To Miata or not to Miata?

[hugador]

whoops I posted in the wrong thread. Anyway, Miatas are cute no matter how hard you try to make them look mean lol.

 

[JamesCH]

Well I'm keeping my eyes peeled on CL and auto trader in my area. It's hard to find one that I'm happy with. The last two I went to go look at the guy said he had "over $50k into both of them" which must have explained why he had to use speaker wire to patch up the harness in one of them and why he cheaped out on the battery and the trunk in the other was all eaten out by battery acid. There's a lot of goddamn idiots around. One of these years I'll find a Miata that I'm happy with, it just takes patience here in rusty-rust-rust land.

 

[JamesCH]

I have another line on a Laguna Blue Mica ('94 or '95) Miata with 84k miles on it at a dealer. Their asking price is $7k right now (uhm) which seems way too high, though it looks to be in very good shape. The KBB is $5500, but is often inaccurate on more popular cars.

The car looks to be in "Good to Excellent" condition, anyone have a feel for what a reasonable price would be?

 

[FrequentFlyer]

Definitely go with a Miata for tracking/Auto-X. They "can" be cheap fun, but of course, like any other car, you can go crazy on them also. There are mods galore for them. I had a '99 10th Anniversary Edition that I bought brand new with the 6-speed tranny and Bilstein suspension package and it was a blast, especially after I through a blower on it (Jackson Racing Supercharger). They're a lot of fun with 160+whp. I can't imagine how one would be with 200+.

 

[Mistersix]

i was just gonna say if i had to do it again i would hold out for a 10th anniversary model with the 6 speed. one more gear would make a huge difference on the highway.

 

[JamesCH]

i was just gonna say if i had to do it again i would hold out for a 10th anniversary model with the 6 speed. one more gear would make a huge difference on the highway.

Is it harder to get replacement parts because it's a 6 speed?

 

[FrequentFlyer]

What do you mean replacement parts? For the tranny? As far as everything else, the car was the same. I believe it was a Aisin tranny. Never had a problem with the tranny, so not sure how hard it is to get replacement parts for it.

http://www.aisin.com/product/automotive/drivetrain/index.html

 

[buttons]

for me it would depend on the track. the road coarses near me i would be happier in a mazdaspeed 3 because to much straight away .. on tight coarses and autocrosses the miata would rule.

 

[Mistersix]

Is it harder to get replacement parts because it's a 6 speed?

this i dont know. but the only thing you should ever need to replace would be the clutch and maybe flywheel. that should'nt be that hard to track down. stock or aftermarket.

for me it would depend on the track. the road coarses near me i would be happier in a mazdaspeed 3 because to much straight away .. on tight coarses and autocrosses the miata would rule.

this is true. as long as the twistie bits out number the straight bits, the miata is tuff to beat. its cheap, light weight so its easy on tires, and comes with a limited slip and close ratio gear box. so its easy to make the most out of the little power it makes.

 

[JamesCH]

Pulled the trigger on a blue 1990 miata. Has a crapload of miles, 207,000, but everything felt perfect mechanically. Came with some really nice looking wheels and good tires (the brands escape me now), good soft-top, Borla exhaust, roll bar, two racing seats, and 20 years worth of dings and rust (though it's not TOO bad). I only paid 2100 it, and it'll be a great track beater for the next couple years.

Edit: almost forgot, it has adjustable Koni shocks, some sort of after-market springs, and a race-sized radiator.

Thanks everyone for the input, I'll probably get some pics up soon.

 

[Mistersix]

Pulled the trigger on a blue 1990 miata. Has a crapload of miles, 207,000, but everything felt perfect mechanically. Came with some really nice looking wheels and good tires (the brands escape me now), good soft-top, Borla exhaust, roll bar, two racing seats, and 20 years worth of dings and rust (though it's not TOO bad). I only paid 2100 it, and it'll be a great track beater for the next couple years.

Thanks everyone for the input, I'll probably get some pics up soon.

Awesome. Congrats on the purchase.

 

[JamesCH]

 

[Mistersix]

wow, looks really good. i like it.

so how do you like it so far?

 

[BillTheCat]

For 20 years & 200k miles, I see absolutely nothing wrong with that vehicle. Should be a world of fun on the track.

 

[JamesCH]

wow, looks really good. i like it.

so how do you like it so far?

I love it. It's a total blast.

For 20 years & 200k miles, I see absolutely nothing wrong with that vehicle. Should be a world of fun on the track.

Well there is a big dent on the passenger fender, front bumper cover is cracked and poorly patched up, and some rust in each rocker and the trunk lid. I plan on dropping it off at the local vo-tech center after the summer's over. They'll repair the rust and repaint everything for the cost of materials, and they usually do a pretty decent job.

 

[Mistersix]

good. the miata is easy to like. and will teach you a thing or two about maintaining momentum.

a few dings and some rust!? 20 years and still running strong aside from some cosmetic blemishes. right on, makes me want another.

get to the track. autox. thats where you'll really enjoy that 50/50 weight.