Tips on getting a Mazda Miata for $3000 or under?

P

Pete

Member
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
234
Reaction score
0
Points
16
I've been looking at reliable fun cars for under $3000 and the Mazda Miata always seems to be a top hit.

My question is. Can you give me any tips on things to look for or not look for in a Miata. What years / configurations are reliable / unreliable.
What should i expect to pay for a good working Miata?
Basically I need as many tips as you can give me! should I buy from the dealer or used on craigslist? Where on the internet can i search for a good Miata?
 
Right now is the time to look, during the winter a lot of owners elect to trade them off for something that is better in the snow.
If I had to replace my NA, I would look for a 96 or newer. The OBDII comes in handy for finding engine faults. But seeing as how I have only had a problem once that stumped me for a while on my Miata's maybe it is not so much of a necessity.
To tell you the truth, I don't know of a bad year for a Miata. The early ones suffered a crankshaft failure which was traced back to a maintenance issue. It seems that the key can go the crank shaft eight ways but only one is correct.
Water pumps go out at 130000 miles, my clutches last 135000 miles, at these points in service it is good to replace the front or rear seal even if they are not leaking yet. The headers on the ones I have worked on are tubular ones and the welds fail. Which is no big deal, replacements are in the hundred dollar range and up. Most of us want longer tubed headers anyway and install a mega flow cat at the same time.
The Miata's that are in this price range are seldom found at dealers. You might want to keep an eye on the SCCA sections classifieds for your region.
Watch out for heavily modified ones. Some driver/owners get into bigger tires, sway bars and the like not realizing that the end result may not be what they wanted.
You might want to check out miata.net for troubles on these cars. There are a few unique ones that are easy to fix. The ignition switch comes to mind.
Having owned, fixed and drove MG's, Triumphs and many other cars through the years, I can say our Miata's have been to trouble at all.
 
Back
Top