Mk.1 RS-Limited
Discussion
Title pretty much says it all - there's an RS-Limited for sale near me, at a pretty tempting price (sub-£2k). It still has the original Recaro seats and BBS alloys (and centre caps) - hardtop is available as an option, but TBH I'm not overly fussed.
Is there anything specific to look/listen for with these - I believe they're mechanically near-identical to the S-Special (Torsen diff, Bilstein shocks, etc., etc.).
TIA
Is there anything specific to look/listen for with these - I believe they're mechanically near-identical to the S-Special (Torsen diff, Bilstein shocks, etc., etc.).
TIA
Going to see it today - phoned the dealer and he confirmed it has a bit of rust starting at the sills. 
Bearing in mind the price, the relative rarity of the RS-Limited and the fact it has all the factory goodies still fitted, it could be worth getting if the rust isn't bad - even factoring in for sill repairs, it is still a good bit cheaper than any other fully-kitted RSs I've seen (when they actually come up for sale). We shall see........
Bearing in mind the price, the relative rarity of the RS-Limited and the fact it has all the factory goodies still fitted, it could be worth getting if the rust isn't bad - even factoring in for sill repairs, it is still a good bit cheaper than any other fully-kitted RSs I've seen (when they actually come up for sale). We shall see........
pbirkett said:
Might not be as undervalued as you think, I had mine up for 3K, which I eventually lowered to 2.5k, no rust, original spec, reasonable mileage, bugger all interest in it.
They are very good drivers cars though, but unfortunately, not as valuable as some would believe.
I very briefly considered one when I bought my MX-5 back in February, but the truth is the RS-Limited is simply not twice the driver's car that a standard Mk1 is.They are very good drivers cars though, but unfortunately, not as valuable as some would believe.
Yes the seats can be sold for a few quid, as can the wheels, but you can get 99% as good a car for 1/2 of the price and when most people are picking these up as a second or third car for a bit of weekend fun, getting a higher spec./significantly younger car for considerably less money is very appealing.
Well, been and seen.
Everything was in decent condition, bar the sills - there wasn't that much visible rust, but bubbles and flaking by one of the sills, the rear of the arches, and the inside of the boot lid. It's by no means beyond salvation (I've seen much, much worse), but I think it'll require more work than I want to do at this point in time. My budget cap is about £2.5k, so I think I'll be hunting for a rust-free Eunos and spend some pennies on a roll bar and nice wheels.
Snotrag, you selling?
Everything was in decent condition, bar the sills - there wasn't that much visible rust, but bubbles and flaking by one of the sills, the rear of the arches, and the inside of the boot lid. It's by no means beyond salvation (I've seen much, much worse), but I think it'll require more work than I want to do at this point in time. My budget cap is about £2.5k, so I think I'll be hunting for a rust-free Eunos and spend some pennies on a roll bar and nice wheels.
Snotrag, you selling?
youngsyr said:
pbirkett said:
Might not be as undervalued as you think, I had mine up for 3K, which I eventually lowered to 2.5k, no rust, original spec, reasonable mileage, bugger all interest in it.
They are very good drivers cars though, but unfortunately, not as valuable as some would believe.
I very briefly considered one when I bought my MX-5 back in February, but the truth is the RS-Limited is simply not twice the driver's car that a standard Mk1 is.They are very good drivers cars though, but unfortunately, not as valuable as some would believe.
Yes the seats can be sold for a few quid, as can the wheels, but you can get 99% as good a car for 1/2 of the price and when most people are picking these up as a second or third car for a bit of weekend fun, getting a higher spec./significantly younger car for considerably less money is very appealing.
So IMO, the RS-Ltd is still one of the best Mk1s to have, but I'd agree you'd have pretty much the same fun in a cheaper mk1 1.8... but he did ask, and I did give my view
http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5...
ETA: Hadnt noticed he sold the seats and wheels, oh well, never mind.
ETA: Hadnt noticed he sold the seats and wheels, oh well, never mind.
Edited by pbirkett on Thursday 7th October 20:03
I have to agree here on that point - I was talking about this veru subject with some of the guys off Nutz on Monday.
The RS ltd is a nice spec no doubt about it, having seen it in person PBirketts is lovely.
But its all bolt on bits, and the MX-5 is the easiest car in the world to A - get bits for, and B - fit bits to.
I also assume that most of us on here are of the DIY persuasion (hence why we buy old cheap sportscars and tinker with them).
For the majority of us then - its much ,much easier to take a good solid shell and fix up the mechanics - bolting new suspension, brakes, swapping engines, fittigns different seats etc is easy.
Chopping out rust, welding, and painting - is a step beyond that requiring more kit, more skills etc. I guess its the 'next step' of home mechanics.
When you start having to deal with bodyshops, thats when maintaining these things starts getting expensive.
All of which makes me believe that the best thing to do is buy the most original, rust free chassis/shell you can, as a first consideration, and worry about the bolt on bits after that (obviously ideally you find one in good condition in all ways!)
But honestly I just can't bring myself to sell my Mazda! I know every inch of it, i love it to bits and if/when I sell it, I'm worried ill seriously regret it.
The RS ltd is a nice spec no doubt about it, having seen it in person PBirketts is lovely.
But its all bolt on bits, and the MX-5 is the easiest car in the world to A - get bits for, and B - fit bits to.
I also assume that most of us on here are of the DIY persuasion (hence why we buy old cheap sportscars and tinker with them).
For the majority of us then - its much ,much easier to take a good solid shell and fix up the mechanics - bolting new suspension, brakes, swapping engines, fittigns different seats etc is easy.
Chopping out rust, welding, and painting - is a step beyond that requiring more kit, more skills etc. I guess its the 'next step' of home mechanics.
When you start having to deal with bodyshops, thats when maintaining these things starts getting expensive.
All of which makes me believe that the best thing to do is buy the most original, rust free chassis/shell you can, as a first consideration, and worry about the bolt on bits after that (obviously ideally you find one in good condition in all ways!)
Taffer said:
Snotrag, you selling?
I always used to say I never understood the people who owned cars for years and years. Theres loads of cars I really want - that I can almost afford - I want another 306 Rallye, I want a TVR S-Series, a nice Mk2 MR2 Turbo, and others...But honestly I just can't bring myself to sell my Mazda! I know every inch of it, i love it to bits and if/when I sell it, I'm worried ill seriously regret it.
snotrag said:
I always used to say I never understood the people who owned cars for years and years. Theres loads of cars I really want - that I can almost afford - I want another 306 Rallye, I want a TVR S-Series, a nice Mk2 MR2 Turbo, and others...
But honestly I just can't bring myself to sell my Mazda! I know every inch of it, i love it to bits and if/when I sell it, I'm worried ill seriously regret it.
That sounds like me... normally I wouldnt keep cars for long, and I've only had my '5 for about a year and a quarter, and ultimately I was after an Elise, but TBH, an MX-5 probably offers maybe 90 - 95% of the fun factor, and they cost a fraction of the price, so in a way, maybe I don't really need an Elise. I actually think maybe it'd be better to spend £2-3k on a decent turbo / supercharger setup, but having been FI'd in the past, I'm not sure it really makes these cars any more fun - half the fun is thrashing it to get the performance - if you're travelling quickly then its down to you, it will not reward those that don't put the effort in, and that makes it more rewarding in its own way. When it comes down to it, its great fun out of the box, cheap to run (apart from the poor fuel economy) and reliable, and sometimes its nice to have such an undemanding car.But honestly I just can't bring myself to sell my Mazda! I know every inch of it, i love it to bits and if/when I sell it, I'm worried ill seriously regret it.
I also wanted an MR2 Turbo (or V6), and while I love the look, and the thought of a mid engined car, I can't help but feel the Mk2 MR2 would feel a bit of a lumbering beast compared to the Mk1 MX5. I like the idea of the TVR S-Series, with the amazing soundtrack it offers, and the rarity, but I half think it might be expensive to run and fragile in comparison with the unburstable MX5.
For what these cars cost, I can't imagine anything more fun, even old school hot hatches which are more fun IMO than new ones, can't quite offer the thrills and satisfying driving experience that the MX5 offers - the only car I could think of that costs similar and would be as much fun would be something like a Mk1 MR2, but I'm a little unsold on the looks of those - I think the MX5 is a better looking car (although I imagine the high revving 1.6 in the MR2 is a more fun engine than those in the '5).
Heck my last car was an Integra Type-R, but even though ultimately slower, the '5 for me is even more fun than that car was - even 60 mph feels fun in a 5 and you get roof down motoring, RWD etc etc...
Edited by pbirkett on Saturday 9th October 21:59
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