Decided to start a build thread for my car. Never really got to do this before, but I think it'll be cool to document the progress of the car as I work on it. Most of the first post is cadged directly from my Introduction Post, but I should have more updates as I do more stuff to the car.
So...here's my story.
In The Beginning...., or Late 2015
After selling my 92 Galant VR-4 and having owned a never ending parade of DSM's,and other Mitsubishi based cars since 1997, I was ready for something different.
I loved my MMC/DSM cars, and especially the 4G63 engine, but was getting tired of doing the same old thing with them. Which basically consisted of modifying them to the point that they weren't fun to drive anymore.
I wanted something simpler, that was, reliable, affordable to modify, had plenty of aftermarket and owner support and most importantly, it had to be fun to drive.
A friend who of mine who owned a heavily modded DSM at one time, had picked up a 99 Miata and was using it as a Fun/Project Car set up for for High Performance Driving Events at Motorsports Ranch. He seemed to be having a good time with the car, and suggested I give a Miata a try.
So despite all my other friends saying "They're All Going To Laugh At You!", I started the hunt on the local forums and Craigslist for a car.
"Miata Trek 1: The Search For A Car"
My friend suggested I concentrate more on the NB cars rather than the NA models because of the improvements Mazda made to the engine and chassis with the 2nd Gen cars. I wasn't a real fan of Pop Up headlights at the time, so I didn't need too much convincing. I also liked how the NB2 looked like a scaled down version of a FD RX-7, and the power bump from the engine as well. Now I just had to find one in my price range.
After searching for about a week, I eventually found a 1999 Emerald Mica 5 Speed with about 173K on the clock, from a older guy on Craigslist. He said he had a few Miatas, and that this one was supposedly his Daily Driver.
Made an appointment and had a buddy drive me to Downtown Dallas to go check this thing out.
Initial Impression
Aside from some minor door dings and a small dent in the rear D/S quarter panel, it looked fairly clean and well kept. It was Green which wasn't a deal killer to me, but I wasn't a real fan of the Tan Interior at the time. I would in fact grow to appreciate that it did in fact have this interior, but that was a bit later. Also it looked like it originally had a Tan top rather than the Black one installed. Eh, whatever.
Engine bay looked very clean, no rust on the rockers, and the interior looked good as well besides a fairly worn driver's seat and steering wheel. This wasn't a big deal, as I planned on aftermarket seats in the future, but it was nice to know someone tried to take care of it.
I took it for a test drive on the streets downtown and noticed that it drove very well, was responsive to throttle inputs and seemed to shift solidly. Never having driven one before, I didn't have a good baseline to go by, but it felt good.
He was asking $3500 for it and I offered 3000, which he took after thinking about it for a few seconds. I paid the man and he signed the title over and handed me the keys. Neat!
I was now officially a Miata Owner.
What's All This Then?
Drove the car home on the highway, and got introduced to the "65 MPH Shimmy", which elicited a cry of "Come On! I Just Bought This Stupid Thing!" I dropped the speed down a bit, made it home and eventually had the wheels/tires rebalanced a week later to get rid of the shimmy at speed.
Snapped a quick pic to show my buddy with the NB
I did some more research on the 99 model year cars and was pleased to discover that according to the tag on the passenger showing "NC22", along with some other items included with the car, I'm SUPPOSED to have a Torsen rear end.
I haven't confirmed it visually yet, but one of these days when I get a chance, I will.
I still think the Black Interior looks better, but I'll deal with a Tan Interior if I get a Torsen out of the deal.
So, What Now?
Shortly after I bough the car, I relocated to the Wichita area from Arlington, TX. I bought the car before I moved, because I wanted a clean rust free car, and I had a much better selection available in the DFW Metroplex. Kansas salts their roads, and I've seen some really haggard looking cars up here. I don't plan on driving this in bad weather, and I have a garage for the car to keep it out of the elements and work on it.
Texas! (What's With All The Crows?)
Not Texas :-(
I also performed some much needed maintenance, and fixed a few things, that If I had known about them at the time, I would have tried to knock a few more bucks off the price. I'll detail all that in later posts on here, with more information and the gory details.
So, that's where I'm starting from.
The plan is to build a nice clean car, that I can drive on the street and take to the Autocross course and maybe hit up Motorsport Ranch with my buddies every once in awhile. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm enjoying figuring things out and learning about the new platform.
Thanks For The Space!