Miata Mailing List: February 1999, Message #285

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Previously on Laguna R, Kathy Bryce <katbryce@earthlink.net> said...
 
> Without a lot of haggling yet I have a price on a '99 Sport with Power
> Steering/AC/Floormats/Mazda AM/FM/Cass/CD radio for 20,522.  Using
> Edmunds I calculate the Dealer Invoice at 19,608.00 for these options.
> (BTW, the Power Steering??)  What's the chances the dealer would swap
> the P/S for Cruise control or something useful?

Ask Sue Skinner when she last saw someone sunbathing in a bikini in her
neighborhood.

I don't even know if manual steering racks are available for the '99.  I
know that they exist, but are they in inventory anywhere?  All of the
spoRt models are coming with PS.  I'm sure that AC isn't a big hit among
the performance crowd either.  Considering that it is a spoRt, why are we
putting cruise control, etc. on it?

> Assuming the owner of the R would part for it at 13,000 I would come
> away with a car ready to race.  It only has 22k on the clock and it
> appears that most of that may be autocrossing.  The low-low miles worry
> me quite frankly.  Miata's need to be driven.  He claims he takes it for
> a spin on nice days.  Like the sunbursts and BRG's I assume I will be
> paying a premium for the limited edition car. 

All machines need to be operated, but if the car has been run regularly
and cared for well, I wouldn't worry too much about the miles.  As to the
limited edition, IT ISN'T.  Granted, neither is a Yellow, but I'd approach
it from the standpoint that you don't know anything about this here
metallic blue, it's kinda nice, but you've always been partial to Red... 
No sense in giving them more reasons to raise the price.

> If I get the '99, I will be financially strapped to get the race tires
> wheels, etc. Who isn't right!  Is it difficult to find 15 cheap
> light-weight wheels for racing tires on the '99?

Well, if you're looking for 15 wheels for a low price, you might just be
in trouble :)

The lightest wheels around are Mazda OEM alloys.  You can pick up a set of
14" wheels on miata.net fairly easily and inexpensively.  If you want 15"
it might be harder to find, but if light weight is critical, stick with
OEM alloys.

> I assume payments on the two cars would be similar due to the shorter
> term on the older car.  Would I get more bang for my buck by going with
> the '99?

No.

	-John

------------------------------------------------
John Freas (jfreas@earthlink.net)
Red '90 Base-ish #7690
Birmingham, AL
Team LS1,2, SP, the Gap...
Team dlralt, MRoadster, PBC, Roebuck, Voodoo...
"I have no idea what those dimple things on the windshield frame are for."
------------------------------------------------
> > 
> > Please email me privatly if you have or know of one.
> > 
> > Kat and Indi-go
> > '94 Laguna
>