NA Miatas are really picking up in price, aren't they?

David S. Wallens said:

BoxheadTim said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Looks like that backs up my gut feel regarding the price increases, given that I'm shopping between #2 and #3 conditions.

The scary thing is that I still remember Mazda releasing the first NA (and the upturned noses from a lot of the German motoring press back then) and now they're on Hagerty's price guide. Man do I suddenly feel old.

Yeah. Can't wait to get classic car plates on mine. Here in Florida, it's a 30-year cutoff. 

25 year cutoff here in NV. Freaked out a whole bunch of people my age when they saw my 1st gen CRX with classic plates . There isn't much of a benefit to having them here though - they cost extra, and I live in a county that doesn't do smog checks.

BoxheadTim said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Interestingly enough, out here it looks like the bottom of the curve for clean title NBs is still higher than I remember the NAs dropping to. A lot of the nice ones are still in the $4500-6500 range.

Either way it might be time to cast aside my inbred cheap tendencies and buy a nice NA for once instead of a nice-ish one. Given that this would be NA #5 I think I should just get a keeper this time.

I wonder if their prices are being bolstered  by the NAs, or they just never got abused as much for some reason. They may not have hit bottom yet.

You know the rule when buying a classic - always get the best you can afford.

Keith Tanner said:

BoxheadTim said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Interestingly enough, out here it looks like the bottom of the curve for clean title NBs is still higher than I remember the NAs dropping to. A lot of the nice ones are still in the $4500-6500 range.

Either way it might be time to cast aside my inbred cheap tendencies and buy a nice NA for once instead of a nice-ish one. Given that this would be NA #5 I think I should just get a keeper this time.

I wonder if their prices are being bolstered  by the NAs, or they just never got abused as much for some reason. They may not have hit bottom yet.

The NBs out here seem to be generally in nicer condition with fewer owners. Very few drift sheds amongst them, and fewer modified ones, too. They'd probably make a better base for a project, given that I wouldn't have to spend a grand or two just to undo the previous "well planned" mods.

You know the rule when buying a classic - always get the best you can afford.

That's what I keep telling other people while repeatedly violating that rule myself . That's changing though - in the UK a friend of mine ran a small bodyshop and was only too happy to work on my cars as filler projects, but I don't have that sort of hookup anymore. So maybe it is time now to buy the best NA I can afford (excluding the 120 mile time capsule I linked to above).

So this looks like a good thread to inquire.   Might be looking to sell my Miata soon and am trying to figure what its worth (what a good ask is, not what some of you cheap asses will pay  )

95 base miata.  Chassis has 185k, engine has 60k.

The good - 

Ground control coilovers

Isc racing rear tophats

Racing Beat front swaybar

konig foil 15x7 wheels

Flowmaster exhaust

Raceland header

leather steering wheel swap

set of non-studded snow tires on E30 bottlecap wheels

Hardtop (early hardtop with no headliner and no defroster as manufactured)

Robbins top with glass rear window

The bad

some rocker rust

dings in hood and trunklid from being parked under a nut bearing tree for a week >.<

Open diff car

Its an ECU, a shock revalve, and a spring rate swap away from being a really good STS car. 

So, what would you ask for it?

Well, the hardtop would IIRC put the base price at a grand with a free car attached, so it can only go up from there.

First thought is that it depends on the extent of the rocker rust.

Holed through, but limited to the rear dogleg panel

Trackmouse said:

Thank “slash for Junkers”. All the Craigslist market got smashed, leaving anything that runs as  “incredible quality” and “ultra rare”. 

You know that is approaching 10 years ago now, right?  I swear people are going to complain about it 40 years from now.

In reply to Apexcarver :

In my area (SW Ohio), it's probably an ask 3000-3500, sell for 2500-3000 car, at least in the spring.  Numbers would go down the later it gets in the year.  If the rockers were solid, you'd add a good chunk more value.  Late last summer, it cost me almost 2k to get into a 200K+ mile 96 Miata with a bad top, some body damage, blown out 5th gear synchros, but pretty much rust free with perfectly solid rockers and floorpan.  Mine's ugly enough that it's not really worth putting the money into restoring/hotrodding, so I'm just trying to keep it running and enjoy it. 

Around me, $4K seems to be about the bottom for a cosmetically great 90-93, and even they are getting harder to find at that price.  wae got really lucky with his $1200 blown head gasket Miata.

In reply to eastsideTim :

Mine is definitely one to throw out when collecting data points.  There is a minor bit of rust damage on the rocker that I need to repair, but $1,200 for a 97 with a hardtop and 106k on the clock and no modifications other than a CD changer added to the factory stereo and period-correct 14" wheels was way undermarket even with a blown head gasket.  I've got just under $2,000 in to it right now and I suspect I could turn it around for no less than $3500, maybe more.

I saw that Haggerty graph when i bought mine and was shocked at the spike in value for a concours quality car, but the fact that daily driver types have stayed mostly flat probably means the Miata isn't going to go crazy high anytime soon.  Upside, though, is that if you get one now and treat it right, you'll probably be able to get your money back when you sell it.

Shortly after I sell an older car they usually go up in value.   I just sold the last of my 2 NA Miatas, our Challenge car from las year.  If you still have your NA ....... You Are welcome.  The buyer had to ship it from FL to PA, so even with the added expense, he must have thought is was a good investment.

I sold a '68 Mustang 302 fastback for $4,800 just before the Elanor craze hit.  About a year later a rusty hulk cost about $3,500. 

I dunno......I still find decent Miatas all the time for under $3K....sometimes less.   Sure, if you want a #1 car, you'll pay for it......but a #1 car isn't really drivable, or it transitions to a #2, or #3 condition car.   (#1 condition is museum quality--- perfect)  

For a good driver, tons of nice NAs are out there.   Locally there was just an extremely nice M-edition NA with matching hardtop, BBS wheels, shiny burgundy paint, and just over 100K miles for an asking price of $4,500.   Sounded fair.   

In my area there are 28 Miatas  within an hour of me in any direction on CL. 11 NAs and 7 NBs. The prices / conditions are all over the place and I would think the actual selling price would be pretty negotiable if the seller really wants to move their car. If I were to sell the 93 I bought in the fall to flip this spring as I intended that volume of cars for sale would concern me. I’m not sure I could get the $4200 to $4800 that I figured when I bought it because of the shear volume of cars for sale. Fortunately, I’ve decided I can’t let go of a rust free car and I couldn’t stop myself from buying mods for it. 

Oh, I will say if you want a hardtop around here, good luck! I see postings “hardtop wanted” including myself. If you can find one, they typically are badly damaged and still asking $900. 

eastsideTim said:

In reply to Apexcarver :

In my area (SW Ohio), it's probably an ask 3000-3500, sell for 2500-3000 car, at least in the spring.  Numbers would go down the later it gets in the year.  If the rockers were solid, you'd add a good chunk more value.  Late last summer, it cost me almost 2k to get into a 200K+ mile 96 Miata with a bad top, some body damage, blown out 5th gear synchros, but pretty much rust free with perfectly solid rockers and floorpan.  Mine's ugly enough that it's not really worth putting the money into restoring/hotrodding, so I'm just trying to keep it running and enjoy it. 

Around me, $4K seems to be about the bottom for a cosmetically great 90-93, and even they are getting harder to find at that price.  wae got really lucky with his $1200 blown head gasket Miata.

Yeah, I'm starting to think patching the rockers myself before sale would be worth doing (have welder, etc).

Fixed cars are always worth more than cars that need fixed.

As an example of how awful the Miata market is near me, this is the cheapest Miata in my area.  $2000 for a stock NA that looks like it suffered a grazing blow from a freight train down the right side, now rocker panels or lower fenders remaining, engine bay and interior on the far side of disgusting. No mention of mileage or if it even runs

Still finding clean NA6s by me for around 3k. NA8s are starting to creep up a little. NB1s can be had for 3.5 to just under 4k. NB2s are holding at around 4.5k for good ones. Overall, seems pretty reasonable for an enthusiast car. WRXs on the other hand, I cannot fathom their asking prices. 

Joe Gearin said:

I dunno......I still find decent Miatas all the time for under $3K....sometimes less.   Sure, if you want a #1 car, you'll pay for it......but a #1 car isn't really drivable, or it transitions to a #2, or #3 condition car.   (#1 condition is museum quality--- perfect)  

I'm looking for a #2 - #3 car and even those seem to start at $4500-$5000 our here.

 

For a good driver, tons of nice NAs are out there.   Locally there was just an extremely nice M-edition NA with matching hardtop, BBS wheels, shiny burgundy paint, and just over 100K miles for an asking price of $4,500.   Sounded fair.  

From this side of the country, that's a steal - this is what $4500 gets you asking price wise on the West Coast. That's not a fluke either, I've seen several '95 Ms for that sort of money and they usually don't stay on CL very long. There was one for sale in Portland, OR (which is about a 10h drive) recently for $4k that was shiny and had a hardtop, but had the wrong wheels on it and badly worn seats. That sold before I even heard back from the seller, let alone get on a plane.

Might as well stick that question in here - does anybody know if the luggage rack as pictured is bolted through the trunk lid?

I've seen it on a few 1.6Ls, am not a big fan and am wondering how much work it is to remove this type of luggage rack?

In reply to BoxheadTim :

some are bolted, some are double sided taped.but most will likely cause paint damage trying to remove.

edit and iirc that is a dealer option one so it is likely bolted.

That one is bolted. My NA had the same one without the gold 

In reply to BoxheadTim :

Yep, that ones factory and is bolted through, plus double sided tape. Your options are buy a car without it or swap the trunk lid.

Bolted was what I was afraid of. Ah well, I'm probably going to try and look at the car in the photo anyway. I wish I could say the car was cheap enough that changing out the trunk and painting a new one wouldn't matter...

In reply to NickD :

Funny, I too have been watching that one (and another scruffy black one in Schenectady) sit on CL here. Gives me hope for what I can get for mine when the time comes.

To add another data point: I paid $2350 (partly in trade) for a 1991 with just under 100k miles, including a hardtop (factory, with defroster and headliner) in October last year. However, it had been involved in an interaction with a guard rail previously, needed new calipers in front, and had a style bar (not included). I'm in the process of fixing the rear fender and generally whipping it back into shape to be a respectable driver -- not stanced, not too clean, and hopefully fun but not too harsh. The engine, transmission, and clutch are all strong, and it at least has the VLSD.

Tim,

If you are seriously in the market for an NA ready for Miatas@MRLS, PM me. I am putting mine up for sale soon. It's the red '91 1.6  I was driving when I met you and your wife a few years ago at one of the MRLS events. It would need minimal prep (new tires and a thorough nut bolt check) to be ready for the track.  Ping me if you want to talk more.

In reply to Type Q :

PM'd you.