to rebuild or not to rebuild?

[fionaroadster]

HI there

I am new to the forums but looking for general rebuild advice

I have a '93 jap import roadster - in quite good condition generally but will need either scrapping or severe investment in the next year or two - which way shall I go?

bearing in mind Im a woman with no hands on mecahnical skills, no garage and no tools or male help to hand.....
anyone wise enough to know better and talk me out of a rebuild????

then again, she is lowered, brand new soft top and drives very nicely.....??

many thanks
picture to arrive imminently

[Munter]

Trade it. Tell the dealer about the good stuff. Let them find the bad stuff if they can be bothered.

Either that or strip it for parts and have the rest taken away.

Final option: Try selling it to someone who wants to build a kit car with it. MEV may even know people who are looking for donors to build their Exocet kit.

[skinny]

what needs doing, engine / mechanical stuff or rust / paint work?

[fionaroadster]

its about to go for MOT and service but it passed last year without an issue and i was told its a good car for the year
its not got any serious rust that I can see but not sure about underneath
its only been in this wet country for 6 years (i imported it) and was garaged for the first 5 years so am hoping it wont have much rust underneath
the engine seems fine but has a small oil leak and is due a timing belt change its done 120k miles - i do about 5k miles each year
the body work is tatty, i have a dent in the drivers door where someone put thier foot into it
the inside is getting tatty
it has new wheels, new brakes all round new softtop new stereo from last year
the guy who did the softop said the frame was in mint condtiion and hed never seen one so good...

its lowered but i have no idea what condition the rest of it is in ie steering suspension etc....
i could put a fair bit of money into it - say £1k a year but not sure if its really going to keep going or fall apart completely!! i just wondered if anyone else had this experience ????????

i tried out a 2003 mx5 for 2 months and didnt like it at all, so if i dont keep this one ill probably go for a jeep so i can get my dog in the back!

any and all opionions gratefully received!!

[Riknos]

Sounds worth keeping to me. replacement doors can be had for £50 on ebay etc. Likewise interior can be replaced, cambelt change isn't too pricey. If it's structually or mechanically sound then it's worth spending a bit of cash on it!

[fionaroadster]

mmm
well if anyone has done a rebuild and can advise me where I should start
being a 'girl' i think the garages see me coming to some extent and i want to try and find out at least the correct order of checking things and what i need to look out for etc....

if anyone can help that would be great as I have been searcning the web for a few weeks now but cant seem to find any rebuilding/customising advice for these things.....

thanks

[LukeSi]

Get a bloke to take it (eg father / boyfriend / brother / friend and so on)

[snotrag]

Its about to go for MOT and service but it passed last year without an issue and i was told its a good car for the year Well it cant be that much worse after just one year...

its not got any serious rust that I can see but not sure about underneath Easy to check, and its all repairable. When it goes for the MOT, get down in the pit or under the ramp and have a look round. Tell the MOT tester you want to give it a good inspection, and get them to talk you through the test as they do it and point out anything they note.

its only been in this wet country for 6 years (i imported it) and was garaged for the first 5 years so am hoping it wont have much rust underneath sounds like it should be ok though...

the engine seems fine but has a small oil leak and is due a timing belt change its done 120k miles - i do about 5k miles each year Oil leaks generally very easy to sort. Few very common sources. Timing belt, again, cheap and easy to do. Garages who know what there doing can do in just a few hours, and the parts are cheap.

the body work is tatty, i have a dent in the drivers door where someone put thier foot into it Pfft. Old cars have dents sometimes. Make it work right first then make it look pretty - doors are cheap.

the inside is getting tatty Elbow grease, deep clean. All plastics and trim available second hand super cheap if anythings wrecked.

fionaroadster said:

mmm
well if anyone has done a rebuild and can advise me where I should start
being a 'girl' i think the garages see me coming to some extent and i want to try and find out at least the correct order of checking things and what i need to look out for etc....

if anyone can help that would be great as I have been searcning the web for a few weeks now but cant seem to find any rebuilding/customising advice for these things.....

thanks

Theres more advice about fixing up MX-5s than just about any other car on the web! Remember to seach for 'miata' as well as Mx5.

Miata.net is a great start, have a read up, join the forums, and mx5nutz.com too.

The most important thing to do is make the car safe - rust, brakes, suspension. Then engine. Then the pretty bits.

[J.P.W.]

fionaroadster said:

I have a '93 jap import roadster - in quite good condition generally but will need either scrapping or severe investment in the next year or two - which way shall I go?

Er. I don't really understand on the basis of what you've told us why you think it will need a rebuild?

Just keep it maintained, nip any potential rust in the bud and it should serve you well for a few years without major outlay. T-belt is cheap enough - I think I got the kit off mxparts.co.uk for about 60 quid and any mechanic will do the work for a sum not far into the three figure range as there's not much labour involved compared to most cars.

It sounds like it's much tidier than mine was when I bought it 4 years ago. Still driving great though (but I'm staring down the barrel of a welding bill ).

Edited by J.P.W. on Friday 18th February 23:29

[MX-5 Lazza]

Where are you? I live in Wokingham and work in Kingsclere. If you are local enough I could take a look at it for you and give you some advice as to what needs doing and what sort of cost you should expect.

[fionaroadster]

Well great to hear some positivity about the old banger - my fiance would much rather I scrap it but im emotionally attached...mostly because she goes round corners like knight rider...


if you work in Kingsclere, I have some time off coming up and thats only about half hour away as I live in Andover - maybe on a nice day we could meet up and you can give her the once over?? im just not sure what to fix first, there seems so much to get done!!!!! i tried out the local MX5 clubs but didnt get much help - is anyone going there and are the clubs worth sticking with do you think?

if you click on my name you can see a pic of the roadster....

[MX-5 Lazza]

Looks like a nice car!

I don't know about the local OC group. Some of them are great, very active and with great member, others less so. I'm a member of PlanetMX5 which is full of very nice, helpful & informative people. Our main meets are just off the A3/M25 junction so not so local to you but we have fairly regular tech-days where everyone gets all the jobs they need done on their cars and anyone who can chips in on the other cars. Our first of the year hasn't been planned yet but it'll probably be April. I suggest you work out what's needed on your car and pop along to take advantage