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Mazda cars do have an appeal to the young at heart. Mazda cars have always presented a dollars worth of car for the dollar you spend at the time. The 626 series built up their reputation of value as they were quite durable if maintained and driven accordingly. I respect Mazda for that but it wanes from there. I suspect at 80k the same is happening.
After a point, which happens to be close to ten years all the bets change, as with most all Japanese cars. First of all the government or ministry of Japan does not require ANY Japanese manufacturer to supply parts after ten years. If the car was a low volume selling unit it can drop sooner and even more so in the aftermarket.
They also require all the island cars to be removed from their roads after five years or about 50k miles for emission and prosperity reasons.
That is why power train parts are very plentiful in our country as they are purchased by dismantlers really cheap and they can find us to pawn them off on! It is a really nice business for the back alley auto shops.
This is where you grandson is going to get clobbered is when he needs just one teenie weenie part for a sports car! Sports cars are different animals from what he has repaired and of course this is a Miata. They are not that popular and even more so in the junkyards, that he may be used to shopping in.
He needs to think about the low 80k mileage and research the forums for their quirks and the types of people who follow the cars.
There is not much room in those cars and I see lots of them get out with just an obscure looking hat on their heads. Both, men and women that probably have nothing more than an apartment and a Phd. too boot! Not exactly the mechanically incline, if you know what I mean.
He needs to evaluate the PO carefully, as this could be just a owner of a car that has an equal amount of quirks. Maybe, he or she, needs another pair of shoes or wants something for their boots now!
I feel your worry too, about the safety of something so small but quick. Has he priced the insurance for a sports car at his age! If its a low volume car, their parts get on listed with the midnight auto clubs!
Just thinking with you.
Phil
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