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Keith Tanner of Flying Miata in the states has some good books about the cars.

Mazda Miata MX- 5 Performance Projects is a pretty good shop manual type thing that covers most needs.

Mazda MX-5 Miata: Find It. Fix It. Trick It. is a fairly decent overview with some simple tips.

Finally, How to Build a High-Performance Mazda-Miata is a good book if you are looking to add some performance to your car, but don't know all that much.

A lot of stuff like that is around the web, particularly miata.net, but sometimes it's nice to have a physical copy. Especially with that first book, there are a bunch of good pictures usually.

Have fun with that car. I have loved mine since I got it, through good times and the bad and I hope you do too.

It's not a cheap book but it takes you through the majority of aspects in automotive mechanics. It's college level and geared towards formal education and studying, but I find that even for personal interest it gives the reader/enthusiast a great starting foundation. If you can afford it and have the motivation to read it in its entirety, you will be in a much better position to make proper mechanical decisions if you start a project car in the near future.

I should also add that I own this book and am currently reading through it myself. It's tough at some points due to the nature of the content, but it's superior to the general knowledge and information you'll be presented with in most forums and shop talks.

Sorry for posting late, but definitely buy this http://www.amazon.com/How-Cars-Work-Tom-Newton/dp/0966862309/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346804838&sr=8-1&keywords=how+cars+work

I read this while taking Auto Tech through high school and it helped a ton.

There is also this website, although it uses some larger words and is a bit harder to understand right off the bat. http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/tech_index.html

Try, to concentrate on one system at a time afterwords (brakes, suspension, electronics, etc.) since it makes it more focused.

Good luck :)

I have a 1970 Nova that I've worked on quite a bit, although not as much as I would like. I bought it as a car to learn on, having about the same experience you do now. I've taken almost every single thing apart on that car, but sadly have not been able to rebuild much of it due to money issues and going back to grad school. Obviously I'm a bit biased, but I think you chose a good car to start with. I'll try and answer your questions:

1. As long as you're not mechanically retarded, you'll have no problem. All I had going into this was one auto shop class and a lot of enthusiasm. So far I've completely removed, disassembled, and rebuilt both the front and rear suspensions, removed/disassembled and half-rebuilt a small-block Chevy engine, rebuilt the steering system, gutted the interior, and taken almost every part off of the car at some point. I would say that with enough research and a willingness to learn, there isn't a single thing you can't do, and that includes rebuilding the transmission (although it might not be very fun). Suspension, engine removal/installation, exhaust, brakes, rear axle... most of it is very simple with plenty of instructions to be found online or in books, not to mention old-fashioned trial and error. Basically, you don't need to worry about difficulty as long as you are willing to learn.
   
   
2. I hate the interior. All of the major parts are rather uncomplicated, and even the dash is stone-age simple compared to modern cars, but its the brittle, old plastic pieces and papery upholstery that are a pain because they break so easily, and they are everywhere. If you buy replacement interior parts and simply replace the old with the new as you go, your mechanical inclination should translate rather easily. However, if you plan on restoring and reusing any of your stock interior, it will be much more difficult and time consuming. At the very least, in my opinion, the interior will not be easier than the rest of the car.
   
   
3. Pick up a Chiltons or a Hanes manual for the car. This is the one I bought, although I'm not sure if I bought it from that website. It will have most of what you need to know (like torque values and general dis/assembly procedures), and you can go to the interwebs for the specific things that it doesn't. If you want to rebuild the engine, I highly recommend anything buy a guy named David Vizard. This book is absolutely amazing, even if you're not on a budget. It will explain the theory and mechanical basis behind engine building, i.e., what parts you should buy for the type of use to which you will put your engine. This book gives you the step-by-step instruction on assembling it.
   
   
4. I can't even guesstimate this. It really depends on what you want out of this build. What are your plans? Daily driver? Weekend plaything? Racer?
   
   My Nova had rust issues in a few places, so watch for it when you buy yours: Rear quarter panels between the bumper and the wheel well (from the factory, this area on the inside came packed with foam that trapped any water that leaked into the trunk right up against the metal and rotted it); Front fenders right behind the wheel well (there's a hollow area inside that traps water); Front floorboards (just like any car... if you can't pull up the carpet to look, you can look up at the floor from underneath). Mine was a California car all its life, if you're buying from somewhere like the rust belt, you'll likely have similar or worse issues unless somebody has already fixed it. If they have fixed it, inspect these areas anyway for poor craftsmanship doing so.
   
   Before buying the car, look at the suspension bushings, or ask the seller about them. If they are original or replaced long ago, they'll likely be cracked and crumbling. This makes the car handle like absolute shit and the bump steer can be downright horrifying to deal with while driving (believe me...). So not only are they important, but they are among the most difficult part of the suspension to replace. If you plan on driving the car before tackling this job, make sure the bushings are in good shape.
   
   For parts, I've always gone to Summit for the general mechanical stuff. Great prices, great buying experience and great service, in my experience. For Nova-specific parts like body and interior pieces, my first stop is Classic Industries to find out what I need, then I cross-reference the part numbers I find there with other vendors to find the best price. Sometimes Classic is best, sometimes not, but they have everything, so it's my first stop when looking for a part.
   
   That's all I can think of for now. If you have any questions, let me know.
   
   Edit: Formatting.

I don't know about the Pontiac, but your Jeep is easy to work on. Longitudinal inline engine and rear wheel drive, plenty of activity on forums, and good used/aftermarket part availability.

Get the Haynes or Chilton manual and join a forum. This text is a good general reference to have: http://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Technology-Approach-Jack-Erjavec/dp/1401848311 .

Do you have a garage you can work in and store tools in?

Congrats! I learned how to work on a car with a few E30s. Great fun to drive. Now go out and buy your new bible: http://www.amazon.com/BMW-Series-Service-Manual-1984-1990/dp/0837616476

I have a seething pet peve for yellowed headlights; use this headlight kit and follow up with this coating

I would apologize for unsolicited advice but I'm a little tipsy and tired and I love the subies, especially that blue on the Impreza. Idk which one you got first but they're both baller.

Clean headlights would be even more baller and it's surprising how much it de-ages a car

for someone using a drill. I personally think the 3M kit is the best.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-39008-Headlight-Restoration-System/dp/B001AIZ5HY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412942109&sr=8-1&keywords=headlight+restoration+kit

Buy my book on Amazon. 😂

His book, The Driver chronicles the experience. One of my favorite automotive books.

I feel like that type of switch won't hold up well. I've seen them used, not on cars, but the clamp force between them needs to be tightened. Still, it should work as intended. Might arc a bit connecting it, but what doesn't.

This is the switch I've seen used before many times.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001N729FS/ref=pd_aw_sim_auto_2?refRID=1GHJA1JCE9CTZC5R36SK

Not him but https://www.amazon.com/Brake-Fluid-Tester-calibrated-fluids/dp/B005HVG4GQ

https://www.amazon.com/Brake-Fluid-Tester-calibrated-fluids/dp/B005HVG4GQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1483370723&sr=8-3&keywords=brake+fluid+tester

here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/TOOVREN-Holder-Phone-Mount-Gray/dp/B07VB373YS

Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001N729FS/ref=pd_aw_sim_auto_2?refRID=1GHJA1JCE9CTZC5R36SK

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

Try this one as just the basics:
http://www.amazon.com/Garage-Girls-Guide-Everything-About/dp/1581825196

I reccomend This Book by the guys who run DIYautotune.com

This book is legit, often used as a text in auto body classes

Oh man, what a nice find. I remember riding in these as a kid and they were just terrible.

Random fact: There is only one registered Yugo in Florida

For a fun read, get The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History

Scientific Design of Exhaust and Intake Systems

I have to recommend Car Guys vs Bean Counters, by Bob Lutz, who joined GM in 2001, and helped bring them back from the brink of death. GM is far better off now then they were a decade ago. The Volt is a plan for the future, and they, unfortunately, had to kill Pontiac and Saturn (wasn't really their decision). GM is still far ahead of Dodge in build quality and reliability. If you want to switch to a winner, switch to Ford.

>Delorean wasn't ultra rich. He had to get funding somewhere and allstate was the one who funded it and they wanted to build an ultra safe, cheap car because obviously that benefits themselves.

Allstate was not "the one who funded it", John Delorean secured multiple investors, Bank of America being one of the primary ones. That article you linked is from 1975, I don't know how much Allstate ended contributing, but they were not the primary investor. And the prototypes developed ended up being scrapped, the car was completely redesigned by Lotus. The bulk of the funding, however, came from the British Government in the amount of £100 million.

>Which Delorean didnt get in a contract and never actually received those incentives. Including the ability to avoid any export/import tariffs but they actually got fucked big on those.

Yes, he did. As I already stated, the British government contributed £100 million to the company. You are completely wrong about this.

>You misunderstand. The delorean should be as per delorean's own documented design be as low as the ferraris and such in my video. Deloreans are obviously not.

As I stated, at the last minute higher springs were installed in the front to meet recently passed bumper height regulations, which the DeLorean would have failed in its as-designed form. Even in stock form, the car is still lower than a corvette, if not quite as low as a Ferrari, so I wouldn't exactly call it "high like a truck".

You might want to read some actual books on the history of the DeLorean, instead of regurgitating misinformation you heard from other people. You can start here and here.