1990 Mazda Miata

Convertible

1.6L 1597CC l4 GAS DOHC Naturally Aspirated

Manual

jm1na3513l0149934

Clear

GAS

Here is a 1990 Mazda Miata, with a red exterior and black interior. It has 149,386 miles, 5 speed manual transmission, and limited-slip rear. It has working power windows, and it is equipped with air conditioning, but it is not working at this time. The paint appears to be original and shines quite well. The interior is in very good condition for its age, except for the radio bezel (tombstone) which is cracked at the bottom. The soft top has a few tears and will need to be replaced. The engine was replaced approximately 40,000 miles ago with a Jasper remanufactured unit, and the clutch was replaced at this time as well. The transmission shifts smoothly. All four brake calipers, rotors, and pads are new, as are the rear shocks and radiator. The tires only have a few hundred miles on them. The wheels have a fair amount of pitting, and one has a little curb rash. There is some body rust, but for a Northeastern car it is rather minimal. There is some rust on the rear of the trunklid (see pic), and where the right rear fender and rocker meet. The underside has some rust where the boxed section got dented (I have installed Flyin’ Miata rail supports on our other Miata which were in far worse shape and they worked great). The rest of the underside is pretty clean except for some surface rust on the suspension parts from sitting (see pics). The story behind this car is a little complicated, so bear with me. The original owner is a regular customer of a friend of mine’s shop, and had the engine replaced a while back (I’m not sure what year). She came in for service before it needed PA inspection, at which time he told her it would need rear shocks and calipers, rotors and pads at all four wheels. Due to these, combined with the soft top in need of replacement, she decided to get a new car, and sold it to my friend as-is to fix up for his wife. The car sat for a bit until he found the time to get the repairs done. In the mean time, his marriage went south, and the car sat inside for a few years. After the divorce was final, he brought it back to the shop to get ready to sell, which is when I saw it. I bought it with the intention to go auto-crossing, but we already had another one and we couldn’t justify having two. My wife has some emotional attachments to the other one (Marvin) so this one has to go. Of course, I have now had it for over a year since the title was in my friend’s wife’s name, and trying to get them together to have her sign it took forever! I have since replaced the rotors and pads again as they were a little rusty from sitting at the shop and my place. The car drives wonderfully now and I would not hesitate to drive it anywhere. I encourage you to come inspect it before bidding, and I have a lift available if you want to have a look underneath. The car is sold as-is, where-is, and there are no warranties implied or expressed. I will not ship this car, but I will work with your shipping as best I can. Again, the hardtop is NOT included in this auction, but will be offered to the winning bidder for $400. It is in pretty good shape, although it does have some dings and could use new paint. The seals and window are good. A deposit of $200 via PayPal is required within 48 hours of the auction close, and the balance is due upon pickup in cash or PayPal. The car must be picked up within 1 week (if you need more time let me know before bidding). Call Carl at 908-413-1418 with any questions or to arrange a time to inspect the car. On Apr-17-14 at 15:07:57 PDT, seller added the following information: I have some good news and bad news. The good news(for you!) is that the battery was not holding a charge and has been replaced with a new AGM battery. The bad news is that the radio would not accept the security code and now flashes "err". I tried to do the miata work-around, but the clock button will not work. The radio will likely need to be replaced. I also noticed that the pictures didn't really show any of the flaws on the exterior. Obvioulsly, the car is 24 years old and has dings and dents. However, there are three spots that I wanted to point out. The rear bumper has some deep scratches on one side, and there is some "spider" cracking in the paint by the driver's side marker light. There is also a dent about 4 inches long on the driver's rear fender, about 1/8" deep. I will add photos of these areas, but as hard as I tried the shot of the dent is hard to see.On Apr-19-14 at 12:12:05 PDT, seller added the following information: Here is an update on the engine. A bidder has told me that Jasper does not offer engines for Miatas. The shop who did the motor also deals with a rebuilder called Honest Engines, so it is possible that it is one of their engines. I have not been able to contact the shop to confirm the rebuilder, and I have no reason to doubt the bidder who gave me the info. All of that being said, I know the engine was replaced with a remanufactured unit about 40,000 miles ago, by a reputable rebuilder. It runs strong, smooth, and quietly.