Thanks for looking at this beautiful, very low mileage 1999 Miata MX5. I'll do my best to describe the car in as much detail as I can and the pictures can do the rest of the talking. This car is in fantastic shape. Upon seeing it for the first time, my mechanic thought it was new. He did a double take when I told him it was 14 years old. The car has been well-taken care of and has been driven less than 3,500 miles a year on average. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to cars, so I tend to focus on the little things that could be fixed. This car is ready, as is, to give you many summers worth of worry-free, top-down, true motoring pleasure. I know, because I just recently drove it across the country. There are a few small things, cosmetic in nature, that I'll describe below that could be fixed. I say could vs. should or needs to be fixed, because they really don't need to be fixed. This car is in great shape and is ready to go. I just want to give an accurate picture of some of the small things that could be done to make this car perfect, rather than great.
The story:
I've had a hankering to buy a Miata for many years and while I would come close to pulling the trigger, I always made an excuse for why now wasn't the right time and never did. Finally, this year, I could stand it no longer. All the reading about top-down motoring, all the gorgeous sunny days that I could be having in the sun, and the unbridled joy of driving a true enthusiasts vehicle - it had to happen.
I combed all the websites and newspapers, keeping my eye out for the right car. Finally, this little red beauty showed up - clean, clear Carfax and title - and I snapped it up. I flew out to Massachusetts to complete the purchase. The owner told me he had bought the previous year from the original owner. The first owner had garaged the vehicle it's entire life and put very few miles on it. The second owner loved the car and used it to commute on the highway - which is where most of the last 10,000 miles have come from. He also had another car that he drove in bad weather and snow - a small Honda. He told me that he was selling the car because he wanted something with more power. I was happy to oblige him.
After a walk-through of the car and transferring the plates, I set off to drive the car back to Ohio - about a 675 mile trip. As I pulled out of the driveway, the now-former owner watched a bit longingly, obviously having second thoughts. I didn't wait around for him to change his mind.
The car was an absolute blast. While "low on power" (the engine makes about 140 hp), I found it more than ample. On the entire trip home, I never found myself needing an extra "oomph" to pass on the highway and, in fact, was surprised by the acceleration in the highway bands. This car isn't going to win you any stoplight drag races, but it will provide you endless smiles on the twisting, hilly roads that are made for small, rear-wheel convertible sports cars. The car ran like a dream the entire drive home. I lucked out on the early spring weather and had the perfect top-down temperatures for most of the drive home. Into the evening, I kept the top down and simply turned on the heat and rolled up the windows, which kept the car nice and snug.
Since that lovely first drive, sadly, I've only driven the car a few times. I also have a 2011 Mustang and a 1996 Mustang (both GTs), as well as my daily driver. On top of that, I work an hour away from home and I don't want to put needless miles on the cars, so I ended up pounding the daily driver and babying these cars - to the point that I don't drive them.
And now, this story comes to a head... about two weeks after buying the Miata, I learned that my company was transferring me to our Chicago-location. While extremely excited, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I certainly wasn't going to be able to have four cars in downtown Chicago - and in the end, I've decided to sell three of them and am giving the daily driver to family. While my my stint as a Miata owner has been brief, it's been incredibly enjoyable and I know that I will own another - just not now.
The car, in detail:
As I said, the car took me from Massachusetts to Ohio like a top. Not a single hiccup along the way. With less than 50,000 miles, this car can easily run for another 100,000 if not more. I routinely see Miatas deep into the one-grand mileage range - which is an impressive feat given the fact that most aren't (can't) be driven in the winter. When I bought the car, it needed a few things that I had done, namely: brakes (rotors and pads), an air filter, a bulb in the headlamp, and a fuel cap. Embarrassingly, the previous owner gave me a brand new set of ceramic brakes and I completely forgot about them before spending about $500 on brand new brakes and getting the fluid flushed and serviced. My loss is your gain - I'll include this brand new set for the next time around.
General condition notes
The car feels great when driven. Everything works as it should - the steering is tight and precise, the tires grip well and have plenty of tread on them, the brakes are new, the transmission shifts smoothly through the gearbox and the engines responds promptly and with full power. The car is small and low to the ground of course, but the road noise is pretty good - I'm able to have phone conversations with the top down and windows up, and despite my repeated questions, folks on the other end of the phone insist they hear me perfectly. The exhaust note is pleasant, though perhaps a touch louder than you might expect from a small car (which I think is one of it's nicer features) and really reminds you that you are driving a purpose-built roadster. This car isn't meant to be driven year round in all weather - it's meant for spring, fall, and summer especially - hopefully with the top down and along a winding road.
There's no rust, the body panels are straight and clean. The car has never been in an accident that I know of or that has been reported on Carfax - it's in good shape. Electronics (windows, locks, cruise control etc.) are all in working order. There are a few things that need to be fixed that are cosmetic in nature (described below), but this car is ready to go as is.
Mechanics
The car is in very good shape mechanically - the engine and transmission are strong and the car runs as it should. The clutch is in good shape, however, one of the bearings makes a noise when the car is cold and you engage the clutch. Once the car warms up, the noise is gone. The previous owner told me that this is a common issue with Miatas and it's not worth fixing, since besides the noise, there's nothing wrong with it mechanically and if you want to replace this bearing for less than $100, you should also do the clutch since you've gotten the car taken apart at that point. I asked my mechanic and he agreed. There's nothing wrong mechanically and the sound goes away after the car has been running for a few minutes. Besides that, the car is in perfect order.
Electronics
The car has the optional Bose sound system and it sounds amazing. Even with the top down at highway speeds, you get way more than enough sound from the speakers. The CD player works great as does the radio (and power antenna). The cassette player I'm not sure about - as I don't have any cassettes. I tried to put a cassette to iPod adapter in and it didn't take - I'm not sure if that's the cassette player or the adapter.
Interior and Exterior
Overall, the car is in great shape for it's age. The body is straight and clean, with minimal issues. The car is 14 years old however, and there is some standard wear and tear that you'd expect - some small scratches in the paint, wear on the interior, etc. upon closer examination. The car still has the original convertible top and is missing the boot cover. The top has two tears that were patched by the previous owner. While a little unsightly, the patches work perfectly and there are no leaks. It's rare to see a Miata with the original top at this age. Because they don't last more than 10 years or so, aftermarket and OEM convertible tops are easy to come by. You can get a new top and boot cover for less than $400 that look great on eBay. Check them out. I include the need for this to be replaced in the price I'd like to get out of the car.
The last owner put vinyl tape on the sideview mirrors, which I removed. Unfortunately, this left the paint rather faded. I'm not sure if it will polish out or if they need to be resprayed. With the number of Miatas out there, you well may be able to just swap out the mirrors from a junkyard.
Besides that, the rear bumper has some knicks that have been hastily filled in in the past and requires some attention. The only other noticeable imperfection is on the side skirt under the passenger's door - there is about a two-inch spot in the paint that was chipped away. There is no damage to the skirt - it just needs paint - but it has left the white exposed underneath. The previous owner told me that he had the front bumper resprayed and the passenger side headlight replaced after someone backed into the car. They did a great job and you wouldn't know that had been done - it looks great and there is no body damage.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I'll answer them as quickly as I can. If you are local, I'm happy to show you the car, but my work schedule makes anything but the weekends pretty tight. The pictures were taken in May, a few days after I brought the car home.
Mazda MX-5 Miata for Sale
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Auto blog
Wed, Mar 23 2016
We knew Mazda was going to introduce a new Miata variant ahead of the 2016 New York International Auto Show, but the smart money was on a power retractable hardtop version that largely mirrored the last-gen car's folding number. So it was a surprise when the new 2017 Mazda MX-5 RF – retractable fastback – drove onto the stage sporting wild buttresses and a hide-away targa roof panel. The buttresses lift up and swallow the rear window and roof panel in a matter of seconds, and then the buttresses snug back down. This leaves a hoop spanning the buttresses, but at least it's done up in black to be less visually apparent. The result is more of a targa roof experience, rather than the previous PRHT which gave occupants essentially the same experience as the soft-top with the top down. No matter. The result is stunning, and will differentiate the RF even more from the standard MX-5. Mazda designers took extra care to make sure the interface between the MX-5's dramatic fenders and the trailing edges of the roof support provided enough visual drama. Mission accomplished, we'd say. We can't take our eyes off that part of the car. View 13 Photos As you might expect, mechanical changes seem to be minor, although we'll be asking for detailed specs. Both the 1.5- and 2.0-liter engines will be available globally, but only the 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine will be sold in the US. The roof can be operated at up to 6.2 mph. Mazda claims the truck space is unaltered from the soft-top model. We don't yet know how much, if any, the RF's mechanism adds to the bantamweight roadster, nor the premium it'll command. Expect those details closer to launch. Related Video:
Mon, Jun 5 2023
Just a year after the Mazda MX-5 Miata first went on sale in the United States, Ford's Mercury Division began selling a similarly-priced two-seat convertible here. This was the 1991-1994 Mercury Capri, and I've found an example of the hot-rod turbocharged version in a northeastern Colorado car graveyard. The Capri name has an illustrious history within the Ford Empire. First used on a Lincoln in 1952, it went on to serve as the name for a hardtop version of the early-1960s Ford Consul in the UK, then as the designation for a low-end trim level on the 1966-1967 Mercury Comet. Starting in the 1969 model year in Europe (1970 in North America), Ford began selling the best-known Capri of all: a sporty coupe based on the Cortina, sold through Mercury dealers in the United States but never badged as a Mercury here. Sales of that Capri halted here after 1978 (they continued through 1986 in Europe), but the Mercury Division then moved the name over to its version of the 1979-1986 Ford Mustang. After that, Ford Australia took the Capri name for a new Mazda 323-based sports car beginning in 1989. Then Dearborn decided that an Americanized version of the Australian Capri would be a success on this side of the Pacific, and left-hand-drive Capris began showing up in American Mercury showrooms in late 1990. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those first-model-year cars, and it's the very rare turbocharged XR2 version. While this car was intended to be a competitor for the Miata, it's really that car's Mazda cousin. Both cars got their power from 1.6-liter versions of Mazda's versatile B engine, though the Capri had the same front-wheel-drive setup as its 323/Protege (and Escort/Tracer) platform siblings. At the same time, Ford was selling Kia-built Mazdas with Festiva (and, a bit later, Aspire) badging, alongside Mazda MX-6s with Probe badges. Just to make things interesting, American Mazda dealers were selling Ford Explorers as Mazda Navajos, while Rangers with Mazda badges followed starting in 1994. The 1990s were Mazda-riffic times at Ford! This car wasn't the first Australian-designed, Mazda-based Ford product sold in the United States. That honor belongs to the 1988-1989 Mercury Tracer, which was based on the same Mazda 323 platform as the Capri and built in Mexico. Later on, the Tracer remained a member of the 323 chassis family but was a nearly identical twin to its Ford Escort sibling.
Wed, 30 Oct 2013
Kevin Rice left Mazda a baker's dozen years ago, but now he's back.
A graduate of the Transportation Design program at Coventry University (just across town from Jaguar headquarters), Rice worked his way up in the industry working for the likes of Opel and Italdesign Giugiaro before landing a job at Mazda. Between 1995 and 2000, he collaborated on such projects as the RX-8 and the 1999 Neospace concept that previewed the Mazda2 before moving on to BMW, where the new 3 Series and 4 Series were among the last projects he worked on during his 13-year tenure in Munich.
Now back at Mazda, Rice has been named the Japanese automaker's new creative director, charged with further honing the brand's KODO design language from its European headquarters in Oberursel, Germany. We're looking forward to seeing what he and his design team come up with in the coming years.
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