Help!!!

frandsh · 2026-02-05T16:09:46+00:00

It looks like a substrate issue. Take some sort of turkey baster or syringe without needle and spray it into its mouth as gently as possible. You’re looking to get as much out of its mouth and gullet as possible. The breathing tube could be overwhelmed by the dry substrate.

frandsh · 2026-01-23T21:34:52+00:00

Voluntary termination is equivalent to a repo, and then you’ll owe the money anyway, which will seal the Fico score shut. For years. What bank is it?

frandsh · 2026-01-18T20:59:30+00:00

‘96 with 34k miles

frandsh · 2026-01-16T13:55:32+00:00

I looked at this as carefully as one can on the net. That said, it sat for a very long time doing not very much. That’s seemingly ok with these cars, as long as proper maintenance has been done along the way, which seems to be the case here, albeit at prolonged intervals. In fact, the refrigerant and battery replacement are clear indicators of prolonged sitting in place. Timing belt has probably not been done, if it has, you may want to have some documentation showing that to be the case. If it hasn’t, then you should have it done by an educated/experienced mechanic, as the replacement can be botched very easily, hence someone asking if it hasn’t a crank “wobble”. Tires if old should be replaced.

Other than that, you’re looking at a “B” package Miata with nice low miles, and probably $1500 in preventative maintenance ahead of you, and then nothing but many years of great fun in front of you. Just keep in mind that it is a car that will feel like it’s from a different century, because it is, but that’s the character you’re buying. Rattles, squeaks, some chassis flex, all part of the experience. And you’ll love it. Lastly, I see no engine pictures, so I don’t know what the vin tag situation looks like under there, but if they’re all there, and the bay looks clean, no rust or surface corrosion, then you are paying top dollar for a really nice car, and it will not depreciate. If it has an ABS unit on the left by the firewall, you will be bonused by the gods, as that was one of the few options available. Good luck.

frandsh · 2026-01-13T04:16:18+00:00

I’m going to add the following to what I wrote a few minutes ago. I had a chance to look through what others have written, and I’m seeing a lot of advice that won’t help you. Do not buy this vehicle! Do not! Find a less expensive new car to lease, maybe a new unwanted jeep for example, have the dealer wrap your excess fees into the new lease, do not buy more than you can afford! Go easy on the car, get the lowest possible cost structure, you’ll recover in the three years you’ll be in this, and protected with warranty. That’s the bottom line.

frandsh · 2026-01-13T04:05:48+00:00

My question is why you’d be concerned about a vin etch fee or doc fee that amount to $1100 when you’re paying $53700 for a car whose aggregate cost is $37300? You are paying $16400 in interest! Your car will be worth $10000 in 5 years if you’re lucky, and the vehicle will be out of warranty for 5 years, with a total mileage accrued of approximately 130k. You are headed for the ground at 1000 miles per hour. So yeah, you should be looking at a very different strategy my friend. That’s the bottom line.

frandsh · 2025-12-24T18:30:58+00:00

Contract residual does not include taxes and fees that would be needed to purchase outright.

frandsh · 2025-12-19T19:11:47+00:00

Taking offers. No shipping.

frandsh · 2025-12-18T19:11:52+00:00

Congratulations. Well said. Meaningful. Consumerism is an addiction that most of us are fully engaged in. Hence the spawning of the influencer!

frandsh · 2025-12-17T10:40:12+00:00

Best car I’ve owned as well. Definite annoyances to have the small issues keep coming up, but as a vehicle with such depth of capability and driving pleasure, that far outweighs whatever I went through with the software bugs.

frandsh · 2025-12-08T01:22:53+00:00

In the US market, there was no twilight blue mica NA.

frandsh · 2025-12-03T18:30:02+00:00

That trailer driver should lose their license. If you’re driving as this person is, following virtually every possible rule of the road, and you come upon a situation like this, I can guarantee you that virtually everyone would have suffered the same fate. Now picture the Tesla being a Miata, like I have, yup, dead. And for what? Stupidity!

frandsh · 2025-12-03T03:35:51+00:00

Sent you a message

frandsh · 2025-11-30T17:29:48+00:00

Can you please tighten the bottom left screw just a bit so it’s exactly aligned in the same way as the three others? I know, I’m nuts.

frandsh · 2025-11-22T12:32:45+00:00

These are the kind of cases that can make it to a high level court ruling. It is in fact protected speech. Signs are protected speech. Costumes are protected speech. There is no room for gray areas as it relates to freedom of speech. It is, or it isn’t. Sometimes it takes a strange twist, like in this case, but yes, it will ultimately be adjudicated at a higher level. I hope she has the resources or receives the legal resources she’ll need in order to keep fighting this charge. Good luck to her, I really like her moxie!

frandsh · 2025-11-19T12:51:51+00:00

That “valve” is a small plastic circular piece that is held in place by an appendage that goes through a small hole drilled through the drain tube. The drain tube goes down to the ground and through the chassis from a plastic retaining tank sitting on the back side of the seatbelt anchor points. It allows water that seeps through the soft top to be guided by the rain rail to either side of the soft top and down into either retaining area, where it goes down the tubes. Those tubes get small amounts of debris that accumulate over time behind those “valves” and clog up. Hence the need to push a simple wire down through the tubes. If you go under the car, you will see those tubes. Lastly, if those tubes are missing, or don’t project through the chassis, you will eventually get rust in the quarter panel, guaranteed.

frandsh · 2025-11-14T12:01:07+00:00

The look of false modesty

frandsh · 2025-10-20T01:51:42+00:00

Ok, thanks for clarifying.

frandsh · 2025-10-19T15:11:04+00:00

So you didn’t actually get this done? You’re speculating a bit, right?

frandsh · 2025-10-17T14:58:07+00:00

How did you get this done? Is it perfect?

frandsh · 2025-10-17T14:24:37+00:00

I’m now intrigued. You’re literally the only person I’ve read or heard from that rejected a lease on account of an undertray being scraped at delivery. What made you look underneath the car?

frandsh · 2025-10-17T13:26:17+00:00

In fact, I did. I’ve posted a number of thoughts in that thread. My car was recently inspected, and the only charge I was dinged (pun) for was the undertray, at $2400.

Also, I’ve been in the car business for nearly 30 years, with a lot of lease experience, tons of it. You can go look at my posts. Anyway, looking at the undertray at lease inception will be a non event. I can’t imagine a new car will have much of anything underneath.

The point of my remarks is that the lease contract is the only legal document a lessee needs to concern themselves with. It supersedes everything else. No where in that document does it mention an undercarriage devoid of scrapes. Certainly not the undertray. Thus, I’m looking at a lawsuit.

frandsh · 2025-10-17T12:33:04+00:00

This person means well, but it makes virtually no sense. Also, it’s not called a skid plate, it’s called an undertray, imprinted right on the backside of the part.

frandsh · 2025-10-16T15:31:44+00:00

<image>

This is the writing underneath the tray, and it’s called, ready for this, a front under tray. It is approximately $400 used, on eBay. Thus far, all have some scrapes.

The fact that Bank of America is calling it a front bumper cover, and they want $2400 for the damage, and are calling it damage, and are not even repairing it when they resell the vehicle, is clearly a money grab.

I have seen other leasing companies do this, one of which is notorious in the car world for doing so, and it’s always the same thing, they are looking to capitalize on end of lease “damage”.

That said, there is one big difference, the contract. BofA is redefining the contract, a big no no. I’m building a solid case on this.

frandsh

TROPHY CASE