2000 Miata for sale

[Little Car]

SOLD!
I want to thank everyone for your suggestions. This was truly an experience. Elaine

2000 Mazda MX-5Miata Convertible, 2 door coupe, 5 speed, 80K, white with tan top. $6,000 OBO

Exceptionally clean and in great mechanical condition. Front right finder has a minor dent. New Top installed by Track Dog Racing. This car is known to Track Dog Racing.

Other features- Driver and Passenger Air Bag; Power Door locks; Fog Lamps; Rear Window Defroster; Power Windows; Air Conditioning; Cruise control; PowerSteering; Power Driver Mirror; Leather Seats.


Photos to be updated.


I need to sell Little Car due to my mother's health. I will miss her, Little Car's mom.

[Little Car]

Help! I would like suggestions on how to make this vehicle more marketable. It is the age of the vehicle, stock, cost, etc? Thanks, Little Car

[CosmosMpower]

Any accidents, paintwork, anything wrong with the car mechanically, when the timing belt and water pump were changed if they were etc.

[goofygrin]

The price is 2-3k too high IMO. I sold mine with roughly double the miles, but all the maintenance, new top, new tires, roll bar, suspension, etc. for less than that.

[Rob®]

1. WTF do you need a 600W amp in a Miata?!? Did I miss the sub and all non-factory speakers? Those add value to you, but I'd think most people looking to pick up a Miata would see that as another time/money expense needed (pull and possibly replace with stock or not-so-overkill stuff). I would pull that - at least the amp and associated wiring - and sell that separately. You still won't get back nearly what you probably paid for it all, but I'd think it would help sell the car a bit more. I know if my mother, father, aunt, whoever was looking for a Miata, they would probably dismiss your car because of the amp alone. Purely stereotyping here, but big amps just slapped in the trunk generally scream "dumb kid owner." Especially $80 ones. No offense, and from personal experience.

2. Like CosmosMpower said: What maintenance is done? If *everything*, and it's all fairly recent, I would say $6k OBO is "fair enough" to start because of the relatively low mileage. I certainly wouldn't expect to get that much though.

3...but that dent kind of kills it too. That's most likely not just a PDR fix.

[goofygrin]

in addition to the above, a Dual amp is basically a walmart amp (ie shit). The paint looks oxidized (standard on that year) and the front bumper looks to be discolored (painted?).

$6k is perfect car price. This is not a perfect car.

[Rob®]

in addition to the above, a Dual amp is basically a walmart amp (ie shit).

It *is* a Walmart amp. I see they are $77 on amazon.com, and the second or third review says $55 at Walmart. So yeah, sticking with that being a pretty big factor.

[gofastlookslow]

I think thats being a bit harsh man. Its only a amp and a headunit. Its not like he has 4 1200 watt subs and 6 15"s in the trunk. Its at least mounted and iits not sitting on the floor sliding around. LoL Granted its not Audiobahn amp or anything, but sometimes people just need cheap sound for commutes. I threw in some cheap crap so I at leeast had some tunes when I drive to college. If the only downside to this car is that it has a amp and a headunit I wouldn't think twice if the price was right.

[driftdevil]

What is it with everyone starting to be a dick on this board lately? The price is a bit high but ya gotta start somewhere. At least he asked what he could do to help sell it. Good luck with selling your ride dude.

[Rob®]

I'm not saying anything about the headunit - that's actually a plus to me. But a cheap amp just bolted in the trunk, powering what I'm assuming are just factory speakers, no. Look at it from someone's persepective that doesn't care about stereo stuff: a) You're losing that bit of trunk space, b) you have to be more careful of anything you put in the trunk to avoid the amp, c) an aftermarket headunit will power the factory speakers just fine for a daily commute (keep in mind the perspective here), and d) you're going to be stereotyped for it (again, keeping in mind the perspective). If the price was right, I agree, it's not a negative.

But the price isn't right. I would go so far as to say that anyone looking at a $6k 2000 Miata would be turned off by it. I would generalize that price-point group as older married men/women that want a damn clean and reliable car, with no interest in a big old amp like that. Like I said, if my mother/father was looking for a Miata, I will promise you that both of them would avoid that car simply because of the amp, and that would be about their price range simply because it's the "perfect car" amount. But they aren't enthusiasts looking for the best deal or to do any amount of work to the car at all. Which is my point. Stereotyping again, if someone is interested in an amp just bolted in the trunk like that, I'm assuming they aren't looking at a $6k Miata. Stereotyping is fun when you're in sales!

I have an Alpine headunit in my car. I also have Alpine components in the doors (with the tweeters mounted near the 1/4 windows), and a small amp tucked up in my dash. So I get the sound thing, really. But I wouldn't kid myself into thinking that shoving a large amp in the trunk would do anything but make people think twice. I also wouldn't want that to begin with, but that's personal opinion.

[Rob®]

What is it with everyone starting to be a dick on this board lately?

I'm assuming this is partially aimed at me? If so, I gave 3 reasons that I think it'll be a very tough sale at $6k. In fact, I even said $6k is "fair enough" to start, including my given reasons. The wife and I are off and on about picking up a Miata for her. She really just wants one so she can putz around in during the summer, so like $1000 range. But I don't really want to mess with another car right now, so I've been looking at cars that are advertised as near-perfect (ie ~$5k cars). Oddly enough, that makes me believe my opinion matters just a tiny bit since this car would be in the group I would consider were we currently in the "on" phase of car shopping. If that's the real case or not, I don't know. But it's my opinion, so of course I think it's the right one

If you meant the "not perfect car" comment, sorry. Honestly, I didn't even notice what was pointed out - my attention immediately turned to the mention of the amp, then the picture of it. Seriously, that's how much large amps jump out to some people that don't care for them.

[sammm]

What is it with everyone starting to be a dick on this board lately? The price is a bit high but ya gotta start somewhere. At least he asked what he could do to help sell it. Good luck with selling your ride dude.

+1 ... the seller asked how to make it more marketable...try to focus and don't pick nits on a freakin' stereo amp. Would you want someone sh*tting all over something you were selling?

To the seller...maybe the dent can be PDR'd out. It looks like a clean NB to me. Good luck with your sale.

[Prof]

Welcome to the Board--glad to have you join our motley crew--even if for a brief amount of time.

Next, Thank you for accepting our very humble input on your car. Be patient.

Last Fall, I paid $6K for my '03/Leather/loaded. Check eBay for comparison pricing--it (eBay) drives the market these days (for the good or bad).
My suggestions below are the things the owner had on hand that helped to move me along quickly to a decision:
*Make available the Timing belt change, brake and clutch services, and ALL other 60K service records.
*Provide a Car Fax link/overview to those who respond.
*What Mazda North America said about the car when you called their 1-800 number.
*Take/Post a picture of the leather seats--wear-and-tear if any.

Now to your posting: You say Gary S. (TD) is familiar with your car. Specify the nature of the relationship ("numerous upgrades", or general maintenance, or trouble shooting, or ---). If the relationship supports it, ask him to be a reference for someone to call if they want to dig deeper into the little car's quality.

Take better pics--usually in the early morning light--with an HD cellphone or digital camera. Be sure the flash is "on" (not "auto"). Crop out any junk or stuff around the car.

That's all I got to add.
Good luck--let us know how the sale goes.
Sorry about your mother's health--


Best,
Paul

[Rob®]

the seller asked how to make it more marketable...try to focus and don't pick nits on a freakin' stereo amp. Would you want someone sh*tting all over something you were selling?

If I asked for feedback on marketability, yes, absolutely.

[OZMDD]

Don't forget that "tone" doesn't translate well in text form. A flippant or casual comment can be read very differently. I get this a lot, so I understand. maybe the heat is getting to both the post-writers and post-readers.

To the OP: the best way to determine a fair selling price for a car(or anything, for that matter) is to compare it to the market. What is selling, and what is the price range? I would take an evening and go look at 3-5 other early NB Miatas priced from "fire sale" to "dealer premium." Drive a different car than your Miata and just tell the sellers you are a looker so they don't get all amped about a possible sale.

This ought to give you a much clearer picture of what you can expect. I agree that aftermarket amps and add-ons hurt a Miata in the resale market; they make the purchaser wonder what else has had some DIY engineering. If you don't have stock parts, make a thread on here offering to trade your aftermarket stuff for working oem parts,or just pull the visible stuff and make sure it all works. Nobody expects a 12 year old car to be all-original, but they sell better when they appear unmolested.

[gofastlookslow]

I'm not saying anything about the headunit - that's actually a plus to me. But a cheap amp just bolted in the trunk, powering what I'm assuming are just factory speakers, no. Look at it from someone's persepective that doesn't care about stereo stuff: a) You're losing that bit of trunk space, b) you have to be more careful of anything you put in the trunk to avoid the amp, c) an aftermarket headunit will power the factory speakers just fine for a daily commute (keep in mind the perspective here), and d) you're going to be stereotyped for it (again, keeping in mind the perspective). If the price was right, I agree, it's not a negative.

But the price isn't right. I would go so far as to say that anyone looking at a $6k 2000 Miata would be turned off by it. I would generalize that price-point group as older married men/women that want a damn clean and reliable car, with no interest in a big old amp like that. Like I said, if my mother/father was looking for a Miata, I will promise you that both of them would avoid that car simply because of the amp, and that would be about their price range simply because it's the "perfect car" amount. But they aren't enthusiasts looking for the best deal or to do any amount of work to the car at all. Which is my point. Stereotyping again, if someone is interested in an amp just bolted in the trunk like that, I'm assuming they aren't looking at a $6k Miata. Stereotyping is fun when you're in sales!

To each his own I gueess. The kid has something as simple as a 600W amp mounted in his trunk that appears to be running 2 sets of speakers. I don't have time to look it up, but let's be realistic here... what kind of RMS is a 600W Walmart amp truely running anyway? Probably about what a high end amp would that's a 1/4 the size. Even if he paid $55 for it or got it for free, he probably just wanted to hear some tunes while cruising with the top down. Its an amp. An amp won't cause most normal people to shy away from it. But that's just my opinion. Its not like the guy put on a turbo back exahust, intake, plugs and intercooler without putting a tune on it. Okay, yeah, then I'd steer clear. And would you have any interest in dating me? LoL Didn't you just say in the other thread that you aren't working right now but your cranking your AC at home and also car shopping? I need a sugar momma. LoL

To the OP, I would also mention things like the last time it had a tune up (if recently), if its had brakes done, if the tires have decent tread leftt and when the inspection is good until. Good luck selling it. I will ask around for you.

[fwMiata]

Market is soft for toys. Really soft. Jut look at how much is for sale on c-list for cheap.

Book is about that on that car, but everything is selling alot cheaper it seems.

just hide the amp behind the carpet... its not a big deal...

[black roadster]

Wow, this thread has gone bonkers!

The price was a starting point. Everyone knows people dicker. The amp is a non-issue and as a simple bolt-on that neither increases or decreases the value of the car. I thought I logged into Miata.net there for a minute with all this nit picking B.S.

Elaine, delete the photo of the amp. It's obviously offending people. Try to get some better quality photos and a photo of the interior and seats. Car looks like it might need a wash too. I'd try to keep it clean while you're selling it.

[gofastlookslow]

To the OP... my apologies for calling you a guy. Sorry Elaine! I hope that your motherr pulls through.

[Billy Blaze]

I have a 400watt Rockford and 300watt Rockford in my trunk, hooked up to tweets, 8in mids and an 8in sub in the floor, my system sounds fantastic and I can still fit a full sized guitar case drum throne stand, guitar stand, box of CD's and a coffee can...and still have a little room in the trunk.
I personally dont think anyone will care if you have an amp in your trunk.
When looking for a car, I am looking at mileage, mechanical condition and if it's been ragged or wrecked.
Best of luck with the sale.
I think 4500-5000. sounds about right