Well now I have done it (The Darkside)
After an extensive search with many helpers and questions answered I finally made a deal on another miata to join my SM #13. I narrowed the model years to 99 / 00 as my plans were to use Gary's resources to go to the Darkside as they say. My first attempt in this direction ended just short of the turbo buy a couple of years ago (everything was done to the car to be ready for the kit). What happened to short circuit the project? I can't remember exactly, but with two girls in college at the time, I am sure an emergency arose for something that one of them had to have and gone were my turbo miata dreams. Later an ownership of an STI got short circuited by another daughter going back to law school. Bye Bye Subaru. Driving the STI really rekindled the flames for an FI miata. SOOO...... with spring time coming and said college girls coming home for summer school there mom decides they can't share their Toyota any more. Smart wife says "Why not buy another miata that you like* and share it with one of the girls this summer and then you can have a fun car when she goes back to school."
* Key part of this story is "miata that you like.
So after much investigating and searching yours truly found a miata I like. It just so happens that it puts me over on the Darkside like I always wanted. It took doing a few things that in the past seemed crazy, ie, buying a car sight unseen (internet pics help calm this nerve), buying a car with a few more technical gadgets then lets say my SM, (and I suck as a mechanic but starting to suck less the last year,) buying a car in an online auction, ( I ain't so sure about ebay, but I am coming around) and finally buying a car that I KNOW has been run hard.
But I overcame all of those "I don'ts" and ended up making a deal on Brian Goodwin's 99 that he has AutoXd and run track days with since they bought it. Not to mention he used it on the street also. With some good advice from Gary and a calculator I came to the conclusion that adding on to any 99 sport or any 99 with LSD I found would probably cost me a good deal more dinero in the long run. So what started out as a search for a nice street miata to add a BRP M62 and other mods to, turned into a track hotrod that I hope to drive daily. The little track time I have time for at MSR is usually spent in old #13 as I love the no roll feel of an SM in the corners. This car may change that notion as it will be nice to pass on some straights without having to let people know in the corners that you are there so they slow and let you pass on the straights (actually you have to scare them in the corners so they don't want to be around you.) So thanks (I think) to all who helped in this step into Darkness.
Mac
(the guy at the track holding tools with the WHAT IS THIS FOR look on his face)
