Opinion on this 1991 Miata from craigslist - for a friend
 

Hey guys,

My friend is looking for a nice cheap rwd car to go to school and commute. (He likes my brz)

Link: https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/5401742783.html

I recommended him a mazda miata used. We found this and we're wondering if it seems fair and how much it'd cost to get the car to pass smog since I see it has an air intake. He wants the car stock.

We're thinking of checking out the car in person and driving it and then asking for 1500 straight up.

Any help or advice would be great in buying a car from craigslist, this is my first time for my friend and the process is new for me as well.

Thanks!

*Also budget is $2000 if you guys have other car recommendations

the answer is always miata… if he doesn't mind the visual imperfections that looks good. go see it drive it listen for strange noises and check for rust. if all checks out go for it. i love my boosted miata!

This car looks like it's had a rough 83k miles. If there's a few necessary things to to check for, it's Rust, Rust, & Rust. Get down and dirty and check that thing in every crack and crevice. Fenders, floor pan, subframes, control arms, etc. These things rust like no other and I've seen cars in outwardly great condition end up being rust buckets after a look underneath.

Also, I know your friend's budget is $2000, but man, you gotta get a 1.8L. The 1.6 is just a bit too gutless. Also, LSD would be nice.

Yeah definitely gonna get an all around inspection and take it to a mechanic for a look around too. He's going to get a student loan to pay the car. Just needs a beater to get by, I tried looking around but this was the only Miata with that mileage at this price range lol.

There's this Miata w/ LSD but it has 254k miles..

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/la...407224483.html

Hehehe California car, the sum total of the rainwater it's seen is probably less than a single winter's worth of salt in Illinois.

IMO the 1.8L is overrated, rode in a 1.6L that blew my mind. If you understand what you're getting I'd save the extra thousand+ in a heartbeat on the 1.6L and use it for tires, suspension freshening and track days, but with OP's budget it's totally unlikely they'll find a 1.8L in near as good a condition as this.

I'd be worried about prior accidents that were being covered up, like said it looks like it's lived hard, but with a spit shine and new seats for less than $500 investment they could easily ask double for it, there might be something under the covers that makes it not worth fixing...

Edit: Missed the smog issues, no guarantee it's just cat and o2, easily a $500 investment on top of what you're going to pay for it and then no guarantee that's the actual problem, could be hunting for a long time burning out cats every few years. As long as the chassis is straight it's probably not a bad car but it will likely be an ongoing project and these early cars do have their quirks like the crankshaft thing.

I've had several Miata's over the years. Mileage on a miata doesn't matter - it was gutless from Mazda and it's no different 150,000 miles later :D Rust typically isn't an issue in Southern California but if you're near the coast - then Guff is right, check for cancer. Early NA's had issues with short nose crank - check the VIN, I believe there is a database for affected cars. Some prefer the work-for-it 1.6 while others like the I-can-stay-in-gear 1.8. Minor character differences but nothing that would sway me to pursue one over the other. Both are uninspiring 5/10 engines.

Miata's are generally bulletproof cars and are cheap and easy to maintain. Like any car, electrical issues will be the biggest PITA.

Personally, I would pass on that car and look for something with a healthier history even if it's higher mileage. There are plenty to choose from on CL for $2,200>

Now I'm gonna get on a soapbox and provide some unsolicited advice.

I, too, drove a Miata throughout college but I ponyed up 3x your friend's budget for a clean one-owner car. This was also 8 years ago. It was a toy car for sure and that was a good time to have it. That your friend needs to get a loan (a school loan at that!) to buy a $2,000 car is telling of his situation, however. So I'm gonna ASSume* here that he doesn't have dependable wheels. Maybe he works full-time to support a family of 4 and all four grandparents who have special medical needs... If that's the case, your friend needs to re-think his priorities and be lucky he has a friend with a BRZ who will let him have fun behind the wheel every now and then because friend's acknowledge and appreciate and reward work ethic :thumbsup:

But if your friend is ballin' on a budget and thinks a ratty old Miata is going to drive even close to your brand new BRZ - you need to talk him out of that delusion. That's piss-poor reaching for straws conclusion that RWD is the right-wheel drive to fun. He needs to make sure he can get to class, any appointments, and work - not drift around a go-kart track. Sounds like he just wasn't dealt those luxury cards. It's only temporary and let the nicer car be a driving motivation for him (get it?!). My suggestion, and I'm gonna get flamed for this, is the 2002+ Ford Focus non-SVT (Cosworth) models

You can get it in a stick to putz around if ya gotta, they are far more practical and cheaper to maintain than a Miata (wait till that soft top gets a rip and pisses water into the interior), 10+ years newer, below budget, similar gas mileage and would be 90% as fun to toss around the cones as a Miata. If he 'has to mod' it, junkyard parts are cheap and plentiful from the crashed SVT side of things.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv...406957311.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac...401752284.html

http://ventura.craigslist.org/cto/5392518585.html

Ratty miata's are toys. Hell any convertible is a toy, let along a 26 year old one. Something you would get after you secured (relatively) reliable transportation to fulfill obligations and responsibilities.* Just my $0.02