What do you think of the high priced NA's?

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Browsing autotrader I found this:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=256858957&dealer_id=63694367&car_year=1990&rdm=1234290903614&model=MIATA&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=1981&keywordsfyc=&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=200&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=n&make=MAZDA&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=p&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=30327&advanced=&end_year=1997&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=140&standard=false

And I think the person is deluded. Utterly utterly mental. It's a Miata, there are thousands of them. It doesn't matter if you have stupidly low miles, why would anyone buy an NA just because it's completely original and unused? It's not the best looking car in the world. It's a car that has most of its appeal rooted in performance and handling, not sitting in garages.

I think they're nuts.

[RotorNutFD3S]

I've been ranting about such stupid prices for a while. Doesn't help when you're trying to find a decent early NA for a daily driver.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Yep, someone sees this and decides their 92 with 150k is worth $3800. **** I've seen much worse than that.

[metalman]

This is also known as Frank Reiss Syndrome. :lol:
He's the m.net ****** who sold his 93LE for 15k to another eccentric moron like himself.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

I would harass him with KBB valuations everyday.

[DecoyOctopus]

he obviously sees it as a collector item ahough it is way too early. unmolested and in all of its oem glory is how the car will fetch the highest price. thats how it works with classic muscle cars and etc, 14k is too much for the car but if he hangs on to it for another 10 years that car will be something really special.

[scandmx5]

so my 2003, 6 speed, with 71,000 for $11,000 was a rip-off?

[metalman]

Yes, problem is, these arent muscle cars, neither are they exotic or domestic...nor are they the car American youth court in and covet. Those are the ingredients of a truly collectible and VALUABLE classic. Miatas are collectible...but more like beanie babies.

[RotorNutFD3S]

No, that's about right for when you bought it. Idiots like this however believe they have a collector's item... :lol:

[MeFryRice]

I listed mine on the higher side as I'm expecting people to talk me down.

[lance]

he obviously sees it as a collector item ahough it is way too early. unmolested and in all of its oem glory is how the car will fetch the highest price. thats how it works with classic muscle cars and etc, 14k is too much for the car but if he hangs on to it for another 10 years that car will be something really special.

So if he saves it for another 10 years he could get what he paid for it 29 years earlier. Nice investment, and he didn't even get to enjoy driving it!!

[scandmx5]

So if he saves it for another 10 years he could get what he paid for it 29 years earlier. Nice investment, and he didn't even get to enjoy driving it!!

haha very true

[DecoyOctopus]

So if he saves it for another 10 years he could get what he paid for it 29 years earlier. Nice investment, and he didn't even get to enjoy driving it!!

lol yea your right

[metalman]

So if he saves it for another 10 years he could get what he paid for it 29 years earlier. Nice investment, and he didn't even get to enjoy driving it!!

The 'joy' to these morons is attention....theyre merely attention whores, playing big fish in a little pond. I agree though, the real enjoyment is in the drive.

[matredd]

what about a 2000 with 31k miles for 8700?

[DecoyOctopus]

i say its a good deal

[Georgia Cracker]

A car is worth what someone will pay for it.

As a point of reference - there were 5,300,000 classic Minis built. Last one in 2000. They were cheap econoboxes. Have any one you priced one around here? Good luck finding a car you would drive for less than $5K. A reasonably nice one is $8-10K. It won't be long before the price of the first Miata begins to rise for the very low mileage cars like the one above. Some already have. YOU might not pay that much for it. Neither would I. But someone will if you wait long enough. And it won't be in ten years. Once this crappy economy turns around the car market will too, and classic cars always go up first. This year the first Miatas will be 20 years old, some consider this old enough to attain classic status.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Assuming the economy turns around...

[MoD_Scotty]

A car is worth what someone will pay for it.

As a point of reference - there were 5,300,000 classic Minis built. Last one in 2000. They were cheap econoboxes. Have any one you priced one around here? Good luck finding a car you would drive for less than $5K. A reasonably nice one is $8-10K. It won't be long before the price of the first Miata begins to rise for the very low mileage cars like the one above. Some already have. YOU might not pay that much for it. Neither would I. But someone will if you wait long enough. And it won't be in ten years. Once this crappy economy turns around the car market will too, and classic cars always go up first. This year the first Miatas will be 20 years old, some consider this old enough to attain classic status.

A buddy of mine is stationed in the UK, and it cost him something like $1700 to have a 70's Mini shipped over here. I'm sure the car was really cheap to purchase in the first place.

I actually know a guy who bought an 80's Mini for like $6,000 about a year ago. It had more electrical gremlins than a Moqwai in a thunderstorm.

[wantboost]

i bet he doesn't want to sell it but has to appease the wife.

[FlipKing]

Lol, helps me. When I put my 95 up for sale, I put it up for 4,500.

[metalman]

A car is worth what someone will pay for it.



Well sorta....but sometimes only to that one person...or a very few.
In a more logical sense fair market values are determined by averages, not extremes.

Example...I bought a hardtop for $100, a friend got one for $250, another friend got one free.
So then, do we deduct that hardtops are worth about $125?
No. Because all three examples were extremes. Hardtops sell easily at $800-900
On the other hand if you pay $1600 for one youre getting screwed, even if its 'worth' it to you.

Same with the guy paying 15-20k for an NA. He's buying into the collector hype and in a business sense is wasting his money....regardless of what he thinks. ;) You dont pay now what a car MIGHT be worth in the future. That isnt smart. Nor is it indication of true market value. Nor is it fun to own a freakin Miata and not actually drive it regularly. My .02

[MoD_Scotty]

In the case of uber-low mileage, non-antique cars...the only justification I can see is that you're buying what's essentially a "new" car of a model that isn't sold anymore. It's still substantially cheaper than going to a dealership and buying a 2008 or 2009 model.

But I agree that 95% of the time, it's dumb. Especially in this case. You can get one hell of a Miata for that much money. You can get THREE nice Miatas for that much.