Automobilia etc....

#1,001
#1,001
Obsessed said:
Will do.

I'm kind of leaning toward the Miata myself. You are taller than I am (6'1) and if you can fit, surely I can
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Good thinking. If the climate is anything similar to Knoxville, you can enjoy the car nearly year round. I only put mine away for a month and half from January to February, and that was just to avoid the road salt. I've had mine for a year and it's been great. It has been super reliable, I replaced parts or did services that needed freshening. None of the stuff I did, was exactly needed immediately, but I wanted to be proactive.

New Radiator (Original was starting to discolor, meaning it was about 6-10 months from needing replacement)
Valve Cover Gasket *
Cam Angle Sensor O-ring *
Oil Change *
Thermostat replacement
Trans Fluid flush*
Diff Fluid flush*
4 fresh tires
4 sets of rotors and pads
Custom Alignement
Various small modifications to accomodate my 6'5" frame.

*Work done by me

All these jobs have cost me less than $1000 including labor(mind you I do get discounts).

I just wanted to post that to give you an idea of how dirt cheap it is to keep a Miata going.

Plus I Average 27 mpg, which is pretty darn nice.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have about the car if you start to consider the Miata more.
 
#1,002
#1,002
Yankee_Vol said:
Toyota Corolla. Kia Forte. Nissan Versa

Not that any of those are fun (Corolla S maybe).
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Yeah, I just ran a search. Looks like there are some vehicles available. Personally I wouldn't recommend the Kia or the versa, but they are good transportation.
 
#1,003
#1,003
Yankee_Vol said:
Toyota Corolla. Kia Forte. Nissan Versa

Not that any of those are fun (Corolla S maybe).
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Only way to have fun in a new Corolla is to get one with a manual transmission. CVT's may be great for fuel economy, but they suck at everything else.
 
#1,004
#1,004
Anyone knowledgeable about tire wear? How much extra wear are summer performance tires taking if they're driven in the wintertime?

Not aggressive or hard driving. Mostly highway. And this is Memphis I'm talking about. Mostly just cold temp. I wouldn't take it on ice/snow with these tires.
 
#1,005
#1,005
TheDeeble said:
Anyone knowledgeable about tire wear? How much extra wear are summer performance tires taking if they're driven in the wintertime?

Not aggressive or hard driving. Mostly highway. And this is Memphis I'm talking about. Mostly just cold temp. I wouldn't take it on ice/snow with these tires.
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The wear will be the same. Like you mentioned, the summer tires will be useless in snow.
 
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#1,008
#1,008
Nerd-Vol said:
Looks nice! Check it out for rust of course. I will also see what kbb says is a fair price. I feel like $5500 should be do-able.

Also see if they can show what servicing has been done.

Never hurts to have a trusted mechanic give it a look over, but at first blush I like it!
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I'm going to go look at it tonight after work. I don't think rust should be an issue considering where we live, but I'll check it good anyway.

I'll inquire to the service records as well.

Probably a dumb question, but was the 4 cylinder the only option for the engines during those years?

I really like the car myself. Sporty. Cute and good on fuel. All the things she's wanting. Plus it would be fun to hit the twistes on the weekend.
 
#1,009
#1,009
Obsessed said:
I'm going to go look at it tonight after work. I don't think rust should be an issue considering where we live, but I'll check it good anyway.

I'll inquire to the service records as well.

Probably a dumb question, but was the 4 cylinder the only option for the engines during those years?

I really like the car myself. Sporty. Cute and good on fuel. All the things she's wanting. Plus it would be fun to hit the twistes on the weekend.
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Yep, the Miata uses a 4 cylinder. It isn't powerful, but the car is light.

Here is an in depth guide on what to look at when checking out a Miata:

Miata Community Wiki | Checking Out a Used Miata

You don't have to follow it as gospel but it's good info.

Also, the model you are looking at will call for premium fuel, but you should manage 24-26mpg.
 
#1,010
#1,010
#1,011
#1,011
Nice price!

I was off on the price. I just ran a Kelly Blue Book report on it. A good condition Miata like you are looking at should be $6,000. Very good condition should be around $6,500.

I would try to get it for $5900-6000, but I would sleep fine paying the $6,300 the seller is asking for, if the car looks good and checks out!

Here is the kbb:

Kelley Blue Book

I'm going to check out fuel economy numbers to see what sort of mileage real drivers are getting.

2003 Mazda MX-5 Miata Mileage
 
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#1,014
#1,014
Nerd-Vol said:
Nice price!

I was off on the price. I just ran a Kelly Blue Book report on it. A good condition Miata like you are looking at should be $6,000. Very good condition should be around $6,500.

I would try to get it for $5900-6000, but I would sleep fine paying the $6,300 the seller is asking for, if the car looks good and checks out!

Here is the kbb:

Kelley Blue Book

I'm going to check out fuel economy numbers to see what sort of mileage real drivers are getting.

2003 Mazda MX-5 Miata Mileage
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Impressive.
 
#1,015
#1,015
Nerd-Vol said:
Hmm looks like edmunds isn't as fond of it as kbb is. Let's see what NADA says.
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I've rarely gotten KBB values in trade or when I'm selling.

Edmunds is generally closer in my experience but it can vary by car. For example, they under value Jeeps based on what I see in Autotrader listings. Could be the case with Miata.
 
#1,018
#1,018
In the past, I've always called the credit union and asked the loan amount on a particular vehicle. It always kept me from being upside down.

Not sure which they use...KBB or NADA
 
#1,019
#1,019
volinbham said:
I've rarely gotten KBB values in trade or when I'm selling.

Edmunds is generally closer in my experience but it can vary by car. For example, they under value Jeeps based on what I see in Autotrader listings. Could be the case with Miata.
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Good point. At the dealership we usually work off of blue book and black book. That said each source is different. I'm about to pull nada but it sounds as though he should be between $5-6k.
 
#1,020
#1,020
Obsessed said:
In the past, I've always called the credit union and asked the loan amount on a particular vehicle. It always kept me from being upside down.

Not sure which they use...KBB or NADA
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Nada has this as far as trade in:

2003 Mazda MX-5 Miata Convertible 2D SE Prices, Values & MX-5 Miata Convertible 2D SE Price Specs | NADAguides

As far as what to pay, it's hard to say. Maybe start at $5000 or so and hope to shake hands around 5500-5800.

Like I said earlier, I could sleep well paying $6000 for it, but it also depends on what you are comfortable with. That said a clean Miata is a good find.
 
#1,021
#1,021
Nerd-Vol said:
Nada has this as far as trade in:

2003 Mazda MX-5 Miata Convertible 2D SE Prices, Values & MX-5 Miata Convertible 2D SE Price Specs | NADAguides

As far as what to pay, it's hard to say. Maybe start at $5000 or so and hope to shake hands around 5500-5800.

Like I said earlier, I could sleep well paying $6000 for it, but it also depends on what you are comfortable with. That said a clean Miata is a good find.
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Ok

I'm not concerned over 3-500 bucks. To me, if it has good tires that don't need replacing, there's the 3-500 bucks.

I've sent her pics and she likes it. Her concern is that it is little. (I think the pics are deceiving) I told her that you daily drive yours and you are 2-3 inches taller than me.
 
#1,022
#1,022
Obsessed said:
Ok

I'm not concerned over 3-500 bucks. To me, if it has good tires that don't need replacing, there's the 3-500 bucks.

I've sent her pics and she likes it. Her concern is that it is little. (I think the pics are deceiving) I told her that you daily drive yours and you are 2-3 inches taller than me.
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It is a small car, no doubts about that. I removed some seat foam to allow me to be more comfortable. At 6'1" I think you should fit fine, but the only way to be sure is to give it a drive. Mine is a NA(90-97) the one you are looking at is a NB(99-05), the outgoing model is the NC (06-15), the current car is the ND (16-). I find that the NB Miata is a little bit tighter than my NA, as it has a slightly higher seat. That is a plus for most people though as it increases comfort.

I find the small size an advantage in parking and darting around town. That said the biggest car I've owned has been a Mazda 3, so I like small cars.

I think the real issue she may have is all the guys asking her for her digits when she cruises around town.

:shades:
 
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#1,023
#1,023
Nerd-Vol said:
It is a small car, no doubts about that. I removed some seat foam to allow me to be more comfortable. At 6'1" I think you should fit fine, but the only way to be sure is to give it a drive.

I find the small size an advantage in parking and darting around town. That said the biggest car I've owned has been a Mazda 3, so I like small cars.

I think the real issue she may have is all the guys asking her for her digits when she cruises around town.

:shades:
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Lol.
 
#1,024
#1,024
Just got a chance to drive the 2016 Miata in earnest. It was an automatic GT. The transmission is much improved over the outgoing model. The car felt quick all around, and it was comfortable to drive. The feel of the car was planted, I imagine my 95 would have felt the same way if it had wider tires and was 130,000 miles fresher.

Good car.
 
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