saw this add, thought I might check it out. what do the miata gurus think this thing might be worth? what do you think might be the idle issue?
1992 Mazda Miata MX-5 roadster (convertible) for sale. This was my daily driver and it has been well maintained. Right before my leaving Texas, the Miata developed a problem idling and a small crack at the top of the radiator. I did what trouble shooting I could but I'm no mechanic and am unsure what is causing the idling problem. The body has faded paint, a dented fender and some minor hail damage on the hood and trunk etc. Also, the plastic around the trunks keyhole is damaged.
-New fuel pump.
-New fuel filter.
-New alternator belt.
- Just had a tune up done with oil change and new filter.
-Only 107xxx miles.
-5 speed manual (I get atleast 26 mpg in the city and up to 36 mpg on the freeway).
-A/C
-Cruise Control
-Power Steering
-Custom glass rear window.
-It has a Sony CD deck with a removable face plate. Has stereo speakers in both head rests of the seats, but new speakers are needed to have quality sound.
-The driver side can't roll down. It needs a new motor.
-The interior is in great condition minus a tear in the driver's seat.
$1800 or best REASONABLE offer
ransom
UltraDork
3/5/13 11:40 a.m.
It would help if they described the idle issue... Does it die? Surge? Wander all over the place? How low? How high? Did it happen right after the tune-up with filter change? Did they crack some of the air ducting so there's a leak downstream of the air flow meter? Is the new fuel pump part of a guess at fixing the idle issue?
Apologies, I am not a Miata guru, I only owned one briefly. But that set of questions I think applies as much to a Miata as anything else. Hopefully there's some sort of "classic Miata idle issue" that everybody knows about and someone will chime in with it shortly 
Nope, I'd be asking the same question.
37 highway? Psh I didnt even get 26 highway.
I'd be asking questions too. Very vague on the idle issue. For perspective....
Last February, I bought a '90 Miata from it's original owner. It too had hail damage, paint is fading. The radio surround bezel had broken (common Miata issue), but otherwise interior was in great shape. Aftermarket stereo, like the one in your ad. Roughly 130k miles on it. Well maintained over the years. Rear end failed, and instead of fixing, he decided to sell. I paid $1200 for that car...including a factory hard top.
30 mpg highway is wat I would pull when I had a 93. just as another point of reference.
Immediate thoughts 1. Need to know how long it was driven with "cracked radiator". If it was driven until it quit, run. 2. "Custom glass window" probably equals "I/previous owner tried DIY fix on ripped top window". Assume this means you will need a new top unless evidence shows otherwise. DIY top fixes usually don't work. 3. At 107K, unless your see receipts, assume it needs a timing belt/water pump and shocks at a minimum in addition to the work you already know it needs.
All that said, $1800 isn't a bad starting point. Just assume you're putting another $1000 to 2000 (top, engine work, radiator and suspension) at a minimum to get is squared away. Another $1000+ (emphasis on the "+") to get the bodywork/paint done, unless you are capable of doing it yourself. Then its a decent, but not outstanding, deal. Or, depending on where you live, you can take the same $4000+ and by a decent, swell sorted, maintenance up-to-date example and save yourself a lot of headaches.
Klayfish wrote:
Last February, I bought a '90 Miata from it's original owner. It too had hail damage, paint is fading. The radio surround bezel had broken (common Miata issue), but otherwise interior was in great shape. Aftermarket stereo, like the one in your ad. Roughly 130k miles on it. Well maintained over the years. Rear end failed, and instead of fixing, he decided to sell. I paid $1200 for that car...including a factory hard top.
Standard procedure when you post "should I buy this?" on the internet, someone will always try to trump the story. Happy Miatas with hardtops for $1200 are not common.
ransom
UltraDork
3/5/13 12:33 p.m.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
Well, there was a Miata hardtop on local CL today for exactly $1200!
No car with it, though...
Keith Tanner wrote:
Klayfish wrote:
Last February, I bought a '90 Miata from it's original owner. It too had hail damage, paint is fading. The radio surround bezel had broken (common Miata issue), but otherwise interior was in great shape. Aftermarket stereo, like the one in your ad. Roughly 130k miles on it. Well maintained over the years. Rear end failed, and instead of fixing, he decided to sell. I paid $1200 for that car...including a factory hard top.
Standard procedure when you post "should I buy this?" on the internet, someone will always try to trump the story. Happy Miatas with hardtops for $1200 are not common.
Yep, after months of searching I had to settle for a clean, stock '90 with 120k miles on it for $2500.
Keith Tanner wrote:
Klayfish wrote:
Last February, I bought a '90 Miata from it's original owner. It too had hail damage, paint is fading. The radio surround bezel had broken (common Miata issue), but otherwise interior was in great shape. Aftermarket stereo, like the one in your ad. Roughly 130k miles on it. Well maintained over the years. Rear end failed, and instead of fixing, he decided to sell. I paid $1200 for that car...including a factory hard top.
Standard procedure when you post "should I buy this?" on the internet, someone will always try to trump the story. Happy Miatas with hardtops for $1200 are not common.
Good point, didn't look at it that way. Wasn't trying to trump, just give some point of reference on pricing. I know mine was not overly common and I got lucky to find it. What I meant to say was that with the known issues and potential issues, it seems overpriced to me. My bad...I'll take it off the table and tuck it back in my pants now... 
As for fuel mileage, the Miata is a fun toy, don't worry about it. But high 20s-low30's is common.
RossD
UberDork
3/5/13 1:30 p.m.
I was getting upper 20s mpg in my '91, then I swapped in new front bearings and rotors. Now I'm gettings low 30s on average. Lots of highway or country 55 mph roads, but driving it to redline most of the time!
yamaha wrote:
In reply to DaveEstey:
berkeley that......
All-metal aftermarket radiators are cheap for these things, no worry. Its like buying a used BMW, just plan on replacing the radiator.
The EFI Toyotas I had Would try to "burp" the air out of the radiators by doing an erratic idle kind of like blipping the throttle......OH KEEEITH...
Thanks for the info guys I'm going to go look at it later
