No longer a Miata virgin!

So after years of disliking the Miata for being too "girly" and "boy-racer" ish I actually test drove one today. Not only did I drive it but I am thinking about buying it! I was fairly impressed with the car, not fast in a straight line, not bad ride, easy top, looked simple, seems reliable etc. Where I come from Mazda's don't sell too well and Miata's are harder to come by.

The car in question is a 1991 Miata in silver, it is by no means a show car, there is a rust bubble on the right rear fender as well as numerous other paint blems. It was rear ended at some point and the repairer didn't get the clearances for the trunk/bumper/license plate area correct so the gaps are wider than stock. Here is his quick post on a local forum about the car:

i have a 91' miata with ~120k recently did clutch, lightweight flywheel, Poly Bushings all around KYB adjustable shocks sitting on Tein lowering springs Front Flying Miata Sway bar Recent Timing Belt/Water Pump Clean Title It does have some small door dings, and could use some small touch ups on paint. Asking 2500, willing to negotiate. http://s390.photobucket.com/albums/oo342/Jamiemx5/1991%20Mazda%20Miata/

The car isn't necessarily pretty, I am just hoping to use it as a reliable, economical, cheap daily driver which I can still autox and do HPDE's with. My plan would be to turn it into a Spec Miata over a period of time.

My questions to you guys are: 1. What MPG do these get? (I have heard anywhere from 24 to 34 on the highway?)

1. What would I need to return to stock to meet the Spec Miata rules?

2. Is the price too high? He is willing to negotiate, what is a reasonable price for the car?

Second, he also has a 97 Miata which is not running but is in far better condition. It is not driving due to lack of a Megasquirt tune, the hood was up when I saw it and there was wires everywhere, not sorted. This was his description about it:

Also I have a 1997 with ~70k Black with tan leather Megasquirt ECU Electronic boost controller(greddy type s) Walbro 255lph fuel pump 8.5 :1 compression Wiseco pistons Full engine rebuild less than 1000 miles ago AC delete Power steering delete Garrett T3 turbo (with large Front mount intercooler)with 3 inch downpipe, all the way back. RX7 550cc injectors dual electric fans Kyb AGX adjustable shocks sitting on Tein Type s springs

Its a fun car, but i have lost interest in the project, currently the only barrier to this being completed is tuning the megasquirt. With the previous computer system (Haltech E6k), the car dyno'd 240 hp, ~230 Tq. It was a real Kick in the pants to drive. Asking $ would really like 3000, but I am ready for a different project.

If my plan was to revert the car to stock this probably wouldn't be a good option correct? I have a feeling he would sell for about 2k (possibly) but how much would it cost if I simply took out the motor he had in it and dropped in a new 97 motor? (He has the stock ecu still.)

Please tell me whether I am being stupid. I lost a lot of money on my last car and don't want it to happen again (obviously).

Thanks for the help Joshua

PS - not sure if this should be in the classifieds or not...sorry!

Crap I can't figure out how to fix that link

I've been a member of the cincy ohio miata club and I've never owned one! Do it, someday I will follow your lead!

You'll love them. They are a drivers car, especially when modified right. The second car sounds like a headache to me.

They both seem a bit pricey, but then this time of year they always cost more.

I don't think the second car makes sense if you want to return it to standard and the first one probably doesn't, either.

Check your local rules re HPDEs, you might need a hardtop and/or roll bar for a Miata in order to be able to participate. If neither of them has one, you'll have to factor in another $500-$1k for the hardtop.

TBH if the long term goal is Spec Miata, try finding a mid-pack SM car - bought right that'll work out cheaper IMHO.

If you have the skills to finish the second one, that one might be a bargain, even if you just keep it for a year or two and then flip it.

Neither come with hard tops.

I was curious if it would be worth buying the black one and dropping a new (used) motor into it and selling the old one with the turbo etc. Also I am not sure how easy this would be to rewire since all of the engine wiring was ripped out. I would sell all of the mods I don't need and replace them with stock parts.

Would this turn out to be a better deal or would I sink more money into getting it right than it's worth?

The engine wiring harness is a giant U-shaped monstrosity that runs under the dash, and replacing it, while definitely possible, would take a lot of time. It would definitely require removing the dash and AC boxes. Take that for what it's worth.

Hmmmm I think I just got my answer since I hate electronics and am terrible with them.