New Toy

[Steve Wood]

After a few days searching for a newer truck, I got frustrated and decided to buy a new toy first while keeping my eyes open for an older truck that was a reasonable price.  I don't believe there is such a thing, but, I will keep looking.  Trucks seem to drop very little in price until they are well past a 100k miles these days...

Anyway, I have had the yen for a Miata for some time and my son has had so much fun with his that I started looking for one.  Damn, if the Miata market is not drying up all of a sudden as there are very few for sale at the moment.  Maybe it's summertime and people are having fun.  Suddenly one popped up in Abilene that was low mileage and another one in Dallas that was beautiful but lowered to the bump stops.  I was thinking of having Rich look at it, but, he lucked out and the car sold the first day.

I also found a second generation car down in Houston that was in great shape and it was also very low mileage as well which is very unusual as most are north of 100k miles these days.  Both the one in Abilene and the one in Houston were in the 40K range.

I went up today to Abilene to look at the '97 and it had been driven virtually nothing since the owner bought it.  Seems like it is the 8th Miata he had owned but when he owned the first 7, he weighed 200 lbs.  He went to Dallas and bought this one and drove it home and has not driven it since....probl em is he gained 100 lbs in the interval from owning number 7 until he bought this one.  It was painful watching him trying to get in the car.

At any rate, I bought it.  It has a few light hail marks on the hood and trunk  Otherwise it was in very good conditon.  I had checked the vin and verified the mileage and history and it concurred with what the current owner had told me.  He was an interesting guy and also owned a GN back in the '90's.  He knew his cars pretty well.

Everything worked and I gave him the money, transferred the title, etc. and started home.  About 20 miles down the road, the check engine light came on!  LOL...Did not change the way it was running and I came on home with it.  Plugged in my scanner and it gave me a low efficiency cat code.  I just ordered a new cat, two O2 sensors and a set of plug wires...10% of the cost of the car lol.

At any rate, after an hour and half driving, I was moving a bit slow when I crawled out but it was very easy and comfortable to drive.  Steering is very tight along with the shifter and it goes exactly where the steering wheel points immediately.  First corner I came to, I almost made a U turn...smh...i t was easy after that.

[earlbrown]

A new cat?      just gut it and stack up two 'spark plug anti-foulers' for the 2nd O2. That works like a champ

[Steve Wood]

Did that on the subie

[good2win22]

That looks like fun! 

[Steve Wood]

That's the main reason I bought it...fun.

[larrym]

So which LS are you using 4.8 5.3 or 6.0 😆

[Steve Wood]

I don't have the cash it takes to do the swap...you basically replace the undercarriage completely.  Costs close to 20K. 

Maybe if I live a bit longer, I will turbo it which makes them a lot of fun.

[motorhead]

Nooooooooooooo ooooooo!

http://jalopnik.com/i-hate-miatas-1785135853

[larrym]

It looks like s boat load of fun as it sits.

[motorhead]

Maybe if I live a bit longer, I will turbo it which makes them a lot of fun.

Why wait? http://www.ebay.com/itm/BP14-MX5-T25-STAGE-II-TURBO-CHARGER-UPGRADE-KIT-300HP-BOOST-FOR-MAZDA-MIATA-1-8-/201530223038?fits=Model%3AMiata&hash=item2eec2329be:g:2J8AAOSwx-9Wz7PS&vxp=mtr

It is only $350.

[1 RARE T]

Those things are a freakin' blast. Drove a turbo one, couldn't stop smiling.

I bought an Audi A5 for a daily a few months back. Poon-tang magnet!

[Shimy87]

Looks fun!!   Must have a thing for black cars 

[reality]

There is a Miata across the ally with a 302 5 speed for sale.Somebody is coming to look at it today.
Cute little car but at 73 and 74 you know what people are going to say.  [size=78%]LOLOL.[/size]

[Steve Wood]

I did not buy the car because it was "cute".

I bought it because I like cars that take to curving roads with a joy from the factory, and for a couple of thousand for suspension and tires, they handle with anything out there. Simple as that.

I will be 75 in three months and I intend to keep having fun.  No where is there a law that someone must act their age, but I have noticed that those that do are often miserable sons of bitches and are usually the ones that are making comments about those that enjoy life.  I make it a point to avoid them as I don't want to get pulled down by the crowd.

I intend to keep driving cars of whatever ilk entertain me at the moment, shooting any gun that I can figure out how to load, blow up whatever I can, and hang out with kids and play video games if the mood strikes me.  I find it much more satisfying than sitting around with a bunch of ol' biddies gossiping about the people they don't like.

I have lived and worked all over the world, and at this point in my life, I am damn happy to be able to sit on my ranch and do what I want.  If nothing else, it provides entertainment for the miserable sons of bitches that have spent most of their life sitting on their asses whining about unfair the world has treated them.

I have been thinking about buying a '60's Triumph or BSA lately.  That will really give them something to talk about

[Steve Wood]

Nope, this one is dark blue.  Twilight Mica Blue according to Mazda.