Was it wrecked? Post-Purchase Inspection! CAR WIZARD's customer concerned about their '15 Miata MX-5 

HAH! I didn't think you made a video with it! YAY! Also to note, this was within the 7 day period after you take delivery when you can return the car at no cost, so had Wizard found something wrong, I would have simply told them to come pick it up. I actually noticed the paint on the driver side tire after I went through the process of purchasing it, and managed to get the full res images from the site, and got really concerned that something shady had happened, considering carvana's reputation. With a clean bill of health from the Wizard, my assumption is that the front end just got sandblasted over the years. It started life in AZ and then moved to Dallas with the second owner a couple years ago. The trip odometer in this video was how many miles I had driven it since taking delivery (they have a limit of 400 miles within the 7 day return period). Since then I have added a couple hundred more miles and gone through about a tank and a quarter of gas with it. It's an absolute blast to drive, even for me, a larger fellow. I got to get some miles in a day ago with the top down since the weather here warmed up quite a bit, and I am extremely happy with the purchase. I've wanted a miata since a friend let me driver hers back in '98, and when I made the decision to finally get one I decided that the requirements were a manual transmission and the limited slip differential, so I ended up going with the Club edition. I definitely need to get those headlights sorted, they look awful, but I will wait until it starts warming up to do that. Thanks everyone for the compliments on my car :)

I've owned an NC MX-5 for 8 years and everyone says the coolant expansion tank on these likes to crack around the cap as it's just plastic, which leads to no coolant and a dead engine. Any yellowed tank like this is a good item to replace for assurance, though I've seen them go for a long time on the original tanks. Perhaps it depends on the area the car lives in. Mine is over 100k miles and has been one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned.

As difficult as these types of videos probably are to make, I actually find them incredibly helpful so that we can always avoid getting burned on car purchase

I'm 6 feet tall and carry a few extra pounds. The Miata fits me fine. It is not the best daily driver but as a second car for pure driving pleasure nothing beats a Miata.

Congrats on losing weight, Mr. Car Wizard! Keep up the good work!

As noted below, those coolant expansion tanks are a known failure point on the NC Miata - they become brittle and the filler neck can crack with catastrophic results. Easy DIY fix with a new stock tank for $75, or so, or with an aluminum piece from Moroso or others in the aftermarket.

Carfax isn’t foolproof either! Was car shopping in 2020 and one of the cars we test drove had some major suspension work and panels repainted on the front passenger corner, nothing on carfax. Turns out the car was a rental for the first year of it’s life and if car rental company can, they will fix damage without making an insurance claim, avoiding issues on carfax when selling the car later down the road.

I’ve owned an NC Miata, I’ve also owned an AP2 S2000, 981 Cayman and now a 718 Cayman and can tell you this is such an underrated platform. My favorite out of all the MX-5s’ and this will give you 60-70% of the driving experience of an S2000 for half or sometimes even 1/3rd of the price.

Nothing feels worse than doing a post-purchase inspection and finding out a nice customer got burned. Thankfully this owner seemed to do alright. These are really great cars.

i love mx5s no matter the gen

It's from Carvana. Better question is... Did they get the title?

Nice looking car I bet it’s fun to drive. The front was probably repainted due to rock chips. Overall it looks like the car has been well maintained and not abused. I had a plastic shopping bag catch on the exhaust of my Camry like that and it still has that hot plastic smell periodically.

The yellowing of the coolant overflow tank is a sign that it may need to be replaced. There are examples of it cracking around neck after a while.

I think it just had a lot of rock chips and they repainted it. Cheers Wizard!

Mugen is a high quality Honda tuning company that know what they are doing, Honda used them for OE upgrades. Not cheap intakes. The front bumper looks like it had a lot of rock chip damage and got a cheap respray. Looks like a nice car that could use a nut and bolt once over and a detail!

Gives me some perspective on the condition of my 2006 MX-5 GT ... about the same mileage, cleaner underneath (original shocks with no leaks), engine and interior is cleaner. Also had the front bumper resprayed from a bike-racked car backing into it. Glad I kept it when I bought a new car. Thanks for the video!

On these Club trim models, the mirrors should be gloss black and both front fenders should have a Club badge. The paint match between the fenders/doors/hood looks a bit off in video - I'd take a closer look at the fenders to see if they're factory. Also, the yellowing expansion tank is a problem on these cars that will cause an engine to quickly overheat when they fail. You can replace with a plastic OEM tank and get 6-7 more years out of it, or replace with metal versions from typical Miata parts sellers. I love these cars - NCs get a lot of hate, but I've found that the hate is from those that have not driven one.

I have a 2006 "NC" Miata with 20+ track days on it. The chassis is fantastic and with a 2.5L engine swap it's an absolute blast to drive. It doesn't chew through tires or brakes that fast (until I destroyed my brakes at Sonoma Raceway 😅) so it's cheap to run. Great car. 👍

Carvana is in BIG trouble right now. One of the biggest issues is they don't inspect the cars before sale and their has been payments bouncing for sellers

Awesome! An NC Miata! They're very reliable, easy to work on, and the aftermarket is flush with parts for your hearts desire.

I love how ridged the drive train of Mazda sports cars are, the mx5 and rx7 have that center brace and I love the concept for extra structure linking the drivetrain front to back and without them the car will basically twist and bent like a soda can

91 Miata, made in Japan August90,251,300,miles,,everything, works,cold,r134a, a/c. Famous too.

My 6'2" son just bought a new 2022 MX-5 RF club. He loves it, and I get a good laugh watching him fold himself up to get in it.

I bought a 2010 with 60K miles, heated leather seats, Bose, retractable hard top. Great car. Tons of fun and very reliable. 👍👍

One thing to note about Carvana is that they will purchase vehicles and repair them internally, avoiding any insurance claims, CarFax reports, and title issues from previous damage. This is not to say that they are good nor bad, it is simply part of their business model. My ex bought my daughter a Mini from them. I first saw it 4 days later and noticed that the only panel not repainted was the driver's door. I suggested that it be returned under the 7-day guarantee, but I was overruled and now it is regrettably under my maintenance responsibilities. It has good tires, the frame is straight, good alignment, etc. So the car does the job for a first car. However, did I mention that it was a BMW... er Mini 3 cylinder turbo? *Sigh*

I have have a 2litre 2013 MX5 in this colour from new. A headlamp bulb, fog bulb and internal bulb. are the only repairs. Same colour, 35000 miles. A wonderful, rust free and clean car. Folding aluminium roof and a fabulous car to drive (around the Swiss Alps). Soon to be retired in favour of an Ev. These really are fun cars.

when looking at the dipstick, pinch the oil, If its sticky, there is STP in it to try and keep it from blow Bying . also put a lighter to the oil. If the oil spits, it has antifreeze in it .. something we were told.

Really enjoyed this walk-thru of an inspection. Even though it's high level, it's nice to see that I have some super dooper basic understandings because it is so informative and useful for me as a car noob. :D Thank-you for making these videos and showing us these different kinds of cars. :) :) :)

I know some people have had sketchy experiences with Carvana, but I got my 370Z from them and it's been dead reliable for a year. The only thing it needed was a new set of tires.

Going to Miata club events in my 1996 led to us getting a 2008 power hard top one for my wife. We love them both. I've appropriated hers as my cold weather car when it's not raining because my RX-8 is down with a transmission tailshaft leak. She prefers to drive her Mazda 6 if the weather isn't suitable to drive the Miata open. Interesting that one had leaky rear Bilsteins. The rear ones on ours will also need attention soon.

I always wanted one of the MazdaSPEED Miata

No touchscreen! Thank God! Lol I always thought that touch screens and color screen navigation can date a car, anything that is not being leased temporally or rented is better off without the extra tech unless it can be upgraded with a new tablet in the future not just software updates but actual hardware updates then they will get old and slow quick

The Car Wizards has the coolest walk on RU-vid! I'd love to see a continuous loop video of him just waddling around on his stubby little legs with Pantera's WALK as the background music!

It never ceases to amaze me those that buy a car without an inspection. On the bright side, they provide no end of work for mechanics trying to help make their purchase a little more palatable, after buying it.

My experience of owning many small, low sports cars is that about 50% of minor front end damage comes from people backing into them.

I worked for a paint shop and because paint often cracks or chips on fascias, dealers we worked with often would have only the fronts sprayed

Bet they ripped the front of the bumper on a dip and just got an aftermarket bumper and had it painted at Macco. It’s really easy to scrape in these. Ask me how I know 😂

That coolant expansion tank needs to be replaced ASAP. It’s pressurized and cracks at the neck near the cap. Coolant blows, engine overheats and head warps. I think it’s $50 for an OEM replacement or get the Morosso stainless steel replacement from flyin miaita or Goodwin racing.

Mazda's are a pain to respray. Complicated paints, without the use of primers. As an owner the colour looked amazing when new, but several attempts at repairing minor damage means it's now a quilt of attempts by professional sprayers to get an exact match: especially a problem with Soul (Candy) Red.

11:10 When I worked at an Acura dealer we sold a new car and the customer brought it back like 45 minutes later smoking and smelling like plastic... A plastic bag got melted to the exhaust on their way home and it was sort of like that... Took a bit of wire wheel to buzz it away. Customer went from concerned to laughing, 😆

11:15 . . . . it was a plastic witches-hat ! It got stuck under the car during a Gymkhana / track day when it went off track ! 🙂

I’ve had two U.K. NCs and am now on an ND.NCs are an absolute bargain for what they deliver.I’m also not surprised the inspection failed find any major faults.Cracking little cars.

Since the bumper was painted on the car, it was either a minor accident (just some scratches) or, there was a few chips over the years.

Don't expect Carfax to have anything as minor as a bumper repair. My BIL and dad had deer hit their cars. My mom backed into a trailer and I had one jack knife into mine. None of those things show up with Carfax because insurance wasn't involved in the repair.

I work in the dealership recon business. I can give a reasonable guess on why the front bumper was painted. When a car comes in a dealer on trade or auction, the dealer mechanics test drive the car and inspect. They tally up everything the car needs in order for sale like brakes, tires and maintenance. They then get with a contracted automotive recon company (which is what I do) to inspect the cosmetics of the car. Paint repairs, PDR, wheel and interior repairs and sometimes bumper replacements or repairs are some of the repairs that are performed. The front bumper was resprayed due to some visible bruises and scrapes that could not be saved by buffing. One key thing about the bumpers is to look inside the bumpers while the car is on a lift. If the manufacture stamp isnt present or if the replacement bumper was used and it was a different color, then yes most likely the car was in a minor accident.

If they are interested, it’s missing the stock steel plate and 5 bolts under the oil pan.

Been an NC miata owner for nearly 10 years. Rock solid reliable

A great way to help the people learn about what FYI look for when buying a car ❤️❤️❤️👍

I just left the employ of Carvana. Carvana only knows the reported repair history of any car they are sold. The inspection centers make sure the car is working on 135 points if interest. I absolutely recommend a post purchase inspection on every car sold from Carvana. It's a used car, not a new one!

My 2007 Buick Lucerne had to get a post-purchase inspection because the dealership was 50+ miles away from my mechanic. I was relying on the Carfax, the reliability of the 3800 V6, and the fact it performed really well on the test drive. Going into the inspection, I knew the trunk didn't open and the driver's door handle was broken, but neither of those was truly the "smoking gun" as to why the previous owner dumped it. Well, he found it: the air ride suspension in the back was going bye-bye. No other issues were noted, except for bad/missing sending units in the tires, causing the air pressure warning light to come on (I'll just live with it until the tires need replacement, then replace/install the sending units).

Since they bought it from Carvana i think they have been very lucky. Even here in the UK their reputation is well known thanks to RU-vid. Re the front bumper and oversprayed parts, i am sure a good bodyshop could put it back to mint condition. The Miata's we see here in the UK are imports from Japan, the rear number plate is a giveaway that it is an import. Having purchased an import Mitsubishi FTO, if you pick the right grade and the car has not been modified, they are a good way to get into cars that were never sold here.

They say the answer is always Miata ... unless you're like the Wizard (and me) and are over 6 feet tall and, uh, "broad-beamed". My 5' 8" brother in law has had 2 Miatas over the years. One time when he was visiting, I sat in his Miata and found that the windshield header was right smack in my line of sight, and my knees were up around my ears :-)

I've always loved Miatas! That's sweet! Carvana does allow you time for a post-purchase inspection and if there are any issues they give a refund so the customer's smart to take advantage of that.

Just had to put a new bumper on my wife’s 2017 Soul Red ND RF (5k miles!) coz she parked it badly and I hit it with my F Pace. Cost £500 for the bumper from Mazda and £700 to fit and paint it. They are truly brilliant little cars. The folding roof on the RF is really clever bur it means there is even less space inside - it is totally lacking any interior storage. The handbook has to live in the boot (ok trunk to you guys!) Having said that I am 6 foot and weigh about 280lbs with 2 false knees and I can get in and out of it fine. If you are thinking of a fun car buy one. They are great and the latest ND RF styling is really cool - like a mini corvette!

That pressurized coolant reservoir needs to be replaced, once they turn yellow they can blow at any time. There are aftermarket welded aluminum tanks that last forever.

Could you please show us how you can tell how much is left on the brakes pads. I can't ever see what your looking at or eyeballing. Maybe a entire short video on brakes and rotors? :-}

Guess bumper would suffer from stone chips ..so maybe just a repaint to sell on 👍🏻 Look forwards more videos in 2023 young Wizard 👏🏻👏🏻🇬🇧

This is an awesome car-the NC Miata Club. Comes with upgraded suspension and appearance details. The blacked out headlights are correct for the car-this is not due to wear, it’s how they should look.

The pearlescent white on the MX-5 Club Edition (were the club emblems removed?) is gorgeous in person. It’s not uncommon for these little cars to suffer some paint chips - perhaps the previous owner tired of looking at ‘em? Great little car.

A CarFax does not report everything. I have a coworker that got burned on a Cadillac. The CarFax didn’t report that there was a problem with the moon roof that always leaked when it rained. It would cost $1,800 to fix the track that the moon roof slid on. Get that Pre-inspection.

The only Mazda still manufactured at the Hiroshima Plant in Japan…everything else is manufactured is Mexico😭

That coolant Reservoir needs to be replaced as soon as possible, this is a known issue with these cars. They fail underneath the cap where the cap flange meets the reservoir body itself. They are welded and they fail in that location, the system is under pressure so you lose coolant rapidly, many times the engine fails from this and should replaced as soon as possible if it hasn't already. Any Miata forum or group describes this with many failures and engine failures detailed.

I would say this was somebody's track day car. There is the new respray on the front bumper. This happens a lot on track cars. The front end always gets sandblasted. Then add the new crossmember, mud in chassis, low milage. Odds are this was a track toy. My two cents is done now. 😁

This is actually my dream spec for a Miata! Really interesting video and it’ll help me when it’s time for me to look for one. Thanks for all the great vids wizard!

All..and I mean it all depends on the repair quality...my dad had a cheap to run shopping box as his last car...bought direct from Nissan UK,a 1.5turbo diesel silly low miles top of the range...bought a cat s uk car as a runabout...identical model/year but repaired properly.....just as good...won't always be true granted,but you can only go by experience..

I daily a '14 Club and that seems like all the normal bumper wear and woes. I got mine with exactly 70K on the odometer, it now has 117K Orlando Florida miles. Never been to the beach so no salt, but a lot of highway miles. The paint on the bumper seems to have the strength of glass, the rest of the car the paint is fine. I'm on my 5th windshield though, small cars windshields must have a magnet somewhere to attract kicked up highway road debris. Bone stock they are good little cars. Change that coolant expansion tank to a aluminum unit and forget about that worry ever again, seriously.

I've owned 2 miatas and both of them got black plastic bags stuck to the cat convertor while driving on the highway, which caused them to melt and smell (one was a black plastic yard bag, which really sucked)

Let's check it out right here.

Miss the warm weather with Mrs Wizard's interior reviews and her shorts and blue toe nail polish!

Unless you really know what your looking at, always get a qualified mechanic or someone you trust to look over a car, I once took a car for a PPI & when I called the mechanic he asked if I was the buyer or seller, told him I was looking to buy, he said walk away it's 2 cars not 1, the body was a '87 BMW, the mechanicals were from a '84 BMW & he didn't want it back in his workshop, Rj in Oz

Carvana had a cool concept but their implementation has been a dumpster fire

Drove my Miata for 16 years... Only sold it because (Like the Wizard) I'm older now and require more room. Probably the most fun and awesome car I've ever owned. I just wish they were wear and longer!

I'm 6'2" and 230lbs and fit in my '93 Miata just fine. Bought it new, and still drive it.

Bought a 7 year old rx-7, took it to the dealer for a post purchase inspection. Said the idler arm bushing needed replacing, and quoted me $300. I did the job in about 5 minutes, including jacking up the right front. The mechanic totally missed the cracked fan belts, which I replaced the next weekend. Dealership mechanics have no shame.

I think it is a highway car with the amount of bugs in the radiator fins and the chipped nose. If so that car will last a very long time as it is estimated that engine wear for highway miles V city miles is about 10-15% Nice find sir!

Thanks for showing us this little cute faced car Mr and Mrs Wizard. ☺👍👋

Im confident Carvana resprayed the bumper.Buyers have a week to return the car for any reason or 400 miles I believe.If this is all they did it was a inexpensive repair for them.I bought a F 150 Crewcab Platinum a yr.or so and they replaced ths Sony stereo/cd player for me among a few other items.The Sony and antenna cable came to over $1300...Didnt cost me a thing.I have only good memories dealing with Carvana.

No doubt it was a repaint due to erosion, lots of highway miles lots of pitting.... Bugs, sand, gravel.

If it was a salvage title that had been rebuilt I would just walk away. Now if it had only cosmetic damage that's fixable but when it was so wrecked that the insurance wrote it off you're better off just leaving it for someone else. What I look for is if it has a junkyard engine or transmission in it. Then you ask the question "why?"

I’ve had a 16 Mustang GT convertible for the past 2 years, I bought it used from Carvana. No issues, driven it 20k miles.

Wizard i am 6' tall and near 300 lbs, and i had to work on an MR2 AND a Karman Ghia. It was a nightmare getting in and out. I am also 50ish years old. So i understand, the getting in and out thing. 😂

Watching you go thru this MX-5 from 2015 with 83,000 miles is really interesting as owner of a 2016 MX-5 Club. Your inspection points from underneath are easy to see. So 2 leaky rear shocks / headlight polishing kit not bad just wondering what he paid out the door ? I put PPF on the front of my car to prevent those chips & making it easy to clean off the bug guts.

I own a 2021 Miata ND I am 6 foot tall and weigh 257lb. The car fits me perfectly. Ive put 25000 miles on it since i picked it up new. Its the best car I've ever owned. Buy the manual though its way more fun to drive if you keep all the control. Unless we know what they paid for it its difficult to know if they got ripped off. Pay 5000 for that and you got a bargain but pay 25000 and you got ripped off. What did it cost?

My assumption is that the repaint was due to stone chips/scratches. Man, my next car I really should treat myself (I've been wanting a Miata for years but end up getting something more practical).

The MX-5 is just the best Sports Car. I can't wait to get one as my next car. Once my 16 Mazda6 gives up the fight i'm aiming to get one of the newer models of these. As a 6 ft guy I just fit haha

There's two little brackets on the back you can undo, there's two torx bolts on each side you loosen and unbolt and that's where your hard top will bolt onto with the same brackets

I own a 2008 and can almost guarantee you that they painted the front bumper because the paint was chipped. Our cars get tons of rock chips on the bumper. Cracked windshields are common too.

The best little car on the planet. The most raced car on the planet and it’s still is. I would just tighten up the shifter but if you are a person who is smaller in stature and want a great car then this is it. I think they are fantastic!!!

Get MeisterR dampers, assembled in UK, lasts long, ride well, handles much better than OE, and lighter than OE due to billet aluminum body. $1,000 kit is comparable to others for $2,000 from KW.

Plese do tell how you lost 50lbs! I am struggling along with many others to lose allot of unwanted weight. You look great and I was gonna ask but did not want to offend. Great video and looking forward to many more!!

Here in the UK there is a company specialized in tunning those cars, is called BBR, they even sell DIY kits too, they do from re-maps to intakes and even turbos with some MX-5 having 300hp+. All their modified cars are Mazda approved do they keep the factory warranty and at the same time they update suspension and brakes to handle the increase in of power... Funny that the best MX-5 is the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth lol

I like the "buy this not that" videos you make. Maybe you could do one on these fun little roadsters? Miata, Fiat 124 (also a Mazda), BRZ/FRS, any others you can think of. I'm really feeling my mid life crisis and need an appropriate car to go with it. Haha

If this was in the first 7 days after purchase, the new owner should be able to get anything found by the Wizard fixed at no charge or be able to return the car. This was my experience with a purchase earlier this year from Carvana.

Post purchase inspection . I've done a ton of these lately . Why people don't do a pre-purchase is beyond me as most people end up shocked at what we find .

I bet it was repainted only due to rock chips. Both Miata's I have had the front bumpers have been peppered with rock chips when I bought them. The 2003 NB with 64k miles about 8 years ago and also my current 2007 NC GT with only 49k miles that I bought a little over a year ago.

mugen is honda haha i love your take on aftermarket stuff, though i absolutely love it but i can see your perspective as a mechanic. i gotta say though mugen is not crap, i would say mazda speed isn’t crap either

you know Wiz I wonder how many Car dealerships, and even independent mechanic shops perform your short video inspection of cars. I am being pessimistic, but I would say none! You are a diamond in the rough

Mugen crap 🤣🤣🤣 I’m pretty sure that mugen is to Honda as Trd is to Toyota. I’m seriousness though, I’ve performed dozens of PPIs on carvana cars and most of them are used and abused. Pretty on the outside but ya look underneath and its full of rust. I just inspected a ford fiesta last week. She only had it 3,000 miles and her front brakes went metal to metal. 😮🤯 get the pre Purchase inspection always!!!!

If the headlights has been replaced with OLD USED headlamps, that car is a Club Edition, all Club Edition came with black headlamp housing.

Very familiar, The only car bought brand-new myself personally.. that was quite basic with no leather or Bose Sound system, Very fun car to drive, even on the track