Looking to buy rust free MX5
Discussion
Prices have really gone up this summer, but people are still finding bargains. Equally people seem to be spending 2k on cars that still need work. You probably will find one at that price but it might take a while. Seems to be a lot of cars about now at the end of summer but beware that the number of cars for sale really reduces in the winter so finding the right car maybe harder.
There are only 2 types of MX5, a rusty one and one about to rust!
I'd be surprised if you find a rust free and otherwise good condition one for that money. The problem is that rust free ones are better kept examples so generally the owner is mpre atuned to the value. That's not to say the odd gem doesn't exist.
I'd be surprised if you find a rust free and otherwise good condition one for that money. The problem is that rust free ones are better kept examples so generally the owner is mpre atuned to the value. That's not to say the odd gem doesn't exist.
Assuming that they have a bit of non-serious rust, here are three with "no rust" from 5 mins looking on Car and Classic:
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C766764
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C783377
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C801995
Things to remember:
There are still thousands of these in the UK
Loads of them are garaged most of the year and never driven over winter
Any of them can bubble into a rusty mess at any point unless you look inside the sills
Prices seem to have risen because of chancers jumping on the "modern classic" bandwagon, but nobody in their right mind is paying them. "Values", i.e. what they are selling for, seem to be between £600 and £2500 as they have been for years.
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C766764
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C783377
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C801995
Things to remember:
There are still thousands of these in the UK
Loads of them are garaged most of the year and never driven over winter
Any of them can bubble into a rusty mess at any point unless you look inside the sills
Prices seem to have risen because of chancers jumping on the "modern classic" bandwagon, but nobody in their right mind is paying them. "Values", i.e. what they are selling for, seem to be between £600 and £2500 as they have been for years.
Thanks for the replies guys. I notice all the recommendations are for MK1's. I'm not really looking for a classic just a reliable fun car to use for the daily commute, only about 20 miles per day, and to have fun at weekends. Is the MK1 considered more reliable, rust free, than the later cars.
keithcharles2 said:
Thanks for the replies guys. I notice all the recommendations are for MK1's. I'm not really looking for a classic just a reliable fun car to use for the daily commute, only about 20 miles per day, and to have fun at weekends. Is the MK1 considered more reliable, rust free, than the later cars.
I'm not sure about mk3 but as they're getting on in age I imagine there are issues arising. Mk2 suffers all the same issues as mk1 (sills, arches, boot if wrong battery) but with the added trap of front chassis legs. These are very hard to spot and expensive to fix.
lilwashu said:
Assuming that they have a bit of non-serious rust, here are three with "no rust" from 5 mins looking on Car and Classic:
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C766764
hmm, 7 keepers in 13 years and just resprayed. Might be a perfect car, but I wouldn't travel a long way to find out.http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C766764
OverSteery said:
hmm, 7 keepers in 13 years and just resprayed. Might be a perfect car, but I wouldn't travel a long way to find out.
The original red paint becomes porous and pink so most old red ones will have been resprayed - if it was a decent job I would consider this a plus. Also, if 7+ owners on a 13 year old convertible is a problem, the market becomes very small.You can find them, but expect to have to give on something else, service history or something like that.
There's a lot of cars out there for less, but they will need work, or there are some for lots more that will need little to nothing doing.
If you're prepared to compromise, you can find good cars at your budget.
Try
Pistonheads classifieds or ebay from experience.
Any seller worth their salt will be happy to answer any questions and send as many photos as you could ever possibly need, prior to veiwing.
For my money it's Mk1's all the way. They just got it right 1st time
There's a lot of cars out there for less, but they will need work, or there are some for lots more that will need little to nothing doing.
If you're prepared to compromise, you can find good cars at your budget.
Try
Pistonheads classifieds or ebay from experience.
Any seller worth their salt will be happy to answer any questions and send as many photos as you could ever possibly need, prior to veiwing.
For my money it's Mk1's all the way. They just got it right 1st time
lilwashu said:
Assuming that they have a bit of non-serious rust, here are three with "no rust" from 5 mins looking on Car and Classic:
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C766764
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C783377
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C801995
Things to remember:
There are still thousands of these in the UK
Loads of them are garaged most of the year and never driven over winter
Any of them can bubble into a rusty mess at any point unless you look inside the sills
Prices seem to have risen because of chancers jumping on the "modern classic" bandwagon, but nobody in their right mind is paying them. "Values", i.e. what they are selling for, seem to be between £600 and £2500 as they have been for years.
The silver one has stolen a pic from my advert for my mum's MX5 - for that reason alone I would avoid. Nothing like an honest seller!http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C766764
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C783377
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C801995
Things to remember:
There are still thousands of these in the UK
Loads of them are garaged most of the year and never driven over winter
Any of them can bubble into a rusty mess at any point unless you look inside the sills
Prices seem to have risen because of chancers jumping on the "modern classic" bandwagon, but nobody in their right mind is paying them. "Values", i.e. what they are selling for, seem to be between £600 and £2500 as they have been for years.
Ref rust, all you can do is see as many as you can and check yourself - we found plenty that were claimed to be "rust free" but were nothing of the sort. In the end, we concentrated our search on Anglesey, where roads are rarely salted.
Also, check MOT history - any rust should be a) mentioned and b) be clear it has been sorted. One off mention is fine, year after year talk of rust would concern me!
If I was buying one again (a mk1 that is) I'd find a nice unmolested one around the £1k mark with a bit of sill rust knowing I'd have to invest 1k further with a pro to get the inner and outer sills on both sides done.
You simply won't find one now (at a reasonable price) without sill rust, either UK or import. Even if you do, it's hard to tell what lurks beneath so if you budget for it you'll then know it'd been done properly.
Proper geo, Meister-R coilovers and a set of good pads jobs a goodun. I don't see me ever parting with mine.
You simply won't find one now (at a reasonable price) without sill rust, either UK or import. Even if you do, it's hard to tell what lurks beneath so if you budget for it you'll then know it'd been done properly.
Proper geo, Meister-R coilovers and a set of good pads jobs a goodun. I don't see me ever parting with mine.
T0M said:
You simply won't find one now (at a reasonable price) without sill rust, either UK or import. Even if you do, it's hard to tell what lurks beneath so if you budget for it you'll then know it'd been done properly.
Yes you can (at least in my area). There are thousands of them around. It might take a while to find one though.A fairly good indicator in my experience for lurking nasties is rusty staining on the seam under the sill.
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