Mazda MX-5 Miata (2005 and earlier)

ateixeira

I'd be careful dealing with a dealer that advertised such a low price. They'll just tack on any incentives you don't qualify for, then add freight, then a processing fee, and you're back to where you started.

They're not out there to lose money.

-juice

miata007

juice,
I don't know what to tell you. Believe it or not,
it is true. The only incentives most people not qualify for is the college grad which is only $400 to $500.
If the dealer is adding the processing fee, advertisment fee, or whatever they make up you are always free to leave. That is something one should always ask at the dealer before any purchase. Be careful! The only thing they should attach to the cost of the car is tax, license and doc.

I would be skeptical myself too if I haven't actually seen these prices and been to the dealership myself.

margomaps

Thanks for everyone's advice and opinions. I paid invoice minus $1000 incentive minus $400 recent grad rebate. I don't have the haggling gene, but ~ $22,000 for a 2001 LS with ABS + 6 speed seems like a good value. I think I could have gone lower -- the first time I talked to the dealer I mentioned that I wouldn't pay over invoice, and he said "Ok, I'll sell it to you for invoice." I was kinda stuck from there. But I don't feel like I got ripped off. After all, I started car shopping in the first place as a personal gesture to help kick-start the economy. What good would it have done if I bought the car at a loss to the dealer?

OK, enough of that. I love the car. I got "Emerald Mica," which looks suspiciously like the "Hunter Green Metallic" on my '93 MX-6. Anyhow, the green looks great with tan leather.

I had never driven a convertible before I test-drove a '99 Miata last week. I didn't notice it so much in the '99, but my '01 shakes quite a bit over any imperfection in the road surface. I'm guessing this is "cowl shake" exacerbated by the low profile tires and the stiff new suspension. However, even while shaking, it doesn't make a lot of noise over bumps. Seems smoother than my MX-6.

Acceleration feels quite a bit quicker than in the '99 I tested. Seems strange, 'cause torque and HP are still nearly the same, plus mine is probably heavier than the '99. Could be the 6-speed putting me in a more torquey rpm range. By the way, the 6th gear seems to shave at least a couple hundred RPMs off at (legal) highway speeds, and I'm *very* pleased with that. My biggest concern with this car was having a droning, high-RPM ride at 70 RPM. I think it's perfectly acceptable the way it is. Higher than most cars, but not annoying.

One interesting note: I drove home from the dealer in pouring rain, and the car handled extremely well. I didn't push it, but it felt sure-footed even at highway speeds around moderate curves. Not a drop of rain leaked either.

When it dries out, I'm going to be on the prowl for some smooth, twisty roads. Anyone know of some good roads in/near Howard County, MD?

Cheers!

ateixeira

Check the tire pressure. I found that even at 30psi the ride was stiff. 28 psi was ideal, and yes that little bit of air makes a big difference.

Good roads in Howard County? Hmm, I'm a bit farther south, in Montgomery. If you ever head south, I like MacArthur Blvd, Beach Drive, G-W Parkway, and Falls Road.

Beach Drive is the best. There is a nasty double hairpin turn right in the middle, and the whole thing is a series of S curves. The catch is it's closed on weekends for bikes and hikers, and crowded for rush hour.

If I get off work early, though, and drive it in them middle of the day, it's heaven. There are lots of alternate routes, once you're familiar with it, that are empty and not policed. Oh, boy, I'm smiling just thinking about it.

-juice

margomaps

Juice -

Thanks for the tip on the tire pressure. I'll check it out.

I'll consider MacArthur blvd and the others you mentioned. I know if I go into northern Howard county (north of Ellicott City) there are some beautiful winding, hilly country roads -- it's just a shame I have to drive on 95 or 29 for 10 miles just to get there.

For anyone: does the wind deflector really work? I haven't seen anything to indicate that it does much at all.

miata007

Just want to congratulate you on your new 6sp LS.
Now I am jealous you have the loaded Miata with 6sp. About the wind reflector, I hardly notice any blocking of winds from behind. One thing you can do is get a screen which should be less than $150. Check out miatanet.com for some buying info.

Enjoy the ride!
007

ateixeira

Try driving with the driver's window down, and the passenger window up. It creates a wind pattern that somehow or other keeps you warm. With the heat on, a wind breaker, gloves and a hat, I drive top down in as cold as 40 degrees with no deflector.

-juice

WarpDrive

...one window up thing, but I find that two windows up is still the best. With the heater on, two windows up seems to retain enough heat that I was cooking. This was with two passengers.

ateixeira

Definitely not the case on my '93. One window down works best. It may also have to do with height and thinning hair, though! ;-)

-juice

miata007

This weekend, Menlo Mazda in the bay area, CA is having 1 base miata on sale for $17,999. It is $4000 off msrp.With 0%apr for 36mo, now is the time to buy if you are looking for one. Note, this is including a $400 college grad rebate. No gimmicks!

maltb

miata007

maltb,
You don't believe anything I say do you????
Whenever I buy a car, I always look on the ad for those 1 only items. Lot of time, they are lost leader because they try to attract customers to look at other more profitable vehicles on the lot.
I've bought a couple vehicles like that because I go there very early on the day of the ad. Do you believe, I've bought a Nissan Desert Runner for $13000(before tax and license) with $5000 discount. Because it was a lost leader and it was black 5sp. Originally, I wanted a blue with auto but at that price, I don't mind washing the car 3 times a week or let it be dirty because of the color.
You just have to be there early if you want it. In the case of a Miata, you don't have to do that because even after $4000 off, it is still not a hot selling car. Final thing, you have the right to ask the dealer to show you the purchase transaction of the vehicle on the ad to make sure it is real and was not sold before it goes on the ad. It's the law and you can take them to court.
You don't really have to, just have to threaten them that you know this law. They might sell you another car at a lower price just to avoid the court hassle.
The next thing you might tell me is it is a strip model, demo, or even rental return. In that case, I don't have anything more to say. You can pay more, and would help our economy that way.

dgraves1

You are right. I've bought cars at the ad price, too. I haven't found it to be a bait and switch deal at all. If they have one of them advertised at a low price, they'll sell others at the same discount, in my experience. When I see "$XXXX of MSRP" in an ad, I assume that applies to every car on the lot of that model, regardless of what the ad says about "one at this price". So far, that assumption has been correct.

maltb

I work in the car biz and have a pretty good idea of what goes on at dealers. 9/10 times that car is sold to a dealer employee. In fact the GM's son is probably on the sales contract.

dgraves1

Sorry to say this, but it sounds like you have worked for some pretty sleazy dealers. That is an amazingly unethical business practice and could, I believe, land them in legal trouble. At the very least, I can't see it doing anything but angering potential customers.

maltb

dgraves1

And I didn't direct the comments at you, just the dealers. Actually, I appreciate you informing us that that kind of stuff still goes on. I thought a lot of dealers got in trouble for that kind of garbage a long time ago and most had cleaned up their act (at least in that regard).

miata007

Sorry to say, but it feels you are the kind of person that is always opposing the rest of the world. No matter what the subject is, you just want to be negative about it and try to draw attention. That is just like someone I knew back in my college days, and later found out this person had some mental problems. Please give some useful info to this forum instead of being so negative about everything.
I am not a rocket scienctist or car salesman, I am just a car freak who likes to share something I know about the car biz. I hated to see when customers' wallet get sucked dry by these stinky dealerships for which to my oppinion, they are all the same.

Sorry if I have offended anyone(s) with my opinion towards car dealerships or salesmans.

bjrich

The only thing you said correctly in you last posting was "i may be a freak"You sure may be!

miata007

I guess I won't be buying a car from you or your dealership. Sorry for wasting your precious time and not let you earn some commision..heeheeee.

maltb

I'll agree with you...

hehehe

ateixeira

It's funny, because my last 3 cars were all ad cars.

The first was an Escort. The deal included 2 $500 rebates, but I only qualified for one of them. So it was a bit of a teaser ad. I complained loudly enough that they split the difference, but they still added freight to the ad price (common practice).

Then came my wife's 626. It was funny because we had negotiated with the dealer and they would not accept my invoice minus rebates offer. Then the ad comes along, and wouldn't you know it, the price is about what I was offering. So I went back, but not before I called first to make sure that exact car was in stock (very important). They added freight and a rebate I already knew I did not qualify for, but the bottom line was $500 less than I had negotiated.

Finally, I bought a Forester that was advertised, though not specifically (the ad said $1 over invoice plus freight for any Forester). They tried to argue that the invoice included freight, so that they were charging me for freight twice. No way, I said, so they waived a fee and split the difference.

So none of the ads was completely honest, and all assume you qualify for every rebate there is (and Mazda has MAC renewal rebates and college grad rebates that many do not qualify for). You can get a good price, though.

-juice

gt6872c

I've wanted a Miata ever since my senior year in high school back in Texas in 1992. Unfortunately, after saving my money from part-time jobs and summer internships during my first two years in college, I could only scrape up enough money to buy a '87 Chevy Celebrity. After finally finishing from graduate school this spring, I got a real job that pays real money, and I am finally able (financially) to put my Celebrity out of its misery, and get the Miata that I have craved for so long.

Unfortunately, the job that I took is in Michigan

Which brings me to this dilemma: Every morning as I choke my Celebrity (with 184,000 miles, mind you) 3-4 times to get it started, I think to myself "Wouldn't be great if I got that Miata instead of continuing to driving this piece of !@*$?", but a responsible little voice always says, "But how will it handle in the ice and snow of the Michigan winter?"

If there is anyone who drives their Miata in a cold weather environment, I'd like to hear any opinions about how it handles. Thanks!

ateixeira

Get a newer car with modern fuel injection, and you won't have those startup problems.

I suggest two reasonably priced used cars instead of a new Miata. A new Miata costs $20-25k or so. I picked up a very low mileage 1993 model for $7800. That leaves more than $12 grand for a nice used Subaru AWD. You could probably pick up a 1995 Legacy for that much.

Nice thing is you could then set up the Miata for the track, and keep it only for sunny days and autocross.

Even if you get snow tires on a Miata, you are still a sitting bull's eye for those miscreant Excursions on the road with overconfident soccer moms behind the wheel.

Just my 2 cents' worth.

-juice

miata007

We have discussed about driving in the winter earlier. If you scroll up about 20 messages,
you should be able to find the discusssion.

007

cpearson1

I drove my Miata all winter last year (Detroit area) and had no problems on the road and didn't get hit by any SUVs. I had Blizzaks on all four wheels. It is actually fun to drive with a few inches of snow on the road. As long as the bottom doesn't drag you will be fine.

freddy_k

That's how it was with my Mustang, and that's a pretty nose heavy car. I'm not worried at all about the Miata. The only problem would be clearence, but in Toronto we don't get that much snow, and it's usually plowed pretty quickly after a snowfall. I've just installed the hard top, so winters officially started for me.

bub8

Hey Guys!
I need some help.

I bought my 2001 Miata (LS, 6 spd, ABS, hardtop) about 6 months ago and have about 6750 miles on it. I cannot describe how wonderful it is so I will not waste your time with that. It is wonderful.

My Dilema: My company is transferring me back overseas after a decade home in the States. Where I will be working, I'll have a company car. Plus, certain US features that would require local modification would make taking my Miata impractical.

I will be gone about 3 to 5 years. I love my 2001 and fear the 200X Miata available when I return may not be as perfect.

Where can I find out how to store my 2001 long term so I can enjoy it when I come home?

Thanks!

miata007

My advice to you is to sell it. It doesn't make a lot of sense leaving a car at storage. Cars can
can go wrong when not put it to use for a long time(2-3yrs). I am not sure of the details of what kind of things can go wrong. Someone I knew who has a Supra TT was in this situation. He loves his $40,000 Toyota so much. He ending up not driving it 98% of the time. It turned out fluids
leak from a few places and there were rust problems. From his experience you have to take your storage vehilce out atleast once every couple of weeks.
I would encourage you to sell it if you are gone for so long. Besides, I've heard the new Z convertible will be out by then when you come back. That is another no nonsense pure sportscar that has won R&T or C&D 10best every year it was in production like the favorite miata.

007

senicko

I just bought a pre-owned 99 British Racing Green Miata, I fell in love with it the second I drove it. I have 47.5K miles on it (all highway miles I might add) Perfect body, engine compartment is like new, the best of all is I paid $13,000 for it. My question is the following, according to KBB, I got it a about $3,000 below blue book so I think I got a pretty good deal,right? Second is, should I worry about the #4 thrust bearing problem, I mean if nothing has happened so far with this many miles, I should be ok, right? Or should I take it to the dealer and have this looked at? It has no grinding noise whatsoever, the engine purrs like a kitten. I love my Miata and I am still wondering why I didn't buy one earlier.

ateixeira

I agree. 3 years is too long to keep it in storage. Even if you don't like the 200X model, you could always get a low mileage used 2001, and for a lot less than you'd sell it for today.

With 47k miles, the thing is to make sure the 30k service was done. Did the seller provide receipts? If not, I would do a basic service just to establish a base line, so you know how old all the serviceable items are (plugs and wires, oil and filter, fuel filter, air filter, PCV valve, O2 sensor, coolant, trans oil, diffy oil, etc.)

-juice

MarkinAtlanta

I've given this some thought. When you consider the car still needs to be under some sort of insurance policy, its depreciation, the harmful effects of just sitting (unless you can find someone to take it for a 30 minute drive once each and every month). And if it is sold, it is one less thing to worry about while you are gone. Best option, sell it to a friend and "force" him to sell it back to you whe you return.

senicko

Thanks juice,
I will establish a baseline service date like recommended. The 30K was done. How bout the #4? Do you think I should worry?

Steve

maltb

Why don't you just leave it with me for the next 3 years...I'll take good care of it.

ateixeira

Steve: sorry, I'm not very familiar with that issue. You could try miata.net.

-juice

miata007

It is a stick shift. Can you handle that???

ateixeira

Hey, I drive stick. I'll unselfishly offer my car-sitting service for free! :-)

-juice

miata007

I like to apologize to my earlier statement.
But also, please keep this forum clean.

007

maltb

scrdad

Looking for some good advice...
Planning to Bur Miata LS with 6 speed in next 30 days.
Willing to pay invoice and take the 0% Financing.
Live 50 miles above San Francisco.
Does this seem reasonable at year end.
I don't need an incredible deal.
Just a fair one

Thanks

miata007

miata007

http://carpoint.msn.com/Vip/Incentives/Mazda/MX-5%20Miata/New.asp

Mazda is offering dealer incentive and low apr at this moment. Try to look at the bay area and silicon valley's ad this weekend. You should be able to get very good deal now. Be sure to check out this address above for more info!!! I think

$4000 below msrp is a fair deal.

007

brekke

This morning I spotted a fabulous, shiny, sleek green Miata. Beautiful color. I pulled up alongside at a stoplight, the driver (old enough to be my dad) had managed to shove himself into the cockpit with a ten gallon hat to boot.

This is totally unlike me, I threw him a big grin... he gave me a bored look and turned away just as I gave him a thumbs up...then he did a quick double take. He probably thought I was nuts.

Love you Miata owners - all shapes and sizes. I hope to join your ranks someday.

bjrich

Just gave the thumbs up to a good looking lady in a silver TT conv. She grinned all over and looked the crystal blue over real good. Love it and that Audi looked good, too.

alo

My brother's 95 Miata has been sitting in a garage (Texas) for the past 18 months since he passed away. Now that the estate is finally being settled, I'd like to either sell the car or acquire the car myself.

Unfortunately, the car is not in running condition since the battery is dead and I've no idea what else could be wrong with it. The car has less than 40k miles on it.

Any suggestions as far as to what,possibly, need to be fixed and the value?

maltb

there's a good chance it only needs a new battery.

I would reccomend just checking all the fluids to make sure everything is there and them remove each spark plug hole and put 10 drops of Marvel oil in each hole. Turn the engine over by hand a few times and make sure there are no unusual noises. Replace the plugs and just try starting the car with jumper cables before you drop $80 into a battery (it's in the trunk).

If all goes well, I'd at least have all the fluids changed. It's a solid, low-maintenance car if you decide to keep it. As far as what it's worth there are estimators elsewhere on this site.

alo

Maltb, thanks for the advice!

This could be a dumb question..How do you turn the engine by hand?

al

maltb

...turning the large bolt on the center of the crankshaft pulley clockwise with a breaker bar or the like.

ateixeira

I usually wave, sometimes I even raise and lower the barn doors (pop-up headlights). Response varies, but I keep doing it anyway. Save the wave.

-juice

bjrich

Have't seen you post is a while;
I too just keep going around waving and flashing the lights at other Miatas like I did eight years ago when bought my used 90. The 01 of course, does not have the eyelids to flip, but I do try to salute the wise people who choose a Miata.
I have picked up the clutch Shudder that has been talked about but it doesn't bother me too much. some days bad, other day nothing.
I have 12000 on the 01 and although it has been hard to keep clean lately really still loving it.
Take care. Bj