[MetroMPG]

So, stupid question time...

Why exactly was this car in the junkyard? Previous owner scared off by too many "little" things gone bad and perhaps a giant repair estimate from a dealership?

I know a guy who picked up a '94 (I think) Miata in running condition for $500 from a junkyard last year. It was junked because it wouldn't pass emissions testing. The new owner ran it home on the highway at high speed (3 hrs), planning to repair/rebuild the engine himself. He had it e-tested again when he got home and to his utter surprise, it passed. (Lending credence to the "blowing the carbon out" theory?)