10k: Flyin Miata: 1997 Mazda MX-5 Turbo
The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a car that needs no introduction to the average car enthusiast, average dude or even some high functioning great apes. They were ubiquitous in the 1990s as the convertible 2-seater for the masses who like to turn and are inexpensive performers for the average man today. Mazda has built over a million of the little roadsters in the past 23 years and the only issue is lack of power…easily solved with an aftermarket turbo kit. Find this 1997 Mazda MX-5 Turbo for sale in Brooklyn, NY for $9,750 via craigslist. Seller submission from Brian A.
The 1st generation Mazda MX-5 (Miata in the US market) featured a simple jelly bean shape, pop-up headlamps and a lightweight chassis for basic motoring pleasure. The MX-5 sold well around the world not because of what it had, but because of what is lacked — needless complexity, fancy-pants styling and extra mass were not on the option list from Mazda.
This MX-5 was equipped from the factory with a 130 horsepower 1.8 liter inline-4, but it has been augmented with a turbocharger kit from Flyin Miata – a well known tuner and house of madness for Miata transformations. The seller shares a dyno sheet that shows 245 horsepower and 222 ft-lbs of torque at the rear wheels make this one a real barnstormer.
The inside of this MX-5 looks really nice for a 16 year old car – the leather looks supple (seller states they are new sport seats with embroidered M logo) and the rest of the interior looks good too.
See a better turbocharged hardtop roadster? email us here: tips@dailyturismo.com
Very nice. I'm always reluctant to buy someone's altered car, especially when there haven't been a lot of miles since the alteration (addition of the turbo sounds relatively recent) but this looks well done and very clean. i agree with the seller that it would cost a fair bit more than this to replicate it especially just finding a good, clean M-edition to start with. It's more than I have in my selfishly-indulgent-plaything-piggybank or else I'd buy it.
This thing truly checks all the right boxes. Name-brand parts from the most trusted names in the Miata community (FM, Mishimoto, Hydra), rare hardtop, rare color combo, factory wheels, no gaudy or silly mods, and most importantly, time on the dyno. The relatively high price reflects the quality of work you're getting with this vehicle.
Also, 28 MPG is about what my Miata gets with its stock 130 hp engine…