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Back in September of 2013, I bought a car to kick off my junior year of highschool. I remember scouring craigslist for a rear wheel drive car I could buy under three grand, and I impulse-bought my first Miata for $2500. After a couple years passed, the car was in a drivable, presentable condition. I had to sell it before going off to college, and I've missed the car since. After buying a shitty moped, a not shitty moped, and a shitty (really fucking shitty) Rav4 that exploded on me, it was about time for another car. I shopped for Civics, but every reasonably price coupe or hatch I looked at was a total pile (LOL ARENT ALL CIVICS AMIRITE.) After some decision making, I found a very good Midwestern Miata for a decent price. So as of August 10, 2017, I am the owner of this foreskin:
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How the car came:
-1996
-Crank windows (dat arm workout)
-127,900 miles
-Yonaka Coilovers
-Ugly wheels/Dunlop Direzzas
-Very little underbody rust, but a few patches of surface/repairable rust in strange spots
-Very very very terrible headlights
-Missing cooling undertray
-Head was rebuilt a few oil changes ago
-Interior is decent, driver's seat is very worn
(I apologize for a lack of pictures in advance)
Being back in a Miata was great, it felt right. It was like I got all of my foreskin back.
And then my **** broke down, about 24 hours into the initial purchase.
The car was cranking slowly, and then the battery just flatlined. Wouldn't turn on the dash lights even. So before spending $150 on a replacement battery, I figured I should confirm it was dead by testing it at a couple places. Much to my surprise, both Autozone and NAPA testers said it was a-okay. So I start tracing wires, realizing the ground is complete ****.
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A few trips to NAPA later, and I had rebuilt that little ground wire. The car still didn't want to do anything. So I checked the hot side of the battery, which initially looked okay.
It was not okay. It was very bad.
![]()
There was enough corrosion on the little stupid terminal to not let any current through, and after a good deal of wire brushing and re-installation, the car started right up. Insane how the smallest things can cripple a car.
Thanks for reading!
How the car came:
-1996
-Crank windows (dat arm workout)
-127,900 miles
-Yonaka Coilovers
-Ugly wheels/Dunlop Direzzas
-Very little underbody rust, but a few patches of surface/repairable rust in strange spots
-Very very very terrible headlights
-Missing cooling undertray
-Head was rebuilt a few oil changes ago
-Interior is decent, driver's seat is very worn
(I apologize for a lack of pictures in advance)
Being back in a Miata was great, it felt right. It was like I got all of my foreskin back.
And then my **** broke down, about 24 hours into the initial purchase.
The car was cranking slowly, and then the battery just flatlined. Wouldn't turn on the dash lights even. So before spending $150 on a replacement battery, I figured I should confirm it was dead by testing it at a couple places. Much to my surprise, both Autozone and NAPA testers said it was a-okay. So I start tracing wires, realizing the ground is complete ****.
A few trips to NAPA later, and I had rebuilt that little ground wire. The car still didn't want to do anything. So I checked the hot side of the battery, which initially looked okay.
It was not okay. It was very bad.
There was enough corrosion on the little stupid terminal to not let any current through, and after a good deal of wire brushing and re-installation, the car started right up. Insane how the smallest things can cripple a car.
Thanks for reading!
