Keith Tanner said:NAs have been going up in price regardless of COVID. Decent $3000 cars are the exception to the rule.
I'd suggest you talk to the GRM staff. They're in Florida and have the ability to find ridiculous deals on a regular basis. Tim probably knows the location of every sleeping Miata in a 200 mile radius.
I originally wrote this back when we bought the Fox, but it's how we can so consistently get good deals. If you're Miata shopping in Florida, you're competing against us. Here's our strategy:
How to Get a Great Deal on a Car
We bought our Fox three hours after it was posted for sale. And no, we don’t mean we found it–we made the deal and committed to purchase it, then offered to send the seller a deposit to hold the car. That’s stupid, right? Well, yes and no. If you have the resources and the tolerance for risk, you can absolutely get better deals by acting just a little bit reckless. Here’s how you can get an awesome deal on a car, too.
Be Patient
We looked for the right car for months. Getting a good deal starts with finding the right car for sale, and by definition great deals are outliers. A corollary to this lesson is “don’t be picky,” because the pickier you are, the longer you’ll wait. By opening our search up to any car that would fit the 24 Hours of Lemons rules, we had way more options than we would have if we were only considering E36-chassis BMWs, for example.
Be Vigilant
It’s easy to get lazy over months of looking, but don’t: that’s what everybody else does. You don’t have to look at every single for-sale section online, but it helps, and it’s important to look every day no matter where you’re shopping. Again, we bought this car three hours after it was posted. Your job is to message the seller sooner than we did.
Be Ready
Here’s our rule of thumb: Never require more than 15 minutes to go from getting home to leaving with your trailer in tow. We keep our trailer empty, even when we could use the space to keep a car out of the weather. We keep its winch battery charged. We keep its straps inside. Our tow vehicle full of tools sits right next to it, and we never park the van with less than 3/4 of a tank of gas. We know that this preparation is only possible because we’re lucky and we have a big backyard, and those that rent or borrow trucks and trailers can’t move as quickly, but guess what: In order to get the good deals, you need to be quicker than the average buyer. You don’t have to go as far as we do: One simple step if you’re renting or borrowing is to keep a bin in your garage with your jump box, air compressor, basic tools and tie-down straps. That will save you 20 minutes of gathering before you leave for the U-Haul office. We’ve found that being ready helps in two ways: Obviously, it lets you literally beat other buyers to a good deal. But more than that, it lets you show the seller you’re serious: Messaging somebody with “Hey can I come and look at the car tomorrow?” Is way less effective than messaging somebody with “I can be there in 45 minutes with my trailer to pick up the car.”
Be Easy
Cars are sold cheaply for all sorts of reasons, but great deals almost always have a combination of a car with issues, a seller who’s over it, and a market that’s disappointing. Even better for buyers, these issues are often related, each pushing each other closer to that dirt-cheap cliff. Our car’s issues were obvious: It’s a weird make and model, it didn’t run, and budget endurance racers can be an indecisive bunch. We’ve found that it’s pretty much pointless to ask for more information or photos when you’re trying to get a great deal, as people like us will have already bought the car by the time the seller responds (if they even bother). Read what’s been posted, make contact with the seller, then go look at the car in person. And bring everything you need to complete the transaction on that first visit, too: That means cash, your trailer or a second driver, and a notary if your state requires notarized title transfers. Remember, the seller is tired of this car and this process, and it’s your job to show up as a one-stop instant solution to it all.
Be Disappointed
The information we used to purchase this Fox? Only what’s shown in the screenshot above. We never even had a phone call with the seller, though we did exchange a few WhatsApp messages to confirm the pickup location. If you’re deal hunting, always be prepared to be disappointed, and be prepared to walk away if you haven’t already committed to the purchase. We’ve driven thousands of miles, only to come home empty-handed because we were just a tad too optimistic on the front end. But that’s just part of the game, and when you’re bargain hunting you’ll come out ahead in the long run.
