is this a good track ready miata deal?: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

Subscribe get a full year for only $23.95 Sample Free Test Drive—no strings attached

July 15, 2011 3:19 p.m. jonny330 New Reader

I found a 1990 miata with 130k miles with a roll bar and an oem hard top for $4500. Seems like a lot but i has a bunch of track friendly mods and some stuff from flyin miata. I am thinking about buying it but I don't know miata pricing well enough.

Is this a good price for a 20 year old miata? Are there things i need to worry about or specifically look for? I am looking to buy a weekend track car for myself, I am going to start with HPDE to get my comp licence then looking at going into TT or maybe a spec class down the road.

I read through the buyers guide but wanted some real peoples opinion.

Guide for reference. http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/mazda-miata/
July 15, 2011 3:35 p.m. naparsei New Reader

If you are going to do Spec Miata, probably a lot of the mods will have to be removed and sold. That seems high to me, but if it's a really solid car and you really like it, it's not a big deal to overpay some. I bought a similar car for $2500, sans mods, and could have beat the guy down at least another $300.

Oh, and I also bought a Spec Miata on ebay. The car + the work = about $9,000, for a quick regional car.
July 15, 2011 3:36 p.m. Tom Heath Web Manager

It's really hard to say without knowing more about the car, but $4500 should buy you a very nice early Miata that needs nothing.

That's the high side of the market in my mind unless it's a "special" car.
July 15, 2011 3:39 p.m. DaveEstey HalfDork

I just bought a VERY solid stock 96 Miata with 116k sans hardtop for $2900.

YMMV
July 15, 2011 4:25 p.m. Keith SuperDork

And here comes the one-upmanship about how little everyone paid. That Miata I raced in the Targa? I paid $100. Needed a little work, but it was already seam-welded!

Is the original car in question overpriced? Hard to say, there's a lot we don't know about it. Prices vary across the country, too, and modified cars tend to see a wider price range.
July 15, 2011 4:32 p.m. jonny330 New Reader

here is the car in question http://www.sccaforums.com/forums/forumid/63/threadid/408625/scope/posts

I would love to pick up a $100 special but i am worried that will end up costing more in the long run.
July 15, 2011 4:48 p.m. DaveEstey HalfDork

That doesn't look like an entirely bad deal.

How are Miata prices in general in your area?
July 15, 2011 4:51 p.m. Keith SuperDork

He's wrong about the 1.6 being a stronger bottom end than the 1.8 - they're identical. Heck, you could get a 1.8 turbo in both Japan and the US, just like you could the 1.6. Anyhow...

The car's overpriced. He's selling it with undisclosed wheels/tires and probably a 1.6 diff. I suspect you'll find it works better with different springs, but see if you can find out current ride heights. While it's great that he identifies how much he paid for brake pads, they're consumables and that number is irrelevant. If the maintenance stories are true, then that's an excellent sign. I'd go for $3500 with a good set of wheels (I like the TRMs) and the Torsen.

My $100 special did cost a bit to put together, but I did buy a Miata for $100 and then run it in the Targa.
July 15, 2011 4:52 p.m. jonny330 New Reader

I am in charlotte and just checking CL i found some pretty nice newer miatas for about the same money without a hard top.

Keith thanks for input that is very helpful.
July 15, 2011 4:53 p.m. kreb Dork

Keith wrote:

And here comes the one-upmanship about how little everyone paid.
A buxom virgin paid me $1,000 to take her Mazdaspeed off her on the condition that I deflower her first! There! Do I win?

Seriously, I wouldn't call it a deal, but doesn't look like a rip either. Were it me, I'd try to get it for about 20 percent lower.
July 15, 2011 6:29 p.m. mistanfo SuperDork

kreb wrote:

Keith wrote:

And here comes the one-upmanship about how little everyone paid.
A buxom virgin paid me $1,000 to take her Mazdaspeed off her on the condition that I deflower her first! There! Do I win?

Only if she lobbed a scimitar at your head and then proclaimed you emperor.

It's the middle of summer. Prices are up. If you can wait a few months, prices should be down. If you are willing to go without the hardtop, and are willing to do your own wrenching (the only way for a track car to resemble something affordable, IMNSHO), you should be able to do it for less. But it will take longer to get on the track.
July 15, 2011 7:09 p.m. Woody SuperDork

If I were the seller, I suspect that I'd be pleased to get $4500 for it, but I'm not sure that I'd let it go for a lot less.

That being said, three years ago, I sold a nicer, '96 Miata with a Snug Top hardtop for $3600, but, at the time, I was a highly motivated seller. Plus, it was November.
July 16, 2011 9:58 a.m. kazoospec Reader

I'm in the same boat. I've found shopping in the middle of convertable season to be something of a frustrating exercise. Right now, I'll probably just wait until fall when all the people who end up buying the one's I'm looking at find out they have no storage. This is totally opinion, but if you were planning to set up your own car EXACTLY as this one is set up, its probably a decent deal. It does appears the aftermarket parts are high quality, but to me it seems like the seller is expecting to get back more of his parts "investment" than is realistic. If, however, like me you, just want a cheap, fun car to autocross with a roll bar for the occasional HDPE, this is probably overpriced.