Is a 1996 Miata M-Edition Worth 5 to 6 thousand?

MattD1zzl3

2 Slow 2 Noisy
Joined
May 6, 2007
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3,736
Location
Miamishire
Car(s)
1996 & 2003 Mazda Miatas, 1995 Chevy Camaro Z28
Toyota let go spectacularly and i am car shopping for a new daily.

85,000 miles, pretty damn good shape, thats what the dealer wants for it. (Asking 6500 i think, no where in hell they are getting that much from me)

Pretty straightforward question finalgear... thoughts?

starlight.jpg


(PS: The alternative is a red 1988 Trans am GTA 5 speed, if you want me to shut up about F bodies ever, it'd better be this :) )
 
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you already have a miata

if you drop 5-6K in that one, you should end up with something better than this one i guess?
 
Given what they go for over here and the fact that in the US cars are, in the main, cheaper than one would expect to pay in the UK I'd say that even if that was a minter with a full main agent service history and immaculate paint it's still only $4500 tops.
 
The 2003 is mainly my girlfriends car, although i drive it almost as much as she does. Wasnt even looking for another miata, i went to a dealer looking for a lincoln because my toyota 'sploded, it wasnt as good as advertised so i walked on it, and from across the lot i saw this mint blue NA.

Miatas are very expensive in florida, as you can imagine from being sunny 24/7. But thats still a good chunk of change for a 13 year old car with nearly 90,000 miles, i think they wanted 6995 or some stupid number like that. Im gonna go in offering 4500 and go up to 5, even that i am slightly queazy about.

M badge on the tach and tan leather interior, cruise control, headrest speakers. Its like a M3 with all the "M" badging about, im in love with a miata :3 I wouldnt mod it or try to make it fast. Nice daily that i keep in good condition to show future generations :D
 
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The M cars go for a mint, get it checked, timing belt, rust, pop-ups, top, etc. I'd say for a M with 85,000, in good/great condition $6,000 is just about fair market price.
 
Oops. Forgot to factor in your location. Surely cheaper to track one down in New England, fly up there and drive it back? In places where they have proper winters you should always buy convertibles in the fall or winter and sell in the spring.

Look forward to better/more pics if you end up buying it. Good luck anyway.
 
Get the Trans Am!!!
 
Oops. Forgot to factor in your location. Surely cheaper to track one down in New England, fly up there and drive it back? In places where they have proper winters you should always buy convertibles in the fall or winter and sell in the spring.

Look forward to better/more pics if you end up buying it. Good luck anyway.
Those are likely to be salt damaged, more heavily than a Florida car (yes, even with the coastal areas around Florida). Miatas, especially older ones, are often daily drivers, even in the areas that get "real" winter.

If you post in the pricing section on miata.net, you just may get examples of similar cars and what they've sold for. This may give you more tools for negotiation with the dealer. They're definitely trying to capitalize on the whole "m edition" thing.
 
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Well said. I should have said "no clue, ask Equi" in my original reply!
 
I like the NA. My girl already dailys an NB and for some reason having the same exact car would be just a little too cute-sy for me ("His and hers" miatas, how lame would that be?), like some kind of dumb sitcom. I think the NA looks just different enough for me to get away with it. Also POPUP HEADLIGHTS! :D

IMG_0651.jpg


Defiantly the cars best angle... Im confident enough in my masculinity to say "D'AWWWWWWWWWW!" :3 (<-- Seriously my face looking at that picture)

Get the Trans Am!!!


Im tempted, despite me not being sure it would make a great daily... The trans am car that is also an option is a real 1988 Trans am GTA WS6, manual. Its red, and also has popup windows :D Also its $1800, not $5000. Id rather have the miata to be honest, but its tempting...

Looks just like this:

GTA-May-2002.jpg
 
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You of all people should know how awesome the F-Body is. If you can live with the fuel consumption.
 
I agree with the post on checking with miata.net. And so too about the looks. My white NA6 just looks so adorable with the lights up :D
 
Pah. You don't need a gayata, get something manly like this:

mg_midget_16.jpg


:p
 
M edition was ragged, broke horribly, radio didnt work, and he wouldnt go below 5.5 thousand for it (i am not in the mood for another project car)

Driving north to orlando for some awesome 70,XXX mile NA's for a GRAND less (Targeting $4500). I almost gave up and went for a mercury grand marquis, but i want a miata of my own, damn it.
 
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Miatas, especially NAs, always hold their value for some reason. Evidently it's gotten around that they're "collector's cars" or something ridiculous - you should see some of the clapped-out six-figure mileage things I find around here that still sell for $4500 and higher.

I guess the added value here in New England is, "they've faced rust and shrugged it off!" True survivors, those.

Also, every M-Edition Miata produced from year to year is different. Special one-year-only colors, BBS and Enkei wheels (the former on the 1995 model, the latter on this example above), and whether or not a Torson LSD was offered for that specific year (like from 1994 on). They were priced around $3000 higher than the regular model, with the 1996 M-Edition having the highest sticker of any Miata then.

There's a possibility that the model above could be the STO Edition, "Still The One." This was only produced in 1997 and had a similar shade of blue to the 1996 model (Twilight Blue Mica vs. Starlight Blue Mica), and the same 15" Enkei wheels. They were individually limited to 1500 examples and can be identified by badges on the back and the doorsill.

Source: Miata.net
 
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Miatas lose their value here quickly. From my searchings on craig's list (a very destructive hobby) I've found three cars which won't lose their value in WA: Mustangs, Minis, and Subarus.
 
Miatas lose their value here quickly. From my searchings on craig's list (a very destructive hobby) I've found three cars which won't lose their value in WA: Mustangs, Minis, and Subarus.

My relationship with craigslist is very much a love hate. I love browsing it, but I hate that I can't buy all the sweet cars that I see.

I might have to head on down to WA craigslist soon, because there is a serious lack of El Caminos in Vancouver.
 
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