Y'all are a bunch of Kool-Aid pushers...

...but it actually tastes pretty good!

My Kool-Aid flavor: "Mango"

So much for waiting until the end of the year for a new NC, or even "gently used" 2013 or 2014.

I should be bringing it home sometime tomorrow.

one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us.

You will be assimilated.

Nicely done. Congratulations.

Nice color choice on THE right answer to any auto question... Now for the obligatory description of it's Flyin Miata or Jackson Racing force feeder...

We don't need to push it, it'll grow on you all by itself...

I really like that color. Conga-rats on the car.

That color was half the reason to get it; the other half of the reason to get it was it has everything done on it that I'd want, and probably then some.

I haven't been this giddy about a car since my first Z-car back in '85.

Nice. Love the color and the wheels.

Can't wait for the build thread!

Congrats! Looks nice, dump the racelands and get some light wheels and it will be totally transformed.

All your base are belong to us, Congrats!

irt turbosweded - I don't plan on doing a whole lot to it other than driving it (famous last words).

irt chiodos - Are racelands terrible or something? I thought I saw them on FM a while back, figured they can't be that horrible (but what do I know...).

Racelands are terrible. FM sells V-Maxx, which look similar at a rapid, uneducated first glance but which work a lot better. I'd be curious to find out what the "rear wheel camber kit" is, seeing as how there isn't really such a thing. Does this car have a stance history?

Very nice. That color is a love it or leave it, but more and more people love it. It's known as either Evolution Gold or Evolution Orange depending on country. Choose the one you like.

BTW, that's not a roll bar but a style bar. No rear bracing. If you're thinking of going on the track, you'll want to replace it. A Hard Dog Sport would be the easiest choice, as what you have is basically a Sport without the rear braces.

Also FYI - it's not an LS. LS would have a leather interior. It COULD be a Sport package car (which would mean it has a Torsen) but all of the Sport stuff has been removed if so - even the shock tower brace. Look at the sticker in the passenger's door, does it say STD S, SPORT S or HARD S?

Torsens were a standalone option in 2000, so it may still have one. But I would confirm via a phone call to Mazda with the VIN or a direct test (put wheels on different surfaces, accelerate) or use that as a bargaining point.

Congrats! That is one of my favorite colors on the answer.

Awesome color!

Ditch the Ricelands!

Ah, ok. For the time being, the car actually rides pretty well (so maybe they're not that old). The thing is just solid. Gearbox is really tight, tracks really straight, body is really straight, brakes are really nice - pedal is solid and up at the top, no mushiness at all (though I'm not a fan of the drilled rotors - best I can tell they don't do anything but crack under hard use). It actually drove better than a 77k mile NC I tested last week.

The bar I know is "appearance" (that thing wouldn't do anything in a crash but hit me on the head), not too worried about it, and I won't be tracking it at all; auto-x only and a fun daily (speaking of which, that car will need to come up a bit - not sure it'll make it over the neighborhood speed humps).

I'm looking forward to it, should be a lot of fun.

At least its not a "style bar". I'll take a Hard Dog over some chromed muffler pipe any day of the week.

Love that color!

(sorry about the following threadjack....)

In the ad, there was this line towards the bottom: "The car is financed, so buyer will receive a bill of sale. I will have the finance company (USAA) mail the title directly to the buyer when the funds clear the bank and the car is paid off." I've been burned on getting title things worked out after money has changed hands in the past, but is that sort of thing normal? How do you protect yourself if someone needs to take your money and go through a process to get a title to you?

Beautiful car. Agreed with SF1, ditch the ricelands. Keeping the rotas is optional. I like em.

wae wrote: Love that color! (sorry about the following threadjack....) In the ad, there was this line towards the bottom: "The car is financed, so buyer will receive a bill of sale. I will have the finance company (USAA) mail the title directly to the buyer when the funds clear the bank and the car is paid off." I've been burned on getting title things worked out after money has changed hands in the past, but is that sort of thing normal? How do you protect yourself if someone needs to take your money and go through a process to get a title to you?

It's a little nerve wracking - it's titled out of Nebraska (even though he's here in AZ), and they won't direct transfer the title in my name, but, the dude authorized his bank to send me a copy of the lien release at payoff (they wouldn't send it unless he ok'd), I've got a bill of sale, etc... so I would have a method of recourse if something did happen - but not the car!

That said, it's faith in humanity; If I'd thought about it, I'd have set up an escrow, which would've been a much better way to do it - no money unless escrow conditions were met (i.e. delivery of the title).

He seems a pretty upstanding guy, but I imagine there are some scam artists that could pull off the same milieu.

I took way to much risk here.

We push kool-aid because it's good! I like the color and the wheels, especially since no one runs wheels like that.

You know, a year ago I would have thought this thread would be about a Fiat 500 Abarth.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: We push kool-aid because it's good! I like the color and the wheels, especially since no one runs wheels like that.

Those are exactly what I had in mind for the SC MR2 I bought last year...

Nice color. I wonder how it would look with steelies painted slightly darker and Baby Moons?