Is the Mk2 MX5 really that bad? Cheap alternatives?
Discussion
I know, I know the Mk1 is the original, and the purest, and has pop-up headlights which are ace, I know I had one.
Just idle speculation at the mopment, but next year I'm thinking of spending about £1k on a little sports car to run around in for summer (and maybe keep if I get attached) MX5 is the obvious choice, but most of the cheap MK1s are rusting away and you seem to get a better condition car for your money with the Mk2.
Also considering MGF/TF, Z3, MR2 but MX5 is the favourite if I'm honest. I like the FR layout.
Just idle speculation at the mopment, but next year I'm thinking of spending about £1k on a little sports car to run around in for summer (and maybe keep if I get attached) MX5 is the obvious choice, but most of the cheap MK1s are rusting away and you seem to get a better condition car for your money with the Mk2.
Also considering MGF/TF, Z3, MR2 but MX5 is the favourite if I'm honest. I like the FR layout.
I realise people tend to prefer the Mk1, but I wasn't aware that the mk2 was ever regarded as a bad car; it won the Autocar 'best handling car' accolade (I've got the magazine somewhere). If you like the FE/RWD layout then it's a great example. Plus, if you want to improve or change it there's lots of upgrades available.
I had the most basic MK2 money could buy about 9 years ago. It was a blast, amazing handling and short shift change.
I wore the clutch out and went through brand new tyres in a month that's as long as I could live with it as a daily.
Fab car but mine was a 1999 in 2009 and already had some rust points around the seatbelt mounts so Christ knows how bad it would be today !
In fact just checked MOT history. Done 20k in 9 years (hmm) and every advisory relates to rust at pretty much every corner.
Suppose there will be garaged ones etc but not at a grand.
I wore the clutch out and went through brand new tyres in a month that's as long as I could live with it as a daily.
Fab car but mine was a 1999 in 2009 and already had some rust points around the seatbelt mounts so Christ knows how bad it would be today !
In fact just checked MOT history. Done 20k in 9 years (hmm) and every advisory relates to rust at pretty much every corner.
Suppose there will be garaged ones etc but not at a grand.
I had one of these for 8 years! It was a 2000 model 1.8iS, which I bought in 2008. It did succumb to the rust issues but I got more than my money's worth out of it and, despite having 'better' cars since, I do miss it!
I'd nab one for £1k in a heartbeat, or pay a little more for one that's been garaged over winter. Would make a great track day car too.
I'd nab one for £1k in a heartbeat, or pay a little more for one that's been garaged over winter. Would make a great track day car too.
I've posted this before, but I bought one for a little more than your budget, looked at two, bought the cheapest with more miles, but much better condition.
I've spent a few quid keeping on top of things, and had the sill done on one side last winter, other side will be done this winter.
Only planned on keeping it til it failed the next mot, but got bitten by the track day bug, now I'm about £4k deep into it, it's still worth sod all, and it's not even boosted.....yet!
I've spent a few quid keeping on top of things, and had the sill done on one side last winter, other side will be done this winter.
Only planned on keeping it til it failed the next mot, but got bitten by the track day bug, now I'm about £4k deep into it, it's still worth sod all, and it's not even boosted.....yet!
They do 25MPG everywhere. You pay a high amount of road tax, 330 if i remember rightly. If it doesn't look rusty, it is and if it looks rusty it's about to fail mot's without 1000's spent on it.
Welcome to the Mk2/2.5. It's a wonderful drive, it eats b roads and if you're robust you can handle longer drives in it, it handles well, sounds great and is pretty damn nippy for less than 3k spent. It's also mechanically bulletproof, i've had mine eat it's auxbelt and run for miles without the waterpump, it still doesn't drink water or oil.
To put in perspective how good this car is, i did 8 weeks in Germany in one, drove from East Mids to the czech border and did all sorts of driving from great back roads, to non-paved roads and even unrestricted autobahns with 125mph top speeds until my ears bled.
Get one, don't regret the fact it will melt to the point of costing 3-4k to repair and just get rid and enjoy the fact you owned one even for a little while. Then when you've gotten rid and are looking for something to fill the gap, get deadly angry with Mazda for making a modern car rust like a 60's brit where the mechanicals could outlive multiple bodyshells with ease.
Welcome to the Mk2/2.5. It's a wonderful drive, it eats b roads and if you're robust you can handle longer drives in it, it handles well, sounds great and is pretty damn nippy for less than 3k spent. It's also mechanically bulletproof, i've had mine eat it's auxbelt and run for miles without the waterpump, it still doesn't drink water or oil.
To put in perspective how good this car is, i did 8 weeks in Germany in one, drove from East Mids to the czech border and did all sorts of driving from great back roads, to non-paved roads and even unrestricted autobahns with 125mph top speeds until my ears bled.
Get one, don't regret the fact it will melt to the point of costing 3-4k to repair and just get rid and enjoy the fact you owned one even for a little while. Then when you've gotten rid and are looking for something to fill the gap, get deadly angry with Mazda for making a modern car rust like a 60's brit where the mechanicals could outlive multiple bodyshells with ease.
I've had a 99 mk2 for a year now.
I had 3k budget for a late 2.5 but when a very tidy example popped up that I couldn't refuse for 1500 I thought sod it, I'll spend the savings on keeping this one going.
Cost me nowt last year, with only couple minor advisories on mot.
Just had front chassis rails done for 500. 700 in 2 years will sort the sills.
V6 rocketeer 2 years after that.
Not a big risk and it's a lot of fun!
I had 3k budget for a late 2.5 but when a very tidy example popped up that I couldn't refuse for 1500 I thought sod it, I'll spend the savings on keeping this one going.
Cost me nowt last year, with only couple minor advisories on mot.
Just had front chassis rails done for 500. 700 in 2 years will sort the sills.
V6 rocketeer 2 years after that.
Not a big risk and it's a lot of fun!
I had a mk 2 1.8, great car. The biggest surprise for me when I bought it was not the brilliant handling,as I had read the reviews, but the incredibly comfortable ride. It rode better than many family cars I've had. I would try to increase your budget and buy the best you can afford, a cheap car may not be cheap in the long run. The number one issue is most definitely rust, so try to get any prospective purchases on a ramp for inspection.
Had a Mk2.5 from new for 5 years many years ago. One of only three cars (all of them small, lightweight rot boxes now I think of it) that I miss.
The chassis rails rust issue is the main thing that kills them - like blood pressure it’s a silent killer. Shame but if you find something not absolutely shot then it should be fixable.
Just don’t blame us if, Herbie-style, the front and back separate!!
The chassis rails rust issue is the main thing that kills them - like blood pressure it’s a silent killer. Shame but if you find something not absolutely shot then it should be fixable.
Just don’t blame us if, Herbie-style, the front and back separate!!
I've had a few MX5s, including a stripped out track day shed and I built a kit car from a MK1. They are light, very nicely designed and an absolute joy to own, so long as you don't expect them to be fast. Mechanically, they are really tough and so long as they have been cared for, and you know what to look for, they are good cheapies.
They are prone to rot, but there are some excellent ones out there and they are cheap because they have a bad reputation for rot! I bought one MK2 as a rotten heap, MOT failure. I had intended to use it as a donor for the kit car, but once I'd been over it, I spent a weekend chopping the rear wheel arches and back ends of the sills out and patching it up with cheapy ebay repair sections, and we used it all Summer. There really was very little else wrong with it. The chap that bought it from me, used it for the Winter and then built a kit car from it.
My brother bought a 2005 1.8 MK 2.5 a year ago. It has no rot at all - none. I think it was garaged and pampered by it's elderly previous owners (it still had the bowls club car park sticker in the window). It's an excellent car that he bought as a replacement for his motorbike after a major spill. He did not intend to keep it for very long, but I now doubt that he'll sell it - he's using it all the time.
Check rear wheel arches, sills and front chassis sections for rot. Avoid cars with chassis leg rot - that's PITA to fix. Most will have had sill repairs by now. If you find a solid one that has not been welded, buy it! You won't regret it.
For road use, I'd want abs - not all were equipped. I'd also make sure that it has a limited slip diff, if you enjoy driving. Many of the after-market mods detract from the car (IMO).
They are prone to rot, but there are some excellent ones out there and they are cheap because they have a bad reputation for rot! I bought one MK2 as a rotten heap, MOT failure. I had intended to use it as a donor for the kit car, but once I'd been over it, I spent a weekend chopping the rear wheel arches and back ends of the sills out and patching it up with cheapy ebay repair sections, and we used it all Summer. There really was very little else wrong with it. The chap that bought it from me, used it for the Winter and then built a kit car from it.
My brother bought a 2005 1.8 MK 2.5 a year ago. It has no rot at all - none. I think it was garaged and pampered by it's elderly previous owners (it still had the bowls club car park sticker in the window). It's an excellent car that he bought as a replacement for his motorbike after a major spill. He did not intend to keep it for very long, but I now doubt that he'll sell it - he's using it all the time.
Check rear wheel arches, sills and front chassis sections for rot. Avoid cars with chassis leg rot - that's PITA to fix. Most will have had sill repairs by now. If you find a solid one that has not been welded, buy it! You won't regret it.
For road use, I'd want abs - not all were equipped. I'd also make sure that it has a limited slip diff, if you enjoy driving. Many of the after-market mods detract from the car (IMO).
You'll still find very good mk1s and mk2s for around a grand - try less obvious places like Friday Ads and Gumtree, as well as the obvious ones (AT and eBay) and sooner or later you might find something that's been cherished and garaged by someone who believes the ridiculously low Parker's price guide prices (or whatever the equivalent is these days - WBAC?) - especially if its an import. Bargains are still out there. I wouldn't consider anything else, but then I'm biased by ten years of MX5 ownership.
Oh, an in response to your original question, a well looked after and not-yet-rusty chassis legged Mk2 is a cracking little sports car. Back in the day enthusiasts would often remark that the Mk2 was the better car, but the Mk1 is the better MX-5. Buy whatever you can find that you can afford and is in really good nick - if you can't find one, keep looking!
Maccles said:
You'll still find very good mk1s and mk2s for around a grand - try less obvious places like Friday Ads and Gumtree, as well as the obvious ones (AT and eBay) and sooner or later you might find something that's been cherished and garaged by someone who believes the ridiculously low Parker's price guide prices (or whatever the equivalent is these days - WBAC?) - especially if its an import. Bargains are still out there. I wouldn't consider anything else, but then I'm biased by ten years of MX5 ownership.
Problem is there are a lot of others looking for the same thing and the cars you mention get snapped up as soon as they appear. I've had 4. 2x MK2 and 2x mk 2.5 and ive also had 2 mk1s.
The only one that was s
t was a 1.6 MK2. It was just rubbish to drive compared to all the other 2/2.5s as they were all 1.8s with 6spd box and various LSDs. I never bothered with trying to make any of them go faster as I always found them enough fun in standard form.
The last one I had was only a few months back and I much preferred driving it to my cupra 290. It was a late SVT model bought for the princely sum of £600 in the full knowledge that it would never pass another MOT due to the amount of structural rust. I got several months of fun out of it then broke it for a small profit.
The previous one was a 10AE and it went the same way.
I do love them but you have to buy with the view that it will be rotten and will need put out of its missery. Chasing rust repairs on one is a fools foley.
The only one that was s
t was a 1.6 MK2. It was just rubbish to drive compared to all the other 2/2.5s as they were all 1.8s with 6spd box and various LSDs. I never bothered with trying to make any of them go faster as I always found them enough fun in standard form.The last one I had was only a few months back and I much preferred driving it to my cupra 290. It was a late SVT model bought for the princely sum of £600 in the full knowledge that it would never pass another MOT due to the amount of structural rust. I got several months of fun out of it then broke it for a small profit.
The previous one was a 10AE and it went the same way.
I do love them but you have to buy with the view that it will be rotten and will need put out of its missery. Chasing rust repairs on one is a fools foley.
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