The saga of a Miata Addict(in pictures)
02-25-2008, 01:28 PM
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The saga of a Miata Addict(in pictures)
Today I was thinking back to all the Miatas I have owned and how what I consider "cool" in a miata has changed. So I'll start at the beginning. I'm not going to list all the mods to each Miata, but I'll say this, they were all stock when I bought them and left my possession with varying levels of modification.
#1 1992 white PS, PW, AC, Hardtop. 117K miles Purchase price $2500 from local dealership. Bought after riding in my friends JRSC 90. I did a lot of work to this car and eventually did a greddy turbo. Sold it for $5300, sold the hardtop for $600(hooked up a buddy with a good deal) Sold the wheels and tires for $500.
#2 1990 mariner blue PS, PW, AC mileage? Drove 3 hrs to get it in Minnesota. The guy was asking $2500 for it. Purchased for $1300 owned it for two weeks, sold it for $2500
#3 1990 Mariner blue PS, PW, AC mileage 223K, had been repainted, had to replace the softtop purchase price $1700, sold three months later for $2500
#4 1992 Classic red PS, PW, AC, ABS w/ hardtop 92K miles $3200, good condition. Bought it locally off autotrader, sold it to my brother for what I paid.
#5 1991 Classic red, No PS,NO PW, Has AC, 117K miles, awesome condition, owned by a 50 year old lady who bought a new Miata. Came with aftermarket wheels and tires(cheesy) and had a new robbins glass rear window softtop. Tons of maintenance done before I bought it. Paid $3200. Bought it in Omaha, NE. about 2.5 hrs from where I live. Still have it Today. Now has been turboed, full suspension, all kinds of stuff done to it. Trying to sell it now.
#6 1992 Brilliant Black Special Edition, Leather and all the goodies, hardtop. prestine condtion. Bought for $3500 a couple of months ago in Minneapolis. I haven't driven it since I got back because of the snow. Its in the garage with my three other cars waitng for all the parts I have been accumulating to be installed. I'm keeping this one forever
#7 90 White miata w/ hail damage bought for $1000, sold it two day later. kept after market 16" wheels I got with it. Who has ever seen a white softtop??
#1 1992 white PS, PW, AC, Hardtop. 117K miles Purchase price $2500 from local dealership. Bought after riding in my friends JRSC 90. I did a lot of work to this car and eventually did a greddy turbo. Sold it for $5300, sold the hardtop for $600(hooked up a buddy with a good deal) Sold the wheels and tires for $500.
#2 1990 mariner blue PS, PW, AC mileage? Drove 3 hrs to get it in Minnesota. The guy was asking $2500 for it. Purchased for $1300 owned it for two weeks, sold it for $2500
#3 1990 Mariner blue PS, PW, AC mileage 223K, had been repainted, had to replace the softtop purchase price $1700, sold three months later for $2500
#4 1992 Classic red PS, PW, AC, ABS w/ hardtop 92K miles $3200, good condition. Bought it locally off autotrader, sold it to my brother for what I paid.
#5 1991 Classic red, No PS,NO PW, Has AC, 117K miles, awesome condition, owned by a 50 year old lady who bought a new Miata. Came with aftermarket wheels and tires(cheesy) and had a new robbins glass rear window softtop. Tons of maintenance done before I bought it. Paid $3200. Bought it in Omaha, NE. about 2.5 hrs from where I live. Still have it Today. Now has been turboed, full suspension, all kinds of stuff done to it. Trying to sell it now.
#6 1992 Brilliant Black Special Edition, Leather and all the goodies, hardtop. prestine condtion. Bought for $3500 a couple of months ago in Minneapolis. I haven't driven it since I got back because of the snow. Its in the garage with my three other cars waitng for all the parts I have been accumulating to be installed. I'm keeping this one forever
#7 90 White miata w/ hail damage bought for $1000, sold it two day later. kept after market 16" wheels I got with it. Who has ever seen a white softtop??
Last edited by 92mazdarati; 02-25-2008 at 10:02 PM.
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02-25-2008, 01:34 PM
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Damn, the black one is badass.
All nice cars, the altezzas are lame but hey, we all go through phases.
Nice cars man. Make sure to post up more pics of the black one when you swap all your parts over!
All nice cars, the altezzas are lame but hey, we all go through phases.
Nice cars man. Make sure to post up more pics of the black one when you swap all your parts over!
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02-25-2008, 06:40 PM
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Its not just Miatas, it is business. Out of 17 cars that I have owned in the past 4 years I have only lost money on two of them. It is an investment and a hobby for me and I do this with many types of cars, not just miatas. I'm not aware of any other "legal" investments that you can get into for only $1200 then make a thousand dollars on in just a couple of weeks. I am not saying this is the case everytime, but I will say this, I hang out with a lot of guys with nice cars and most of them afford them by having huge payments and paying huge amounts of interest. They brag about what great deal they got on their 30K dollar cars what they don't realize is how much that car actually ends up costing them with interest and depreciation. I drive some pretty nice cars, and the difference is that mine are paid for, and when I buy them at the right price I sell them at the right price too so my enjoyment of them doesn't cost me anything, but I actually get paid to own them. Most people look at cars as an expense and not an investment, and in most cases it is, but that is not the case for me.
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02-25-2008, 07:16 PM
#10
Yeah, after the third one you said you sold in under a year of ownership, it was pretty obvious that you were doing that. My sister has never lost money on a car - I've made money on all the bikes I've owned. Of course, I owned them longer, so routine maintenance, etc, adds up a bit, but still I don't do poorly.
The only thing I thought was funny was the "I'm keeping this one". I'll believe that when I see it. :-)
You took off the Kosie's? Why? They are nice wheels.
The only thing I thought was funny was the "I'm keeping this one". I'll believe that when I see it. :-)
You took off the Kosie's? Why? They are nice wheels.
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02-25-2008, 07:59 PM
#14
But my brother decided to get a honda, so now I have put mine forsale. His is a red 93 with tan and black interior. Low miles, automatic, all power options, and maintained well.
Im going to stick my girl in it. And turbo my red 92 5-speed.
Good luck man, it is nice.
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02-25-2008, 09:51 PM
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I spend a lot of time online tracking down deals. I guess a lot of it is being in the right place at the right time, or the first to the see a car when it is listed. A couple of them I have found just from word of mouth too. Knowing your stuff helps a lot too(and i'm not talking just miatas) I try to buy vehicles that I would want to buy. Cars that aren't seen quite as often and cars that hold their values well. The other thing I have learned is that it is a lot of people just want their used cars gone. Don't pay any attention to what the asking price is, all that matters is what you are willing to pay for a vehicle. You never know how desperate a seller is to move a vehicle. The black miata the selling dealership was asking $6300 for. I called them up and said "I noticed you guys have a miata at your location, I'm not interesting in spending as much as you're asking, but would you be willing to take my name and number so if the price gets lowered or if you get another one in you can give me a call." The salesman asked how much I was looking to spend and I told him $3500, He went and talked to his sales manager and came back at me with a yes. I left immediately and drove 4 hrs to go pick it up. It is also important to always have access to instant money. If you don't have the cash then have a credit card with a high enough limit and use that. Most dealerships that I have worked with take credit cards and many times the interest rate is lower than what it would be through a bank on cars that are older years and higher interest because of this. I guess I'll stop now...I have a lot more that i've learned, but I'm sure many of you already know all this.
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02-25-2008, 09:58 PM
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First I do still have the Kosei wheels and they are on my turbo Miata. I actually forgot one Miata in my listing too.
#7 I just bought one two days ago for $1000...It has aftermarket 16" wheels and stock wheels with snow tires. A fidanza lighweight fly wheel w/ newer racing clutch, a new softtop rear window, new radiator, new snow tires, new windshield and cross drilled and slotted rotors with new pads. I found the car on an ebay listing for some wheels where the guy said he was selling the wheels because he was parting out his miata after hail damage. His bottom dollar was $350 on the wheels and tires so I asked him how much for the car and the wheels and tires and he told me $1000. The car was about 5 hrs from my house so the guy met me half way and I sold the car over the phone before I even made it back to where I live with it for $1000. Then I had two other people offer $1200 and another guy offer me $1200 plus a set of 17" konig wheels. The wheels are going to look tight on my miata they are gun metal 10 spoke 16" with a polished lip.
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