Just bought an $800 Miata, what to do with it?

Yea...I couldn't resist. It popped up on my local CL auto parts section and I called, met the guy, and bought it.

Specs: 1992 LE (Black/Tan), 152k, 2 owners.

Pics:

I couldn't resist for $800. It runs and drives fine, just a little tired. Underbody looks OK aside from the crispy rockers. Goes down the road fine, shifts and brakes, fine. Failed emissions becaue of a high NOx reading (3.10, 2.5 is the limit). I pick it up on Monday. I don't really need another car, as I'll be getting the E30 back soon from my friend who has been using it. I do miss my 94 Miata though...lots of fun in that car.

So now what do I do with it? Keep it and drive it? Clean it up, and flip it? Part it out (I know those wheels are worth some $$)? Pull an AngryP on the rockers with Great Stuff? What does the GRMiatasports groupthink say?

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/if-four-is-good-then-eight-must-be-better/2084/page1/

OR

Yea...as much as I'd love to do that, my life is kind of in limbo right now. I'll only be living where I am until October at the latest, and then moving again, not sure where, and I don't have lots of space here. I could also use the $$ from flipping/parting at some point before I move.

Drop it off at my place ;)

Seriously, good score, especially for an LE. Clean it up, put it on Miata.net and profit.

sell it to one of your fellow GRMers so they can challenge prep it

Locost.

Sonic wrote: Yea...as much as I'd love to do that, my life is kind of in limbo right now. I'll only be living where I am until October at the latest, and then moving again, not sure where, and I don't have lots of space here. I could also use the $$ from flipping/parting at some point before I move.

Bring it by some Thursday (or maybe a weekend) and we'll resurrect the paint to a degree.

You're in charge of resurrecting those rockers, though. Oof.

Dr. Hess wrote: Locost.

Hear Hear

LSA swap

Nice buy. Drive the crap out of it until you break it or get bored with it. You'll be able to recoup your money either way.

Nice Score Chris... Foam it, Paint it, Flip it.

(after you swap me the wheels of course!)

Jeff

littleturquoiseb wrote: Nice Score Chris... Foam it, Paint it, Flip it. (after you swap me the wheels of course!) Jeff

Word. two cans of great stuff, $10. 1 gallon bondo, $30. 60 hours labor, free. 1 maaco paint job, $300. resultant increase in sale price, about $1000.

a cheap set of early miata wheels, sandblasted and clearcoated, $100. What are the wheels on the car worth?

if there's a lot of guys running SM in your area, you can part the body panels pretty quick and for decent coin. but at that buy-in price, i think plan A should be foam, paint, swap rims, flip.

or sell it to me for a grand as-is for a tidy 25% profit in just a few days...

AngryCorvair wrote: or sell it to me for a grand as-is for a tidy 25% profit in just a few days...

I could probably give you $1200 for a quick sale........and it runs good.

Drive it for a year and sell it to my wife when I hit top pay.

AC, how is Rusty doing now anyhow? You sold it to someone on here, didn't you? I'm sort of curious how long such a repair holds up.

Josh wrote: AC, how is Rusty doing now anyhow? You sold it to someone on here, didn't you? I'm sort of curious how long such a repair holds up.

nope, sold for $1850 to a total stranger who replaced the top and immediately listed it for $4k. IDK what he got for it, if it sold at all.

Part it.

how rusty is it? , looks like you could prolly patch it/clean it up. I want :( I guess I missed that post on MA CL or i'd be all over it :)

It is only rusty on the lower rockers. The PO painted it and it has helped slow it down significantly.

I think I've decided to pull an AngryP on the rockers with some great stuff, bondo, and paint, clean the whole thing up as best I can, and eBay the bitch.

RoadWarrier, it was on Cape Cod CL, in the auto parts section. For once, I was the first one to respond to a good deal Miata on CL.

I'm serious--bring it by and we can transform it.

I've acquired some new skills that I'm eager to experiment with.

We can bang out a Miata in 3 hours if we double team it.

I'd love to take advantage of your mAd SkiLLs yO! but it isn't registered and I don't plan on registering it as I'd have to wait for the title to get redone, etc, so that makes it hard to get it over to your house. Thanks for the kind offer though.

I'll break out the random orbital and the Griots Fine Cut III and see how it does. I bet it will clean up nicely.

Those rocker panels will buff right out!

Nice find, Lucky!

Sonic wrote: I'd love to take advantage of your mAd SkiLLs yO! but it isn't registered and I don't plan on registering it as I'd have to wait for the title to get redone, etc, so that makes it hard to get it over to your house. Thanks for the kind offer though. I'll break out the random orbital and the Griots Fine Cut III and see how it does. I bet it will clean up nicely.

Take some before and afters.

Sonic wrote: So now what do I do with it?

Dr. Hess wrote: Locost

Volksroddin wrote:LSA swap

I like the directions those suggestions take ...

gamby wrote: We can bang out a Miata in 3 hours if we double team it.

at that speed, will you be able to pull out in time?