A bargain or an MX-5 shaped money pit?
Discussion
yellowstreak said:
Fortune favours the brave! I will hopefully have the chance to pick up a 135k Mk 2 1.8 that has been sitting on a friend's drive for the last 18 months unused. It doesn't have a turbo, but I plan to fix that. Once I've managed to modify it so that someone 6'4" can fit!
I'll be following this thread with great interest.
Best of luck to you. I would certainly check out the height limitations and comfort in an MX5 because at that height I can see possible problems. The car that the OP has bought is something of a unrepeatable bargain by the sound of the postings. Turbo, full service , clearly not a nail from the photos alone? Very difficult to repeat IMO. Exceptional buy. Secondhand MX5's are about in fair nick and these are cars well worth pursuing if you like these cars, which I most certainly do. I'll be following this thread with great interest.
Realistically I think a bargain like this is unlikely and there are bargains about. But another Turboo with Service history and in this condition! Unlikely I think but you never know! Best of luck in your search!
Well we are home, the family volvo tows impecciable and having now towed with an automatic it is the way ahead!
Ive had a quick look underneath and the news appears to be good, both sills are solid and both front rails seem solid as well!
Also discovered it is fitted with a sports cat! The only problem I have found is all four discs may need replacing and one of the front intercooler pipes is split, the battery dispite being sat since february 2012 still had 9 volts in it!
Missus has gone from hating it to claiming it as her own! (Thats not her in the last pic!)
Ive had a quick look underneath and the news appears to be good, both sills are solid and both front rails seem solid as well!
Also discovered it is fitted with a sports cat! The only problem I have found is all four discs may need replacing and one of the front intercooler pipes is split, the battery dispite being sat since february 2012 still had 9 volts in it!
Missus has gone from hating it to claiming it as her own! (Thats not her in the last pic!)
Munter said:
A total steal. If you are right and it's solid. That's just the best deal ever. I thought possibly it was a cheap turbo kit without an intercooler, but it is again better than I thought.
(Any chance of this weeks lottery numbers?)
I said from the start this was an exceptional buy and every bit of news has confirmed that fact. The Discs and so on really are minimal work given that the car has been standing for a while. Brakes wear out with use and standing never helps in any cars. Fantastic bargain and damned good luck to you, OP. You could well own and love this car for many years ahead and I would recommend thorough refurbishment for that reason. Why would you replace an MX5 Turbo??And with what????(Any chance of this weeks lottery numbers?)
A superb buy and better than any I have achieved over sixty years of car ownership. Excellent result! Enjoy that car it looks absolutely brilliant to me and was a real steal at that money!
d.
Couldnt resist having a quick go at starting it! Got a couple of coughs but nothing else.
Also i pulled the carpet off the rear shelf and there are two blooming great holes cut in it with corresponding holes above the rear shock mounts so I am guessing it had a rollbar at some point. Also the boot is full of water!
Also i pulled the carpet off the rear shelf and there are two blooming great holes cut in it with corresponding holes above the rear shock mounts so I am guessing it had a rollbar at some point. Also the boot is full of water!
As this appears to be a solid shell its staying in this one!
After having the battery on charge overnight I had a go at getting it started today.
I removed the plugs and gave them a clean up and checked for a spark, which was present if a little weak, put in a can full of the finest super unleaded and dropped a bit of oil into the turbo feed to save breaking it!
The first big disappointment of the project was that it didn't start
I have started a thread in the mx5 section asking for help!
It has no immobiliser light on the dash when you first turn on the ignition but a couple of times it has come on after cranking when the battery has got a bit tired and other random dash things have happened!
I am hoping it is a simple fault but I am struggling with what to check next, I am more used to working on land rovers with much simpler electrics!
On a brighter note the wheels are Rota's and the coilovers are a decent brand, but I cant remember what!
After having the battery on charge overnight I had a go at getting it started today.
I removed the plugs and gave them a clean up and checked for a spark, which was present if a little weak, put in a can full of the finest super unleaded and dropped a bit of oil into the turbo feed to save breaking it!
The first big disappointment of the project was that it didn't start
I have started a thread in the mx5 section asking for help!
It has no immobiliser light on the dash when you first turn on the ignition but a couple of times it has come on after cranking when the battery has got a bit tired and other random dash things have happened!
I am hoping it is a simple fault but I am struggling with what to check next, I am more used to working on land rovers with much simpler electrics!
On a brighter note the wheels are Rota's and the coilovers are a decent brand, but I cant remember what!
Sorry to hear it won't start OP but still, that is the bargain of the century!
I agree with the poster above who says fit a new battery. I know you've charged it but weak batteries cause all manner of strange faults so for the sake of £50 or so, I'd eliminate it before delving deeper. I do understand your point about the immobiliser light though.
Good luck. If you get fed up I've got £206 and a Cadburys twirl here.
I agree with the poster above who says fit a new battery. I know you've charged it but weak batteries cause all manner of strange faults so for the sake of £50 or so, I'd eliminate it before delving deeper. I do understand your point about the immobiliser light though.
Good luck. If you get fed up I've got £206 and a Cadburys twirl here.
Well she starts!!!! Eventually got it to run but it wouldn't idle properly at first then wouldn't idle when revved and allowed the freefall back to idle.
Now for the bad news! When it was running it made a horrible sound from under the bonnet, a quick inspection showed
Cylinders one and four have large cracks in them but I don't know for sure if they were there before or if they have beem caused by trying to start it?
So going on from here, do I remove the turbo, go back to n/a and look at re turboing or supercharging in the future? Try to find another manifold or just sell it as it sits/break it?
The last option isnt really an option! Both me and the wife have fallen for the little mazda!
Now for the bad news! When it was running it made a horrible sound from under the bonnet, a quick inspection showed
Cylinders one and four have large cracks in them but I don't know for sure if they were there before or if they have beem caused by trying to start it?
So going on from here, do I remove the turbo, go back to n/a and look at re turboing or supercharging in the future? Try to find another manifold or just sell it as it sits/break it?
The last option isnt really an option! Both me and the wife have fallen for the little mazda!
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