I'm sorry guys, another Miata thread. Enable me?

Alright, my friend's RX7 crapped out on him. I think the transmission bell housing broke or something, because it stinks really bad when its running, and all the gears whine. We took it to a local RX7 specialist, and he said the tranny is a time bomb, likely to fail within the month.

Long story short, my friend is looking for another fun, sporty, rwd car. Of course I recommended the Miata. Anyway, so I have been with him to test drive about 5 of these things so far. None of them seemed particularly special, but then we found this one:

http://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/1299077?ad_cid=4

Now the car has a rebuilt title. Also, the engine liters says 1.7, but I'm sure thats a typo. We went to check it out, and I couldn't see any frame damage from underneath or anything. The car seemed to drive straight and true, and didnt feel slanted, like it had been thrust aligned or anything. The guy says it was hit in the passenger side door though.

We test drove it and like I said, the car drove fine. The engine pulled nice and steadily. The steering felt great. However, the gearbox felt very stiff. It took more work to get this car into gear than the other ones we drove. Maybe it needs a tranny oil swap? Is the gearbox beginning to fail? Kind of off-putting.

Anyway, he has brand new seats he just put in it, a new soft-top, and the car only has 100k miles. We talked him down to 2500 bucks and he said he would even throw in an LSD from another Miata.

My friend wasn't too sure on it, but I really liked the car. I am now seriously considering picking it up as a little hoon-buggie to throw around the local track, and take to the local autocross events.

Now as far as Na vs NB goes, I think I prefer the simpler car. NA doesnt have power steering, or any of that fancy stuff. If I were to outfit it for track use, the brand new seats would go, which would be a bit sad but I could probably get some money out of them.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Is this a bad idea? Rebuilt title and everything? Should I wait and spring for something with more miles but no rebuilt title? THANKS DUDES!

OH BTW, I am so taking out the fake roll-bar if I do buy it. Don't worry.

*Does your state require a rebuild inspection to clear the car for registration? Many do. It would be important to have a copy of to ensure the car was properly repaired and could be registered. It should also tell you what the extent of the damage repaired.

*The transmission shouldn't be notchy, the NA box is the sweetest of any car I have owned. The clutch slave is an item that needs occasional replacement, and can cause enough drag to cause the stiffness. Cheap and easy to replace

*The rebuilt title could cause an issue with some insurers. Worth a call or two before jumping in.

+I rebuilt a 60,000 mile, one owner NA that was written off for needing a front fender, turn signal, and marker light. I rediscovered the pleasures of a simple, nimble car. A bit of rawness is just part of the experience.

Join the new miata owner club.

$2500 for a rust-free Mariner Blue with a new soft top = great deal. The gearbox in my '91 was notchy too, but replacing the fluid with Motorcraft synthetic (as recommended on Miata.net) made it about 90% better.

Rebuilt/salvage are two sides of the same coin, and as a rule of thumb, it typically cuts the value of the vehicle in half.

I'd stay away or pay WAY less than $2500

calteg wrote: Rebuilt/salvage are two sides of the same coin, and as a rule of thumb, it typically cuts the value of the vehicle in half. I'd stay away or pay WAY less than $2500

I'd pay $1500 max for a rebuilt title miata. There are a lot out there without rebuilt titles for not much more than $2500.

Side note: your buddy should pay to get the trans fixed on his RX-7 instead of buying another car. Unless he was planning on getting rid of it soon for other reasons.

In reply to clutchsmoke:

The car has over 200k miles on it. The engine, being a rotary, will certainly need a rebuild soon. Its not been touched since it left the factory, I'm surprised the apex seals havent gone bad already.

Can get a new RX7 transmission for a couple hundred bucks.

Desmond wrote: In reply to clutchsmoke: The car has over 200k miles on it. The engine, being a rotary, will certainly need a rebuild soon. Its not been touched since it left the factory, I'm surprised the apex seals havent gone bad already.

I rebuilt mine to port it @ 220k, and it was still completely in factory spec. Good compression, didn't burn excessive oil, etc..

Just saying this statement is factually incorrect :)

In reply to WonkoTheSane:

Haha, thats impressive Wonko, but I think you are the exception in this case. I've known people that had to rebuild after 100k or so. I dunno tho Dave, you are the third guy to tell me FC trannies are dirt cheap...might have to swing by a pick-n-pull.