Thinking of buying a v8 miata
07-17-2014, 07:12 PM
#1
V8 Miata Noob
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thinking of buying a v8 miata
So I am thinking of buying this v8 miata 1990 Monster Miata V8. I have bought a swapped car before and the engine went a few months after buying it so I am pretty scared to do it again. I could really use some insight from you guys as I know there are some very knowledgeable people on this forum.
What should I look out for? Is there anything in this build list that would make you 2nd guess the car or think shortcuts were taken? I would love this car but am terrified of making the same mistake twice.
What should I look out for? Is there anything in this build list that would make you 2nd guess the car or think shortcuts were taken? I would love this car but am terrified of making the same mistake twice.
07-18-2014, 07:06 AM
#2
V8 Miata Participant
So I am thinking of buying this v8 miata 1990 Monster Miata V8. I have bought a swapped car before and the engine went a few months after buying it so I am pretty scared to do it again. I could really use some insight from you guys as I know there are some very knowledgeable people on this forum.
What should I look out for? Is there anything in this build list that would make you 2nd guess the car or think shortcuts were taken? I would love this car but am terrified of making the same mistake twice.
What should I look out for? Is there anything in this build list that would make you 2nd guess the car or think shortcuts were taken? I would love this car but am terrified of making the same mistake twice.
First thought that comes to mind. It's been for sale for over 4 months, if it was a quality build, at a great price, it would have been sold by now to the first person to go see it up close and in person.
Bill S.
07-18-2014, 07:08 AM
#3
V8 Miata Noob
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You are everywhere! I have a 3rd car in mind but I think i need to stop making these threads haha
07-18-2014, 09:36 AM
#4
Jim Stainer
Hi David and welcome to the forum.
Being in snow country I usually buy my cars on the south side of the mason Dixon line so I have attempted to evaluate a car from a long way away many times. I've also been burned more than once and the memory of sitting at a car lot 800 miles from home, exhausted from the over night bus ride, with no way to get back to the bus station and no exit plan is forever etched in my mind. So here is a few tips from the school of hard knocks.
If the car is far away the first thing I do is hunt around for a good shop to look it over. In this case I would want more of a specialty performance shop. Any shop that could do the swap and tune the computer to work with it would be the way to go. You should be able to get a feel for their experience and how good they are in a short conversation and find out what they would charge for a thorough exam of the car. Last time I did it this the charge was a flat rate of $100 per hour and it took an hour and a half. (best 150 bucks I ever spent to not buy a car too!)
Now with that info you may find the tune of the seller change. It's remarkable how many things they forgot to tell you they just remembered. A good seller will agree to take the car to the shop (at your expense) and have no problem with it. If the seller is not willing to take a couple hours to do that for you then you don't want the car. You also don't want a counter offer of a different shop to take it to because chances are that will be to his advantage.
If the car is close then it's a better situation. My son and I drove 4 hours to see one and I told the guy not to start the car before I got there and to have it in a place where I could look it over really well. Before we left I got permission to do a compression check and put the car up on ramps to look it over. I told him I would bring all the tools, jack etc and that I need at least 2 hours with the car to make a decision. (that one we also left behind because the fuel pump didn't run)
I've found most owners and dealers do not allow me to pull spark plugs or raise the car up and it just depends on what it is if that is a show stopper. My wifes car that only had 19000 miles on it so no big deal. But the 01 Miata with 120K on it I told them to call me if they change their mind and moved on. It's really telling how sellers respond to that request. If they are concerned you will find something they will hedge on that. Dealers will bring up insurance issues or other BS I tell them no problem we are going for a 2 hour test drive and leaving you my car for collateral. If they agree to that I grab my tools and go to a car wash or office building close by. It's not quite as good cuz the engine is not cold but it works.
Now I've mentioned some of my disasters but I have had some really good experiences and buys too including a Chevy dealer that let me use their hoist and gave me lunch with the rest of the staff. That Camaro was mint and they knew it so it was no problem with them.
Remember the first rule of car shopping is there is ALWAYS another good deal just around the corner so never be in a hurry and never think this is the perfect car. And with that I hope you never have to sit on a curb in Tulsa late Saturday afternoon with no way home!
Being in snow country I usually buy my cars on the south side of the mason Dixon line so I have attempted to evaluate a car from a long way away many times. I've also been burned more than once and the memory of sitting at a car lot 800 miles from home, exhausted from the over night bus ride, with no way to get back to the bus station and no exit plan is forever etched in my mind. So here is a few tips from the school of hard knocks.
If the car is far away the first thing I do is hunt around for a good shop to look it over. In this case I would want more of a specialty performance shop. Any shop that could do the swap and tune the computer to work with it would be the way to go. You should be able to get a feel for their experience and how good they are in a short conversation and find out what they would charge for a thorough exam of the car. Last time I did it this the charge was a flat rate of $100 per hour and it took an hour and a half. (best 150 bucks I ever spent to not buy a car too!)
Now with that info you may find the tune of the seller change. It's remarkable how many things they forgot to tell you they just remembered. A good seller will agree to take the car to the shop (at your expense) and have no problem with it. If the seller is not willing to take a couple hours to do that for you then you don't want the car. You also don't want a counter offer of a different shop to take it to because chances are that will be to his advantage.
If the car is close then it's a better situation. My son and I drove 4 hours to see one and I told the guy not to start the car before I got there and to have it in a place where I could look it over really well. Before we left I got permission to do a compression check and put the car up on ramps to look it over. I told him I would bring all the tools, jack etc and that I need at least 2 hours with the car to make a decision. (that one we also left behind because the fuel pump didn't run)
I've found most owners and dealers do not allow me to pull spark plugs or raise the car up and it just depends on what it is if that is a show stopper. My wifes car that only had 19000 miles on it so no big deal. But the 01 Miata with 120K on it I told them to call me if they change their mind and moved on. It's really telling how sellers respond to that request. If they are concerned you will find something they will hedge on that. Dealers will bring up insurance issues or other BS I tell them no problem we are going for a 2 hour test drive and leaving you my car for collateral. If they agree to that I grab my tools and go to a car wash or office building close by. It's not quite as good cuz the engine is not cold but it works.
Now I've mentioned some of my disasters but I have had some really good experiences and buys too including a Chevy dealer that let me use their hoist and gave me lunch with the rest of the staff. That Camaro was mint and they knew it so it was no problem with them.
Remember the first rule of car shopping is there is ALWAYS another good deal just around the corner so never be in a hurry and never think this is the perfect car. And with that I hope you never have to sit on a curb in Tulsa late Saturday afternoon with no way home!
Last edited by charchri4; 07-18-2014 at 10:12 AM.
07-18-2014, 10:11 AM
#6
V8 Miata Noob
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi David and welcome to the forum.
Being in snow country I usually buy my cars on the south side of the mason Dixon line so I have attempted to evaluate a car from a long way away many times. I've also been burned more than once and the memory of sitting at a car lot 800 miles from home, exhausted from the over night bus ride, with no way to get back to the bus station and no exit plan is forever etched in my mind. So here is a few tips from the school of hard knocks.
If the car is far away the first thing I do is hunt around for a good shop to look it over. In this case I would want more of a specialty performance shop. Any shop that could do the swap and tune the computer to work with it would be the way to go. You should be able to get a feel for their experience and how good they are in a short conversation and find out what they would charge for a thorough exam of the car. Last time I did it this the charge was a flat rate of $100 per hour and it took an hour and a half. (best 150 bucks I ever spent to not buy a car too!)
Now with that info you may find the tune of the seller change. It's remarkable how many things they forgot to tell you they just remembered. A good seller will agree to take the car to the shop (at your expense) and have no problem with it. If the seller is not willing to take a couple hours to do that for you then you don't want the car. You also don't want a counter offer of a different shop to take it to because chances are that will be to his advantage.
If the car is close then it's a better situation. My son and I drove 4 hours to see one and I told the guy not to start the car before I got there and to have it in a place where I could look it over really well. Before we left I got permission to do a compression check and put the car up on ramps to look it over. I told him I would bring all the tools, jack etc and that I need at least 2 hours with the car to make a decision. (that one we also left behind because the fuel pump didn't run)
I've found most owners and dealers do not allow me to pull spark plugs or raise the car up and it just depends on what it is if that is a show stopper. My wifes car that only had 19000 miles on it so no big deal. But the 01 Miata with 120K on it I told them to call me if they change their mind and moved on. It's really telling how sellers respond to that request. If they are concerned you will find something they will hedge on that. Dealers will bring up insurance issues or other BS I tell them no problem we are going for a 2 hour test drive and leaving you my car for collateral. If they agree to that I grab my tools and go to a car wash or office building close by. It's not quite as good cuz the engine is not cold but it works.
Now I've mentioned my trials but I have had some really good experiences and buys too including a Chevy dealer that let me use their hoist and gave me lunch with the rest of the staff. That Camaro was mint and they knew it so it was no problem with them.
So that's my .02 on the matter. I hope you never have to sit on a curb in Tulsa late Saturday afternoon with no way home!
Being in snow country I usually buy my cars on the south side of the mason Dixon line so I have attempted to evaluate a car from a long way away many times. I've also been burned more than once and the memory of sitting at a car lot 800 miles from home, exhausted from the over night bus ride, with no way to get back to the bus station and no exit plan is forever etched in my mind. So here is a few tips from the school of hard knocks.
If the car is far away the first thing I do is hunt around for a good shop to look it over. In this case I would want more of a specialty performance shop. Any shop that could do the swap and tune the computer to work with it would be the way to go. You should be able to get a feel for their experience and how good they are in a short conversation and find out what they would charge for a thorough exam of the car. Last time I did it this the charge was a flat rate of $100 per hour and it took an hour and a half. (best 150 bucks I ever spent to not buy a car too!)
Now with that info you may find the tune of the seller change. It's remarkable how many things they forgot to tell you they just remembered. A good seller will agree to take the car to the shop (at your expense) and have no problem with it. If the seller is not willing to take a couple hours to do that for you then you don't want the car. You also don't want a counter offer of a different shop to take it to because chances are that will be to his advantage.
If the car is close then it's a better situation. My son and I drove 4 hours to see one and I told the guy not to start the car before I got there and to have it in a place where I could look it over really well. Before we left I got permission to do a compression check and put the car up on ramps to look it over. I told him I would bring all the tools, jack etc and that I need at least 2 hours with the car to make a decision. (that one we also left behind because the fuel pump didn't run)
I've found most owners and dealers do not allow me to pull spark plugs or raise the car up and it just depends on what it is if that is a show stopper. My wifes car that only had 19000 miles on it so no big deal. But the 01 Miata with 120K on it I told them to call me if they change their mind and moved on. It's really telling how sellers respond to that request. If they are concerned you will find something they will hedge on that. Dealers will bring up insurance issues or other BS I tell them no problem we are going for a 2 hour test drive and leaving you my car for collateral. If they agree to that I grab my tools and go to a car wash or office building close by. It's not quite as good cuz the engine is not cold but it works.
Now I've mentioned my trials but I have had some really good experiences and buys too including a Chevy dealer that let me use their hoist and gave me lunch with the rest of the staff. That Camaro was mint and they knew it so it was no problem with them.
So that's my .02 on the matter. I hope you never have to sit on a curb in Tulsa late Saturday afternoon with no way home!
Last edited by charchri4; 07-18-2014 at 10:15 AM.
07-19-2014, 01:12 PM
#7
Jim Stainer
Finally got to see the ad. It doesn't look bad and being built by Martin at Monster I would not be afraid of the build at all. Just from looking at the ad I am really surprised it's not sold yet.
07-19-2014, 02:49 PM
#8
V8 Miata Fanatic
I read that to say it was built according to Martins manual, not BY him. I've been eyeing it up myself, but I prefer to build my own, even if using a kit. Looks decent in pics though.
07-19-2014, 05:22 PM
#9
V8 Miata Participant
07-19-2014, 05:27 PM
#10
Jim Stainer
Oh bummer I read that wrong. And now we know why it hasn't sold! I see he says he went over every nut and bolt himself now.
Interesting there are no photos of it in process or the drive train. I wonder if he has anything like a build thread to see how things were done. It would also be good to know how many miles it has on it since the conversion.
Still for 11000 grand it would have to be pretty messed up not to be a good buy.
Interesting there are no photos of it in process or the drive train. I wonder if he has anything like a build thread to see how things were done. It would also be good to know how many miles it has on it since the conversion.
Still for 11000 grand it would have to be pretty messed up not to be a good buy.
Last edited by charchri4; 07-19-2014 at 05:32 PM.
07-20-2014, 08:26 PM
#11
V8 Miata Participant
I had Nadine for sale for a while....cash is tight and not many people are into such a specialty car. For the cost you can get into a used Vette or GTO...true you don't know the builder's quality, and face it...it's a Miata, there is a respect issue! LOL
We love our cars because we have them. Most of us have put the blood and sweat into the swap, but some folks don't have the time or the talent to build a car so they buy. It's like a custom Harley....no matter how cool the paint or how much chrome you throw at it, it's not the next guy's version of the perfect bike...yet. I sold a 64 XLCH that was complete rebuilt and painted in a flip flop blood red. The first thing the new guy did was take a razor to it and paint it with a can of Krylon!
As for a used car, any used car... you have to buy it with some cash left over for the unplanned. Look it over closely, ask a ton of questions, write down the questions and the answers the seller gives you. In the end if you aren't 100% comfy... move on and find the next one!
We love our cars because we have them. Most of us have put the blood and sweat into the swap, but some folks don't have the time or the talent to build a car so they buy. It's like a custom Harley....no matter how cool the paint or how much chrome you throw at it, it's not the next guy's version of the perfect bike...yet. I sold a 64 XLCH that was complete rebuilt and painted in a flip flop blood red. The first thing the new guy did was take a razor to it and paint it with a can of Krylon!
As for a used car, any used car... you have to buy it with some cash left over for the unplanned. Look it over closely, ask a ton of questions, write down the questions and the answers the seller gives you. In the end if you aren't 100% comfy... move on and find the next one!
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
