From out of the shadows and into the MX5 light!
Discussion
Hello!
I have been lurking on this forum for about three or four years now, soaking up as much information about MX5s as possible so that when the day finally comes, I can purchase with confidence. However, I still feel the need to throw myself into a text book "buying an MX5" thread, so apologies but here it is!
My budget is tight and I have limited myself to £3k. I am being taken off the company car scheme at work (shedding no tears at losing my diesel Astra) and being put on car allowance. So, I have decided to go for an MX5 to cover my annual estimated mileage of about 10 – 12,000 miles a year (business & pleasure). The plan goes that if I buy an older, possibly higher mileage car and run it for six months with all digits crossed, the car allowance will have paid for the car and if it explodes I haven’t lost too much money and / or I can go out and buy another.
So I have found a lovely 1992, Mk1, 1.6, Eunos S-Special with 88,000kms on the clock, no rust (as far as I can see, the car was imported in 2004) and in pretty good condition. The aircon blows ice cold, the interior is clean and in good condition and everything works as it should, and it drives well as far as I can tell, all for the price of £1500. There are some down sides and I guess its here where I need a little advice.
The car has no service history. The guy who owns the garage imported it himself for his sister and has serviced it himself. She wants another car so it’s on his forecourt. He was a lovely fellow, but how much of a problem is this lack of paperwork?
It’s a twenty year old car; I need it to be fairly reliable though I’m not expecting utter perfection. Should I be looking at something newer like a Mk2?
I have some long journeys for work, maybe once or twice a month which are all motorway doing about 250-300 miles. Does anybody have similar experiences driving a similar car for work?
I greatly appreciate any advice, cheers!
I have been lurking on this forum for about three or four years now, soaking up as much information about MX5s as possible so that when the day finally comes, I can purchase with confidence. However, I still feel the need to throw myself into a text book "buying an MX5" thread, so apologies but here it is!
My budget is tight and I have limited myself to £3k. I am being taken off the company car scheme at work (shedding no tears at losing my diesel Astra) and being put on car allowance. So, I have decided to go for an MX5 to cover my annual estimated mileage of about 10 – 12,000 miles a year (business & pleasure). The plan goes that if I buy an older, possibly higher mileage car and run it for six months with all digits crossed, the car allowance will have paid for the car and if it explodes I haven’t lost too much money and / or I can go out and buy another.
So I have found a lovely 1992, Mk1, 1.6, Eunos S-Special with 88,000kms on the clock, no rust (as far as I can see, the car was imported in 2004) and in pretty good condition. The aircon blows ice cold, the interior is clean and in good condition and everything works as it should, and it drives well as far as I can tell, all for the price of £1500. There are some down sides and I guess its here where I need a little advice.
The car has no service history. The guy who owns the garage imported it himself for his sister and has serviced it himself. She wants another car so it’s on his forecourt. He was a lovely fellow, but how much of a problem is this lack of paperwork?
It’s a twenty year old car; I need it to be fairly reliable though I’m not expecting utter perfection. Should I be looking at something newer like a Mk2?
I have some long journeys for work, maybe once or twice a month which are all motorway doing about 250-300 miles. Does anybody have similar experiences driving a similar car for work?
I greatly appreciate any advice, cheers!
hey
i own a 1993 mk1 eunos 1.6 s special,it had done 80k when i got it and its never skipped a beat (touch wood). i have some fair old long journeys in mine has my fiancées parents live in Suffolk so do a good 300 mile round trip every other month.
Paperwork wise I was lucky enough to receive all the Jap service history when I brought mine. But for 1500 quid I wouldn’t complain, has he got receipts for the services he has done? At least that would show you he isn’t talking complete and utter bulls
t.
Mk1 or mk2 comes down to personal preference. In my opinion the mk1 looks better that the mk2.
Hope this helps
i own a 1993 mk1 eunos 1.6 s special,it had done 80k when i got it and its never skipped a beat (touch wood). i have some fair old long journeys in mine has my fiancées parents live in Suffolk so do a good 300 mile round trip every other month.
Paperwork wise I was lucky enough to receive all the Jap service history when I brought mine. But for 1500 quid I wouldn’t complain, has he got receipts for the services he has done? At least that would show you he isn’t talking complete and utter bulls
t. Mk1 or mk2 comes down to personal preference. In my opinion the mk1 looks better that the mk2.
Hope this helps
It should be reliable.
The long trips though...if you have to do a full days work afterwards I'm not sure. If I drive Wolves to Bournemouth in the MX5 I'm knackered at the end. If I do it in the Avensis, I'm no more tired than usual.
I'd say do it anyway!
Edit: Also factor in to your "costs" that you'll get about 30mpg from the MX5 on a run. The Astra I would guess was doing ~50mpg.
The long trips though...if you have to do a full days work afterwards I'm not sure. If I drive Wolves to Bournemouth in the MX5 I'm knackered at the end. If I do it in the Avensis, I'm no more tired than usual.
I'd say do it anyway!
Edit: Also factor in to your "costs" that you'll get about 30mpg from the MX5 on a run. The Astra I would guess was doing ~50mpg.
Edited by Munter on Thursday 14th April 16:28
Cheers for the info guys. I'm kind of expecting to sacrifice some comforts and take the additional running costs to get myself into a 5. I have basically wanted one for about a decade! But the timing has never been right or the circumstances have worked against me. I test drove a few Mk2s about five years ago, but ended up with an MGZS 180, totally different car to the MX5. I once drove a Rover 25 for work, back when i was doing 500-600 miles per week and it certainly took its toll on me physically! I was shattered at the end of every week! Now my work journeys are nothing like back then, so i think i can live with an MX5 as my daily.
I haven't seen any documents yet on the car i mentioned above but i'm definately going to press him to produce some. Even so, i have budgeted to have a full service, cambelt and water pump change if i buy it. I have an MX5 specialist a stone's throw away from me so that's handy!
I haven't seen any documents yet on the car i mentioned above but i'm definately going to press him to produce some. Even so, i have budgeted to have a full service, cambelt and water pump change if i buy it. I have an MX5 specialist a stone's throw away from me so that's handy!
From a reliability perspective there's certainly nothing wrong with your choice of an MX5, but be warned that they are a tiresome car to drive over long distances.
I'd steer clear of examples with modified suspension, or the Bilsteins that some cars came with out of the factory, as they'll cripple you on a regular long journey. I did 8 hours in a Bilstein car once and couldn't straighten my back for an hour or so.
I'd steer clear of examples with modified suspension, or the Bilsteins that some cars came with out of the factory, as they'll cripple you on a regular long journey. I did 8 hours in a Bilstein car once and couldn't straighten my back for an hour or so.
Good on you 
Personally I wouldn't be too worried about the lack of service history - if it looks like it's been looked after it's probably ok - check all the usual stuff like oil/brakes/rust/leaks etc and check out the buying guide over on the Owners' Club forum.
I do a 200 ish mile round trip on the m25/a12 about once a month on my sport springs, Bilstein dampered car and whilst it's not the comfiest car in the world I don't feel knackered or achey afterwards - I do put earplugs in though!
ETA - you might get a few niggly problems, but nothing major. For instance I've had my car for 6ish months, and it was very well looked after by the previous owner, and yet I've still had to change the clutch slave cylinder, change the exhaust, stop the brakes binding and fix a non-working fog light. Most of this could be said for any car though!
Extra ETA - if you want to listen to the radio on the motorway keep an eye out for cars with speakers in the headrests, or think about adding some in, otherwise it can be difficult to hear the radio. Mine has these speakers and if I wear earplugs it cancels out most of the road/wind noise and still lets me listen to the radio
Personally I wouldn't be too worried about the lack of service history - if it looks like it's been looked after it's probably ok - check all the usual stuff like oil/brakes/rust/leaks etc and check out the buying guide over on the Owners' Club forum.
I do a 200 ish mile round trip on the m25/a12 about once a month on my sport springs, Bilstein dampered car and whilst it's not the comfiest car in the world I don't feel knackered or achey afterwards - I do put earplugs in though!
ETA - you might get a few niggly problems, but nothing major. For instance I've had my car for 6ish months, and it was very well looked after by the previous owner, and yet I've still had to change the clutch slave cylinder, change the exhaust, stop the brakes binding and fix a non-working fog light. Most of this could be said for any car though!
Extra ETA - if you want to listen to the radio on the motorway keep an eye out for cars with speakers in the headrests, or think about adding some in, otherwise it can be difficult to hear the radio. Mine has these speakers and if I wear earplugs it cancels out most of the road/wind noise and still lets me listen to the radio
Edited by Mellow Matt on Thursday 14th April 17:59
I do way more than 12k a year in mine no problem - I guess its what your used to, nad mine is very loud and stiff.
RE service record - wouldnt worry about it - judge the car on its merits, is usually obvious whether a car has been kept well or not. Theres nothing 'critical' on them thats a deal-breaker if it hadn't been done.
As long as you budget upto say £300 that should easily cover a really, really thorough service as soon as you've bought it, and then you should be worry free. Obviously less if you DIY some stuff (all the fluids, for instance).
As for reliability - they are not some ultra-reliable thing like a modern Toyota say - they do have niggles and they do have common faults. BUT - I'd say its very rare they 'break down' as such - I dont know anyone who's ever been left stranded or with a big bill out of the blue.
And the beauty is - everything is cheap, easily available and easily DIY-able, which makes ownership interesting and fun, in my opinion.
RE service record - wouldnt worry about it - judge the car on its merits, is usually obvious whether a car has been kept well or not. Theres nothing 'critical' on them thats a deal-breaker if it hadn't been done.
As long as you budget upto say £300 that should easily cover a really, really thorough service as soon as you've bought it, and then you should be worry free. Obviously less if you DIY some stuff (all the fluids, for instance).
As for reliability - they are not some ultra-reliable thing like a modern Toyota say - they do have niggles and they do have common faults. BUT - I'd say its very rare they 'break down' as such - I dont know anyone who's ever been left stranded or with a big bill out of the blue.
And the beauty is - everything is cheap, easily available and easily DIY-able, which makes ownership interesting and fun, in my opinion.
Thanks again all!
I think i might have to test drive a Mk2 to really see if there is a massive difference in the comfort stakes (not driven one for years). That said, if i have a really long journey or there is a mechanical mishap, the plan is to get business insurance on the other half's 520d. We both work from home and can plan work around each other's journeys if push came to shove.
If i took the Mk1 plunge and it turned out to be a bit of a back breaker, i assume i could sell and break even? Maybe a tiny loss?
I think i might have to test drive a Mk2 to really see if there is a massive difference in the comfort stakes (not driven one for years). That said, if i have a really long journey or there is a mechanical mishap, the plan is to get business insurance on the other half's 520d. We both work from home and can plan work around each other's journeys if push came to shove.
If i took the Mk1 plunge and it turned out to be a bit of a back breaker, i assume i could sell and break even? Maybe a tiny loss?
Longest journey I've done is about 200 miles in one go without stopping, and whilst it wasn't as comfy as other cars, it wasn't impossible to do.. The only issue is the wind noise (same issue with any convertible, surely?). The second journey I switched my stereo off and used headphones instead (in-ear ones so I still had peripheral hearing) and it made it much better in my opinion.
I wouldn't worry about lack of service history. I'll always service an older car myself as soon as I get it, regardless if there is paperwork to say it was done a few months ago.
As long as you don't pick a complete dog, you should definitely be able to exceed your 6 months ownership with that one. Good luck, I hope it turns out to be as good as it sounds!
I wouldn't worry about lack of service history. I'll always service an older car myself as soon as I get it, regardless if there is paperwork to say it was done a few months ago.
As long as you don't pick a complete dog, you should definitely be able to exceed your 6 months ownership with that one. Good luck, I hope it turns out to be as good as it sounds!
Maybe I should consider getting a hardtop which i assume might make those longer journeys a bit easier. As for DIYing, i'm keen, but i'm also largely incompetent when it comes to mehcanicals (though i've never really given it a go), it took me four hours to assemble the boy's mountain bike last weekend! If it were my weekend car then i would have a tinker, but as i need to rely on it a degree or two more than that I might leave the DIY skills in the box!
iantek said:
Maybe I should consider getting a hardtop which i assume might make those longer journeys a bit easier. As for DIYing, i'm keen, but i'm also largely incompetent when it comes to mehcanicals (though i've never really given it a go), it took me four hours to assemble the boy's mountain bike last weekend! If it were my weekend car then i would have a tinker, but as i need to rely on it a degree or two more than that I might leave the DIY skills in the box!
You'll find that a hardyop just amplifies the assorted mechanical noises. Top down you don't hear them. 
Richyvrlimited said:
Gizmo! said:
You'll find that a hardyop just amplifies the assorted mechanical noises.
Well they don't... my car is considerably quieter with the hardtop fitted.Hmmm, will definately test a Mk2 now. The purchase price wil be higher but i do need to have some kind of a nod to refinement on longer trips. I don't want to get into a situation where you love the car at first and then grow to hate it! That's what the other half has just been through with a Suzuki Swift Sport. It was a really fun car to drive, really liked to be booted and could be easily chucked about at speeds that wouldn't loose you your licence. However, she had a twice weekly 200 mile round trip which was slowly eroding her initial love for the car, hence why its been sold for a 520d!
Or a well cared for and upgraded Mk 1 for half your budget that might well belong to my brother?
MX-5 by binaryimage, on Flickr
MX-5 by binaryimage, on Flickr
miniman said:
Or a well cared for and upgraded Mk 1 for half your budget that might well belong to my brother?
MX-5 by binaryimage, on Flickr
Never raced or rallied!MX-5 by binaryimage, on Flickr
Gassing Station | Mazda MX5/Roadster/Miata | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff