MX5 for a new driver

[numtumfutunch]

Help!

Youngest has just passed his test at 20y old and has informed me that an MX5 is the way forward in terms of insurance. Bless him xxx

Being a fully paid up PHer I had a first generation MX5 back in the day a long time before my parents worried about what I paid for insurance and Euro NCAP scores. It was effing wonderful.........

Questions:

What to look for in a phase 1 cars from the early to mid 90's or should he just avoid?

Which generation subsequently offer a good balance of reliability, youth friendly insurance and safety in the event of a big crash?

He would fund an early car himself, however I have much nostalgia for my 1993 MX5 and would consider a joint purchase if worthy of the extra cash.
Fear not he would definitely be the registered keeper and main driver as far as insurance is concerned

Cheers

[GravelBen]

I think you would be looking at an NC (Mk3) if you have any interest in crash safety, Mk1 and Mk2 are great fun to drive but I don't kid myself that my Mk2 would offer much protection in a proper crash.

The mechanicals are pretty tough and reliable on all of them, you're in the UK so the biggest concern is probably rust.

Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 13th August 04:50

[bennno]

numtumfutunch said:

Help!

Youngest has just passed his test at 20y old and has informed me that an MX5 is the way forward in terms of insurance. Bless him xxx

Being a fully paid up PHer I had a first generation MX5 back in the day a long time before my parents worried about what I paid for insurance and Euro NCAP scores. It was effing wonderful.........

Questions:

What to look for in a phase 1 cars from the early to mid 90's or should he just avoid?

Which generation subsequently offer a good balance of reliability, youth friendly insurance and safety in the event of a big crash?

He would fund an early car himself, however I have much nostalgia for my 1993 MX5 and would consider a joint purchase if worthy of the extra cash.
Fear not he would definitely be the registered keeper and main driver as far as insurance is concerned

Cheers

My son found a mk4 was the best from an insurance perspective.

[JQ]

I’d love to know what insurance quotes you’ve had, I really can’t imagine an MX5 being insurance friendly for a new driver?

One thing you may need to be wary of is modifications - not many 90’s MX5’s will be completely original. My last Mk1 had 4 pages of A4 of mods which all needed to be declared.

Would be a great first car, and brilliant to learn mechanics on. Hope he knows how to weld though.

[Belle427]

Depends on your budget too.
Your probably looking at an NC really if safety is a concern, rust is the enemy of most of the models so take care there.
ND seems to be more like the NA if budget allows, they do have known problems too though with gearboxes so do some research if that's the way your leaning.

[bennno]

JQ said:

I d love to know what insurance quotes you ve had, I really can t imagine an MX5 being insurance friendly for a new driver?

.

With a black box the mk4 1.5 was less than an older 1L Corsa or Fiesta

[JQ]

bennno said:

JQ said:

I d love to know what insurance quotes you ve had, I really can t imagine an MX5 being insurance friendly for a new driver?

.

With a black box the mk4 1.5 was less than an older 1L Corsa or Fiesta

How much? My 18yr old bought a Skoda Citigo a few months ago which is costing £900 to insure. I’m sure he’d love an MX5 if the insurance was reasonable.

[numtumfutunch]

Thanks all, and I can confirm the above posts that they are amazingly modest to insure for a young driver

[DeadShed]

JQ said:

bennno said:

JQ said:

I d love to know what insurance quotes you ve had, I really can t imagine an MX5 being insurance friendly for a new driver?

.

With a black box the mk4 1.5 was less than an older 1L Corsa or Fiesta

How much? My 18yr old bought a Skoda Citigo a few months ago which is costing £900 to insure. I m sure he d love an MX5 if the insurance was reasonable.

Run a price comparison, but it won’t be too bad. Firstly, not many young drivers in them, and those that are tend to be those interested in driving. Secondly, not much room for a bunch of mates in the back, which is what drives a lot of the dangerous driving. Finally MX5s are cheap to insure anyway. My NC was half the price of my wife’s 320D and 1/3 the price of her current EQA.

[croyde]

I bought a new ND Homura 2.0 a couple of months back and moved my Dacia Bigster Full Hybrid on.

Insurance company gave me some money back. Now the renewal has come in at £370, the Dacia was £500

I'm old though but in a London borough, parked on street.

[numtumfutunch]

Found a MK3 which is unfortunately a bit of a trek away but looks decent and the seller sounds legit

He's declared "surface rust on wheel arch" although his photos in the ad are poor, we're waiting on better ones

Probably to be expected but am wondering how much this would cost to fix, anyone had similar?

MOT history is fine

Cheers

Edited by numtumfutunch on Monday 17th August 12:32

[littleredrooster]

numtumfutunch said:

Found a MK3 which is unfortunately a bit of a trek away but looks decent and the seller sounds legit

He's declared "surface rust on wheel arch" although his photos in the ad are poor, we're waiting on better ones

Probably to be expected but am wondering how much this would cost to fix, anyone had similaritiese!

MOT history is fine

Cheers

If it's got rust starting on the arch(es), there's a very real chance that it will be much more advanced underneath. Have a close look at the cross-brace and the rear subframe before buying. I've had 3 NCs and seen the advance of rot on all of them.

Broad brush guess at cost starts at about £250 per panel for a simple surface-rust repair/paint.

[JQ]

numtumfutunch said:

Found a MK3 which is unfortunately a bit of a trek away but looks decent and the seller sounds legit

He's declared "surface rust on wheel arch" although his photos in the ad are poor, we're waiting on better ones

Probably to be expected but am wondering how much this would cost to fix, anyone had similaritiese!

MOT history is fine

Cheers

More than you would imagine. Go on the forums and you'll get people telling you it's £100 per side. Surface rust is literally the tip of the iceberg with these cars and you'll need lots cutting out behind the panels if you want to do it properly. 10 years ago I think I paid £1,500 for both sides and arches.

Get one without rust if you can.

[Nickp82]

littleredrooster said:

If it's got rust starting on the arch(es), there's a very real chance that it will be much more advanced underneath. Have a close look at the cross-brace and the rear subframe before buying. I've had 3 NCs and seen the advance of rot on all of them.

Broad brush guess at cost starts at about £250 per panel for a simple surface-rust repair/paint.

Strongly agree . Obviously there’s no set way in which they rust (apart from a lot ) but rust being present on the arches is usually a sign that the underside is in a bit of a state too. Though sometimes it’s because the arches have never been cleaned out and are full of mud.

[numtumfutunch]

Thanks all

Having spent an afternoon on here and various owners groups he's now researching Mk3 MR2s instead

I suspect a 20+ year old engine that was well fancy in its day comes with a different set of baggage..........

On the other hand Im having a lot of fun by proxy so its all good

[Nickp82]

Mk3 MR2s are no better for rust , they’re just not as ubiquitous so it doesn’t get talked about as much.

[fourstardan]

I find it remarkable you are happy for your son to have an MX5 as his first car.

I can see the thing wrapped around a lamppost in my head already.

[skeeterm5]

numtumfutunch said:

Thanks all

Having spent an afternoon on here and various owners groups he's now researching Mk3 MR2s instead

I suspect a 20+ year old engine that was well fancy in its day comes with a different set of baggage..........

On the other hand Im having a lot of fun by proxy so its all good

If serviced properly the engines are bullet proof. I race an NB which is from 2001 and the engine is pretty much the one thing that I don’t worry about. It is also easy to work on and bereft of complex electronics of modern stuff.

[JQ]

fourstardan said:

I find it remarkable you are happy for your son to have an MX5 as his first car.

I can see the thing wrapped around a lamppost in my head already.

Probably safer than a mid-engined MR2 though. Both great cars. No doubt if I'd had one as my first car there'd have been a few "incidents".

[fourstardan]

JQ said:

Probably safer than a mid-engined MR2 though. Both great cars. No doubt if I'd had one as my first car there'd have been a few "incidents".

I wouldn't want my son driving around in winter in one of these.