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Nodoze posted:Have a little patience is the best advice The worst advice is buy a mystery cheap beater over the internet sight unseen and hope you can save it. I was actually almost a little disappointed when a mechanically sound and rust free car turned up on my doorstep 
RillAkBea fucked around with this message at 14:18 on May 18, 2015 |
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May 18, 2015 14:15
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RillAkBea posted:The worst advice is buy a mystery cheap beater over the internet sight unseen and hope you can save it. Best advice actually, plenty of entertainment for us!
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May 18, 2015 14:17
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Unfortunately the reason I'm looking for a miata is because I totaled my mazda 3 yesterday. So I need to get a new car relatively soon. I figure my insure will give me a rental for a month or so.
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May 18, 2015 14:47
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Partial Octopus posted:Unfortunately the reason I'm looking for a miata is because I totaled my mazda 3 yesterday. So I need to get a new car relatively soon. I figure my insure will give me a rental for a month or so. They won't. How much experience do you have mechanically? Budget?
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May 18, 2015 15:17
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Phone posted:They won't. Very little. Budget is around 12k give or take.
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May 18, 2015 15:22
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Partial Octopus posted:Very little. Budget is around 12k give or take. Buy the nicest NC you can afford. $10kish will put you in an NC1 or the first of the NC2s.
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May 18, 2015 15:28
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Screw miata prices. Last year it was valued less than 1k and I didn't have to pay car tax on it. This year its back up to 2800 and taxable. '94 with a torsen and 140k miles I paid 2900 for 5 years ago from a boat mechanic out in northern neck, VA.
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May 18, 2015 15:41
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Phone posted:Buy the nicest NC you can afford. $10kish will put you in an NC1 or the first of the NC2s. He said he doesn't like the NC, can't blame him, I don't think I could bring myself to buy one especially with the ND coming out now. Best bet is wait for a NB that isn't horribly over priced, you should be able to find a nice NB for under 8k.
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May 18, 2015 15:59
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The NB isn't all that and then some, but their owners haven't gotten the note and still want 8k for a 2003 or something.
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May 18, 2015 16:17
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I agree, but what are you gonna do if you don't want a NC and can't afford a ND? Might as well find a decent 1.8 NA honestly.
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May 18, 2015 17:18
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At this point it might even make sense to look into importing from Canada. The dollar crashed very hard but the local prices are still the same as last year, so an instant 25% discount with USD. I've picked up this for basically 3k american:  This would be my other choice, given an opportunity: http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/calgary/1992-mazda-miata-special-edition/1072747170?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true 
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May 18, 2015 17:44
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I'll stat looking into the toronto area as well. http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5021996856.html I found this listing today. The fact that it's not stock and he is the third owner kind of worries me, but it looks to be in good condition.
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May 18, 2015 18:35
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Partial Octopus posted:I'll stat looking into the toronto area as well. http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5021996856.html I found this listing today. The fact that it's not stock and he is the third owner kind of worries me, but it looks to be in good condition. Looks clean, but not worth $6k. It'd be close to 5k if it came with a hardtop.
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May 18, 2015 18:39
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I sent him an offer for 4.8k But I doubt he will accept. I also found this. Looks to be pretty clean from the pictures http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/636298407/overview/
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May 18, 2015 18:48
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i think miatas will tend have more owners than other cars being they are so impractical. I bought mine with 32 k miles and i am the third owner and haven't had a single problem that one you just posted, I personally would not buy a modded car. I mean, they obviously can be benign or good, but I don't know why you would bother putting a cold air intake on this car. even then, I found with my jeep that other people's old mods usually introduce quirks or problems that nobody can relate to and you'll just want to rip it out. That exhaust tip looks pretty atrocious to me too. a plexi glass windshield on a non track car? what for? get a roll bar first. relating again to my old jeep... i'm not entirely sure about plexiglass, but the plastic was be a bit of a problem with creases forming and getting ruined in winter climates, might want to check that out. that was part of the reason I went nc miata. also I wanted a RWD car that would be more rust resistant than older RWD cars and i'm a sucker for modern changes that probably don't really matter like throttle/clutch by wire
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May 18, 2015 18:49
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Partial Octopus posted:I sent him an offer for 4.8k But I doubt he will accept. I also found this. Looks to be pretty clean from the pictures http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/636298407/overview/ That NB1 seems like a good deal. I'd want to look under it, though.
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May 18, 2015 18:53
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Phone posted:That NB1 seems like a good deal. I'd want to look under it, though. It's also in MI. They don't require yearly inspections there. Should that be of concern? And should I just be looking for rust and things?
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May 18, 2015 18:54
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Boogalo posted:Screw miata prices. Last year it was valued less than 1k and I didn't have to pay car tax on it. This year its back up to 2800 and taxable. '94 with a torsen and 140k miles I paid 2900 for 5 years ago from a boat mechanic out in northern neck, VA. Haha at the nnk that's my area. At any one time I do see a few for sale in the area.
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May 19, 2015 04:21
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What the hell is car tax?
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May 19, 2015 06:08
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leica posted:What the hell is car tax? Yearly registration fee. Depending on the year it varies by engine size or by pollution generated. 
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May 19, 2015 07:47
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Partial Octopus posted:I've been mostly trying to avoid the NCs. I'm really not into the styling at all. And is 10k for a 20k mile NB really that overpriced? It doesn't seem much above KBB value. Should I even be considering KBB value or is that just for suckers? KBB lists asking prices, not actual selling prices. Edmunds is more realistic in that respect, although people (both dealers and private parties) seem to ask way too much for Miatas. Partial Octopus posted:Unfortunately the reason I'm looking for a miata is because I totaled my mazda 3 yesterday. So I need to get a new car relatively soon. I figure my insure will give me a rental for a month or so. Rental reimbursement is, at least with my insurance, a paid option, so you'll only have it if you've added it to your policy (it's a couple bucks a month, IIRC.) I have it on my Winter car and not the Miata (because when the Miata's out the Winter car is the backup.) If you don't mind me asking, how'd you total your car? Partial Octopus posted:It's also in MI. They don't require yearly inspections there. Should that be of concern? And should I just be looking for rust and things? Well drive it, listen for any weird noises, vibration, etc. Underneath, look for obvious rust, but also check the bottom of the doors, the wheel wells, and pop the hood; look for rusty bolts or other components. I looked at a particularly tragic MSM before I found the one I finally bought; this guy's had rust bubbling through the trunk lid, all throughout the engine compartment, and the bottoms of the doors were both completely rusted through. It was horrifying. leica posted:What the hell is car tax? Welcome to Obama's America! 
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May 19, 2015 07:55
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Thanks again for the advice. I was driving down a road near my house and some one darted out from a side street behind an illegally parked truck and I t-boned them.
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May 19, 2015 14:21
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http://altoona.craigslist.org/cto/5006601039.html Is this worth making an offer on? 6k miles on a 2002. Looks nice but the asking price is pretty high.
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May 19, 2015 17:09
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leica posted:What the hell is car tax? Virginia's "Personal Property Tax" quote:How is my property tax calculated? Folks with new cars have nice big $500/year bills in addition to loan+insurance. Non-commercial vehicles are taxed at ~60% for the first 40k or something like that. It's dumb.
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May 19, 2015 17:21
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Is your area obsessed with low mileage or something? 6000 miles in 13 years is a whole lot of sitting and not being driven. Depending on how often they drove it the drives might even be too short to even warm up the engine.
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May 19, 2015 17:24
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Partial Octopus posted:http://altoona.craigslist.org/cto/5006601039.html Is this worth making an offer on? 6k miles on a 2002. Looks nice but the asking price is pretty high. lol nope
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May 19, 2015 17:27
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SperginMcBadposter posted:Is your area obsessed with low mileage or something? 6000 miles in 13 years is a whole lot of sitting and not being driven. Depending on how often they drove it the drives might even be too short to even warm up the engine. Seems like thats all I'm getting. Either no miles for a ton of money or like some 200k mile rusted pos. I'm probably going to just get an NC instead at this point. Partial Octopus fucked around with this message at 17:34 on May 19, 2015 |
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May 19, 2015 17:30
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Partial Octopus posted:I'm probably going to just get an NC instead at this point. Yes...YES...give in to the dark side
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May 19, 2015 17:41
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Partial Octopus posted:Seems like thats all I'm getting. Either no miles for a ton of money or like some 200k mile rusted pos. Honestly for that kind of money you're better off with an NC, I personally don't really like them, but I would buy one just for a power hard top alone. No way I'd pay that much for an NB, these people are smoking crack.
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May 19, 2015 18:45
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I tried replacing my shocks last night. Front shock lower bolt is frozen  Will try more PB Blaster and torch later
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May 19, 2015 18:57
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Invest in an electric impact. HF sells the corded ones cheap but they're kind big and clumsy, I recently got a 1/2" drive Ryobi cordless impact and it's the best tool I ever bought, makes suspension work a breeze.
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May 19, 2015 19:24
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Partial Octopus posted:Seems like thats all I'm getting. Either no miles for a ton of money or like some 200k mile rusted pos. I'd stop looking for low mile Miatas (seems you've linked a few). If one comes up that's cheap, sure go for it. Generally they don't need a ton of work even with high miles. Owners always want a billion dollars for low mile cars because they think it makes it a collector's item or something.  Buy a 5k Miata with a hard top and spend the rest on whatever you want. If you can't find one in your area then look south and make a trip. The only real deal breaker on Miatas is rocker rust, IMO (assuming it runs, shifts, etc) which you won't find in the south usually. Engines are ~$500-1000, transmissions anywhere from $100-500 for a 5 speed, so nothing is that expensive parts wise and not that difficult to do yourself if you're so inclined. Suburban Dad fucked around with this message at 19:57 on May 19, 2015 |
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May 19, 2015 19:52
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Larrymer posted:I'd stop looking for low mile Miatas (seems you've linked a few). If one comes up that's cheap, sure go for it. Generally they don't need a ton of work even with high miles. Owners always want a billion dollars for low mile cars because they think it makes it a collector's item or something. So don't even worry about high milage? Just focus on body condition and rust?
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May 19, 2015 20:11
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Partial Octopus posted:Seems like thats all I'm getting. Either no miles for a ton of money or like some 200k mile rusted pos. http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5020251623.html http://chambersburg.craigslist.org/cto/4954522241.html http://pennstate.craigslist.org/cto/5019876437.html 
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May 19, 2015 20:12
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I saw the second one you posted but I thought it looked beat as hell. Somehow the other two werent showing up when i searched mx5 or miata. The silver one looks great.
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May 19, 2015 20:18
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Partial Octopus posted:So don't even worry about high milage? Just focus on body condition and rust? Basically. That silver one looks good. Try and get him down on price, don't haggle until you see the car but ask if they're flexible before you go.
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May 19, 2015 20:22
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Edmund Honda posted:http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5020251623.html Buy the glitter miata. 
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May 19, 2015 20:49
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The silver miata is a Miata LS. Does that just mean it has LSD?
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May 19, 2015 21:03
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I've got a 93 LE (that's the black/red leather NA with all factory options, bilsteins, BBSes, and some chassis stiffening work) with low miles. It was originally purchased by a family member around 2010 with 9k miles so it most definitely hadn't been driven much. He bought it, cleaned the poo poo out of it, changed all the fluids and the plugs. Between the two of us it now sits around 19k miles, hard often push it to redline miles. In fact the only time I take it out I flog it because it's not my DD and it's fun to flog. It's had 0 problems other than the spark plug wires that went bad. I also put new tires on it just because they were so old. Honestly I'm considering selling it and don't know what the market would bear. A low mileage LE has big draw to people who like the limited cars and it's in great shape, but hey, it's still just an old Miata. Currently I insure it for $10k and feel it'd be hard to replace at that price. The same family member has purchased high mileage NAs and only had to do really basic maintenance on them. I'd wager a low mileage engine would be better at nearing the factory HP and might get better mileage but high mileage cars can be extremely dependable too. With low mileage cars you paying for the top's condition, lack of interior wear, all that. Just depends on how much the appearance of the car matters to someone.
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May 19, 2015 21:26
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Partial Octopus posted:The silver miata is a Miata LS. Does that just mean it has LSD? Sport Brakes, 16" wheels, LSD, and Tan interior covers about 99% of what an NB LS usually is.
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May 19, 2015 21:43
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