Looking for a miata..good deal?

[LEXi73]

Found an ad on craigslist near me...i have been looking for a miata for quite a whilebut im not sure....the miles are a little high for my liking but it looks like a decent deal. tell me what you think...


The add:

91 Miata,
Red in great condition, nice tires and rims, 122K, stereo. 3500 or resonable offer. Lots of great driving yet this year.

Email returned from him:
very well cared for. original owner kept track of all maintenance and each fuel fill up till 90,000 miles. Could use shocks and springs sometime. Good strong running car.

 

[aMaff]

122k is just broken in for that motor

How much is he asking for it?

 

[LEXi73]

3500 or reasonable offer....how long should i really expect a engine to run for? sounds like these miata engines are really great....i have only owned one car over 100k and it was so bad i swore i would never again.

Also hows the 91?? any issues, problems, things i should look for?? just the basic things like rust, oil etc...

 

[aMaff]

depends. About half way through they went from a short to long nose crank design. There have been a good number of failures of the short nosed crank.

Here's some info for you:
http://www.miata.net/garage/crankshaft.html

EDIT That's not TOOOOO bad, but I don't know that I'd pay over 3000 for a 91 w/ that many miles.

 

[LEXi73]

ok well i am in no rush to get one...just been on a look out for one. I would have to keep it about 70 miles away anyway. just keeping my eye out for a deal.

thanks for your help.

 

[aMaff]

yep. Make him an offer, you never know

 

[Foolish]

I don't know that I'd pay over 3000 for a 91 w/ that many miles.

It's only 7176.4705882352941176470588235294 miles/year! That's not so bad!

Besides, Miata engines go forever! Ask Fadi (MiaTurbo on here). He turbo'd his Miata when it had ~180K on it, and got a bunch more miles out of it, until he blew it at the track!

...But as mentioned before, the "short crank nose" thing can be a dream killer. Find out if his VIN is in the effected range. If not, definitely go check it out, see what kind of condition it's in. He may take less money, it may be worth that much!

 

[gr?]

car is worth $2400-2700 imo

 

[MiaTurbo]

what's up with those funky looking seats?

 

[MiaTurbo]

the car is junk. you should pass, and give me his number so I can tell him off for you :d trust me, it's for your own good.

 

[MiaTurbo]

It's only 7176.4705882352941176470588235294 miles/year! That's not so bad!

Besides, Miata engines go forever! Ask Fadi (MiaTurbo on here). He turbo'd his Miata when it had ~180K on it, and got a bunch more miles out of it, until he blew it at the track!

...But as mentioned before, the "short crank nose" thing can be a dream killer. Find out if his VIN is in the effected range. If not, definitely go check it out, see what kind of condition it's in. He may take less money, it may be worth that much!

indeed. And when I took the head off at 205k miles, the cylinder walls still had the crosshatching visible!

 

[LEXi73]

i offered him 2800 and his lowest is 3200.


found another with less miles but more of a asking price....

the ad:

1991 Mazda Miata MX-5, 56000 mi, New Top, Red - $5300
Bright red mazda miata in great condition. Needs nothing, everything works.
1.6L dual ohc, 116 hp. Great fun to drive and reliable too. 31 to 35 mpg.

Talked with him briefly and he knows he is asking a high price and is willing to move but he did not say anything else...said i needed to look at it before i made an offer. price is too high but low miles are great...second owner...replaced the top recently. just for s**** i Kbb'd the car and the price said it should be in the 2700 range...i know this is low...what you think about this one???

I think i will find better prices once winter comes but i know i will just want to drive it when i get it...maybe if i get it in winter i can concentrate on moding it a little then.

 

[R2s99zoom]

i offered him 2800 and his lowest is 3200.

I'd ask him hows 3k flat sounds (to his face, while standing next to the car if its as clean as it looks in the pic)... if he says no... well then just depends on if it really does look as clean as the pic... or cleaner...

While I'm sure you could get him to give it to you for $2800 come december... don't forget, next 3 months are the PERFECT top-down weather months

I'd try similar pricing w/the new listing, too... the value can be a lot less if the tops been replaced... (aftermarket tops are GARBAGE compared to the OEM top... at least in my experience )... unless somehow he/she had it replaced w/an oem top...

tho i wouldn't personally drop more than $3k for a 1.6 NA, and I'd tend to stay well below $4k for a 1.8 NA, unless its an exceptionally special piece.

 

[LEXi73]

i agree for a 91 i don't want to spend over 3k...and i doubt that the guy asking 5300 will go that low...sure he might eventually sell his car for his asking price on somewhere near that but then again he might not. at any rate i am going to set up a time to take a look at it Saturday. I have never driven a miata so this will be my chance to go check it out...its relatively close so its not a big deal.

 

[SlowPro98]

If it was my cash to spend, I wouldn't pay $3k for a 1.6. the lister only mentioned maintence from the previous owner, so that raises some redflags for me.

For reference, I paid less than $3k for my 96 with 87k on the clock. it needs a little body work, and so far I've only had to change a hose and the valve cover gasket, brakes will be done shortly. I got a killer deal, but I had to wait over a year for everything to fall into place.

 

[LEXi73]

just spoke with the first owner....he has an offer of 3100 of far. All records were kept (oil changes, Each tank of gas, all maintenance, replaced parts etc...). It was owned by a family friend and was purchased by them. He said it needs a buff job because the paint is a little dull It has drilled and slotted rotors, new pads, recently new rims with tires 60-70% tred left, comes with cover etc... Problems are the arm rest is cracked, right window motor is touchy, will need shocks and struts sometime soon. I told him that i didn't have the time to take a look at it today. he was going to make a decision later today. think i will pass on this deal. I will keep my eyes open for more..


thanks for everyones help and guidance. It really helps hearing from other owners. I might have some updates in the future.

 

[gr?]

If it was my cash to spend, I wouldn't pay $3k for a 1.6. the lister only mentioned maintence from the previous owner, so that raises some redflags for me.

For reference, I paid less than $3k for my 96 with 87k on the clock. it needs a little body work, and so far I've only had to change a hose and the valve cover gasket, brakes will be done shortly. I got a killer deal, but I had to wait over a year for everything to fall into place.

^ ditto

some Miata owners have no clue that their car isn't worth as much as they ask. I still see 90-93 models with asking prices of $5000-5500. Heck, my 97 with 71,000 miles isn't even worth that much.

 

[LEXi73]

well i went and test drove the 91 for 5300. Its in great condition with everything exceptionally clean. IT threw me for a loop at first...forgot no power steering. He told me he had an offer of $4000 and he refused it. Just got giggles i wanted to drive a newer one that i had seen at a dealer. Drove a 99 that had 66k on it. It was very different for sure...the price on the 99 was 8???k something, cant remember. I think that 8k is out of my price range for now.

I am going to take a look at a 97 with 63k on the clock sometime this upcoming week. the price on this is also high but i will see if he is willing to deal at all. He wants $7000 for it.

The Ad:
1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata - $7000
Triple black 1997 Mazda Miata MX-5, 668XX miles, 5spd manual, power steering, power windows & mirrors, dual airbags, air conditioning, cloth seats. California Car, no rust and has not been driven in winter. Excellent mechanical condition. Top is in great shape - no rips, rattles or leaks. Excellent paint with the exception of a few tiny bumps and some scratches.

Go here for more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/jrbraatz/1997MazdaMiata


I also saw this car on miata.net site. looks clean but again too high of a price.

 

[SlowPro98]

That one looks good, but you could talk him down on that price. at 66k on the odo, it's just about due for scheduled maintenance.

well i went and test drove the 91 for 5300. Its in great condition with everything exceptionally clean. IT threw me for a loop at first...forgot no power steering. He told me he had an offer of $4000 and he refused it. Just got giggles i wanted to drive a newer one that i had seen at a dealer. Drove a 99 that had 66k on it. It was very different for sure...the price on the 99 was 8???k something, cant remember. I think that 8k is out of my price range for now.

I am going to take a look at a 97 with 63k on the clock sometime this upcoming week. the price on this is also high but i will see if he is willing to deal at all. He wants $7000 for it.

The Ad:
1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata - $7000
Triple black 1997 Mazda Miata MX-5, 668XX miles, 5spd manual, power steering, power windows & mirrors, dual airbags, air conditioning, cloth seats. California Car, no rust and has not been driven in winter. Excellent mechanical condition. Top is in great shape - no rips, rattles or leaks. Excellent paint with the exception of a few tiny bumps and some scratches.

Go here for more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/jrbraatz/1997MazdaMiata


I also saw this car on miata.net site. looks clean but again too high of a price.

 

[LEXi73]

the 99 was a price of 8336. Thats a pretty good deal for a 99.