After a long string of Saabs leading to my '96 9000 Aero, I bought a Miata last night. (Saab sold last weekend) 
'96, base model (I think? Has A/C, crank windows, no cruise, no headrest speakers, etc). 103k. Very, very clean. Newish top with glass window (and no zipping it up). Paid $3100.
Only pic I have at the moment.

I'm liking it quite a lot.
Congrats! You're going to have fun.
peter
Reader
10/28/11 7:16 p.m.
belteshazzar wrote:
good deal! Lsd?
Not unless it was installed by a P.O. To get a Torsen on the 96/97 required the top-of-the-line options package, at least when I was looking surprisingly few later Miatae came with that package.
I owned two 96's and I think that I was able to deduce that if a 96 had power mirrors, you could safely assume that it came from the factory with a Torsen.
No power mirrors on that car. Still looks like a nice car at a bargain price, though.
well the wheels aren't correct either....
That's okay, they're better looking than the ones that came on the car originally! Top tip: to make them look more like Minilites, pull off the center caps.
pigeon
Dork
10/28/11 11:55 p.m.
Nice car. My '96 had the same package - A/C and power steering on an otherwise base car. Lightness is good 
Duke
SuperDork
10/29/11 3:29 p.m.
Yep, same package as my '96. PO installed a Torsen, though... yay! Very nice little car - mine's not that clean, for sure. Welcome to the koolaid bucket!
I'm in love with this thing already. The previous owner was a woman probably in her mid 50's who has had it since 2000 and before that it was leased (according to Autocheck), so no reason to believe the diff has been swapped.








Very nice. I started drinking the kool-aid this summer with a 1994 M Edition. Still can't figure out why I like the stupid little thing so much, but I do. Unfortunately, put it in its winter home (dad's barn) this afternoon. I'm planning all sorts of fun for the winter though. Should emerge in the spring looking car lot fresh and ready to go in E-Stock. +1 on pulling the center caps. Or buy these: http://annarbor.craigslist.org/pts/2637441298.html
(No affiliation, just have these wheel and love the look of them)
jrw1621
SuperDork
10/29/11 8:14 p.m.
So you say the leasee did not change the diff and the lady did not do it but who changed the rims? Your rims are 14x5.5" versions from '90 to '92. In '94 the 14" rim became 14x6 and had exposed lug nuts.
Sample of the '94 to '97 14"

Wheels are much easier and cheaper to change than a diff. Could even have been a cost savings measure.
Maybe one of them did, but I doubt it.
Looks like the white version of my car. Mine is a 96 and also has Daisys, but I'm ok with them.