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Miata Info Needed

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Mickey Richaud

Mickey Richaud

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The stated issues don't concern me much. A broken spring on a Miata is just an excuse to get some better aftermarket ones. The only part that raises my eyebrow is that it needs Wheel bearings and springs and the stated mileage is 56K. I haven't had a lot of dealings with Miatas, so that may be normal, but it seems like those would be things I'd be seeing on a car with 156K. Even so, that looks like a decent car for the money. Obviously I am only seeing a pic on the web. a good in-person inspection is required, but so far I'm not scared off. It seems to be a good deal.
 
Thanks, Ben - my thoughts regarding mileage as well.
 
Are Miata springs prone to breaking, or has the car been abused/raced? Modern cars rarely break springs under normal driving conditions, that usually happens when a car is running rallies over rough roads, overloading the suspension, or a combination of both. What caused the spring to break would be a major concern of mine. JMHO. PJ
 
My wife had a Miata, but we bought it new in 2001. Put 127k miles on it - mostly trouble free except for a bad fuel pump. No experience with the older "covered headlight" variant which I'm sure is a completely different animal that what we had. FWIW she did love that little car.
 
In my experience, an absolutely bullet-proof car.

My 2000 model has only needed an O2 sensor and one caliper. It has about 120,00 miles, has always lived outside and is always driven in Winter.

It still has the original battery, belts and many other "wear" items.

The rear spring breakage is weird but that's an old car so not impossible. When wheel bearing are changed on Miatas, you generally have to buy the entire hub.

Looks a bit like a respray to me (not a bad thing but increases the need to see the car in person).

One of my friends at work has a very early red '90 Miata with hardtop. The car was built in '89 and looks just like that. He has said he will never part with it.
 
That organization sells donated vehicles. Not necessarily a bad thing, but there's a reason it was donated rather than fixed and sold, or sold as is. There are a couple of automatic Miatas on Craigslist in my area in the 3k range that are newer than this one.

Heres one of them.


https://louisville.craigslist.org/cto/4265644018.html
 
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rustbucket said:
there's a reason it was donated rather than fixed and sold, or sold as is.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. Many cars are donated in decent condition by people who want to help the cause. Especially a summer car like a Miata.
In general, I agree with you though.
On a good note,That seller has sold a BUNCH of cars and had a pretty good rating.
 
rustbucket said:
That organization sells donated vehicles. Not necessarily a bad thing, but there's a reason it was donated rather than fixed and sold, or sold as is.

https://louisville.craigslist.org/cto/4265644018.html
Click to expand...


Oh no, that's a great thing! All I ever bought at the dealer-only auctions was donated vehicles. There are two types of donated vehicles: absolute junk that's not even worth the tax write off and good older cars that were owned by conscious folks who would rather help out an organization than get ripped off on a trade in. These folks usually "have money" and take good care of their stuff. They are often donated for sentimental reasons too. Sometimes folks would rather donate a vehicle after the owner's death than sell it . It's easy to spot the junk donations and the good ones shine like jewels (relatively of course).

Believe me, in the used car world, repos and donated cars are where you want to be!
 
On my short list - IF I really sell the '74-1/2 TR6.
I'm looking at TR7 covertibles,MGB's,& Miatas.
I'm being carful,as I don't want to spend as
much on a car as I'd sell the TR for.

- Doug
 
Doug- Off topic, but, what as your last name again??
 
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