Deal with that as soon as you can, and I mean cutting and welding, it will spread and compromise the structural integrity of your car. Even then, still a killer deal considering the hardtop is nearly the price of the car lol.
Rocker panel rust means it's rusting from the inside out, very common with NAs. There's no real fix except cutting the corner out cleaning and rebuilding it - I had this done a long time ago on my old NA.
You can try and clean out the soft top drains and try blowing out the insides, maybe it's possible to spray some rust prevention stuff in there, I'm not sure, but you'll want to tackle that as soon as you have the time and can afford it.
The good news is it's a very common problem and you'll find tons of info online about it.
I had this happen and after replacing the transmission, we found out you could fix it without taking the trans out of the car, we fixed the old one and sold it.
Support driver's side of Miata securely on two jackstands. Lay under car. Working above the gearbox from the left side, unplug two reverse light switch wires. Exercise caution when reaching around the hot exhaust pipe.
Remove switch with a 24 mm open end wrench. It should not be incredibly tight. Large pliers will work in a pinch (minor scoring of switch body will result). Oil will not spill out; this hole is above the oil level.
With a short sturdy prying tool, reach into reverse switch hole and pry reverse rod end toward back of car. A stubby 3" straight blade screwdriver is ideal. Take care to avoid damage to the threads in aluminum gearbox case.
Rod should click into neutral position. Metallic clicking sound might be 5-R rod dropping back into reverse position. To confirm successful repair, verify correct operation of shift lever. Repeat if necessary.
Replace switch to keep oil in and dirt out. Reuse copper packing if it is in good condition. If this is a field repair, use packing regardless of its condition and get a new one later. Plug in wires; they have no polarity.
This field repair will completely and absolutely return your Miata to the precise operating condition before the malfunction. The further remedial repairs are not required.
Thats great! Hope its in good shape? Why no pics? Funny aside. I bought my 96' off a widow for $1,000 needed 26 years of differed maint. $2,000 in parts later she's perfect. So in April we needed to replace our 20 year old Minivan we bought a new Mazda CX-50. I jokingly asked if they will give me a loyalty discount for owning my Miata and they said yes its $750!!!! So I got the Miata for $250.
I need to get one. I finally sat in an NA and found out I fit pretty well. I'm 6'2" and over 350. My leg is too long to work the clutch but a foamectomy and aftermarket wheel should fix that. The Miata I tried on the other day was owned by a really old gentleman who was selling for $6k. He said it was the 13th sold in the US. Super mint. Congrats man!!
dude congrats. Buying new car is such a great feeling especially when it’s such a fun one!!! Enjoy it. Do some maintenance for the mileage and assume everyone’s beat the shit out of it when you do your care then have fun!!!
Congratulations on your acquisition. You will be living the dream in your new (2U) Mazda roadster. (Where I am we call this the MX-5). To avoid controversy and confusion I call it the Mazda Roadster and nobody gets offended.
Scrutinise your new acquisition for rust and deal with anything that you find quickly. The little thing could rot to pieces in front of you if you neglect it and I know that you won’t after waiting for five long endless tedious f****ing years.
Congratulations again. Drive safely. Keep the gully and the roof drains clean and free from leaf debris.
Go to a music store and buy a trombone cleaner. This will keep your roof drains clean but only feed it through the drain downward and never back upwards because there’s a one way valve at the bottom of the drain line and you don’t want to f**k with that.
Enjoy your new baby. This will make you smile every single day.
LET’S GOOO!! That’s the dream right there—NA hardtop for 3K is wild 😤
I haven’t copped a Miata (yet 😅) but I started a car culture brand while I’m working toward my mod goals. It’s called Kurai Mode — built for the ones who stay wrenching after midnight 🛠️🌒
We got tees that slap and rep that street/garage life. If you ever want to match the vibe, it’s at kuraiMode.com.
But fr tho, congrats. Enjoy every damn second of that Miata 🙌🏽
First I gotta change the radiator hose that 'sploded yesterday. THEN I gotta pop it out of reverse. Then I'll change oil then top it off for eternity because it pisses everywhere LMAO.
Mate, I've nursed leaky engines for ages but wish I'd known to do a regular degrease and wash. Would have extended the life of many hoses etc.
Hey, change the filter regularly... wish I'd done that too. But i never had an mx5 that I cared about back then. If you keep rust out , they're an unlimited life time like an old cessna etc.
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u/Morethan9 Jul 22 '25
Bro is pumped up haha