Man, I gotta tell you about this little project I’ve been messing with. So, I’ve always been a huge fan of those old Mazda sports cars, especially the MX-5 Miata. There’s just something about them, you know? They’re small, they’re light, and they’re just pure driving fun.
I started by browsing online, looking for cars. I spent hours looking at pictures, and reading forum posts from other Mazda nuts. I learned about the most models, which are the years from 2005 to 2009, 2015 to 2018, and 2019 to 2020. I found out that people loved these model years, and there were not too many problems reported. This made my search much easier!
I finally decided I wanted an older model, something I could really get my hands dirty with. I looked through some car shops around the area, and a few popped up, so I started making calls.
After a few days of calling and visiting shops, I finally found it—a somewhat beat-up, first-generation MX-5. It wasn’t perfect, had a little rust on one of the panels, but the engine sounded good, and the frame was solid. The owner was some old dude who’d had it sitting in his garage for years. He looked sad to see it go, but I promised him I’d take good care of it.
First thing I did was take it to my buddy’s shop. We got it up on the lift and gave it a good once-over. It needed some work, that’s for sure. We changed all the fluids, put on new brakes, and replaced a bunch of old hoses. The suspension was shot, so I ordered some new coilovers online. While I was waiting for those to arrive, I started tackling the rust.
I bought a cheap sandblaster, and started stripping that rust. It took a couple of days, but I got it down to bare metal. After that, I hit it with some primer and then a fresh coat of that classic Mazda red. It was starting to look like a whole new car.
Next up was the interior. It was pretty rough—ripped seats, cracked dashboard, the whole nine yards. I found a guy online who was selling a bunch of used MX-5 parts. Scored a set of seats, a dashboard, and a few other bits and pieces for a steal. Swapped everything out, and it was like night and day. It wasn’t brand new, but it felt a heck of a lot better.
Finally, the coilovers arrived. I got my buddy’s help, we installed them, and that made a huge difference in how the car handled. It was lower, stiffer, and just felt so much more responsive. It handles great now. After a few test drives, I took it out to a local track day. Man, that thing is a blast to drive. It’s not the fastest car out there, but it’s so much fun in the corners. I was grinning ear to ear the whole time.
It’s been a lot of work, but I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s my little weekend project, and I love taking it out for a spin. There’s just something special about those old Mazda sports cars. If you ever get a chance to drive one, do it. You won’t regret it.
