Miata Guru's Step IN

Well I planned on buying a 240 but that deal fell through so now I’ve set my sights on a different RWD platform.
What kind of miata would I be looking at in the 1500-2000 dollar range. As far as reliability goes.
Any help is appreciated.

1.6 diff’s are JUNK. They can rust pretty bad, in that price range you’ll have to sort through a gang shit, to find a decent one.

[QUOTE=)><(((x>;2294002]Well I planned on buying a 240 but that deal fell through so now I’ve set my sights on a different RWD platform.
What kind of miata would I be looking at in the 1500-2000 dollar range. As far as reliability goes.
Any help is appreciated.[/QUOTE]

There aren’t a lot of cars in that range.

The typical ‘thousand dollar miata’ is generally a piece of crap. Rusty rocker panels, rusty trunk floor and rear package shelf. 1.6l engine w/ accompanying weak diff that IanK mentioned. And that thousand dollar Miata, at this time of year, will still probably fetch 2k.

You’ll buy it, thinking you can bring it back to life, then you’ll realize that your time and money would be better spent on a car that isn’t a piece of shit and have to eat the bad karma of selling it to some other overly optimistic schmuck.

To get a decent example where you wouldn’t be better off just burning your money you’re probably looking at more like 3k.

If you want to see a bunch of Miatas at once there’s an ESR meet at Moe’s on Transit Thursday at 5:30pm. Doubt any will be for sale, though.

just look for another 240.

Eff that Miatas are sooo much more fun.

paging minglor and paul b

i know, shhhhh.

Thank you to all the replies so far!

For 2k, you can drive your current pos and get a descent NA once you have about 3.5k. But you won’t find a nice example for 3.5k in buffalo, since every miata owner wants 5k+ this time of year. So you may as well stick with a 240, since miata’s is probably too gay for you anyways.

Hahahahaha. Well said, Long.

OP, join us over at empirestateroadsters.net if you haven’t already. Maybe someone has one they’re thinking of selling, or knows someone who does.

Whoa whoa whoa what’s with this gay thing? Vert, light, and rwd. What’s not to like? Little hostile from all the miata hate?

deliverator: been over there now and again to lurk.

I need a miata but I don’t want to see the angry look my fiancee would give me when I bought another car. I would just do it, but she is right, lol.

You would find a nice car for a top gear challenge. LOL

X…

Miatas are gay anyways. :slight_smile:

But yes, I agree with the things Long and Deliverator have said. To get a good, solid Miata youll end up spending a lot more than you originally wanted.

the 1k miata will be a piece of garbage that youll throw too much money into.

People selling nice examples always feel the car is worth 10x what it should be.

Like Long said, take 3.5-5k and find yourself a solid example.

Seriously, find a 94-97 with the m-package. Gets you tan leather, LSD, cruise, AC and the 1.8. If you bought a $2k miata and swapped an LSD you would still have a rusty miata with no options and a 1.6. For the money of fixing it up you will spend more than you would on a nicer car and probably not end up with as good a car in the end.

Find a nice one with 80-120k and a hard top for $5k. RWD is stupid without an LSD anyways.

Oh hi!
For some reason in the last 3 years resale has gone up a bit.
My miata was a solid example I picked up for 2.
Now, 3000 is the cost for a solid miata.
If you hunt around enough and are willing to drive you can find them for closer to 2500
I say grab a 1.6 or a 1.8. Just watch for short nose crank issues and 1.6 diffs

miatas get all kinds of gay comments. Happens.

If you want a 240, I have one I plan on selling.
I’ve posted about it in another FS thread recently.

PM me about the 240 and thank you for the miata info. Hopefully whatever I have next is topless.

http://www.nyspeed.com/showthread.php?158826-1990-240SX-SE-Auto&p=2295361&highlight=#post2295361

Not too terribly hard to find.

Thread made. Very open to offers.

Miata info.
http://www.miata.net/garage/

I love my miata. What pisses me off is the gay comments from toolbags. I was driving down transit after autox sunday and some kid yelled “Hey FAGGOT” as I was passing through the intersection. I almost stopped and hit him with a baseball bat. But my gf was in the car so I only got to give him the finger :-\