1st C&B, 2001 Mazda Miata

[pb_foots]

I just bought this Miata as a DD, to give the Impala a well deserved rest in the hangar. The car was well maintained mechanically, but the lady I bought it from had no idea how to take care of it, and the paint was hurting bad. At the price I paid I could have it resprayed and still be below blue book, but I wanted to see how nice I could get it without spending a bunch of bucks.



I guess she either spent the last 6 years using those gas station car washes, or she used brillo and beach sand to wash it. Here`s what I saw when I went to test drive.







This doesn`t really show how truly heinous the paint was, this is a better pic







I`m still a noob, this is only the 3rd car I`ve done with my PC, and my most aggressive pad is orange. I had some 3M scratch remover in the cabinet, so after the scratches laughed at my SSR 2.5/ orange combo, that`s what I used. So the process was:



Dawn wash

Zaino clay with ONR as lube

3M scratch remover (2X)

SSR 2.5 / Orange

SSR 1 / WHite

PB Polish /sealant

Natty`s blue





The obligitory `look how filthy my clay is after 1/4 of the hood` shot







During







An appropriate `after` shot for today





There`s still some work to be done on the poor little guy, interior hasn`t been touched, and the top needs serious work, but that`s for next weekend. I would post some complete side shots, but my wife already stole it to go shopping....

[MITeggy17]

Great work so far, very nice improvement from before hand, it literally looked like it was washed with sand.

[Way2SSlow]

Lookin good. I recognize your user name from somewhere. Quite a change from an Impala to a Miata huh? Just a little less car there.

[pb_foots]

LOL, you caught me Wade! There`s no way I`m selling the beasst, but it was killing me putting 20K+ miles on it every year rotting in traffic. 11 years of faithful service, it has earned every minute of it`s new status as a toy. The mods are already calling me......



I wanted RWD and excellent mileage, and the Miata was a great deal. Besides, I can carry it in the trunk of the Impala if I need to!



It took some getting used to though. 20 feet of shiny black Chevy commands respect from the latte sucking soccer Moms, not so much with the little barbie car.



Nice to see you here. Most of the Miata guys haven`t figured out how crappy 9" Sears buffers and Turtle wax are. Maybe they`re just not as freakish as us?

[99blackSE]

Man that thing looked like it had some heavy damage. Nice turnaround, nice colour too!

[Scottwax]

Big improvement! Can`t wait for the finished pics.

[dietoremain]

A friend of mine has a 99 great little care, but the paint is VERY soft. very swirl prone... so just baby it!

[mr.ikon]

Thats some major improvement you made. Looks very good.

[pb_foots]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the compliments.



I`m going to attack the interior this weekend, and I`ll get some better pics. For some reason, the previous owner stuck this nasty fake `wood` kit on it, I can`t wait to get rid of it.



I don`t know if it was always this lime green shade or if it`s faded, but it`s got to go!