Mk1 Mx5 hunting! Advice needed.
Discussion
So hopefully by the end of the month i'll be looking to buy a Mk1 Mx5 
I'm after a UK Spec 1.6 (Because of insurance)
What should i look out for etc etc? My budget will be £1000 so i wont be going to a minter.
Im aware of rust etc, sills, arches.
What issues do they have/what should i look for when buying one for a grand or less?
Cheers, Dan
I'm after a UK Spec 1.6 (Because of insurance)
What should i look out for etc etc? My budget will be £1000 so i wont be going to a minter.
Im aware of rust etc, sills, arches.
What issues do they have/what should i look for when buying one for a grand or less?
Cheers, Dan
Rust is your biggest enemy. Try and avoid sills that look like this!
Buying guide here..
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Also try posting in the MX5/Eunos section.
Take a jack and magnet along. I bought one (for strong money!) as there was an invoice for welded sills amongst the paperwork. 8 months later and the rust was back with a vengeance.
The magnet will not stick to rust or filler. If it does stick, then jack the car up using the rear diff (but don't get under it without stands). Take a good look underneath to check other bits aren't rusty as hell, makes it a PITA to work on simple jobs.
The magnet will not stick to rust or filler. If it does stick, then jack the car up using the rear diff (but don't get under it without stands). Take a good look underneath to check other bits aren't rusty as hell, makes it a PITA to work on simple jobs.
Harding91 said:
Eighteeteewhy said:
There are some low power 90bhp UK versions, you don't want one of those!
The power doesnt bother me overly, but how do i know the difference/what is the difference? What should i look for?Before everyone starts asking to stretch your budget 'for a good one'. Don't! Look on sites like Gumtree for owners who don't know what there selling. Would suggest an Import although if it insurance thats a killer there are still some good UK cars about. Remember theres thousands of the things so you have a lot of scope to find the right car. I've had 4. The last being a rare white S-Special Type-II, which came with factory LSD, Bilsteins, shorter final drive ratio, ultra lighteight BBS alloys etc. Thats the spec you want for fast road/track use. I paid £800 for a tidy low milege car. Spent a few quid on a cage/harnesses,GV lip etc and took it across Europe to Spa and the Nurburgring. It was perfect! Have also had a superchaged Mk1/Mk2.5 etc but IMHO a normally aspirated car is just as much fun!
Here's me!!
Get onto MX5Nutz, introduce yourself and you'll be hooked! Rust is the biggest issue on all Mx5's.... Mk1,2 and 3's included! Sills and rear arches are the worst. Also be weiry of cars on cheap eBay coilovers. KYB and Gaz are MUCH better, if a lot more expensive. The coil packs go, but are cheap and easy to fix. The standard engines are bullet proof. An exhaust/air filter are common but wont add power.... though will add some nice noise
Special editions are easier to sell in an overcrowded market. If its UK only, Dakar/Gleneagles add leather/plastic wood etc. If you can find one 1 Mk2 10th anniversary is the one to go for in my opinion if you have to be in a UK model as they came with an LSD, 6 speed box, half leahter... though ditch the OEM chrome wheels! That's as close as you'll get to Eunos spec for MX5 insurance prices. Stay away from anything of Driftworks or the like. Welded diffs, worn roofs, eBay coilovers and rust are all that seem to show up there. But rust aside there really aren't that many issues, and any little niggles should be cheap and easy to sort. Cracked plastic screens (they only went glass from Mk2.5 onwards) are a pain. As well as wear/tear along the roof edges above the side window glass. I've yet to come across an MX5 of any sort that will be 100% water tight in a proper downpour, so don't get too worked up about that. If a car is advertised with a "roll bar" (very desirable) make sure its a proper one and goes all the way down through the parcel shelf. The parcel shelf is made of aluminium so any cheap style bar will mount there and will be useless. TRlane, Hardog and MazdaSpeed are the best I've come across. A grand will get you a solid base car. If you intend to track it I'd deffinately consider polybushing it. Makes a huge difference. Strut braces are useless and do nothing bt add weight so don't bother with them. Avoid cars with anything other than 14 or 15 inch wheels. Bigger than that completely ruins the ride and handling. Clutches are very strong and can take 180bhp+ with ease so feel free to dump them at every opportunity 
Overall you'll love them. I've yet to find a car thats as good as an all rounder. I used mine as daily drivers, taxi to the pub, weekend car, sun or snow, track days.... everything. Its a great little car.
And finally.... never.... ever.... have the roof up. Even in the snow! Here's some more of mine!! Good times!
And what was that I said about the snow
Here's me!!
Get onto MX5Nutz, introduce yourself and you'll be hooked! Rust is the biggest issue on all Mx5's.... Mk1,2 and 3's included! Sills and rear arches are the worst. Also be weiry of cars on cheap eBay coilovers. KYB and Gaz are MUCH better, if a lot more expensive. The coil packs go, but are cheap and easy to fix. The standard engines are bullet proof. An exhaust/air filter are common but wont add power.... though will add some nice noise
Special editions are easier to sell in an overcrowded market. If its UK only, Dakar/Gleneagles add leather/plastic wood etc. If you can find one 1 Mk2 10th anniversary is the one to go for in my opinion if you have to be in a UK model as they came with an LSD, 6 speed box, half leahter... though ditch the OEM chrome wheels! That's as close as you'll get to Eunos spec for MX5 insurance prices. Stay away from anything of Driftworks or the like. Welded diffs, worn roofs, eBay coilovers and rust are all that seem to show up there. But rust aside there really aren't that many issues, and any little niggles should be cheap and easy to sort. Cracked plastic screens (they only went glass from Mk2.5 onwards) are a pain. As well as wear/tear along the roof edges above the side window glass. I've yet to come across an MX5 of any sort that will be 100% water tight in a proper downpour, so don't get too worked up about that. If a car is advertised with a "roll bar" (very desirable) make sure its a proper one and goes all the way down through the parcel shelf. The parcel shelf is made of aluminium so any cheap style bar will mount there and will be useless. TRlane, Hardog and MazdaSpeed are the best I've come across. A grand will get you a solid base car. If you intend to track it I'd deffinately consider polybushing it. Makes a huge difference. Strut braces are useless and do nothing bt add weight so don't bother with them. Avoid cars with anything other than 14 or 15 inch wheels. Bigger than that completely ruins the ride and handling. Clutches are very strong and can take 180bhp+ with ease so feel free to dump them at every opportunity Overall you'll love them. I've yet to find a car thats as good as an all rounder. I used mine as daily drivers, taxi to the pub, weekend car, sun or snow, track days.... everything. Its a great little car.
And finally.... never.... ever.... have the roof up. Even in the snow! Here's some more of mine!! Good times!
And what was that I said about the snow
thanks for the input dude!
Definatley going to be a UK Spec im afraid, and i wont be stretching my budget, a grand is the top im willing to spend!
Yeah rust is my main concern, will find one with very little/wtihout any
And i dont really want a red one either, but if a nice red one comes up within budget i wont turn it down because of the colour!
Will get onto the forums asap dude Thanks!
Definatley going to be a UK Spec im afraid, and i wont be stretching my budget, a grand is the top im willing to spend!
Yeah rust is my main concern, will find one with very little/wtihout any
And i dont really want a red one either, but if a nice red one comes up within budget i wont turn it down because of the colour!
Will get onto the forums asap dude
Thanks!
em177 said:
something much like that! Thanks, I wont have the rest of the money until the 28'th though so i'll start looking then Would like a black one tbh!As for mileage, im guessing it doesnt mean much like a lot of jap cars, Under 150k with a decent service history etc should be a decent car?
em177 said:
Milege is almost irrelevant. History may not be upto date either as a lot of people service themselves. (Why wouldn't you there so easy to work on). But as long as there not run on low oil etc the engines last forever!
Cheers. It cant be worse than the many fords ive owned anyhow, as good cars as fords can be, when you're young you have lead boots on when driving and fords dont take abuse well, trust me. chrisw1991 said:
Sorry if this is hijacking the thread.
I just wanted to know if anyone can tell me if there is a noticeable difference in power between the 1.6 115bhp and 90bhp engines. Im talking about everyday use and for someone who is use to driving extremly slow cars.
25bho difference is always going to be noticeable. Even more so in such a light/raw car.I just wanted to know if anyone can tell me if there is a noticeable difference in power between the 1.6 115bhp and 90bhp engines. Im talking about everyday use and for someone who is use to driving extremly slow cars.
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