California man buys 1991 Mazda Miata from eBay and realizes he’s made a huge mistake
- A Californian bought a 1991 Mazda Miata on eBay without seeing it
- The car arrived with rust, a bad smell, and mechanical issues
- Despite the struggles, the buyer fixed the Mazda Miata
Published on Nov 30, 2024 at 12:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Daksh Chaudhary
Last updated on Nov 29, 2024 at 5:09 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Sometimes we learn the hard way, and that’s exactly what happened to a California man who bought a 1991 Mazda Miata on eBay without seeing it first.
After he bought it, he had the car shipped all the way from Pennsylvania, the other side of the country.
And what seemed like a dream deal quickly turned into a series of challenges.
From rust and bad smells to harmful emissions, the car hinted at extensive future repairs.
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Buying the 1991 Mazda Miata sight unseen from eBay
The Miata was bought mainly for its hardtop, a rare and valuable part, and its low mileage of 63,000 miles.
But when the car finally arrived, it didn’t quite live up to expectations.
After noticing the rusted exterior, he realized the interior wasn’t in any better shape.
Plus, a pungent smell made things even worse.
The YouTuber, known as TheeKaiju, shared his experience with the 1991 Mazda Miata on his channel.
Buying blindly from eBay is always a gamble. Sometimes, you might score treasures like an ultra-rare 1972 Mustang, but other times, you end up with an old Pontiac GTO that’s been sitting for 20 years and regret it instantly.
The issues with the Miata didn’t just end with rust and bad smell.
The car had a constant buzzing sound that wouldn’t stop no matter what.
Things only got worse when the alternator belt snapped while driving to Taco Bell.
With the car stranded two miles away, he had to walk home barefoot, wearing only socks.
The issues were fixed and the car is now running
Before things got better, they got a lot worse.
The car failed its first smog test due to high nitrogen oxide emissions, which were over 500 ppm above the legal limit.
To fix this, the owner spent $64 to install a catalytic converter.
Fortunately, the problem was solved and the car passed the smog test the next day, finally allowing it to be registered in California.
Despite all the challenges, the Mazda Miata is now running and even has some modifications.
However, the buyer admits that purchasing the car sight unseen from eBay was not the wisest choice.
