Shed Of the Week: Mazda MX-5 Mk2
MX-5 in November? It can make Shed sense!
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
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
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
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.
A bargain if that idle issue is an easy fix. Strikes me it isn't though if the garage haven't managed to remedy it. Even I've managed to sort a VW and an Alfa's idle issues in the past with a bit of Carb Cleaner and some kitchen towel.
Still tempted, mind!
Buuuut, you do need to be careful when buying one. Rust is a huge issue, especially on the MK2. The way the sills rot affects where the lower attaching bolt for the seatbelt.
The chassis rails arent a case of just chopping them out & boxing in new ones. They are skinned (3 layers I think) and if the outside is gone, the inside is very gone.
Arches and rear of the sills, not the end of the world, can get repair panels for £100 or so off eBay.
They are cracking cars but buy very carefully and always factor in that you'll more than likely need some welding done at some point unless you get a dry stored or fresh import one.
Rear doors meant putting young child in the rear was easier than any other car I tried, plus it could do both the school run and Nurburgring with the only mod some better brake pads.
Was sorry to see it go, ran faultess at 6 years old, only went when my daily car mileage changed from 4k per year to 22k per year!
That rough idle problem should be quite fixable.
I always preferred the way that earlier model looked (I love pop up headlights for some reason). Several people I know thought that the NB was a better car than the NA. The rust issue seems to be the major concern, but mainly in the UK.
All up not a bad SOTW. Probably only this cheap because it's a bit out of season.
Rear doors meant putting young child in the rear was easier than any other car I tried, plus it could do both the school run and Nurburgring with the only mod some better brake pads.
Was sorry to see it go, ran faultess at 6 years old, only went when my daily car mileage changed from 4k per year to 22k per year!
To me it just felt dog slow. I know it was actually quite quick, but it felt slow. And the bonging of the rev limiter got to be a haunting melody like when you press snooze a few times instead of getting up, and for ages afterwards you can hear the alarm in your head. All I could hear was the disappointing melody of that sodding bong, bong, of the rev limiter.
The dash rattled like a rattly thing when picked it up and had to take it back and get them to fix it. They said, "Oh , yes they sometimes do that, it's the wiring. We'll open it up and put some grease where the wires rattle on the dash." Great £ 26 k list and you fix the rattles with grease?! Oh, yes the non Mazda exhaust rattled off the underbody, that had to be adjusted too.
Then there's the little things. I used to put papers on the passenger seat when I got in, and when you accelerated (I use the phrase quite generously) a few times they would sod off through the gap between the base and the upright of the seat. The oil, you have to check regularly. I get that, it's how it works, that's fine really. But the filler it under a plastic cover at the back of the engine bay where there isn't a light. Thanks for that. There's the garage (that's not the car's fault) but they were utterly terrible.
I thought then and I still think now, it's a great looking car. But no, it wasn't a good car and a huge disappointment to me anyway. I'm glad you enjoyed yours honestly, they do look really great. Best wheels ever as far as I'm concerned.
But my fleet has an old S60 2.4t which I honestly think would run it very close indeed in a straight line. I's been well sorted and for me is a great car. Just wish it was a 2 door coupe. And a CL500 Mercedes, which would completely and utterly slaughter the PZ in a straight line and I think might well be equally economical, by which I mean it isn't. At all. Not getting at the PZ for the hell of it I promise you, I maybe just got a duff one myself.
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