well I am driving approx. 200 miles to check out this NA i found.
Specs:
1991...short nose crank ='(
205k miles
tein springs
koni shocks/ struts
some after market 15's with cooper cs touring. 195/55/15
cold air intake
roll bar
no rust, mint body except a few scuffs on bumper...
so i need your input. guy says it runs real good. no service record.
what about the short nose?? its got 205k... wuldnt the crank have broken by now?
also i know in the end it is quot;my desicionquot; to buy or not to buy but i mean its a 3 hours drive for a ~2000$ miata... opinions???
i wouldnt buy it cause its has a mods. thats my opinion
but if you like the car, worry more about the body, underside, etc and not the motor cause motors are easily replaceable.
i think there is a guide on what to look for in the garage section
Let's see...
SNC, modded, no records, 205K, no rust (sure, you'll find that in New England ), 3 hour drive.
Well, if you have to ask, it's probably not worth it.
The mods aren't that big a deal, pretty average stuff. With the age and mileage it needed new shocks at some point anyway. Same for the tires, if there wearing well whats the big deal? So it has a roll bar, it's not like thats a bad thing, pretty normal mod. For the age and the mileage the mods sound quite logical. With 200K miles one would HAVE to assume the crank issue was resolved a long time ago. It might be a good deal for $2,000, go kick the tires on it!
I paid $2000 for my '91 with an engine, tranny, non-lsd rear end from a 92 with 70k miles, a hard top, koni adjustables , chrome rollbar, an extra set of track tires to boot. Just the paint sucked on it thats why its being repainted now
You can do better.... $2k is a lot for a 205k mile care with no service history!
Wow... a 6 hour round trip to look at a beatup 91. Personally, I'd pass. I have a hard time believing that a 200k Miata from the great salty North doesn't have any rust.
gludlow brings up a good point. Is the seller asking you to believe 200K+ miles in the northeast and there is no rust?
I would ask the seller to be 100% straight up with you. Tell him if you make the drive and there is rust he owes you for gas. It isn't like you won't see it when you get there so he might as well be honest and save you the time and $$ if there is rust.
RI ZoomZoom and others are right. $2000 is a LOT for a 205K mile car with no service history. The mods are no big deal but the shocks, wheels and tires don't add much if anything. Every car needs shocks, wheels and tires. How is the top? Seats? Real rollbar or stylebar?
So you get this car for $1750. Then what? You have a 205K mile car that will need about $400 to $800 in immediate service that takes you to $2250+. Then plan on dumping $100 to $150 every month into upkeep. This car is DEFINATELY in the sunset years of it's life. I am not saying people aren't taking their Miatas comfortably to 250K but it is a car they have had for a long time and know the service and care it has received.
Direct the seller to this thread if he has any doubts.
well thanks for the help guys. decided im not gonna go through with it, god its so hard to find a good deal... that isnt rusty or SNC -_-
I takes TIME. Most of the folks here didn't find the 'right' car right away. It took me 3+ months and then we drove out to Long Island and trailered it home! It was running, just didn't know enough about the car to want to drive it back!
I think you're making too big a deal out of the SNC. It was an issue on a small percentage of the engines. Most have already failed. The issue is how the timing belt replacement is done- properly to avoid a SNC issue, or to original spec and GET an SNC issue. Lot's of SNC engines run fine past 200K miles.
This isn't the best time fo year to be finding a 'deal' on a Miata.
There are going to be tens of thousands of foreclosures in the next 12 months. Certainly many are now housing a Miata. Perhaps you can help out some of those families by buying their Miata so they can get a few more months in the house. Just keep looking.
TJ,
Hang in there man. I basically had a quot;dealquot; made with a stealership in Harrisburg, 3320 out the door for a white 92 that I thought was a pretty good deal, but it had some issues.
After posting here and posting the photos for the membership to see, I was more skeptical about it, went to look at it again and found that the trunk lid had filler in it, it ran worse that I had thought and the entire underside of the car was oily.
I kept looking and found the 96 I now own for 2800 and it is a much nicer, newer car for less money.
Hang in there and keep looking....don't be in a rush, I know you want one and probably want one bad (I know I did), but Randy is right, now is not a good time to buy, come October/November there will be many more available and at lower prices.
But you could stumble across one before then.
Honestly, that car is worth 1,000-1500 to me, even with the high mileage if it didn't have bad rust problems. Your not going to get much in that price range to take that into consideration.
Members here will be quick to tell you quot;Oh man, NO WAY, WAY TOO HIGHquot; yet, what can you really buy inthe 1500 range for a 2 seat sports car??
Take the comments here into consideration of course, but use your own best judgement.
I would probably NOT drive 3 hrs each way to look at a car in that condition.....
Good luck and keep you chin up....I know what you are going though!
thanks alot all! possibly found one or two that hopefully i can check out tomorrow. i mean ive had a Miata before, but the quot;itchquot; is back and i know its not the best time it sucks but of well, i need a DD sold my pickup haha
my friends tell to buy everyone i see... heh to bad they dont know much about miatas |
Post at 2-7 08:21 AM
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