price check?

Hey guys,

Need a little help, looking at maybe buying a miata. I was hoping you guys would be able to tell me if this was a fair price or not? Also not mentioned is that it has aftermarket stereo, AC removed as well as other things in name of weight. Im not sure if its a little high or not, considering it does have some body damage but also has good upgrades.
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=433020 What do you all think?

Thanks Eric

Seems fair if you really want the upgrades it has - for me it's kind of in a modification no-mans land because it's got too much done to be easily but back to stock, but not enough to be a competitive autocrosser in SSM or CSP. If I were him I probably wouldn't take much less than he's asking, especially up north where Miatas are considerably more precious than in Georgia or Alabama or whatever.

I agree with him that he'll make more parting it out. I parted out my former STS car with less goodies than that one, sold the car in close to stock form when I was done, and netted WAY more than $4000.

The "I've replaced all the rusty parts possible" line scares me. Note that he doesn't actually say "all the rusty parts".

$3k seems more like it, but the Ohlins stuff isn't cheap.

fritzsch wrote: Hey guys, Need a little help, looking at maybe buying a miata. I was hoping you guys would be able to tell me if this was a fair price or not? Also not mentioned is that it has aftermarket stereo, AC removed as well as other things in name of weight. Im not sure if its a little high or not, considering it does have some body damage but also has good upgrades. http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=433020 What do you all think? Thanks Eric

I live in Normal, Il. I have a Miata without AC. You do not want a Miata without AC. Just FYI.

Thanks for the responses. How does one factor in the price and time spent on upgrades into the value of the car? Obviously for a non-enthusiast they cant detract from the value but how does it effect the price for someone who is interested in the performance of the car?

They're worth anything from 25 to 50 cents on the dollar, even assuming that they are in good condition and installed properly.

If you go to my profile and look at my Miata, I paid $5000 for that a year ago. It's minus the Ohlins but plus a bunch of other pricey things. And I'm not convinced I got a true bargain, though I think I did get a good deal. It is rust free, though not cosmetically perfect.

FWIW my Miata has working A/C and in the year I've owned it I haven't turned it on once. Next time I'm under the hood to anyt great length, I'm going to remove it.

I'd still be worried about the rust. If I were in your shoes, I'd be looking for someone's hand-me-down track/autox toy from Texas or Georgia, and do a fly-and-drive.