I really want a miata
 

I have seen some in need of cosmetic fix for around $1200 around here. infact i am e-mailing about a 1990 with dings and rust, and needs a new top, but only has 130K on the engine.

anything i should look out on these miata's? might be a silly quest for a roadster since i don't know if i can even fit in one. please tell me your experiences

They are cool cars....except if you are tall, say 6'+. Then you look like a cartoon character driving it. :P . Just a personal opinion of my 6'5" friend who owns one.

I have a 1997 miata for sale. :) 94K Miles, Black, Black (Cloth Interior) 5 Speed Manual, cold AC, manual windows. Just had the timing belt changed water pump, belts, Bosch spark plugs, good tires, top has no rips, Pioneer CD player, (I have the original factory AM/FM/Tape which is included. Body is in excellent shape minus a few tiny dings and it's been garaged since we got it in July of last year. I have service receipts since we bought it and fuel and mileage records since we drove it off the lot. It's a weekend car and blast to drive. I have a ton of pictures if you would like them.

'and rust' is the concern here. a neighbor has one that he doesn't drive that much and the thing is pretty well rusted. i would be careful about looking at the extent of the rust. perhaps try to find one from the west that isn't rusted?

if you are planning to sell it for under $1200 it would be super :) is 97 still the pop up headlights?

Too bad Spock got banned. He was the resident expert on Miatas.

Yes it has big round pop up headlights. :) 1997 was the last year model which retains the original look when it was introduced. 1999 they went to the fixed headlights. $1200....most are going for 5 times that amount around here. The ones around here don't have any rust either. Mine is a CA car so there isn't a speck of rust on it.

1990 and early 1991 Mazda Miata engines had problems with crankshafts breaking.

Typically, the key wears the keyway slot in the crankshaft nose. Worn keyways are not repairable. In other cases, the pulley bolt will fail to stay tightly screwed to the front of the crankshaft. Insufficient tightening torque upon assembly is an obvious cause. Another reason for the problem is excess torque, causing the bolt to stretch, which causes looseness. In some of the incidents, inserting the key into the keyway upside-down resulted in an interference fit. This improper assembly can stress the bolt, causing the head to break off. The misalignment also causes destructive imbalance.

In 1991 and 1/2, Miata installed a longer nosed crankshaft, which fixed the problem.

just curious how much are u selling yours for?

They are supposed to be awesome little cars.

Was he actually banned? I guess he was as Spock, but how about Spock II? And goodness knows how many other names.

The guy had more incarnations than a geist. Pardon the gnomerclature, that's az muth as I'm going to say about it (NOT!).

B

Worn keyways can be repaired, if you are unlucky enough to get one of the few with the problem. I bought (way cheap) a 90 with a wobbly main pulley, did what is known as "the Loctite fix" and ran problem free (until the nice lady in the Matrix ran the red light & I broadsided her, but that is another story). I now have a 97 as my daily driver/track toy/all around smile maker.

Pretty much any rust-free Miata that can be pushed is worth at least $1200. Even if the engine is toast, you can buy a solid long nose 1.6L (from the 91.5 through 93 model years) for $400-500, or upgrade to a 1.8L (from 94 on) which can be had for a couple hundred more + another $150 in conversion parts. There is a nice 1.6-1.8 conversion kit available from Flyin Miata. Lots of other tasty Miata bits available there as well, and fantastic customer service to boot.

Tons of info can be found at miata.net; check out the forums and the garage (includes instructions for doing the Loctite fix) for more Miata info than any one human can digest......

about rust.....
 

The one spot that, if rusted, = run away fast on a Miata, is the rocker panels just ahead of the rear wheel wells. If you've got surface rust visible here it means the drains were left clogged and the rocker panel is dieing from the inside out. No simple cosmetic fix this - the rocker panel is a major structural component.

I am not sure really, we have been mulling over when and how much to sell it for. The LA car market snaps these things up so I wonder what will happen if I put it up. There aren't many black 5 speed 1997 models and as mentioned it doesn't have any rust so you can start with a clean sample.

It's similar to this one except it's obviously not an automatic. It also has 94k miles but the timing belt has just been changed.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mazda-Miata-Convertible-1997-Mazda-MX-5-Miata-AUTOMATIC-LOW-MILES-BLACK-BLACK_W0QQitemZ4564888732QQcategoryZ6324QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Anyone wanna trade for a 87 300D or a low mile rust free 190D 2.2 5 Speed? :D

That's what I thought. Somthing went arwry with another member and he backed out. If he's still around I haven't been able to tell. I miss his posts, though (but not as BardII!)