Our story starts way back in the ought's. Most people say that means in the 2000 - 2009 years but we all know it means "We ought to have enjoyed it more."
I'm at a party in the year 2006 and a friend is there who knows I race cars. I'm regaling, read boring the E36 M3 out of, everyone there with stories about how Miata's are fast and wild machines. Designed to cut up a race track and defeat Corvette's on VIR's long straightaways. I was drunk. The previous statement proves this was true. Also, everyone knows Miata’s are for girls and come in colors that best match purses or decorating schemes.
At the end of my story my friend woke everyone up and consoled that one girl who was crying. It's cool. Every party has that one girl who cries every time. Then, he pulls me aside and says "Hey, I know where a Miata is at that this old lady owns. She never drives it. It just sits there." In 30 seconds I was sober as a judge. That's when I started asking questions about options, hardtop, year, general condition aka "How rusty is it?" He told me what he knew from driving by it each day at 25mph. It had a hardtop. It was black. The seats where leather but they were cracked - bad.
Needless to say I was intrigued.
Then life happened. I bought and sold three Miata's in various states of decay. Some of that decay was even due to mileage and use instead of my modifying them. I had a son. In the back of my mind, was that Miata. So much so that about three years ago I drove around looking for it and couldn't find it. I then talked to a friend and he pointed me to the location.
It was as described from what I could see from the road. Black, hardtop, tan interior, but it also had hail damage and a trunk dent. I walked away thinking "If I ever get back into Miata's again I might even walk up to the door."
Over the next three years I'd drive by there and check. It was always there. Just with a bit more leaf mold. Always in the same spot.
The other day I had just bought some new shoes and sunglasses. I was feeling pretty special. That day I said "Self, we're going knocking on that old ladies door about that black Miata with the hardtop." Luckily, she answered. To make sure she'd open the door I stood way far back from it with my arms hanging loose and my shoulders rolled in so I would seem less intimidating. Some folks are really intimidated by nerdy white guys who weight south of 200 lbs inquiring about Miata's. That's what I told myself anyway.
When she answered I said I was there to look at her Miata if she didn't mind. She said that was fine and then said the magic words "It's even for sale for the right price.."
I skipped around to the drive way like only a man asking about a Miata can. It was a little better, and a little worse, than I expected. The tan leather seats were not split at all. The top portion of the dash had mold spots. The interior was dry but the trunk was really wet and most likely the mold source. The tires were dry rotted. The rear brakes were frozen as she'd set the parking brake back in 2009. Of course, it would not start since this isn't a Cinderella story.
I low balled her, she countered. I looked around the yard and noticed the faded child's toys that still had fall leaves on them in July. I looked at the backyard that was overrun with ivy and with dead trees all over. I also checked out the house which was losing a gutter and had some rotten wood sections on each side. I accepted her counter and her jaw dropped. I couldn't dicker with her on the price at all. Besides, her counter was what the hardtop and intact seats were worth. If she was happy, so was I.
Well, I went home and got some cash. I came back and she signed the title over. It was then that it occurred to me. I hadn't heard the thing run. AW crap.
I put the key in it and turned. All the dash lights came on but one solid click from the starter. That was it. That’s when I decided to put my prodigious mechanical ability to work. I had once changed a light bulb. I had performed a brake job on a foreign car. I had even remembered that Ford’s of a certain vintage have fuel injection cut off switches and used that knowledge to start my then girlfriend’s Mother’s Taurus. I could handle this.
I went to the store and purchased a new battery. Nope. Still a solid click. I then checked the connections and all looked good. I then hammered on the starter with a long jack handle a few times. Nada. I touched the starter and it was cold and had some dead leaves on it. Nope. The “leaf” was a giant dead spider with fangs I could still see in it’s face even though it most likely spun it’s last web in 2010. Yeeek. Time to reconsider.
I went home and jumped on Miata.net. It sounded like the starter was bad. Anyways, it was towing time. I’ll skip the tow story but it involved many exciting hours sitting in my car and being stood up by the driver. A couple of hours later after I left he called and said he had the car on his truck and was on the way. Typical tow story. Nothing worth saying there.
Once it was at my house I checked it over further. By that I mean I tried the starter again once the wheels stopped moving off the tow truck. I got one “row-row” from the motor. That’s the sound a motor makes when it’s trying to start. It was then I pulled the plugs and noticed they were all oily as hell. I tried the starter again with the plugs out. The motor turned easily. Hmm. Oh, also a lot of crap came out of the plug holes. I cleaned the plugs with brake cleaner and put them back in. I then also remembered to put fresh gas in. Told you I was an excellent mechanic. Just to prove it I’ll let you know I was smart enough to squirt some starting fluid on the air filter before trying to start it again.
Damned if the thing didn’t start. It smoked a bit. It blew some white smoke out of the tail pipe for awhile. Then it idled like it ran last week. To make sure I wasn’t dreaming I cut it off and started it again. Then I let it run until it was up to operating temp and it seemed fine. The test drive had no more excitement than clearing the rust off of the rotors.
Pics or it didn’t happen? Consider this as evident…er…evidence. Stuff to look at so you don’t think I’m a liar.
That line along the bottom half of the car is dirt and leaf mold. It was in ivy up to the center of the wheels. No rust in front of the rear wheels or behind the fronts. Floor pans seem solid as well.
Check out how the old leaves and tree poop fill the rain tray below the windshield.
Check out the cobweb between the passenger seat and the hardtop B pillar. The whole car was like that. Cobwebs between the passenger seat and the glove box. There's also an ant colony living somewhere. I see them all over the rear of the car after going for a drive.
