looking to buy a mint MX5 or Eunos

[buzzer]

Well, after my last post on MX5's relating to actually getting in one, I have now had a drive of a car winch has had the seat modified. I fit! Unfortunately the car was not in the best of condition....

So I am on the lookout for my perfect car, no rush i guess as I would like to find an immaculate car.

My ideal specification would be:-



Must be rust free!

Must have air conditioning - we do a lot of trips to France and its murder doing a long trip with the hood down!

Red, Black, Green.... other colors but definitely not silver

Manual preferred

ABS would be nice - did they fit this as standard?

Do they have twin airbags?

1.8 preferred

I have a wanted advert on here but if anyone knows of a car let me know.

I am thinking of going to the owners club meet next Sunday at Chatsworth House, will there be many cars for sale there?

Edited by buzzer on Sunday 12th September 17:22

[phil_cardiff]

What's your budget? For example if it is £3000 or so then you could buy a mk2 1.8iS for £2k and spend the rest making it rust free and immaculate. The 1.8iS would meet all of your requirements. Well mine would as it's got air con.

[MX-5 Lazza]

buzzer said:

ABS would be nice - did they fit this as standard?

A lot of Mk1s (UK 1.8iS and most JDM cars) had ABS. Most Mk2+ have ABS and it's an improved system that is less intrusive. Mk2.5 also has EBD.

buzzer said:

Do they have twin airbags?

Mk1... well the UK 1.8iS has an airbag and a lot of JDM cars do too but not all. I don't think any had twin airbags. Mk2+ has twin airbags.

buzzer said:

I am thinking of going to the owners club meet next Sunday at Chatsworth House, will there be many cars for sale there

You might be lucky but it's not really a place people go to sell their cars - I've never seen more than a couple with For Sale stickers on them and they are usually just sitting in the carpark along with the other 600 cars that aren't for sale...

[buzzer]

phil_cardiff said:

What's your budget? For example if it is £3000 or so then you could buy a mk2 1.8iS for £2k and spend the rest making it rust free and immaculate. The 1.8iS would meet all of your requirements. Well mine would as it's got air con.

Thanks Phil, Budget is as high as £4k but i prefer to spend less. What i don't want to do is spend time and money trying to take rust out of a car... In my experience once they are rusty enough to need panels, sill etc you are losing a never ending battle....

[buzzer]

MX-5 Lazza said:

buzzer said:

ABS would be nice - did they fit this as standard?

A lot of Mk1s (UK 1.8iS and most JDM cars) had ABS. Most Mk2+ have ABS and it's an improved system that is less intrusive. Mk2.5 also has EBD.

buzzer said:

Do they have twin airbags?

Mk1... well the UK 1.8iS has an airbag and a lot of JDM cars do too but not all. I don't think any had twin airbags. Mk2+ has twin airbags.

buzzer said:

I am thinking of going to the owners club meet next Sunday at Chatsworth House, will there be many cars for sale there

You might be lucky but it's not really a place people go to sell their cars - I've never seen more than a couple with For Sale stickers on them and they are usually just sitting in the carpark along with the other 600 cars that aren't for sale...

Thanks,

Its looking more like a MK2 although if a good MK1 with ABS and an airbag came along i might be tempted

[hornetrider]

Job jobbed?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1995443.htm

[buzzer]

hornetrider said:

Job jobbed?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1995443.htm

Thanks,

I looked at that one... I just cant see past the blue seats!

[hornetrider]

Fair do's. Easy fix though.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MAZDA-MX5-MK2-BLACK-SEATS-/1...

Loads on eBay. Probably make a profit on the deal flogging the blue ones.

Edited by hornetrider on Monday 13th September 17:01

[MX5 Withdrawal]

hornetrider said:

Job jobbed?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1995443.htm

I am 99% sure that that car used to belong to a friend of mine.

She sold it on as she has just had a baby.

I have driven it and it felt very tight and straight. It has had a couple of cosmetic dings that needed to be sorted (they look done now) but it is mechanically it is strong.

You cold do a lot worse if it is indeed that car.

[phil_cardiff]

buzzer said:

phil_cardiff said:

What's your budget? For example if it is £3000 or so then you could buy a mk2 1.8iS for £2k and spend the rest making it rust free and immaculate. The 1.8iS would meet all of your requirements. Well mine would as it's got air con.

Thanks Phil, Budget is as high as £4k but i prefer to spend less. What i don't want to do is spend time and money trying to take rust out of a car... In my experience once they are rusty enough to need panels, sill etc you are losing a never ending battle....

I see your point but on the other side of the coin you could spend more on what appears to be a rust free example only to find that the sills bubble in the future as they rust from the inside out. How do you check the inside of the sills without taking the car apart a little, something most sellers won't encourage?!

[MX-5 Lazza]

I can't remember who said it but I saw someone say that there are 2 types of MX5. Those with visible rust in the sills and those with invisible rust in the sills. The only ones you know for sure don't have rust in the sills are the ones where you have had the sills replaced.
Take a look on PlanetMX5 or Nutz at the project threads by Gareth. When he removes rust and welds in new panels they stay fixed! That's how the job should be done!

[phil_cardiff]

My thoughts exactly Lazza. 'Tis why I dream one day of buying a snotter of a 5, replacing sills & arches as appropriate, changing anything else worn and supercharging it. I reckon that's be a fun way to spend £7k or so.

I'd do it to mine but she must go sometime before next August to pay for a wedding. Stupid women.

[phil_cardiff]

Just thinking Buzzer, my car meets almost all of your requirements and would be significantly under your budget allowing you to make the bodywork immaculate. I do need to sell at some point too...

[mikey P 500]

if you havent looked there already have a look in the cars forsale on MX5NUTZ normally a few well looked after examples