Advice on a 1977 X1/9 "Barnyard find" for $500
- Thread starter HisNameIsJoel
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Tom Ginefra
True Classic
500 is a great deal...but perhaps not to make into a daily driver. Depending on your situation (IE: Spouse approval, available space, budget, etc) certainly wouldn't be a bad parts car (if you're going to pick up another X in better shape than this one, as your starting point). I like Jefco's idea the best.
kmead
Old enough to know better
My X is just as dependable as my Miata. The Miata is a better car from an engine standpoint, everything else about an X is better. More room for people, more room for stuff, easier to drive, quieter, equally fun to drive without the prissy drama. A Miata is like a poodle, smart, quick, attentive but always nervous and prancing around.
A fuel injected late model X is pretty set it and forget it frankly. Aside from my own stupidity it has never let me down. Nor has the Miata.
Getting a sorted, later X is not a bad idea day to day in a climate without snow. The same holds true for a Miata. By the way used Miatas in good shape are not cheap anymore. And during the wet months you really will prefer it with a hardtop.
If you want transportation, a Mk5 Jetta, Golf, Accord, Camry etc will suffice.
If you want a long term affair get a sports car.
My 2 cents.
A fuel injected late model X is pretty set it and forget it frankly. Aside from my own stupidity it has never let me down. Nor has the Miata.
Getting a sorted, later X is not a bad idea day to day in a climate without snow. The same holds true for a Miata. By the way used Miatas in good shape are not cheap anymore. And during the wet months you really will prefer it with a hardtop.
If you want transportation, a Mk5 Jetta, Golf, Accord, Camry etc will suffice.
If you want a long term affair get a sports car.
My 2 cents.
carl
True Classic
K, your perspective is skewed. I dare say you are not the typical car owner and you wouldn't think twice about replacing a timing belt or figure out why one headlight won't go up or why the turnsignals stopped working. Others panic when they realize they don't have an allen wrench to fit the oil pan drain plug.
I got enough crap about my chick car Miata (it was silver and clearly not a chic car) and I could handle that but comparing it to a poodle is just way to much for me. My spiders are more like lab retrievers....hey lets go do something fun, Xs are more like cats, interesting but ready to dump on you anytime they feel like it.
You may have put yourself on the "I don't read any posts from that guy" list. This is your first warning.
I got enough crap about my chick car Miata (it was silver and clearly not a chic car) and I could handle that but comparing it to a poodle is just way to much for me. My spiders are more like lab retrievers....hey lets go do something fun, Xs are more like cats, interesting but ready to dump on you anytime they feel like it.
You may have put yourself on the "I don't read any posts from that guy" list. This is your first warning.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
Some have said the X1/9 is also a "chick car". So maybe the 'pussy (cat)' analogy isn't too far off.
By the way, I might be mistaken but I think Karl actually likes Miatas. I believe his comments weren't intended to insult them?
But in my opinion the reality is ANY old car will be more problematic than a newer one. So for a person that isn't extremely mechanically inclined, doesn't have other backup vehicles on hand for EACH driver in his family, and must depend on his car on a daily basis, my suggestion would be to hold off on any "classic" car until you can make it your 'third' car.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
I don't think this thread had derailed far enough yet, as least not by forum standards. So I will try to correct that.
Are there any aftermarket "kits" to transform the original Miata into something of a clone of the early Lotus Elan it was modeled after? I've heard of kits to make it into many other styles, add V8 engines, and lots of other things, but don't recall any that would take it further into the realm of a 'vintage' look.
Are there any aftermarket "kits" to transform the original Miata into something of a clone of the early Lotus Elan it was modeled after? I've heard of kits to make it into many other styles, add V8 engines, and lots of other things, but don't recall any that would take it further into the realm of a 'vintage' look.
Cratecruncher
True Classic
Texas has a 25 year rule to register a car as an antique. I've been considering buying a '95 or older NA Miata as a daily to replace my C5. Unlike X1/9s, Miatas are a dime a dozen around here because they seem to have sold millions of them and Mazdas seem to last forever in our climate. It's rare to find an X in all of Texas for sale but there are about 20 Miatas (nice ones) on Craig's List right now within 20 miles!
kmead
Old enough to know better
Miatas are rare on the ground here, they suffer from tin worm as badly as a Fiat despite being a more modern design.
That said a good Miata is a good car, I am in the enviable position of having one of each, a 92 Miata and a late X (or two). In the five years of owning the Miata my wife has put 20k on it with little need of anything.
Cheek by jowl
And then there’s this
That said a good Miata is a good car, I am in the enviable position of having one of each, a 92 Miata and a late X (or two). In the five years of owning the Miata my wife has put 20k on it with little need of anything.
Cheek by jowl
And then there’s this
Attachments
carl
True Classic
No smurf blue Miata for me, mine was a civilized silver. By the way, you don't need kits to make a Miata look like a Lotus or any other car, they have been around long enough and are nice enough that folks should be making kits for other cars to look like Miatas.
I miss mine, especially on sunny days in the upper 70s when both my Fiats are not driveable.
kmead
Old enough to know better
I will say that a Simpson Design Italia Coupe would be a fine body change for a Miata for me, but I have a predilection for coupes:
https://www.simpsondesign.net/italia-2
There, we have now dragged a 500 dollar X thread all the way to Japan and now back to the Pacific Northwest.
I think we have sufficiently gone off topic for now.
Back to X talk now?
https://www.simpsondesign.net/italia-2
There, we have now dragged a 500 dollar X thread all the way to Japan and now back to the Pacific Northwest.
I think we have sufficiently gone off topic for now.
Back to X talk now?
HisNameIsJoel
Low Mileage
So to get back on track... it seems the general consensus is either DON'T DO IT or get one that someone has put some good money into restoring.
That about right?
That about right?
I agree, don't by a $500 X and try to make it whole by September. I would go further and say, don't buy a $500 unless the body is rust free.. really rust free.
Now about buying someone else's restoration. You never really know what was done unless there is a build thread somewhere online. I contend that buying the best bodied car you can find is the way to go. It doesn't have to be shiny to have a good, solid body.
Go look at Andy's cars and see what he has.
Why would we discuss Miatas on this forum when we could discuss Fiat 124 Spiders?
As another older guy, I second Dr. Jeff’s comments. A $500 X1/9 should not be your daily driver. I drove boring trucks for decades before I was in a position to own multiple Italian cars for fun. And I still have a Silverado for hauling stuff.
As another older guy, I second Dr. Jeff’s comments. A $500 X1/9 should not be your daily driver. I drove boring trucks for decades before I was in a position to own multiple Italian cars for fun. And I still have a Silverado for hauling stuff.
I will add that the OP was also talking about finding a fun a daily driver, so even a vintage Spider would be questionable as a truly dependable DD. The Miata would make a "fun" DD parked next to a fair weather Italian ride.
The modern 124 Spider is much more than merely similar to a Miata.
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The OP said his budget was in the $6000.00 USD range. That puts the modern 124 Spider just a bit out of his price range.