Restoring a '99 Miata- should I?

So I finally got a new DD this past weekend- a '14 Fiesta. Manual with options that are hated here- lots of power stuff that I want to try. Nice car.

But that leaves me with a '99 Miata that is pretty beat up. 205k miles, including winter, does that to any car. And that means do I keep it and restore it, or just try to replace if I want a Miata that badly?

I know I need to: 1- new timing belt 2- some kind of overhaul on engine- it's going thourgh oil like the 'yota thread going on for a few weeks 3- rust repair- I can see the rear fenders, have a hole in the drivers door, and the trunk needs repaired. I'm sure I'll see more once I get it up in the air 4- chassis maintenence- mostly replacing the very original bushings. 5- interior- seats are torn, but other than that, I can just do a few details, and it's in good shape.

Not sure what else would need to be done, but instead of posting at Miata.net about it, I thought it would be more sane to discuss here.

Not sure what 99/00 Miatas are going for these days. I bet I can get $1500-2000 out of it.

Discuss.

Rebuild engine and make an Exocet?

1. Congrats on a new car. Is it an ST?

2. Not worth restoring, you have 37% of all known Alfa's on this continent to keep you busy. Just leave the Miata at work with the keys and signed title in the glove box and I'll make sure it's properly disposed of.

Seriously, if I didn't have the Saab in the garage I'd be negotiating hard for this.

^this. I.e. what z31 said

Exocet, or ditch and buy another one. You'll spend far more rehabbing a rusty Miata than it will take to buy a rust-free 99-00.

Exocet is not part of the equation. I don't want a car like that, as cool as they are.

As for my Alfas, it's a very strong possibility that I'll lower that number to 1 by the time I get around to do this car (or replace it).

So it's either this Miata or another.

I have to look into prices of used ones, but I know I can get one for a good price, even though it's the wrong color for me (black v red).

IMHO, the biggest expense for the car will be to paint the whole thing (and it needs it). The work to be able to do that, I can do most of it (including replacing the rusty panels).

Same situation as you. While the body of my 1990 isn't rusty, it's pretty beat up. If it had less miles, a perfect interior, a hardtop, or good quality suspension, I'd invest some money in making the body nice. But because I'd spend $2,000 just on doing all that other stuff plus another $1000 on paint and body work, the car would end up costing me $5,000+. That's too much for a car that I can find used in already good condition, with hardtop, with suspension, with clean body for $3500.

Take a really close look at your front frame rails. If they show any sign of rust your decision is made for you. If they happen to be solid you might consider some restorative work, but I wouldn't do a lot. If the Miata has aftermarket stuff, just go buy a rust free southern shell and transfer the good bits. I love my 1999 Miata but the good bits will end up in another shell or an Exocet. Once the rocker area rot, or the frame rot sets in I give up.

Sounds like the kind of car that makes a good Exocet donor, but we've covered that.

I agree, it's probably not worth putting the money in it to fix it - unless you want to. People do tend to get attached to these little critters. If you simply want a nice '99 Miata, you could sell yours and bring in a rust-free one from outside Michigan for probably the same money and less work. You'd likely still be on the hook for a timing belt and possibly bushings, but no rust and paint.

BTW, if the car has a Torsen rear end, that part alone is worth about a grand.

Disclaimer: By using the word "restoration" I am speaking of a full nut and bolt effort. If you meant a "refresh" or "running restoration" then that's different and feel free to ignore what follows.

As someone who's idea of a good time is transforming rust into nice cars, I can tell you that automotive restoration takes a commitment to fiscal responsibilities seldom seen outside of government organizations.

I posed the same question to myself in 2003 when the 1990 Miata that I bought as my first new car hit the point yours is at; serious emotional attachment what with the courtship and ensuing child rearing that took place with that car. The realization that it would take me 5 years and 25k of my money to do the job brought me back to reality.

25k will find you a very nice Miata that someone has underutilized and will look pretty close to new. Just pretend that it is a single large part order for your "restoration" and save several years of your life.

E36 M3, for $25k, you could buy my Miata and have a sizable chunk of change left over.

Miatas are still plentiful enough that it's cheaper to replace than to repair, sell your 1500 beater buy a nice 4-5k car with half the miles, none of the problems and call it a day.

Continuing the theme, congratulations! You are way ahead of the times and have opted to "collect" a '99 Miata during the nadir of its "it's just a 15-year-old car" value curve.

If you had a warehouse, you could douse your current one in rust preventative to stop it getting worse, and sell it for a (very small) mint in 20 years...

As far as having a "classic" Miata, these are the golden days for someone who wants to get in on the ground floor.

There were a lot of these sold that hardly ever got used and are taking up space in a dead person's garage. The hobby becomes one of hunting for the perfect car. The cost is irrelevant since its going to be much less than the cost of a restoration of ANY sort. The market for the seller is also limited in that mainstream dealers wont offer a premium and the market of people who appreciate the car as a classic is not that large.

Where this new hobby really starts to make you look smart is that once you buy a car, you should be able to drive it for 5 years and if maintained carefully, still sell it for what you paid. Depreciation free driving IS the same as turning a profit in my books.

Happy hunting and take your time.

It does have a torsen- made sure of that back in '99.

If I sold it, it would be to a challenger. Then to the general public. So...

Storage isn't an issue- more keeping it. I've got garage space for it, especially after selling 2 of my Alfas earlier this year.

I guess I'll shop around for cars, see what kind of prices I'm looking at- but I would want to find one dead stock, just like mine. It is kind of funny- there is some emotional attachment to this car- I've personally done at least 200 of the 205k (wife drove it once in a while)- that that mileage puts this car 70k more than any other car I've driven. And probably close to 50% of all of the driving I've done. That's a lot of time in one car.

NOHOME- no, I'm not thinking of actual restoration- more on the lines of WheelerDealer restoration. Body panels, I can get for less than $150, other rust is a matter of getting the right metal. Cutting and welding isn't that big of a deal. But the paint will be. And whether or not the engine needs disected, or a Seafoam treatment will cure most of the problems....

alfadriver wrote: It does have a torsen- made sure of that back in '99. If I sold it, it would be to a challenger. Then to the general public. So... Storage isn't an issue- more keeping it. I've got garage space for it, especially after selling 2 of my Alfas earlier this year. I guess I'll shop around for cars, see what kind of prices I'm looking at- but I would want to find one dead stock, just like mine. It is kind of funny- there is some emotional attachment to this car- I've personally done at least 200 of the 205k (wife drove it once in a while)- that that mileage puts this car 70k more than any other car I've driven. And probably close to 50% of all of the driving I've done. That's a lot of time in one car. NOHOME- no, I'm not thinking of actual restoration- more on the lines of WheelerDealer restoration. Body panels, I can get for less than $150, other rust is a matter of getting the right metal. Cutting and welding isn't that big of a deal. But the paint will be. And whether or not the engine needs disected, or a Seafoam treatment will cure most of the problems....

As Keith noted, be sure to shop outside MI. I'm always shocked at what Miatas go for up there vs. down here in sunnyland. Use the GRM network to inspect a car for you somewhere warm, then do a fly and drive, if your schedule permits.

Nothing wrong with fixing one due to emotional connection. Sure, it may not make fiscal sense, but old cars rarely do. We've got a 1990 in the shop right now that's having all sorts of repair work done. With the bill he's facing, dumping it and jumping into a different car would make a lot more sense. But he wants his car. So be it.

The oil usage, we'd need to know more about.

One word of warning for those discussing the depreciation curve - there are nearly 25 years worth of Miatas. Some are still rolling off the assembly line. So the classic take-up curve is going to be a long slow one, as the NA models are already starting to behave like classics while the NBs are bottoming out. Depreciation-free driving is already possible with an NA, and potentially with an NB as well. The NC is still depreciating and will continue to do so.

I've got my original Miata in a trailer at my house. I was what, 21 when I bought it? It's not worth much these days, but I'll probably end up doing a Singer-style restomod on it because it's not worth selling. Plus it's MY car. We'll see.

Restoring it is probably going to cost more than replacing it, but you know what problems this car has and if you buy another one you're going to run into new ones...

Keith Tanner wrote: The oil usage, we'd need to know more about.

This one is an odd one- it seems very much like the Toyota thread here recently. So before I get out a cutting tool, I will try a seafoam clean job. I'm pretty sure it's blowby caused- oil is seeping out of a few seals. I've been too lazy to work on it, so now that it's not the primary car, I can do stuff like this.

Unless you have a better idea than a seafoam job. I should also take the intake off and really clean out the EGR system- I've had a light for that off and on for close to 100k miles. I'd like to try that before considering breaking the engine down.

If that turns out well, then I would think the powertrain would need freshening- timing belt, clutch, fluids. Which would be a lot easier.

I haven't been following the Toyota thread. I did change the exhaust seals on my dad's 1990 a while back to solve a problem with blowing oil on startup after a long sit. Worked nicely, and I've got a custom-built tool to do it without pulling the head if you want to borrow it.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

thanks- I'll try the clean out first. if that takes care of it, done. It really doesn't smoke on start up, so I kinda doubt its the valve stem seals. But that's not sure, just doubt.

Based on the bodywork and paint needs, my thought would be to see if you can resolve the oil consumption issue with a quick fix and then see how that goes. If it requires anything more extensive than an easy fix, you're probably at a good point to cut bait and look for something else.

I'm in this same boat at the minute. I've elected just to get it running and go from there.

Find someone building an Exocet. Buy the body they removed to get to the subframes. Put body on your cars subframes / engine. Win...