Mx5 advice

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Spare tyre

Original Poster:

9,456 posts

129 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
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I'm getting rid of my sensible car and hobby car as its too much fannying about.

I'm looking to replace it with a mx5 mk2.5 something with heated seats and ac

Needs to have heated seats as I'll be borrowing the mrs's car when work requires and she won't have any of it if there's no heated seats

Now I've seen a couple of 2004ish 1.8's that tick all the boxes, however is the rust really as bad as they say

I don't want to end up with something that's gonna need a Bunch spending on it at mot time as I only wanna spend 2-3 k on the car initially.

Are the horror pics of crusty 5-10 year old cars really representative or am I worrying about nothing

I will probably be looking around Xmas / jam time, are they actually notably cheaper in winter or is that a load of guff

Any pointers as to spotting the rust would be lovely

drgoatboy

1,611 posts

206 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
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Can't talk to the rust but I'm not sure they are cheaper in the winter.
What definitely happens is there are less for sale, so finding that super bargain is harder.

drgoatboy

1,611 posts

206 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
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Can't talk to the rust but I'm not sure they are cheaper in the winter.
What definitely happens is there are less for sale, so finding that super bargain is harder.

MX-5 Lazza

7,952 posts

218 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Prices are so low now that they don't really change much in winter. Better to start looking now and just hold out until you find the right one.

People will tell you that there is no such thing as a Mk2.5 that is rust free but they are around - I have one for example (no it's not for sale).

To get the heated leather seats in a UK market car it has to be a "Sport" (sometimes called S-VT). AC is more common on the Mk2.5 than previous models but still a relative rarity.

There are plenty of Japanese market cars around but not as many as previous models. These tend to be higher spec though a UK Sport with AC will have all the toys anyway. There are loads of special editions (Mazda release 2 a year, UK & JDM - always have and probably always will) and some of these are higher spec (Euphonic and Jasper Conran for instance) but most UK specials are based on the lower spec base models, usually adding leather seats and some badges.

The rust to look out for is in a couple of places. The most obvious is in the sills where the rear arches join to the sills. The sills and the rear arches trap dirt/leaves etc. and are a breeding ground for rust. Less obvious but just as important is the front chassis legs in the engine bay. From Mk2 onwards Mazda had to switch from using a single thicker plate in this area to using a double-skin in order to pass front crumple zone tests. Moisture gets trapped in this double skin and causes a lot of rust problems. It's not easy to see but you can feel it fairly easily with finger tips. You need to reach down into the engine bay and feel around where the ARB mounts are attached to the chassis. If it's anything other than flat and smooth then rust is already a problem. This can happen on any car, even one that otherwise looks mint.

AmiableChimp

3,674 posts

236 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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I used to own a Mk2.5, 03 plate Montana special edition.

It was metallic green, hard a colour coded hardtop and had heated cream leather and aircon so would tick all your boxes (the Montana also came in a maroon colour).

Mine looked totally mint from 2 feet away...but the sills were starting to bubble when I sold it, even though I spent 2 days the year before on my back Dinitrolling the whole thing - once it has started, you are fighting a losing battle!

Find a clean one and get it well undersealed.

Nice car to drive, but nowhere near as fun as my current Mk1 Eunos IMO.

nottyash

4,670 posts

194 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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I just picked up this for just £1550. some rust on it and wheels a bit tatty.
It's actually an import from South Africa in 2005, but a 53 plate.
It's got the heated seats, air con and sport VT spec, 6 speed box etc.
Because its not worth much I am sorting the rust out myself. it's around the inside of the arch and not too bad so I ground it off, used rust eater, hammerite primer and silver smothrite and its come up OK.
The alloys I am having powder coated anthracite.
Mechanically, new plugs, air filter, oil filter, changing oil in gearbox and LSD.Air con regass and a fuel filter.
tyres were all new but it pulled to the right because the pressures were all over.
Fantastic little thing for very little money.

Edited by nottyash on Monday 27th July 21:32

Spare tyre

Original Poster:

9,456 posts

129 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Thanks guys will start looking, great bits of info

fatjon

2,141 posts

212 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
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From experience, undersealing a good mx5 will not make a jot of difference. They rot from the inside of the front chassis rails and the inside of the sills. The sill problem is often caused by blocked drainage channels so check these (google it for location). If the sills are bubbling don't think it's a rub down and repair job. The bubbles are the first you see of much bigger problems down there. Mine finished up being converted to an Exocet kit car when I prodded the bubbles. The outer sills were toast and the inners were worse. The front chassis rails were rotten with very little sign of it from under the arch. It all became clear once the engine was out and I could have a good prod around on the other side. Both problems are repairable on the right car but go in with your eyes open.

MX-5 Lazza

7,952 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
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fatjon said:
Lots of wise stuff...
That's why you don't just underseal what you can see, you make sure all the cavities are fully undersealed too, including inside the chassis box sections and inside the sill cavities. Of course you would check them all for rust first as just covering rust with underseal won't do much to help.