My new car

[gsi07816]

The last few months, the Tempo has been requiring more and more money to be invested in it. Up until the last few weeks, none of the necessary repairs were that expensive to make. After receiving the estimate to replace the broken air compressor and then about 2 weeks later being told that we needed to replace the front right caliper for the brakes

Comments

[nin_wife]

You guys tend to keep cars for long periods of time so you need something that will be reliable. The car is already 16 years old. 68,000 miles is alot for a Miata. Those cars are meant to be bought new (or close to it), driven around for a bit, and then discarded. They are more play cars and not really long lasting cars. Think about it...when is the last time you saw an old Miata on the highway? I haven't seen the statistics to back it up, but I personally can't see where those cars could be safe if you were hit by an SUV or truck. When you have children, you will need a new car because you can't put a carseat in it. In about 10,000 - 20,000 more miles you are going to spend alot of money in repairing wore out parts so you will be back where you started. I guarantee that you will be replacing your clutch in about 6 months. Buying a manual with the intention of learning to drive it eventually is not a good business decision in that regard.

Perhaps you should consider a low mileage, late model used car with 4 doors (easy access to a child seat), and a reputation for lasting well over 100,000 miles. Try to find one that uses a timing chain instead of belt. That way you never need to replace it (I'm thinking that year model Miata will have a timing belt, but Jason would know for sure). Also, pop the hood and look under it and around the inside for overspray. That will tell you if the car has been wrecked. You will also want to check under the tire wells for the same reason. Peak under the car for rust damage and if there is greasy oily mud buildup. That can be a sign of leaking fluids. My dad had told me how to check if the gas has had an additive added to keep it from knocking, but damn if I can remember now.

If you feel like you need an unbiased third party opinion on the car, I can talk to my dad and/or brother. The two of them would be happy to check over it before you buy. I always have them look at any used car before I purchase. There have been some occasions where they found things wrong that I had missed. If you will email me the amount that you are looking to spend, I will see if my dad has anything. He buys and sells cars all the time.

I don't mean to sound like I was pouncing on your dream car. It just doesn't seem like the right car for the lifestyle that you and James live. Me on the other hand, I don't keep cars long, I don't plan on having kids. But even then I would not be interested due to the mileage and the fact that it has no backseat and very little trunk space for all my junk. I hope this helps.

[gsi07816]

See my new entry for my response to your concerns. I really do appreciate your opinion.