# @threepiece.us on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DcqeBrUoCNV
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69997469-threepieceus-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/1f6e9134ed.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-08-30T12:04:23.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** threepieceus (@threepiece.us) — https://gondola.cc/threepiece.us

## Caption

You've been "almost" buying a Miata for four years. The prices didn't wait for you, and they're not going to.

Five things to know before you go look at one:

1. Weight is the whole argument. A 1990 base car left the factory around 2,100 lbs with 116hp from the 1.6 B6ZE. That's not fast and it was never supposed to be — it's why a stock NA on decent tires embarrasses cars with double the power on a road you actually enjoy.

2. 4x100, 54.1 hub bore, and every single thing bolts on. Factory was 14x5.5 or 15x6 in the +40s, which is why stock ones look like they're wearing hand-me-downs. 15x8 around +0 to +15 on a 195/50 or 205/50 is the setup people land on after buying two wrong sets first. Ask how I know.

3. Buy the rust, not the paint. Rear frame rails behind the seats, rockers, and the floor under the carpet — soft top drains clog, water sits, and the car quietly dissolves from the inside while the hood shines. Pull the carpet. Bring a flashlight. Bring a magnet if you're feeling brave.

4. Know your engine. 90-93 is the 1.6 with the short-nose crank keyway thing worth asking about. 94+ gets the 1.8 BP at 128-133hp and, if you find an M-package or R-package, a Torsen out back instead of the open or viscous diff. Timing belt is a 60k item and "the previous owner said it was done" is not a receipt.

5. The clean ones are gone and nobody's making more. Rough NAs will always exist. Unmolested, unrusted, one-repaint cars with a stock interior are already pulling real money, and the gap between those and the $4k specials is widening every month.

And yes, the wheel swap is a one-hour job. Block out your Saturday, because somewhere around hour five you'll be at the hardware store buying the extended lug studs you didn't know you needed, again.

Save this — future you at the parts counter will thank you.

#ThreePieceUS #Miata #NAMiata #MX5 #JDM #WheelFitment #Stance #ProjectCar #SportsCarBuying #CarBuyingGuide

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## Tags

namiata, stance, sportscarbuying, threepieceus, mx5, projectcar, wheelfitment, miata, jdm, carbuyingguide

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