1990 Miata - What's a "fair" price?

On Wed, 03 May 2006 06:39:38 -0700, XS11E >
wrote:

>
>A fair price would be the KBB price. The rims, tires, etc. add ons are
>worth nothing.

A fair price is the one which makes both the buyer and the seller
happy. KBB and other guidelines are just that guidelines.

Rims, tires, etc. are always worth something. What they are worth to
the seller and what they are worth to buyer can differ and can be a
deal maker or not.

I purchased my 1990 miata for 4500 about 3 yrs ago, and would not consider
taking less that 3500 for it today. It was in exceptional condition, hope
this helps you. To be honest are you buying it because you want one, and
plan to keep it for a while? If so you might pay more than the book value
but still be very happy.
"Tom" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Just looked at a 1990 white Miata, 49K original miles, 2nd owner. 60K
> service has been done. New Panasport rims and Kuhmo tires (16").
> Hella lamps, shock tower brace, front and rear underbody suspension
> stiffeners. New battery (the right kind). White guage faces with
> blue/green adjustable backlighting and a new rear view mirror with
> courtesy/map lights. The car truly looks like it just rolled off the
> assembly line. I looked at the body long and hard, and could not find
> one rock chip, nick or dent (not even on the hood). The underside is
> clean as well (no evidence of leaks or structural rust). The lights
> come up quickly and evenly. The interior is mint, and the seat side
> bolsters are unworn. It runs like a champ (as it should considering it
> only has 49Kon it). I spent a bit of time going over it with the
> miata.net checklist in front of me and everything looks good. It was
> originally owned by a retired couple who put 40K on it in 11 years, and
> is now owned by a 40 something couple who only drive it on nice
> weekends, and almost always with the top down. They've put 10K on it
> in almost 5 years. It appears to be a real cream puff, and looks
> terrific.
>
> Okay, I know about the potential crankshaft issue on the 1990 model.
> This car has a new timing belt, but they did not remove the pulley. I
> could feel no play in the pulley, and it spins true when running (no
> wobble). The car is in the Chicago area, but clearly hasn't been
> driven in bad weather (I'm not too sure it's even been driven in the
> rain much). What do you think a fair price is, given it's mileage and
> condition? I know what the KBB and Edmund's estimates are, but I can
> tell you that I have seen NOTHING that I'd consider buying in this
> market for anywhere near those prices, so I expect to pay more than
> that to get a clean, solid car. Your advice/opinion is appreciated!
>

IMO KBB & the other auto price guides grossly undervalue the Miata. In
my area (Atlanta) you won't find a Miata for under $3000 in any
condition. KBB for a Miata w/ 100K+ miles is like $1,500.

How about the deal I got last August.

2002 Miata
30,000 Miles
$8,000

California car. Hadn't been driven for a year.


OK, so it had an automatic. The Miata is one of the few cars where an
automatic drives down the price instead of the other way round. But I have a
handicap and can't drive a stick for long anyway.

And it's black. Not my favorite color but it is growing on me.

The 1.8L does have to work at times. On the run from LA to Vegas there are
about 3 10 mile stretches where it has to drop down a gear to stay at 80 MPH
on cruise.

Dan