I've been offered a trade for the MCS

I've been contacted by someone on a local Ontario car site about trading my 02 MCS for an 02 Mazda Miata. I wrote back and said hell yes, and then asked a bunch of condition questions. They know about my power steering pump issues, I put that in the add.

What do you guys think? It get's me RWD and what I assume are cheaper ownership costs and and greater after market support (though the MINI ain't bad). Car would daily in all but the worst weather and see track duty. I'd need to buy the nicest $2000 four door I can find with a manual.

Downside is, well, I'm not sure. Mazda's don't seem to fair to well in the salt belt. It's not a fine European automobile, but I'm not sure the MINI is either. The GF likes both.

Thoughts?

Jeff

Jeff wrote: I'd need to buy the nicest $2000 four door I can find with a manual. Thoughts? Jeff

recommend 1990-97 Corolla. 90-92 is AE92 chassis, 93-97 is AE10x chassis. IF you are lucky you might even find an All-Trac (AE95) while looking.

Hard top + snow tires + careful driving = 12-month DD? Alternatively, how much are those Civics with Acura badges up there going for these days (1.6EL, 1.7EL)?

I need the four seats when I have my kids. So I take it doing the trade is a given if the cars are of equal value?

So..it's your car on CASC? Seems like a fantastic deal - and I'd JUMP on an opportunity to have a rust free '02 Miata for "$4500"

njansenv,

That's what I'm thinking. I do think I'm undervaluing the MCS a bit even with it's issues. But even so, I think it's a fair trade. Have not heard back yet from the Mazda owner though.

My friend's cost of parts and pieces is markedly higher on his 04 or 05 MazdaSpeed miata than on our 05 MCS, so I suspect base Miata parts are probably a break-even. From our repair experiences, I think they're comparably difficult to wrench on, but again his is the turbo model.

If a Miata is difficult to wrench on, you are likely doing it wrong.

Shame you're not in the US, I would be tempted by a cheap MCS.

Edit: And Miatas are very, very easy to work on. Ridiculously so.

Hmm..possibly I should tell my buddy this. He must be doing it wrong from the horror stories I've heard. Of course, the last project he did was to pull the heart and send it to Keith....

mistanfo wrote: If a Miata is difficult to wrench on, you are likely doing it wrong.

People say the same thing about the E30, but I find a MINI much easier to work on than the E30, which seems to have a lot of, "oh crap... we forgot to design a place for this" assembly issues.

Would I trade a MCS for a Miata of similar value? Hard to say... probably...

ultraclyde wrote: My friend's cost of parts and pieces is markedly higher on his 04 or 05 MazdaSpeed miata than on our 05 MCS, so I suspect base Miata parts are probably a break-even. From our repair experiences, I think they're comparably difficult to wrench on, but again his is the turbo model.

MSM parts aren't really any more expensive than normal miata parts.

Until you get into the things that are ONLY on MSMs.

Like...

Bumper lips, headlights ($600 for a pair of headlights on sale? berkeley you.) , turbos....

Otherwise, they're easy to work on, and stuff is fairly cheap.

Really? When I heard how much he paid for factory brake pads, I E36 M3 myself

ehh..he never does things the cheap way but damn that car does fly.

Jeff wrote: I do think I'm undervaluing the MCS a bit even with it's issues.

I think you're probably right! Honestly, if I had a "project car space" left in the garage I would've been calling you to come by and take a look - but I have too many cars on my plate as it is right now, unfortunately.