1993 Mazda Miata NA Base Convertible 2-Door 1.6L 5 Speed Manual Red 179K MI

Price: - Item location: Clyde, Ohio, United States
Description:

1993 Mazda MX-5 Miata Base Convertible 2-Door

No matter the question - The answer is always Miata. Few things compare to a light, rev-happy, two-seat roadster with the top back on a sunny day. This Miata in particular really makes a connection to it's driver by forgoing unnecessary power options and focusing solely on being a car at it's basic function. Five-speed standard transmission, crank windows, manual top, and manual rack & pinion steering.
I've had the pleasure of owning this car for about a year and a half now, but have had some unexpected bills come up. As a fair weather toy rather than a necessity, I'm offering it for your consideration. The mileage is approaching 180,000 and may continue to increase slowly as the nice weather lasts. I do not have the optional hard top available for this car.
This is a 25-year old used car with wear and tear to be expected for it's age and mileage. Please read description in full as I will detail some of the good and bad points below so that you can know what to expect prior to inspection.
The Good:
  • Paint is presentable and reasonably glossy when kept cleaned and waxed
  • Engine starts & runs well, and has recently received new OEM spec NGK spark plugs. The water pump and timing set were replaced early this year, along with both accessory belts
  • Transmission shifts well and is a pleasure to row through gears. Clutch master and slave cylinders were replaced this summer, at which time the rubber line between was swapped out for a braided stainless replacement from 949
  • Top is fairly new and has been garaged and also stored up for most of it's installed life
  • OEM Enkei alloy wheels in good condition and wearing tires with very good tread depth
  • Radio has been replaced with an Android-based double-din touchscreen unit which features GPS navigation, forward-facing dash cam (mounted aside rear view mirror) automatically recording to Micro SD card, internal flash storage, USB connection from center console for flash drive playback, backup camera, etc.
  • Headrest speakers were new as of this year and wired properly for stereo sound for each seat
  • Rear differential was smaller open unit but was recently replaced with a Torsen limited slip from a newer Miata, which also necessitatedupgrading axle shafts and driveshaft. There were no issues with original final drive, but a limited slip is undeniably more fun. Original rear differential, PPF brace, mount, driveshaft, and axle shafts may be included if interested.
  • Steering wheel is from a newer Miata and is leather-wrapped Nardi with hub modified to accommodatethe NA turn signal cancelling
  • Headlights were both recently replaced with name-brand, OE spec lights. Popup headlight motors and mechanisms have always worked without incident.
  • Car storage cover as well as tonneau cover (?) to go on top when down came with the car and will be included with its sale, though I've never used either
  • Three sets of wheels can be available with this car - to include the alloy wheels pictured and two sets of steel wheels.
The bad:
  • Paint has scuffs, scratches, fading, stone chips. Body has parking lot dings and rust at lower rear rockers. Emblems and stickers were carefully removed from rear tail filler panel, though ghosting from paint fade and some small mounting holes remain. Car as pictured is dirty from typical daily driver use but will be washed, dusted, and vacuumed again by the time this listing posts.
  • Plastic rear window on new top has some scuffs. Look to be from friction of folding top back without unzipping window first, and/or while window was dusty
  • Interior has fading from sun most notably on seats, wear to bolster on driver's seat, wear to driver's door panel, and general wear and tear from age and use. Glove box needs attention at hinge where a prior repair on a mounting point break has again failed. Proper plastic epoxy and surface prep should solve this. Dash vent eyes are droopy, with their aim drifting downward progressively with bumps and vibration, as is typical.
  • The 'lifter tick' common to DOHC hydraulic lash adjusters may be audible at cold start after car has sat
  • I don't believe the air conditioning is operational, and haven't had cause to have it checked out. If it's warm and sunny, the top is down - If it's unbearably hot and sunny, I put the top up for shade and leave all the windows open.
  • The radio does not have a CD/DVD/Cassette player, remote, motorized faceplate, or any other moving parts to speak of. For some people this may be an issue, but it's suited me fine as there are precious few places to store a CD collection in a car like this.
  • The backup camera wires have been routed to the rear of the trunk, but need fed through a grommet to the exterior and tapped to reverse lights in order to function properly.
  • The suspension is starting to show its age, with rough roads causing squeaks and shakes to emanatefrom various locations.
  • Manual steering can be a point of concern for people with bad steering habits. If you back out of a parking spot, stop, steer the opposite direction, and then pull forward, you're not going to like manual steering. You shouldn't be doing this with power steering either.
  • The OEM steel wheels which were originally on this car are in poor cosmetic condition from years spent behind hub caps. The tires on them are also badly worn. The set of clean steel wheels I have available do not have tires with them.
  • The air bag light is on due to air bag not being connected to clock spring in steering column. The connector from the NA clock spring was different from the NB air bag, and swapping the NA air bag connector resulted in insufficient space for the relatively large connector pair. This must be acknowledged as something which needs repair prior to operation on public roads for safety concerns, though there's no shortage of Miatas with quick release steering hubs and no air bags, so your opinion on this may vary.
  • One day during a 10+ hour drive, an accessory v-belt loosened up enough to squeak at idle. This was easily fixed with a stop into a parts store and a wrench, but it's worth noting that these engines use manually-adjusted belt tensioners if you've become accustomed to modern serpentine drives.
  • There is a seal or gasket which has begun seeping enough oil to drip on my garage floor. Not unusual for the age and mileage, but bears mentioning in full disclosure.
I can't think of any other details to mention, but will gladly answer any questions you may have. I would strongly encourage interested parties to schedule an appointment to inspect in person prior to purchase. Located near Sandusky, Ohio / Cedar Point, approximately one hour from Cleveland or Toledo and roughly two hours north of Columbus. This vehicle will be listed locally on other sites, and this listing will be cancelled if no longer available. Delivery may be available within local area upon request.