Know this car?

[creek]

Anybody know this car? I saw it on a consignment lot and have not spoken to the owner. It's a 2000 with less than 50k miles, new top and carpet. The seats are leather and show a lot of wear on both seats. It looks like the nose has been replaced but the fenders and hood seem to be original and unrepainted. 5spd. Do you have any suggestions for a counteroffer price? My current project is about done and I'm looking for the next.

[trickyrix]

The nose looks like the later '01-05 piece. Less than 50K miles with a lot of wear on the seats? New top and carpet? Hmmm... sounds fishy like a flood car. Good title? I'd get a CarFax for the hell of it (I don't currently have a subscription, but I'm sure someone here does).

If it drives nice and doesn't blow smoke or leak juices, I'd lowball 'em at $4500 and see what they say.

[Nails]

Run the vin thru a mazda dealer. Can do it on their website I think.

[bnordin]

I don't buy the worn seats at 50K unless two people used it to deliver pizza's. If it looks like a duck - - - -

[jrj512]

Let's not forget that the last car that Creek stumbled upon turned out to be a 94 R. Soemone should look into this!

[mk2tmr2]

Check the radiator core support and front frame rails for damage/repair evidence. It doesn't really look like an enthusiast-owned car and everything else is stock so the "upgrade" to the NB2 front bumper is most likely a repair job and not an aesthetic preference of a previous owner. I would think that, if it was in a front-end collision, it couldn't have been that bad because it still has the original headlights. (Orignal "style" headlights, anyway - if not the actual original units.)

I bought my car ('99 LS with tan leather) with 114k miles on it and the seats were in really good shape. I agree that ratty seats and replaced carpet at 50k miles is really fishy. I'd say it's either been outside with a torn top for an extensive period of time or the mileage is inaccurate. (Swapped gauge cluster?)

All that aside - it's purely cosmetic stuff and if the mechanicals are up to snuff I'd lowball their price by a good $1,500 based on the shady evidence at hand. It's hard for these types of dealers to bamboozle someone who knows their stuff. Unfortunately, they probably know they'll find a less knowledgeable person who is willing to pay closer to asking price with convertible weather upon us. That may make them less apt to budge.

EDIT: If you do get serious about the car it would not be a bad idea to pull up the top carpet (over the fuel tank) and check for rust underneath. I found rust on mine that was pretty bad. The little drains that run from the rain rail to the outside of the car were clogged with leaves and stuff which led to the rear deck getting wet every time it rained. If this car has been rained in a lot, that would likely be rusty.

[SPETSNAZ]

The new top shows me that the old top had leak & the leather was wet & prematurely warn is my guess. I ran upon a Porsche Boxer selling cheap & called the local dealership & found out it had interior water damage & had replace the electrical system. Did not come up on Car Fax. I agree with itrickyrix it smells like fish. Give them under 4k with cash & check under carpet & seats 4 rust. You can test for free if the car can pass state inspection. FYI

[Nails]

Carfax is garbage. They don't report everything and it takes months for them to update records.

[Ataim]

I ran upon a Porsche Boxer selling cheap & called the local dealership & found out it had interior water damage & had replace the electrical system.

Yep, I had to replace me Alarm control unit after leaving the top down and it rained. It only set me back 600

On the Miata, look at the lower control arm in the back, is there any sediment or trash stuck on top?