Just looked at a 1990 white Miata, 49K original miles, 2nd owner. 60K service has been done. New Panasport rims and Kuhmo tires (16"). Hella lamps, shock tower brace, front and rear underbody suspension stiffeners. New battery (the right kind). White guage faces with blue/green adjustable backlighting and a new rear view mirror with courtesy/map lights. The car truly looks like it just rolled off the assembly line. I looked at the body long and hard, and could not find one rock chip, nick or dent (not even on the hood). The underside is clean as well (no evidence of leaks or structural rust). The lights come up quickly and evenly. The interior is mint, and the seat side bolsters are unworn. It runs like a champ (as it should considering it only has 49Kon it). I spent a bit of time going over it with the miata.net checklist in front of me and everything looks good. It was originally owned by a retired couple who put 40K on it in 11 years, and is now owned by a 40 something couple who only drive it on nice weekends, and almost always with the top down. They've put 10K on it in almost 5 years. It appears to be a real cream puff, and looks terrific.
Okay, I know about the potential crankshaft issue on the 1990 model. This car has a new timing belt, but they did not remove the pulley. I could feel no play in the pulley, and it spins true when running (no wobble). The car is in the Chicago area, but clearly hasn't been driven in bad weather (I'm not too sure it's even been driven in the rain much). What do you think a fair price is, given it's mileage and condition? I know what the KBB and Edmund's estimates are, but I can tell you that I have seen NOTHING that I'd consider buying in this market for anywhere near those prices, so I expect to pay more than that to get a clean, solid car. Your advice/opinion is appreciated!