High mileage (+100K) Miata, OK or run away?

[scottmandue]

Ok so we have eliminated the VW beetle (air or water cooled) from the list of wifes potently DD (around town inexpensive to buy and maintain).

Wife is drawn to "cute" cars thus the beetle, however she also likes the Miata.

What I see in our price range ($5K) are all over 100K (most over 150K) miles.

How many miles can you get out of a Miata before the start to fall apart?

[kaisen]

Okay,

So if you're considering an air-cooled Beetle I assume you're looking at a manual transmission

You looked at a new Beetle, but wanted an automatic. Everyone told you to stay away from the automatic. So you passed. Why not just look at a manual new Beetle?

Now you look at a Miata.....are you looking at a manual transmission? They made automatics, but they accounted for less than 1% of all Miatas sold.

Help us help you

[onewhippedpuppy]

I've known several with 200k+ Miatas on the original motor and gearbox. I personally drove one belonging to a friend that had 220k and still ran great. They are very reliable little cars, and probably the most intelligent choice for your wife that you have asked about thus far. Also by far the best to drive.

[sc_rufctr]

Miatas are cool but 100,000 miles is a lot for any small car.
Also... The paint on a Miata is the thinnest I've seen on a modern car.

Other than that they would be like any other Japanese car. Well built and reliable up to a certain point.

[recycled sixtie]

Kaisen is right. You got us running around in circles. I owned a 99 Miata and had 50k miles on it when I sold it. However from being in our local Miata club, it seems like you can get super high mileage out of the engines before they die. Cheaper to run than a Boxster but think that it is too small in the event of an accident. Manual transmissions in Miatas are super smooth and are a delight.

[onewhippedpuppy]

You're looking at $4-5k, right? You can easily find a nice Miata with well under 100k for $5k, at least around here. Maybe you need to look outside of CA? Convertibles normally sell cheap in the winter, look somewhere that actually gets cold.

Edit: do some looking here: http://forum.miata.net/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=123

There's about a million of them on Craigslist too.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by kaisen

Okay,

So if you're considering an air-cooled Beetle I assume you're looking at a manual transmission

You looked at a new Beetle, but wanted an automatic. Everyone told you to stay away from the automatic. So you passed. Why not just look at a manual new Beetle?

Now you look at a Miata.....are you looking at a manual transmission? They made automatics, but they accounted for less than 1% of all Miatas sold.

Help us help you

Yes it would be a stick... however in this case I would be taking over Miata and give the wife my 2010 Hyundai auto.

(When I met my wife she was driving a Nissan pickup with a stick... but go figure)

OK so help me...

Wife has $5000 inheritance to spend on getting a car.

We Have my 2010 Elantra and my 1984 944... I love the 944 but have resolved to sell it as is and move on...

Wife is about to get a job so we need 2 cars.

I'm giving up my fun car (944) so it would be nice to get something fun to drive (Miata).

Wife loves the VW beetle (happy wife happy life).

I'm super busy and on a tight budget (can't spend time fixing or paying to be fixed) so need something reliable.

So... $5000 and reliable (a little fun to drive a plus butnot nessary), GO!... gotta get ot work, will check back

[Dantilla]

100,000 is nothing for a Miata engine.

The block is from Mazda trucks, and has an indestructable lower end. Lots of turbo'd and supercharged Miatae running around on stock internals.

You've got to try really hard to blow a Miata's engine, unless you pour BBs down the intake because a friend told you it would knock out carbon deposits. Yeah, that happened a few years ago. That thread on the Miata board created as big of a ruckus as if somebody parked a Black Audi Wagon in the midst of a bunch of longhood 911s.

[onewhippedpuppy]

If you want cheap, reliable, and fun for $5k, you're not going to get any better than a Miata. There's a really good reason why they are the most commonly raced car in the world.

[sc_rufctr]

^^^

The block might be bullet proof but what about the stuff that bolts to the outside of it?
Like, starter motor, alternator, water pump etc.

[9dreizig]

My Miata had 260k mies on it and it kicks out great HP on the dyno. I race it in the spec miata class.. But you can pick one up with less that 100k for 2-3k EASILY ..
Picked up a spare engine and transmission for $350 total with 130k miles on them.. pretty ease engine swap BTW...
Dantilla is correct..

[95avblm3]

The block is cast iron and is pretty bulletproof. They require timing belt change every 60k miles (at least the '99 I had) but the head is non-interference, so if it snaps, no problemo. Water pumps are typically changed with the timing belt but the part was really cheap.

My brother has owned something like 6 Miatas over the years and I always appreciated them but never really had the desire to own one. I had an opportunity a little over a year ago to by a '99 non-running cream puff for $900. The car was in fantastic shape inside and out... but the timing belt was bad and it didn't run. PO had a quote of $2k (absolute highway robbery) to repair and just threw his hands up in the air. I bought it for a song, did a timing belt/water pump service and other maintenance items and it fired right up and ran like a top. At the time my daily was an '06 M-Roadster. While the M had more creature comforts and fit me better (over 6'), the Miata was much more nimble on its feet and much much more livable on a daily basis. It was a great car and I would definitely buy another if the opportunity came.

[95avblm3]

Sorry... I forgot to say: parts are plentiful and really cheap, especially for the older cars.

[kaisen]

"$4-5K" and "never gonna need to fix it" are mutually exclusive expectations, really. You may get lucky, but you can't count on it.

Nothing wrong with a Miata, they're good little cars, fairly simple, easy/cheap to fix, and I wouldn't worry too much about the year or miles. Buy based on condition and how many clocks have been recently reset (timing belt/water pump, tires, battery, top replacement, etc.)

With most other choices, you'll be competing with every other budget-minded non-enthusiast that only wants to spend $5000 on a good reliable car. So the "usual supects" will be stupid expensive for what they are . Anything with a Honda or Toyota nameplate, followed by Mazda and Nissan, you can bet won't be a great value. So buying something off the Consumer-Reports-Kool-Aid radar will net you a better car for the money. A Miata fits that bill pretty well. Hyundai and Kia, Saturn, some Fords, some BMWs and Mercedes, etc.

For example, Denis (speeder) has a 1989 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3 with under 90K miles and in beautiful shape that will be well under $5K. They were simple cars that were built to go the distance. It was once owned by a celebrity too....

[Aragorn]

Miata is a nice car and they will last a long time if they are properly maintained. 100k on a modern car is nothing. Most of my cars have gone at least 200k with basic maintenance and consumables.

Pluses= Lots of performance parts available. Anything you think you will want to do in terms of modifications has most likely been done and well documented on the net. Most common fixes for small problems well documented. Collectible in certain models and colors. Its a blast to drive one on a twisty road.

Negatives= little room, small, not great gas mileage for such a small car.

Alternatives: I priced a Chevy HHR around the LA area recently for around $5k. Focus Hatchback. Another Hyundai or Kia. Older Neon ACR or SRT. Camry.

[mikehinton]

I recently sold my 1990 Miata that I had purchased new back in December 1989. It had almost 210K miles. Still had original clutch, starter was replaced after 20 years, and it had regular timing belt and water pump service about every 60-70K miles. Still ran perfectly. As long as maintenance had been done, I wouldn't worry about a 100K example.

[FastCarFan]

My brother has a Miata with over 125k miles on it. He bought it used about 11-12 years ago. It has been bulletproof (although I think it needs a clutch). One time I mentioned the Porsche mechanic I use, & he said, "Miata owners don't need mechanics."

[speeder]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

^^^

The block might be bullet proof but what about the stuff that bolts to the outside of it?
Like, starter motor, alternator, water pump etc.

That stuff wears out eventually on any vehicle. NBD, just change the parts when they give up. I've never owned a Miata but I have a good general familiarity with them and I would not even hesitate for a second to buy one with 100k+ miles. At least not based on miles. I would jump on one with 200k if the price and condition was right.

New cars in general are wearing out a lot slower, (at least in terms of miles), and Miatas have earned a rep for being bullet-proof like an old Toyota PU w/ a 22R engine.

[id10t]

I abused the heck out of my Mazda pickup (B2200), it went 130k before a carb problem made me park it in favor of driving the 356. Sold it to a friend for $5, he's been taking better care of it and it now has over 200k on it.

Wife's 01 MPV van had basic stuff done more regularly, no real issues up to 200k miles, at 207k we traded it in just as a steering problem was cropping up. What did we trade in on? Another Mazda.

So... for the right price, don't be afraid of the miles. As long as maintainence is done, they'll go 200k+

[vash]

i helped a buddy switch out the motor on an early generation miata. i dont know what happened to the old motor or how many miles the car had..but it apparently had to go. i seem to remember my friend buying a low mile replacement for around $800. he was stoned the entire time..and i had no idea what we were doing. despite this, the install was pretty easy. how i avoided the contact high was amazing. the supply of cola and doritos was never ending