New guy in WA state desert
12-04-2015, 02:12 PM
#1
V8 Miata Noob
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New guy in WA state desert
Greetings from the desert side of Washington State! Generally lotsa sun, blowing sand, tumbleweeds... Not the visual of rain forest, ferns, pines and banana slugs most think of.
My name is Thom. I've been into cars since I could pee. Ford Falcons were an early passion, followed by air-cooled VWs... lots of em! They still plug up a large portion of my shop. It's an affliction I can't shake. Found my Monster almost exactly a year ago. The car is an original '92 that was converted as a new car by Monster Motorsports in Escondido, CA. Presently sporting 43k orig. miles. Bought it off of a couple in their 70s who'd had it about 3 yrs and were 3rd owners.
The story goes that it was commissioned to be built by someone in Japan. When it got to the ports there it was denied entry to the country because of the drivetrain and returned. Somehow it ended up in the Seattle area spending the first 17k miles with the first owner, and to 40k miles with the 2nd. The 2nd owner traded it in to a Ford dealer in Port Angeles WA where the couple I bought it from found it. He'd read about them years back and had always wanted one. They bought it but only put about 2 thousand miles on it for a couple reasons. One was they only took it out in sunny weather (they lived on the top of the Olympic Peninsula on the wet side of WA). The other was the car kinda nickel and dimed them repair-wise, and they were at the mercy of small town Pep Boys-type mechanics while they were on a fixed budget and retired.
OK, so I bought the car a year ago and drove it maybe three or four times back and forth to work before taking it to a 'friend', a mechanic, just to give the car a once over and a clean bill of health. That was last January... VERY long story short(er), he held the car hostage weaving the most intricate tale of repairs being done to the car over nine months time all the while it turns out not one wrench was turned on the car. This is a person who had been a service writer and mechanic for a major dealership who'd gone out on his own, but got financially deep in debt to 'some people' who loaned him a bundle to buy and sell cars. My Monster arrived back at my house one day on a flatbed (not running and on soft tires) with him blowing outta town, business closed tight, and from what I hear people on his tail. I'm one of the lucky ones that got my car back. There were many others that didn't fare as well... That's why there's been no introduction until now.
So, my '92 red Monster Miata is presently at a place across town called The Horsepower Barn run by a couple of wizards. Beginning of the week they will be remaking an exhaust system for the car then I should have it home. I've only got the pics from when I bought the car. I'll try to get them posted. Sorry for the long read.
Thom
My name is Thom. I've been into cars since I could pee. Ford Falcons were an early passion, followed by air-cooled VWs... lots of em! They still plug up a large portion of my shop. It's an affliction I can't shake. Found my Monster almost exactly a year ago. The car is an original '92 that was converted as a new car by Monster Motorsports in Escondido, CA. Presently sporting 43k orig. miles. Bought it off of a couple in their 70s who'd had it about 3 yrs and were 3rd owners.
The story goes that it was commissioned to be built by someone in Japan. When it got to the ports there it was denied entry to the country because of the drivetrain and returned. Somehow it ended up in the Seattle area spending the first 17k miles with the first owner, and to 40k miles with the 2nd. The 2nd owner traded it in to a Ford dealer in Port Angeles WA where the couple I bought it from found it. He'd read about them years back and had always wanted one. They bought it but only put about 2 thousand miles on it for a couple reasons. One was they only took it out in sunny weather (they lived on the top of the Olympic Peninsula on the wet side of WA). The other was the car kinda nickel and dimed them repair-wise, and they were at the mercy of small town Pep Boys-type mechanics while they were on a fixed budget and retired.
OK, so I bought the car a year ago and drove it maybe three or four times back and forth to work before taking it to a 'friend', a mechanic, just to give the car a once over and a clean bill of health. That was last January... VERY long story short(er), he held the car hostage weaving the most intricate tale of repairs being done to the car over nine months time all the while it turns out not one wrench was turned on the car. This is a person who had been a service writer and mechanic for a major dealership who'd gone out on his own, but got financially deep in debt to 'some people' who loaned him a bundle to buy and sell cars. My Monster arrived back at my house one day on a flatbed (not running and on soft tires) with him blowing outta town, business closed tight, and from what I hear people on his tail. I'm one of the lucky ones that got my car back. There were many others that didn't fare as well... That's why there's been no introduction until now.
So, my '92 red Monster Miata is presently at a place across town called The Horsepower Barn run by a couple of wizards. Beginning of the week they will be remaking an exhaust system for the car then I should have it home. I've only got the pics from when I bought the car. I'll try to get them posted. Sorry for the long read.
Thom
12-04-2015, 03:17 PM
#2
V8 Miata Noob
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Here's a few pics just after the specimen had the tow truck drop the car off at my home (and my wife had washed it). Still looks pretty good.
Last edited by 92-5.0; 12-04-2015 at 07:55 PM.
12-05-2015, 04:03 PM
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V8 Miata Noob
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12-05-2015, 08:00 PM
#7
V8 Miata Fanatic
Wow. Looks just like the one featured in the magazines back in the day like Sports & Compacts in '92 or so. Wish it was in my garage!! Enjoy. Please keep us updated.
12-05-2015, 08:16 PM
#8
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Presently I'm trying to track down the owner before the couple I got the car from, the one who traded the car in. Apparently he kept all the original paperwork for the car, and then tried to sell it to the last owner after he bought the car...
12-07-2015, 01:37 PM
#9
Jim Stainer
Wow awesome car with an awesome history! That was a very close call we can all learn from and I am so glad you go the car back.
Love this car and hope to see a lot more of in in our pages here!
Love this car and hope to see a lot more of in in our pages here!
12-07-2015, 10:07 PM
#10
V8 Miata Fanatic
Keep us in the loop! We're rooting for you.
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