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Comments
Shades of 1990: when he went to the dealer, the MSRP was 23500 (I think) and they wanted 31900. He said he told them that was ridiculous, liked the Miata, and was going to go buy one. He walked out. The gm jogged to his car and asked him if they could deal. His "deal" was msrp -- given there will be so few I'm surprised he was able to cut it.
The good news: some of my new suspension stuff is on order -- for budget reasons I'm doing it in three steps. Step one is completed: I waited since 1992 for the original equipment to get worn enough that I could feel okay about discarding it. Step two is that I've ordered Bilstein shocks, a tower brace, and new tires -- I'm wondering what the effect will be. Next year will be some extra (mild) bracing and springs (to bring it back down the inch that the Bilsteins are supposed to raise it.) FYI: Toyo has their T1S tired out in a 14" size now (I wanted to keep my light weight original rims), and though they are a 45 aspect (194 X 14) I'm thinking these will be a lot of fun.
Take care.
Joe W.
Some dealers are selling MR-2 at ridiculous markup, but some are not. There are dealers posting on MR-2 forum on here and they have said they will not sell any cars at 5k markup. Most of them claimed they are selling their MR-2s at about 500 above or at MSRP.
Personally I think it still look weird (especially if you get a light colour and so all the black trims show up as if it got bunched and got bruised. Then again, each to his own I suppose. A local Toyota dealer sold a few and someone traded in a 99 Green Leather package Miata for a silver one.
Thanks again,
Greg
For example Edmunds and Mazda's web site show that AC, floor mats, and windblocker as standard on the base model. They no longer are. It seems that the option packages are priced the same.
A dealer claims they were changed in March.
I feel like this is a high-tech bait and switch technique.
Where can I get the revised invoice costs?
It seems that the invoice prices for options are %20 less than MSRP and Base price is about 10% less.
Also, the dealer claims the rebate is only $1000 but I suspect it is $1500.
Does it not seem strange that you cannot get cruise control if you get the suspension package?
Thanks,
Craig
I waited--and looked and found the right car-- a 96 M edition!!!
:-)
TAke care.
Joe W.
Question for everyone; has anyone tried a bike rack / carrier on their Miata?
I drove two 96s and a brand new 2000. What surprised me was that I didn't feel the 2000 was any better from a performance standpoint than the older ones. The road tests all show the new model should be a full second faster 0-60, but I couldn't tell the difference using my butt dyno. Now I'm torn. I really like the new body style, the glass window, the passenger air bag switch and th prices are now really good (This dealer was selling very well equipped 2000s for $17998) but I really started out looking for a toy for around $10K.
Other observations - someone complained a long ime ago about having trouble operating the pedals with his size 12 feet. I have size 14 feet and had no such trouble. I even wore my clunkiest basktball shoes to make sure.
One thing that bothers me is that quite a few of the used Miatas I've seen have a large gap or misalignment at the front of he hood where it meets the headlights. Has anyone else noticed this? It really makes the car look bad.
On one car I drove (a 96) the clutch engagement was near the top of the travel. Does this mean the clutch has about had it?
I've had two bikes, one Full Suspension and one hardtail mountain bike on it at the same time, and it's rock solid up to 65 MPH.
Additionally, there is a tail hitch style bike carrier that doesn't rest on the car, but requires adding a hitch. It costs more, is a modification I don't want on my car (since it lowers rear clearence) and the rack cost more too.
Now if I had the 59,000 for the Boxster S I wanted, I'd get the very very cool Porsche bike/ski rack that mounts over the car top, keeping your finish shiny, your bikes overhead, and I don't believe it interfers with the top. At 1800 it's an expensive rack, but I'd like one similar for the Miata.
-Z
If you drove a 2000 with sports suspension (15 inch wheels, Pilot tires, gas shocks, LSD) you should have noticed distinctly sportier handling, maybe a little bit too sporty compared to a base Miata. But you're right, the performance differences between the last generation should be minimal. Mazda refined a few things but the current Miata is clearly a evolution of the last one. 5% better this, 20% better that, 10% better this etc. Engine power has gone up nominally and the performance numbers do prove it...but seat of the pants feel should be very similar. The engine design is the same and the increased power comes on mostly at higher revs.
Anyway, since you're in the market for cheap used....the 96's are a good compromise. I love my Miata so much that I had no problem justifying stretching my budget and bought a 10th Ann model even though I would have been perfectly happy with a base version.
I like driving mine just about anywhere, but comments above re: the highway were to make sure no one thought posters here were confusing this with a Lexus. As you say, it's a roadster -- you like it or you don't.
As far as buying used is concerned, if you're patient and willing to look around there are a lot of good older "toys" available for $10k and under in many parts of the country. If you're in the north you can find some especially good deals as there are quite a few drivers who have garaged them in the winter. My "new" one is a '92 black/tan that had 22k on it when I found it.
But the nose should certainly be lined up pretty well. The nose, as opposed to the hood, is glass (on older ones you'll find that the paint has faded at a different rate!) and two things come to mind: one is that it has been punched by another vehicle and needs a better bodyman to check it over; the other is that the front end has only about 5" clearance and can get caught on the cement parking bumpers -- so when you pull out the parking bumper will "realign" the front cone. The build quality of the car is excellent and it certainly didn't come from the factory that way!
TAke care.
Joe W.
Any thoughts on the high clutch engagement? The car only has 48K miles on it but a clutch rider could wear one out that fast. I haven't had to replace a clutch on a car since the seventies. What does a clutch replacement on a Miata cost?
The hood alignment deal. Sometimes with older, small and light cars tend to get a misaligned look from gorillas opening and closing them. It happens. They also get little dents in the front of the hood from folks leaning on it to get it latched. Although, these are fiberglass? so it won't dent. Either way, if you're unsure, your best bet is when you see one you like and WHEN you take it to your mechanic for the inspection, he should be able to tell you if it was worked on. ANy mechanic worth his salt should be able too. Otherwise, a body shop is the ticket.
WarpDrive, I hear what you are saying. I am so used to small noisy cars that the Miata seems fine to me. Before my Celica GT Convertible (92,000 miles and NO repairs), we had a Saab 900S convertible (suprisingly unrefined), an Audi Coupe GT (sold it with over 220,000 miles - you should have heard that with open exhaust!), and several muscle car convertibles (again, suprisingly loud). No doubt, a Lexus will deliver a more peaceful ride - but the Miata is better than I expected.
I haven't given up on the Porsche yet, but I'm sure I can't touch anything decent for less than $12-14K for a targa or $16-18K for a convertible. I might be able to stretch to that if I get the aforementioned feeling when I drive one. It's just that spending that much money for a 17 year old car that's expensive to repair is somewhat frightening.
As far as the Miata hood goes - it is steel but it is flimsy. I felt like I could easily fold it in half with my bare hands. But that's how you make a lightweight sports car.
I don't blame ya with the 911. Hey, there's always time.....
What losers. I've been known in the past to ask these guys to keep quiet so i can get to know the car in peace. Maybe, one of these places will let you take it out alone if they think you're serious. Or, bring a buddy, you know, two seats, where's he gonna sit, where?
I'm not gonna hide my driving from my kids. So many people are afraid to break traction in a car let alone manuever it into a 4 wheel drift! These cars are built to be driven sportily. Have fun!
I hid this cause we're straying way off topic!
The yakking is more of a problem. Tell him you won't know if you're interested until you get to drive without listening and that you definitely won't if he does anything more than answer your questions while you're on the ride. Then drive it.
I can't help you about the clutch, but that's what the mechanics checkup is for.
At $10,000 the Miata is at over half its value; the 911 is at 1/8. Nuff said?
Take care.
Joe W.
-Colin
I had good and bad interactions with people selling Miatas -- and private citizens could be worse then used car salesmen. (Like the operator in Sherman Oaks, CA selling the '96 with the salvage title for $12,000!) The guy who finally got my money was a car dealer in Laurel, MD. I found the car on the internet, drove to the dealer, and when I walked in he handed me the keys and told me "Take it round to the mall, pop the hood, and have a look. If you like what you see, come back and we'll talk."
I had a list of stuff to check out. I found a guide to buying a used Miata on Miata.net. If you are planning to buy a Miata DEFINITELY check out this site.
With a quiet 45 minutes and no salesman hassle I was able to decide that this was the car for me.
So if you are in Maryland or Northern Virginia check out "No Hassle" Castle at Henry Gay Oldsmobile in Laurel, MD. Only problem is they don't sell many Miatas. (Then again, if they did they'd know that $7,500 was way too cheap, even with 96,000 miles.)
I used to drive an Accord, and before that a Volvo and a Dodge. I was curious about the Miata for a long time; it's a cute car. But I wasn't sold until I drove one for a week. Wow! I am definitely very happy with the Miata, especially for the price.
And I carry lots of stuff in it. I brought home a wheelbarrow last week. Had to have the top down to do it, and I got a few funny looks. But so far I haven't found the small size a real drawback.
Does the Miata require premium fuel? What are you average city mpg's?
Thanks a bunch!
I understand your desire to keep the floor mats in good condition. My blue 10AE ones are starting to look a bit used and I only have 2000 miles on it.
And justin, the Miata in stock form takes regular. Many people advance the timing a bit and most people are still able to use regular. If you are interested in mileage, you can nurse the car probably to somewhere over 30, but you really ought to drive it w/the revs up over 3500 in which case you might get closer to 25 mpg. It's not an economy car but a "fun" car. Enjoy.
Take care.
Joe W.
While I haven't actually seen a rolled Miata I did hear of one. The guy had the car sideways -- on a street mind you! -- and claims he hit a curb hard. Serves him right, I think.
Take care.
Joe W.
And I'd agree with Shifty, if you put a rollbar in the car, you're going to kill its resale. I'm not doing it because of the modifications necessary, the fact that it's really not necessary in my case, and you can't use a hardtop with it.