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I have a 1997 mazda miata, 177K miles.
Prior to latest, probably in fair condition at best (runs ok, but has aftermarket exhaust system replacement resulting in check engine light always on, leaks/burns some oil, coolant leaks).
KBB for fair condition is just under 2K.
Yesterday overheated, needs water pump and thermostat replaced (which requires timing belt), also issues with clutch (just the slave cylinder) and brakes. The last 2 are of course not related to the overheating, just additional findings.
Total 1400.
(Btw, have worked with this repair shop for years, they are Miata specialists, am not doubting their findings/estimate).
What would you do?
Sell for parts/fixing/racing?
Or pay to fix and then sell?
Or pay to fix and then drive and hope for no more repairs soon?
I see a lot of old miatas on Craigslist for way over blue book, but I think for the most part those are pampered Sunday drive type cars and I'm not sure mine qualifies for even "fair condition."
I bought this car from a friend and have gotten good years out of it. Don't have a huge budget for the next one, but don't want to throw good money after bad.
unless you're hard up on having a Miata, i would sell it. even with all the issues, if it hasen't spent half its life on a track you can probably sell it to someone who will use it for that exact purpose. i would think you could possibly get at least a grand for it.
then again, if it were me, i would fix it and make it a dedicated race vehicle for SCCA events like auto-x or Road racing. man i wish i could fit in one of those things!
Well if you could DIY it would be a lot cheaper to fix. What would it take to fix the exhaust so the CEL is not on all the time?
Do you like the car otherwise? Do you just want something else?
If you do a complete timing belt job, and complete brake job, about the only other "regular maintenance" biggie might be the clutch, any idea how much life you have left in the clutch?
The one thing I would *not* do is fix and then sell. Fix and keep, or sell as-is, but if you fix and sell, you will end up not recovering the cost of repairs 100% (at least usually you won't)
To answer questions:
I do like the car (as in, I'm not just looking for a reason to get rid of it).
Not set on having a miata (it's so fun, but if I don't fix it I'd go back to used corolla/civic/protege)
I can't DIY (I wish!--I can only do tiny stuff)
Replaced the clutch 4 years ago, what it needs now is just the slave cylinder replacement which is a small amount of that total (150).
The exhaust (as best I understand--sorry not too much of a car person)--they replaced the whole exhaust system with a non-miata one and had to make some modifications to get it to fit, so seals are not good etc. I can pass emissions tests if I get the light turned out (like, it doesn't cause the vehicle to fail the tests) but the miata repair people told me that the previous owners should not have cheaped out on the "off brand" system. I'm not sure if the existing one could be further tweaked or if you'd have to replace the whole business.
My primary concern is really the money--if it would be smarter to put 1400 into this car, or try to scrape up more and put that into something newer.
Last edited by novahousehunter; 01-20-2010 at 01:15 PM..
To answer questions:
I do like the car (as in, I'm not just looking for a reason to get rid of it).
Not set on having a miata (it's so fun, but if I don't fix it I'd go back to used corolla/civic/protege)
I can't DIY (I wish!--I can only do tiny stuff)
Replaced the clutch 4 years ago, what it needs now is just the slave cylinder replacement which is a small amount of that total (150).
The exhaust (as best I understand--sorry not too much of a car person)--they replaced the whole exhaust system with a non-miata one and had to make some modifications to get it to fit, so seals are not good etc. I can pass emissions tests if I get the light turned out (like, it doesn't cause the vehicle to fail the tests) but the miata repair people told me that the previous owners should not have cheaped out on the "off brand" system. I'm not sure if the existing one could be further tweaked or if you'd have to replace the whole business.
My primary concern is really the money--if it would be smarter to put 1400 into this car, or try to scrape up more and put that into something newer.
The only way a car will pass inspection is for the problem that caused the light to turn be fixed. You cant fool the computer. Either the system checks out or it doesnt. Also if the modifications caused the cel to turn on you have a big problem. Any modification that alters the emission system is illegal...Of course this does not matter as long as you dont put a tag on it and operate it on any public street.
I have a 1997 mazda miata, 177K miles.
Prior to latest, probably in fair condition at best (runs ok, but has aftermarket exhaust system replacement resulting in check engine light always on, leaks/burns some oil, coolant leaks).
KBB for fair condition is just under 2K.
Yesterday overheated, needs water pump and thermostat replaced (which requires timing belt), also issues with clutch (just the slave cylinder) and brakes. The last 2 are of course not related to the overheating, just additional findings.
Total 1400.
(Btw, have worked with this repair shop for years, they are Miata specialists, am not doubting their findings/estimate).
What would you do?
Sell for parts/fixing/racing?
Or pay to fix and then sell?
Or pay to fix and then drive and hope for no more repairs soon?
I see a lot of old miatas on Craigslist for way over blue book, but I think for the most part those are pampered Sunday drive type cars and I'm not sure mine qualifies for even "fair condition."
I bought this car from a friend and have gotten good years out of it. Don't have a huge budget for the next one, but don't want to throw good money after bad.
Thanks!
The basic question is can you buy another car that you know for $1400?
As long as you like the car and it serves your needs I wouldn't get to excited over these maintenance items (yes, fair wear and tear maintenance items) if I were you.
More than one person has dumped a perfectly good car when they had to put some bucks into simple maintenance. If you buy used you have the same problems...maintenance. If you buy new you will have to do.....maintenance....at some point so why bail now? What people forget is a car is a machine and all machines need fixed once in awhile so do the repairs and enjoy your car and all the other money (car cost for new) it saves you.
You really NEED to be on a miata specifc site, can't mention other sites on here but try ***** (the name of your car) dot *** (what tennis balls get hit over.
KBB is WORTHLESS on cars such as this, Porsches, old (late '60s and '70s) BMWs etc. I've owned several of both and Miata and Porsche owners are pretty anal, and are always ready, willing and able to walk the unitiated through repairs etc.
Based on your description I'd probably give you $1400 for it, SIGHT UNSEEN.
If you are comfortable with your shop, you might ask them what they think, really. You might ask them to keep an eye out for a good "take off" exhaust system from a car that's being made into a track car. If the car has a new-ish clutch, seems to me if you take care of the ~1400 worth of work that the car needs, it should be ready to go for a while before you need another serious maintenance job.
That said, something un-related could fail tomorrow, but Miata are in general pretty reliable cars.
Thank you all--have moved my question to a miata related site.
The mechanic at the garage told me I wouldn't get my $ out of the repairs, but made the same point that I would be out only 1400 as opposed to more for a newer car.
As for the exhaust system, my understanding is that it was replaced cheaply not for performance but for function (old one wasn't working). Old owners chose to replace with generic as opposed to Miata specific one. In our state cars cannot pass emissions with the CE light on, but I'm not sure if they pull old codes? Mine has always passed with CE light off.
Thanks for the advice.
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