Need Some Advice

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LeadFootLiam

LeadFootLiam

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liampage123

Hello.

I am looking at a Miata tomorrow. Is has 220,000kms, if I end up buying it, is it worth putting work into, with that much mileage?

I am thinking a turbo, new seats, coilovers wheels, etc.

Just wondering if I should put work into it, or keep it stock, and save up and buy another Miata with lower KMs.

I would like to hear what you have to say,thanks! 👍
 
As another teenage (well, 21 years old...but whatever) car owner, my best advice to you is this: keep it simple.

220,000 Kms. isn't TOO much for a car, but things are prone to break out of sheer age. Simple stuff, but stuff that you'll have to take care of and that means money out of your mods budget. Gaskets, wiring, trim, etc. When I bought my car it was 5k kms. shy of 200k kms. and it ran beautifully. Two months afterwards spark plug cables failed. Three months afterwards a fuel return valve. Four months afterwards the head gasket had to be replaced because it still had the one it came out of the factory with. You can't predict those things, but the moment they happen your car is gonna be parked and you'll want to fix it ASAP, can't do that when you spent all your money the week before on some coilovers.

Turbo? Do you really need it? Sure, MOAR POWAAAH is always cool, I feel that urge too, but keep in mind the old, wise saying: "300 horses poop more than 200", and the more horsepower you pack the poop grows exponentially. Plus, why not learning how to drive fast and then pumping more power into the engine? "If you're not fast with 90 horsepower, 900 aren't gonna be much help" Wanna know who said that? One of the guys responsible for the original design of the Miata. Power, at the end of the day, is just figures and a game of how much money you can throw at it. Power =/= Speed =/= Fun. If you only think about power, you're going to be miserable and you're gonna hate your car. Been there, done that.

Is it a car worth having and messing about with? Absolutely, every car is when you're young. Miatas are awesome and that's a plus. But the best thing you can do to your car is keep it running well, and then building on from that. Learn to live with your car stock, learn to love it stock.

My $0.02.
 
I don't worry about mileage being a huge factor for any car I buy so long as I check it out thoroughly before purchase. Make sure it runs well, there's no visual issues such as serious rust underneath or broken chassis parts....basically make sure its entirely in good working order. If it is then dont really worry about the mileage so much.
 
CarBastard
220,000 Kms. isn't TOO much for a car, but things are prone to break out of sheer age. Simple stuff, but stuff that you'll have to take care of and that means money out of your mods budget. Gaskets, wiring, trim, etc. When I bought my car it was 5k kms. shy of 200k kms. and it ran beautifully. Two months afterwards spark plug cables failed. Three months afterwards a fuel return valve. Four months afterwards the head gasket had to be replaced because it still had the one it came out of the factory with. You can't predict those things, but the moment they happen your car is gonna be parked and you'll want to fix it ASAP, can't do that when you spent all your money the week before on some coilovers.
Click to expand...

That doesn't necessarily apply to every car though. You can never predict when something is going to break and yes age is a factor, but I've had "brand new" parts fail right out of the box.
 
Depends on how the previous owner treated the Miata. Inspect it thoroughly, looking for rust, cracked/old hoses, dirty fluid, odd noises, faulty electronics and anything else you can use to drive the price down. If you do end up buying it, I highly suggest you forget boosting a 220,000km engine, unless it really is in pristine condition. If you do feel the need for more power I suggest looking for another type of car or if you're dead set on a Miata, swap out the motor with something that has a bit more balls. Boost + tired engine is like driving around in a grenade with the pin pulled. Tick tick tick.....
 
If you want to modify a car, the less miles the better. The more miles a car has on it the more it will nickel and dime you. I've never seen a car that this wasn't true for, import, domestic or otherwise. Instead of buying coil-overs and turbos you'll be buying ball joints, hoses, fuel pumps, and other parts that start to die at 200,000 km. Miatas are pretty reliable, but common parts that fail with age, such as the ones I mentioned, still fail on Miatas too. And the bills pile up very fast, especially if you don't have the tools or know how to do the work (not saying you don't, just sayin').
 

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