Would you buy a Miata with the engine already pulled? And how much would you pay?
 

Ive got my donor vehicle for the engine, and Ive almost got the engine out. Looking around on craigslist I found a '91 with the engine and transmission already out. Would you consider this for a swap? Ive been meticulously labeling everything on the Mustang so I know what's what, and I wont be able to do that on the Miata since its already done. But it does save me some work.

The car itself is a white '91 Miata. Its got some CXRacing coilovers (Not sure how those will work with the V8), an unpainted hardtop, the hardtop spoiler, a hard dog roll bar, and a newish soft top. The top and spoiler are sanded for paint, and the car could use a re spray, but the interior seems to be in good enough shape.

How much would you pay for a roller with those addons?

Rollers are generally $500-$1,500 as described in my area

It's going to take you more time to figure out what wires are what (and fix any issues created by whoever pulled the engine) then to just pull the engine from an unmolested car. I had the 4 cylinder out of my last car in 2 hours by myself. That being said, I'd still buy a car with the drivetrain out for the right money.

It's rust free right? Don't make the same mistake I did and end up re-doing everything down the road with the Miata I should have used.

Yea the locating the wiring thing is my main issue Im worried about. I sure I can locate everything wth you guys help though. Lol

And rust is usually a non-issue with cars around here, but where are the problem spots I should check on a Miata?

A common and problematic rust spot is the rocker panels in front of the rear tires. If the rockers and the underside of the car are clean and it's in the price range mentioned by mrmustang, its a buy.

Ok thanks. I'll offer him like $1000 and see what he says.

Another spot for rust is at the base of the a pillar. If there's so much as a bubble in the paint, walk away. It will be a decent amount of work to fix.

Keep in mind that depending on the year you are loosing a lot of potential money you could be getting back after the build when you sell the original parts. I specifically went for the year and trim package NB I picked up this time around because I know the engine and rear are worth a bit. The 1999-2000 1.8 engines are the only ones with solid lifters and no adjustable cam timing making them worth about $600. The rear is a 4.3 Torsen which is desired by almost everyone without a turbo. I learned this after using 1.6 cars for my first few builds. The 1.6 engines and the viscous rears are worth so little I ended up giving them away.

As far as what's left in the donor it really depends on what you want to build. If you are building a track car it can be completely stripped of all wiring and you'd be fine. If you are planning on building a street car then you'd want to have the chassis harness, the dash harness and the light harnesses intact. If the Mazda engine harness is out it's not really a big deal as most connections can be made without using it.

Hope that helps,
-Jason

Its got all the wiring there, so that's good. He just pulled the engine and transmission to fix it.
And I honestly doubt I could easily sell a Miata drivetrain around here. I very rarely see Miatas in my area. All the engines I see on craigslist have been up for quit a while.

Check out my build thread, I bought my car after it had been stripped for an exocet/catfish build. He kept all the suspension and drive train....but its really not as bad as you think. If you are doing it right, you will be positively identifying everything with a wiring diagram anyway.

How much would you guys pay for a 2002 NB with a blown engine? Silver with one of the non-functional double hoop roll bars. Needs new paint on atleast both bumpers from what Ive seen in the pics so far. Still waiting for better pictures. They're asking $2400, which is way too much IMO, I was gonna offer them $1400 and go from there.

EDIT: Pics

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Its an automatic run-of-the-mill Miata with a blown engine. If the body was pristine with a brand new top and ZERO rust and it had under 60K miles I'd offer $1400. The $2400 is the top of what its worth with a running engine. If it has the usual amount of wear and miles a Miata of its age has I would not go over $1000. If it needs a new top hit the guy with $600.

On the plus side for you (not him) the slush box (once pulled) is worth more than the five speeds are (in the car it decreases the value). Also, auto Miatas tend to maintain a bit more of their rigidity over the coarse of they're lifetimes do to fact they really can't be driven that hard.

Get the mileage and age of the soft top. If he has a hardtop he can let go with it offer him the $1400 and run with it.

Hope that helps,
-Jason

There are a few things at work here, some of which is the area the of the country you are in. Assuming that car is rust free, It would be worth 1400 all day long around here, and in running condition it would be a 3000-3500 car depending on the miles. Spring is coming and prices will be more competitive.

With that said, when I was shopping for my car, I found that you need to get past what you think market value is, and find something that you want. I ended up paying 2500 for the body of my car minus the complete skate, steering column, pedals, and fuel tank, but it was EXACTLY what I wanted and was in excellent shape.

Travis does have a point, if overall cost is not a big a concern as having exactly what you want then find the donor car you want regardless of price. I'm probably a bit more conscious of the overall project cost then most because I always try to build mine with an exit strategy that does not loose me money. To that end, my biggest qualifications in buying a donor are:

1: Will it make a desirable conversion for people other than me (no R title, etc).
2: What will be the value of the parts I can take off that can offset the total cost of the build.

When I am going into this #2 can make a big difference in overall cost. Take for instance a 1990 donor vs. the 1999 I just picked up. Both could be had for the $3500 I paid for the 1999. Lets even assume both have the same miles and are in the same cosmetic shape:

1990 -
Starting Price: $3500
1.6 short nose engine value: $200 if that
Trans Value: $100
1.6 Viscus rear value: $100 if I can get rid of it
Total Donor Price: $3100

1999 -
Starting Price: $3500
1.8 solid lifter engine value: $600
Trans Value: $300
1.8 Torsen II rear value: $800
Total Donor Price: $1800

Add to this the fact that the 1990 may need to have the smaller 1.6 brakes upgraded or the bushings replaced just due to age and the difference in donor price continues to climb. I've actually already upgraded the 1999 brakes to 2003+ spec, the original springs/struts to a set of used FCM's and the wheels/tires to what it has now (6Uls I had lying around). Because NA people want NB stuff as upgrades all the parts I pulled off sold in less than a week for $450 combined. I would have replaced all this by now on a 1990 as well but would still have the old parts lying around or in a dumpster somewhere.

Just food for thought,
-Jason

Another thing to keep in mind is emissions testing. Where I live, all cars under 25 years old require a yearly test in order to get a tag. I finally got past all of that stuff with my 1991 model.

Thanks for all th input. A lot of good points here.

I foun another one today. A '99 with a blown radiator. The guy said he got it to do a 302 swap and ended up not being able to do it. He said the car ran before the radiator went. IDK how much I can get it for yet, but here's the one thing I'm worried about. It doesn't have a traditional title. Its got a Permit to Sell. From what Ive gathered it was probably towed, and no one ever picked it up, so the tow yard gets to sell it now. The guy sent me a pic of the papers, and it all looks legit.

As far as cost, I would like to keep it low. I dont mind fixing stuff up myself, I actually sort of enjoy it. Paint and the dash not being cracked are probably my two main things I'm looking for. If i can avoid having to get it panted, I can save money there. And I plan on putting different seats, so ripped seats aren't a big deal to me.
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Not a huge fan of the wheels, but I can probably get something for them. Body looks to be in good shape. I am kinda concerned about the Permit to Sell thing though.

Make sure it does not have a lien against it. The state should be able to check that for you with the VIN number.

Ill look into that. Would I contact the DMV for that?

yes!

Whats it going for?

He's looking for 1500. I offered him 1100 and will go from there.

When I was looking for mine, I wanted a 94-95 for the bigger brakes and more sale-able parts, and pre-OBDII so emissions testing would be simpler. I wanted a red "B" package equivalent with a straight body that didn't need paint/body work. Took over a year, and found it in my travels to CA. Had Hard Dog roll bar, chin and rear R-style spoilers, and rolled fenders. Seats with no tears, good top, and everything worked. Could have done without the rolled fenders but the rest was nice. It ran and I drove it 3k miles home. After selling drivetrain, wheels, tires, seats I ended up with $1k in a nice tub--much less than a paint job. Patience paid off.

He texted me today and said he'll let it go for $1200. So I'm gonna go check it out Saturday.

It looks like you found one that will work for your project.
Did you buy it?
From the angle the picture is taken from, the top looks good. If it is trashed a good bit of change will be needed to either get it replaced or find a hard top to use.

Tops decent. Its got a tear in it that you can see above the side window, on the back side. But Ill just put some duct tape on the inside of it till I get a new top.

Here's the kicker. I paid $1200 for the car because the guy said it needed a new battery, and the radiator was bad. I put the battery I pulled out of the Mustang donor vehicle in it, and it started right up. Drove it for about 30-40 minutes around the neighborhood, and the temp gauge never got over 1/2 way up. I'm gonna see about adding it to my insurance this week so I can drive it around while I'm still getting the parts for the V8 swap together. Ive never driven a Miata before today, and holy crap, these cars are fun. I cant imagine how it'll be once its got the V8 in it.