Miata shopping list

Was not looking for this car, but it came my way - a one owner 91 miata with 61K miles. New tires and brakes, always garaged, summer car. This older couple will sell it to me for $3,000. Some questions:

Does this price seem good? Most Miatas with this milage in my area are newer, but sell for $5,500 - $6,000. Should I hold off to find a 1.8l car?

Did this year have an LSD. Any way to check short of jacking up car and turning wheels?

Who makes the best cold air intake for the 1.6l engine, and is it worth the cost? Same question for shocks / strut braces / sway bars or other handling upgrades.

Any low cost power upgrades worth doing?

What is best tire / wheel combo for stock class autocross?

Any other low cost upgrades / suggestions would be appreciated. I have a pretty well developed e36 M3 for HPDE events. This car will be mosly about low cost top down summer fun with the occaisional driving event for my wife and son.

$3000 is a decent price if the car isn't rusty. Being a summer car it shouldn't be.

1.6s are still a good motor, check to see if the VIN is past the "short nose crank" models. This was a design flaw in earlier 1.6s and was caused by botched timing belt replacements. Check out miata.net for the VIN break down and more info. Even if it is a earlier model, I still wouldn't consider that a deal breaker.

Best way to see if it is a LSD is to call Mazda with the VIN as they can tell you what the car was optioned with. If it is a LSD it will be a viscous type as the Torsens didn't come until a few years later.

Skip the CAI and focus on the other items mentioned. You'll never get any real power out of a Miata (1.6 or 1.8) unless you slap a turbo on it. Money better spent is on suspension goodies. Get the Flyin' Miata catalog and go nuts.

Wheels/tires are subjective, I'll let others chime in on their thoughts...

You can spot the LSD in a 1991 by looking at the flanges on the stub axles. If they're different on each side, it's a viscous.

Give me a call (800 FLY MX5) on Monday and I'll give you the rundown on intakes/suspension upgrades/etc.

1.6 miata are quite tunable and will show quite a bit of improvement in performance for small amounts of investment. Jackson Racing CAI plus decent stainless header(my last one cost $100 on ebay) will wake up a miata and then if you want more, locate '88 RX-7 MAF, go see Bubba for 2.25" exhaust and add 1.8 fuel injectors. Very simple plug and play!

Keith's number is missing a number...err..letter. 800 FLY MX5s

Do eeet! Not the best candidate for a track rat (smaller engine, smaller brakes, weaker diff), but the 1.6Ls can definitely be fun around town. If nothing else, the price and miles are right.