Miata experts; READ [Archive]

Captain KRM P5

11-02-2003, 09:46 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2440305320&category=6324

General opinions? I dont care so much about the body damage.

alexlitov

11-02-2003, 09:49 PM

It is damaged. Has too many miles. Has rust.

I wouldn't buy it. I bet you can find one, in better condition in the spring.

jflo

11-02-2003, 09:51 PM

yeah...save ur money for ur P5 or @ least wait until there's a better one 'cause a miata that looks that f0cked up isn't worth it

RyanJayG

11-02-2003, 09:58 PM

damn, thats some serious rust. who knows what the engine is like now

Sdrotary2

11-02-2003, 10:16 PM

Definitely worry about the rust not the engine as much. i would want to see full underside of car. My dad picked up a 93 -4 i think "R" package w/ bilsteins and rb intake and some weak exh, good cond, no rust for $2500. I think 90xxx miles in Vegas. keep looking . look for trade ins as dealers cant finance so they will rarely sell 1st gen miata's (in our area I should say). good luck and try and find a 99 & up : )

NRRfrogmanP5

11-02-2003, 10:27 PM

yeah i agree ken..just wait or spend it on the pika'mobile!!

Darin

11-02-2003, 10:43 PM

Rust is a problem - I'd prolly pay $1K for the car, because of the suspension/roll bar etc...123K miles? Pshaww...that's BARELY broken in :)

RyanJayG

11-02-2003, 10:45 PM

find one from arizona or california... they will have almost no rust.

Captain KRM P5

11-02-2003, 10:51 PM

i agree, the rust is an issue. i am not so worried about the mileage per se (drove a 90 prizm to 230,000) as thats less than 10k on the odo per year. On a 14 year old car I'd expect some miles :(

price is really an issue - If the rust isn't too bad and the car was structurally sound I'd have no problem plunking 1500 on it - but 2k? sigh, and it is barely an hour away from me

chri3

11-03-2003, 12:39 AM

Skip it. Buying a rusted car is asking for problems. If you want it as a beater, then it would be understandable, but a miata isn't really the car to have as a beater. He rants and raves about the susp, but it's nothing incredible. The rear end looks like it is ready to fall apart. The body looks tweeked...look at the hood. I'd say it's worth maybe $1K. You can't work on it because of all the rust.

dominoy2k1

11-03-2003, 12:41 AM

no....

GOTZOOM?

11-03-2003, 12:44 AM

I picked up a 90 Miata with 93,000 miles Supercharged with a hardtop in perfect condition for $5000. Look around for a better car. You will find one.

Captain KRM P5

11-03-2003, 12:59 AM

Originally posted by chri3
If you want it as a beater, then it would be understandable, but a miata isn't really the car to have as a beater.

you might laugh :) but actually, yeah, I was thinking of it as being a beater of sorts. the most i'd ever do is slap a new fender on it and straighten the hood out...looks like front frame damage though...no way in hell would i go for that. though he says frame is fully intact.

he lives about a 1/2 hour from me. i'm a glutton for punishment and curious to the point of stupid :D, so i'm at least gonna drive out and check it out. says it has all recent certified dealer work - but whatever, we know what THAT means.

Starting a new job an hour away, so I figure if i have a beater might as well be a mazda beater :). no need to NOT drive the pikamobile mind you, put plenty of miles on it. just...random...thoughts...

I really appreciate the honest feedback - it does look like a total piece of crap.

chri3

11-03-2003, 02:56 AM

Originally posted by Captain KRM P5
you might laugh :) but actually, yeah, I was thinking of it as being a beater of sorts. the most i'd ever do is slap a new fender on it and straighten the hood out...looks like front frame damage though...no way in hell would i go for that. though he says frame is fully intact.

If you want a beater, get something better than that. I paid 2K for mine, but it needed new shocks. 112K miles. No rust, no damage, clean all around. It was in a crash long ago, but has been repaired/repainted. I bought the car with the intent of using it to keep miles off of my subaru, but it has become my daily driver. I've driven the scooby 2 days in the last 3 months. I think a miata could do the same thing to you. It was supposed to be a beater, but it's so much more than that:D

dominoy2k1

11-03-2003, 02:58 AM

oohhh can i rent the wrx off you? how bout 5 dollas a week?...

chri3

11-03-2003, 03:06 AM

Originally posted by dominoy2k1
oohhh can i rent the wrx off you? how bout 5 dollas a week?...

Why does everyone assume that if it's a subaru it's a WRX?:mad:

kcbhiw

11-03-2003, 12:15 PM

I say no go on that car. That rust is pretty bad.

A few weeks ago, I was in a similar position as you. There was a white '91 Miata with Hard top, alloy wheels, and mtx that had slight front end damage (needed a hood, bumper, right headlight and right fender. It only had about 60k on the ODO as well. It went for $1500 (Buy it now set to $1650). That price alone was worth the hard top and even if I didn't fix the car, I could have parted it out and still made most, if not all, of the money back. The only thing that kept me from buying it was lack of storage. I'm still kicking myself for passing on it (I'm sure I could have found some place to keep it if I tried hard enough).

charles

11-03-2003, 04:37 PM

Originally posted by chri3
Why does everyone assume that if it's a subaru it's a WRX?:mad:

Because there were no subarus before the WRX :rolleyes:

Keith@FP

11-04-2003, 11:06 AM

Then I have a 1987 WRX wagon that I'll sell for $2000...

Keith

Natey

11-04-2003, 11:58 AM

This one might be a better chioce. :)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6324&item=2440120660

Keith@FP

11-04-2003, 12:01 PM

By the way, if anyone sees one - I'm looking for a 1994-97 that's been wrecked and is for sale cheap. Body and interior damage is irrelevant.

Keith

kcbhiw

11-04-2003, 01:31 PM

Originally posted by Natey
This one might be a better chioce. :)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6324&item=2440120660

Why's he state 92 in one place and 94 in another (VIN comes back to a 92)?

Captain KRM P5

11-04-2003, 08:46 PM

Originally posted by Natey
This one might be a better chioce. :)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6324&item=2440120660

sorry, looking for dirt cheap

Geo212

11-13-2003, 09:14 PM

Speaking of deals, my mom bought my '91 Miata in excellent condition that looked new including paint, top, engine, working factory soundsystem(rare if even possible to find), with 52,000mi on it. The only problem is that it could not hold a charge so it needed a battery, what $60 at the most. On top of that it was a C-Package with air, cruise, cassette,vicious coupling rear end LSD, pwr windows, headrest speakers, and everyother option except for hard top amd leather. She paid $1,800 for it, greatest purchsae ever. It curently has 68,000mi and i cannot keep my friend's hands off of it(made the mistake and let him drive it). In summary, there is always a real good deal out there, you just have to be patient.

kcbhiw

11-13-2003, 10:18 PM

Originally posted by Geo212
Speaking of deals, my mom bought my '91 Miata in excellent condition that looked new including paint, top, engine, working factory soundsystem(rare if even possible to find), with 52,000mi on it. The only problem is that it could not hold a charge so it needed a battery, what $60 at the most. On top of that it was a C-Package with air, cruise, cassette,vicious coupling rear end LSD, pwr windows, headrest speakers, and everyother option except for hard top amd leather. She paid $1,800 for it, greatest purchsae ever. It curently has 68,000mi and i cannot keep my friend's hands off of it(made the mistake and let him drive it). In summary, there is always a real good deal out there, you just have to be patient.

WOW! :eek: That's a freakin steal! Usually, if you're lucky enough to find one at that price, it's got some problems associated with it.