1995 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Convertible

4-cylinder, 1.8 liter, 16 valve

5-speed manual

JM1NA3538S0616913

Clear

Gasoline

Finally…a real sports car that is reliable enough to be your daily driver! And it's old enough that most anyone can afford to buy it! It only weighs a bit more than a ton, so with its tough little 4-cylinder, 1.8 liter, 16-valve engine and fun five-speed transmission, this car has plenty of spirit and vroom. Pop the two levers and you can drop the convertible top to feel the wind in your hair while you’re cruising in style. I live in Oregon, so my favorite is to put the top down, and then zip up and down the hairpin turns of the scenic Columbia Gorge. For most of its life, this car has lived in Oregon and Colorado, so there’s no rust! This car has a new timing belt, new radiator hoses and heater hoses, new valve cover gasket, fresh tune-up, two-year-old tires, and I’ve religiously changed the oil every 3,000 miles, adding Slick 50 every time. Engine, transmission, clutch, suspension, power steering, cruise control all work as they should. No funny noises, wobbles, or pulls. The tires are great (see photo), the brakes were new a year ago, everything is in fine working order. All the gauges, controls, and interior lighting work exactly as designed. It has an aftermarket Pioneer radio/CD player, with USB connection and nice new door speakers, which works very well, despite the fact that I broke off the retractable antenna when I forgot to turn off the radio in the car wash. By the way, the vinyl roof has the usual Miata cracks over the windows, but has no leaks—even in the drive-through car wash. I think the previous owner replaced the roof, at least once. (I’ve included a couple of photos showing how clear the flexible vinyl window still is. You know how they sometimes get permanently fogged up over time.) Everything works like new, nothing is broken except that antenna. The air conditioner is ice cold. The heater pumps out lots of heat. (I recommend wintertime drives with the top down, the windows up, and the heater blasting. Sounds weird, but it’s really fun, and comfortable.) This is a 19-year old sports car that drives and feels like a five-year old one. I would not hesitate to jump in and drive it to the East Coast (or some other foreign country) right now. It’s an unusual kind of shifting blue-green color. I think the pictures here make it look blue, but in different light it looks like dark green. It's not a museum piece--it's been driven for 19 years so the paint has the usual small stone chips, small scratches, and in a few places the clearcoat is beginning to peel around the edges. No rust. It's overall clean and shiny and looks good from 10 feet. You’ll notice some body art in the photos. The previous owner had a parking lot mishap involving a pickup truck and the driver-side door, so it had a dent when I bought the car. I bumped and Bondo’d it – about a six inch by six inch square – but couldn’t afford to repaint the whole car, the blue-green color being difficult to match. So I covered the patch, and more, with a large painting. If you’re old enough, you’ll recognize the art as R. Crumb’s “Keep on Trucking” man. (Google it if you're not familiar.) It’s done with acrylic paint specially-formulated for metal, then clear-coated. It’s been stable for about five years now. You’ll also notice the handpainted “please don’t tailgate” request on the back bumper. That’s done in oil-based sign paint. And guess what? It works! Most people read it, and then back off. So except for the add-on radio, speakers, and the artwork, this Miata is completely “stock.” I’ve never raced it or driven it hard. I’m an old guy, my wife and kids complain that I usually won’t go faster than the speed limit.The only thing “bad” about this beautiful Miata is that both of the leather seats have two or three four-to-six inch tears along the seams. It never bothered me, and they don’t seem to be getting any worse over time. If that bothers you, you could slip on some nice seat covers or replace the seats. Your local Miata club can help you find what you want. Kelly Blue Book says the low end price for this car should be $3,115. I say eBay-ers know best, so I’ve listed this with NO RESERVE! High bidder takes it home. If you’re not on the West Coast and want to fly here to pick up your new sports car, I’m only eleven miles from the Portland airport, so I can easily pick you up. I’m also happy to deliver it to your choice of shipper in Portland or Vancouver, if you prefer. You make the arrangements and tell me where to take it.