, although not back to stock. 

In reply to rattlecan :

I shelled out for one of the flyin miata shift knobs, I think the weighted Delrin one, and really loved it

Congrats on the find. Its harder and harder to find nice early cars. 

Yeah can return that to stock, sell on bringatrailer or something for >$10k, and fund the full build.

Replace all the rubber bits on the time capsule car and keep it nice so future generations can see what a stock Miata was like.

In reply to Toebra :

That's the plan. Honestly this is first stock one I've driven since 1993. It's amazing. 

In reply to rattlecan :

Yes given modern cars driving a Miata is something totally different.  It's very retro feeling now.