2004 1.6 MX5 buying guild

[Slink]

looking to get a 1.6 2004 mk 2 after i have had a years no claims with my fiesta, as the insurance is not bad atall on an mx5, they are fairly cheap to buy, nice to drive, and look good imo.

so im looking for a few pointers to look out for on a 2004 1.6 mk 2 and what are common faults on them that i should look out for when viewing a car, and what is likely to go wrong after a while aswell. i know there is a sticky that covers some of these, but not exactally the 2004 1.6.

also, while im hear and not wanting to start another thread, what common mods are there to release a few extra ponies, other than just turbo/supercharger as that will be the last thing that gets done.


cheers

[NRS]

Slink said:

looking to get a 1.6 2004 mk 2 after i have had a years no claims with my fiesta, as the insurance is not bad atall on an mx5, they are fairly cheap to buy, nice to drive, and look good imo.

so im looking for a few pointers to look out for on a 2004 1.6 mk 2 and what are common faults on them that i should look out for when viewing a car, and what is likely to go wrong after a while aswell. i know there is a sticky that covers some of these, but not exactally the 2004 1.6.

also, while im hear and not wanting to start another thread, what common mods are there to release a few extra ponies, other than just turbo/supercharger as that will be the last thing that gets done.


cheers

Generally the MX-5s will be very similar across all the range. As you'll have read rust is the main issue - sills, rear arches, chassis rails.

In regards to more power - not too much since the turbo/supercharging is so relatively cheap. It is much better to get the 1.8l if you're planning on going down that route. The extra 30 or so horsepower will be much cheaper to get with the bigger engine than modifying it. Plus there is a lot less turbo/ supercharger kits available for the 1.6 compared to the 1.8l engines.

[Slink]

yeah I do know about the rust, just didnt realise it was so prolific in them. so will have to keep on top of it.

as regards to the 1.6 v 1.8, i was only thinking of getting the 1.6 as it will be cheaper on insurance than a 1.8, but if i a gonna put some sort of blower on on it, i spos the insurance will be quite a bit higher on either, just that i have done a quote for a 1.6, and fully comp its gonna be about 560 quid a year and thats not to unreasonable. plus i have seen a couple of 1.6's that have all the toys that i want for the price range that i can afford, but cant really find a 1.8 with the toys and in my price range within reasonable distance.

[NRS]

Slink said:

yeah I do know about the rust, just didnt realise it was so prolific in them. so will have to keep on top of it.

as regards to the 1.6 v 1.8, i was only thinking of getting the 1.6 as it will be cheaper on insurance than a 1.8, but if i a gonna put some sort of blower on on it, i spos the insurance will be quite a bit higher on either, just that i have done a quote for a 1.6, and fully comp its gonna be about 560 quid a year and thats not to unreasonable. plus i have seen a couple of 1.6's that have all the toys that i want for the price range that i can afford, but cant really find a 1.8 with the toys and in my price range within reasonable distance.

The main issue in regards to rust is quite a few of the cars are getting on a bit now. Plus a lot of cars are at first not owned by enthusiasts. So it happens with time. It might be a little better with the 2004 cars (or just at the start where they have problems) but some people have mentioned it can take a good few visits. Ask for detailed pics of the sills and arches before visiting - any bubbling = rust underneath. They rust inside out as it's related to the way the water is channeled off the roof - if someone hasn't cleaned the drains it will gather inside the arches.

Try and check the chassis rails (see link in buying guide which is stickied). This is the big new thing in regards to Mk.2 cars and was due to a change in the way they made them. At £350 a rail plus the work to take the engine out etc then it becomes expensive.

Not sure about the insurance for 1.8 versus 1.6 with extras, but suspect it would be higher. What toys are you looking for, and price range approximately?

[VladD]

Insurance wise you may get it cheaper if you join the owners club and insure through them.

[Slink]

NRS said:

Not sure about the insurance for 1.8 versus 1.6 with extras, but suspect it would be higher. What toys are you looking for, and price range approximately?

I have done a quote for a 1.6 with all the toys i would want, and a 1.8 with hardly any extras, and the 1.6 was still 200 quid cheaper.

looking for one with abs, alarm/immobiliser, esp, air con, central locking and PAS. not sure if some of those like abs and PAS come on all cars, but would be good to have

[Slink]

this is one I have had my eye on atm, and its around the sort of money I want to be paying too. looks quite a clean example and cannot see any rust bubbles either.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-MAZDA-MX-5-STRATO-B...

[NRS]

Slink said:

I have done a quote for a 1.6 with all the toys i would want, and a 1.8 with hardly any extras, and the 1.6 was still 200 quid cheaper.

looking for one with abs, alarm/immobiliser, esp, air con, central locking and PAS. not sure if some of those like abs and PAS come on all cars, but would be good to have

Ok, maybe something to do is get the 1.6l and then change to a 1.8 when you have a few more years experience, rather than modifying the 1.6 later?

In regards to the car you posted; price-wise I have no idea since I'm in Norway. My 1999 1.6l that I have now was around £7000 in February, so it's better than that, However look to be quite a few good things there. They mention rust (so know about the issue), new roof is good as they can be a bit expensive, also nice that it has the glass heated screen. The service history and receipts is good - more likely an enthusiast. The cambelt (60 000 mile service) has been done which is the big one.

[Slink]

yeah i was thinking of getting the 1.8 now, as well as the extra power, i think they come with a LSD as standard. aswell as the extra power, it will be easier to liberate more power later on down the line, and i dont 'have' to use all the power straight away, like i have probably only used full throttle on my new bike about 3 times as its more than enough for me, but good to know i do have it if i need to use it.

plus by getting the 1.8 now, i dont have to buy a different car down the line.

anything to look out for regards to engine reliability and problems that can arise? like honda motorbikes regularly go through rectifiers/regulators unless changed for a more reliable one.

Edited by Slink on Wednesday 26th June 17:04

[NRS]

Slink said:

yeah i was thinking of getting the 1.8 now, as well as the extra power, i think they come with a LSD as standard. aswell as the extra power, it will be easier to liberate more power later on down the line, and i dont 'have' to use all the power straight away, like i have probably only used full throttle on my new bike about 3 times as its more than enough for me.

anything to look out for regards to engine reliability and problems that can arise? like honda motorbikes regularly go through rectifiers/regulators unless changed for a more reliable one.

I can't remember the LSD thing in regards to all cars - I know the Sport have them. I doubt you'll need to avoid using the power except perhaps a very short time at the start. In my 1.8 that I had before it was only the first few weeks I avoided it, and that was in snow and having it as my first car (a few years after the test). It's a bit extra, but still pretty slow (8-9 seconds to 60 I think from memory).

Engines aren't too bad - there are a few things that are mentioned (buying guide) but I am not an expert so couldn't comment on it. I've had valve problem on the current car at 60 000 miles but not sure if that is previous owner. You can get used engines for around £400 though, so if you have big problems just buy one and swap it over.

[MG CHRIS]

Rust is the main issue check and I mean do a good check of the front chassis rails behind the front wheels, due to the crash safety test the design of the front legs where changed from a single layer to multiple layer which traps the water and rots inside out there are some bad examples of this on the web. It can be hiden by the under guard so if you are buying from a dealer get them to put it on the ramp for you to check it out if they refuse walk away.

If you get one with rust in this area the repair cost will wright the car off.

[NinjaNinj]

I wondered how bad the chassis rail problem was too, how would you check if you cannot get it on a ramp? as im guessing the car is too low to stick your head under

[NRS]

NinjaNinj said:

I wondered how bad the chassis rail problem was too, how would you check if you cannot get it on a ramp? as im guessing the car is too low to stick your head under

It's a bit of a difficult one since it also happens inside out. You could be getting it just before it shows. I think you can check some of it from the wheel arch, but as a general thing for inspecting it's not the easiest compared to a lot of others. £350 per rail was mentioned, plus labour costs obviously. Only good thing about doing it is:

a) Know it has been done (your safety in a crash)!
b) Don't risk buying another with the same problem.

But really depends if it's a keeper or short term summer toy.

[Slink]

I will propably end up spending a bit more than planned for a nice clean example so i know its ok in a crash and I dont need to spend a load of money on it as it will probably be a keeper.

[NRS]

Just be aware spending more money doesn't equal better car quite often.

[MX-5 Lazza]

They are all actually pretty good in a crash and do keep the occupants fairly safe. They will never get a good NCAP rating as being a convertible they are pretty poor in a roll but for front/rear/side impacts they are as good as most other cars (as long as you don't have an accident with something extra tall such as a Lexus 4x4).