£4-5000 what '5 can my money get me?!

[Conor D]

So after getting the 'bug' last week I'm now on the lookout for a Mazda MX5.. I drove a 1.8l Arctic.. And it was great! But the stealership were looking something crazy like £8k for it.

My budget is about £5k, I want a Mk 2(.5 what's the difference inthe two?) if possible and want to get as much power that I can get.. The car I drove had 146bhp.

I was looking at the Euphonic's.. There's one or two priced at around £4,500 with 50,000 miles, then there's others priced at about £7k with 70,000 miles.. I don't get it? Can the cheaper prices be right? The Euphonic is the one I'd love to get!

Any advice on what cars I should be looking at/avoiding would be appreciated?

Is high mileage something to avoid?

Thanks

[71notout]

I just paid £5,400 for an 03 Montana in brg.

53k miles, with hardtop, heated beige leather, wooden Nardi wheel, ac, and has new wheels and a vdo dayton sat nav system as well.

Prices can be a bit variable!

[gd49]

2.5 are models after 2001 with a minor facelift. The engines are slightly more powerful, but I think it's only 5bhp so may not even be noticeable.

When I was looking back in November £5k would have bought an 02/03 model from a private owner, I only saw base spec cars for under £5k from dealers. Not sure what effect the weather has on prices, if it has any it'll probably be at its most now.

Variation in price can come down to how many accessories the car has - a hardtop can add £300-400 to the price, for example.

[MX-5 Lazza]

gd49 said:

...The engines are slightly more powerful, but I think it's only 5bhp...

8bhp