Timimg belt question and more

Okay, yes I am new here! I hope to buy a Miata very soon and know very little so Im hoping you guys can help me out. Whats the deal on the timing belt on these cars? Im told it should be done at 60K. Is it a pain in the butt like my Maxima was? It took about six hours on that car. Can I do it myself or should I sub it out? Any tips welcome, thanks.

The reason I ask is Im thinking of buying a 1997 with 63K miles and the belt has not been changed yet.

Other than normal stuff, anything I should have an eye open looking for issues on these cars when looking to purchase? Like one had a loud lifter (only 29K miles) guy says this is normal. Is that true?

Thanks in advance!

Here you go man. If you have any questions on Miata maintenance, check out the Miata.net garage section. Here is there article on the Timing Belt Change. Hope I helped

Shouldn't take you near 6 hours. but while you're down there, I would replace your cam seals, front main seal, and water pump. I did mine in about 3 (if i remember right).

Agreed, a timing belt change is quite easy to do on the Miatas. You may need an extra set of hands to hold the cams in line with the timing marks. You may want to take out the cooling fans as well. Doing so gives you a TON of room to work.