Friday 13th November 2015

Shed Of the Week: Mazda MX-5 Mk2

MX-5 in November? It can make Shed sense!

---

'The clocks have gone back'. A phrase Shed hates to hear when it's used by disgruntled customers returning to his premises the day after buying a car from him.

For the rest of us of course it simply means it gets pitch-black just after lunch and that there'll no warmth in the sun for approximately eight months. Absolutely no point whatsoever, then, in buying a Mazda MX-5 at the beginning of this Dark Period.

Nice Defender

What rot! There is never a bad time to buy one of these cheeky little fellows. And this could be a better time than most, now that this rather intriguing 2005 model has appeared in the PH bazaar.

The vendor seems to have attended the same photography night school course as Shed. He makes no real attempt to show the car's many good points. Even so we can still get the impression of a tidy machine with leather seats, a very clean looking engine (1.8 - good) and a fetching coat of blue paint with a hint of brownage ahead of the rear wheels. Which is a bit odd as Shed thought Euphonics of this ilk only came in red, black, grey or silver. But if that's true, then why is there a doppelganger of this blue one on ebay at the moment?

Whatever. Genuine Mk 2.5 Euphonics are 'sort after' (sic) in the MX-5 community as they had a banging stereo system that came in handy later on for drowning out the crumbling sounds coming from the sills and rear arches. Again, Shed thought the Euphonic had a standard DIN-sized Sony head unit with a boot-mounted CD changer, but of course his memory has never been the same since whatever it was happened all those years/months/weeks ago.

Well it's a 1.8 at least

Still, at the end of the day we're looking at a 1.8 MX-5 of the 2.5 variety, a model that arguably represents the best value in MX-5s right now in terms of all-round value and ability.

When it comes to spouting about MX-5s, Shed is as qualified as anyone, having driven and owned more than a handful in his time. However, even his long (and highly favourable) experience of the breed pales into insignificance next to that of unashamed MX-5 nut and PH Editor Bossman D Trent. So let's hand the mic over to Captain Dan in his white coat and professorial specs for some insights on the 'idle droop' glumly mentioned in the ad.

"There are many theories on this," says our leader. "One suggested solution is to 'reset' the ECU by running with the air-con on, letting the revs drop slowly to 1,000rpm and then turning the air-con off, bowing three times in the direction of Hiroshima and uttering ten jinba ittais."

PIcs aren't the best, granted

For them as don't know what Dan's on about there, jinba ittai describes the unity of man and beast in the pursuit of equine archery. That's sitting on a moving horse to shoot arrows at other things rather than shooting at the actual horse, an unsporting practice that's frowned upon these days. The MX-5 connection is that this phrase was purloined by Mazda to describe the oneness one feels when driving one's MX-5.

Comfortingly, Dan reckons this idle thing isn't so much a serious problem as a nagging pain in the withers. There's an incredibly detailed DIY fix here, but one look at this geezer's plans will make most folk below NASA engineer level go weak at the knees, so let's just ignore this so-called problem. After all, who needs to idle anyway?

What else can go wrong with a 2.5? Obviously the rust, as already mentioned. Look for rotting front chassis rails, especially at the attachment points for the anti-roll bar. Euphonic alloys (which again Shed thought looked different to these ones - damn that memory) are also a bit prone to corrosion.

For the rest of it we can do no better than to refer you to PH's own and very excellent forum on this subject.

One final thing that isn't mentioned in that thread: watch out when you're texting anyone about Euphonics. Some mobiles will text-correct 'Euphonic' to 'syphilis', and you really don't want to be telling your mates that you've just picked up a great syphilis.

Other than that, it's all peachy in MX-5 Land. Here's the ad.

I really enjoy driving this car, but... two things make it less fun, one is my fault, the other is the car's. My fault is that we've moved to France, and I really need to get a left hand drive version (not least because of the paperwork to properly 'import' it). The car's fault is that it behaves oddly at idle, the revs dropping and occasionally cutting out. I've taken it to several garages and the only thing they've done is increase the idle setting, which means it cuts out less. It's irritating, particularly in the occasional traffic. Related, I believe, the engine light comes on sometimes.
Otherwise she's lovely to drive, and I'll be bringing her back from France if someone wants to buy (so add 1,000 miles or so to the mileage below).
We've had her just over a year and done about 15,000 enjoyable miles.

[mrpenks]

Without doubt or exception, the most disappointing car I have ever bought and owned. Rusted like a 70s Lancia, engine was rough and harsh, refinement appalling and the much praised handling wasn't what I had hoped for - poor high speed stability when cornering breaking into oversteer and complete lack of traction in anything other than dry weather. I know these are much loved but I frankly would keep the money for some thing more satisfying or useful