Yet Another MX-5!
Discussion
Well it's an Eunos actually..
A 1.6 1990 Eunos in mariner blue (always been my favourite colour for the MK1). So after reading many many threads on here about the virtues of MX-5s I thought it was about time I invested in my own. I wasn't planning on anything until next year, but when this one popped up for a measly £900 I thought it was worth a look at the very least.
Upon viewing (in the dark, stupidly, but only way I could see it due to work times) it seemed a sound little car, apparently the low price was due to the owner relocating to Holland and he wanted to sell up before he moved on. The car was owned by this chap's brother for most of it's life after being imported by himself in 2000, then sold on to the previous owner (whom I purchased it from) who owned it with his girlfriend (now wife) for the last five years. In this time I believe it was barely driven and spent a lot of it's life as an unloved second car
Going by the recent cambelt change It's barely done 5000 miles in the last 4 years (cambelt change recorded at 161,000kms, car now sits at 170,600kms, 1600kms of those are in my ownership! and that change was performed in 2007!)
After two dark viewings I decided it was the one for me and after a prompt wash it was starting to look very promising!
As he was selling up, included in the boot were a plethora of bulbs, a matching ice scraper (in the same blue) an MX-5 workshop manual which seems extremely in depth (Rod's MX-5?), a brand new oil filter, a nearly new tonneau cover and some other bits like a new bottle of turtle wax and rags for said waxing
The paintwork is in excellent condition for the age with no blemishes to be seen. Bodywork wise, there's a minor dint in the driver side wing and it's taken a knock on the front bumper apparently where his wife drove it into a curb :/
It drives like a dream and I've been taking every opportunity to get the top down, sadly leading to me stupidly cracking the rear window after dropping the roof on a far too cold morning and not leaving it time to warm up. Schoolboy error and a lesson learned.
I've had it just under a month now and I'm loving it more everyday, it starts first time everytime in this blistering cold and the heater is a joy!
As far as things to do, the roof could use a replacement hence I'll be heading up to Jack Smith's next year for a nice mohair one and the alloys are looking 20 years old, not damaged, just beginning to show surface corrosion. It's probably the first car I've had that's required nothing as far as running goes, everything inside works, there's no leaks from the roof and I really can't say enough good about it!
Just today got back from a 400 mile round trip up north (Warrington) where it performed admirably on these horrible roads driving through, snow, rain, slush and back to rain and returned a whopping 420 miles to a single tank of petrol! New for me as I'm used to the Volvo which gobbled petrol like it was going out of fashion and my 1.8 Focus which is horrendous on petrol considering it lacks any sort of grunt whatsoever.
Plans for the future are new alloys and some decent rubber (currently fitted with Pirelli P6000s rear and P3000s front >__< they're in decent condition but not really ideal for the car.. or any car for that matter..) a new hood to be fitted next year, sort the front bumper out, the finish up with a nice OEM front lip and possibly an MX5parts exhaust
TL;DR - I understand why these cars are so beloved and it really has enlightened my love of driving and can see that the more I drive it the better it will become.
Truly a wonderful machine.
Now enjoy some horrible quality iPhone photos;
A 1.6 1990 Eunos in mariner blue (always been my favourite colour for the MK1). So after reading many many threads on here about the virtues of MX-5s I thought it was about time I invested in my own. I wasn't planning on anything until next year, but when this one popped up for a measly £900 I thought it was worth a look at the very least.
Upon viewing (in the dark, stupidly, but only way I could see it due to work times) it seemed a sound little car, apparently the low price was due to the owner relocating to Holland and he wanted to sell up before he moved on. The car was owned by this chap's brother for most of it's life after being imported by himself in 2000, then sold on to the previous owner (whom I purchased it from) who owned it with his girlfriend (now wife) for the last five years. In this time I believe it was barely driven and spent a lot of it's life as an unloved second car
Going by the recent cambelt change It's barely done 5000 miles in the last 4 years (cambelt change recorded at 161,000kms, car now sits at 170,600kms, 1600kms of those are in my ownership! and that change was performed in 2007!)
After two dark viewings I decided it was the one for me and after a prompt wash it was starting to look very promising!
As he was selling up, included in the boot were a plethora of bulbs, a matching ice scraper (in the same blue) an MX-5 workshop manual which seems extremely in depth (Rod's MX-5?), a brand new oil filter, a nearly new tonneau cover and some other bits like a new bottle of turtle wax and rags for said waxing
The paintwork is in excellent condition for the age with no blemishes to be seen. Bodywork wise, there's a minor dint in the driver side wing and it's taken a knock on the front bumper apparently where his wife drove it into a curb :/
It drives like a dream and I've been taking every opportunity to get the top down, sadly leading to me stupidly cracking the rear window after dropping the roof on a far too cold morning and not leaving it time to warm up. Schoolboy error and a lesson learned.
I've had it just under a month now and I'm loving it more everyday, it starts first time everytime in this blistering cold and the heater is a joy!
As far as things to do, the roof could use a replacement hence I'll be heading up to Jack Smith's next year for a nice mohair one and the alloys are looking 20 years old, not damaged, just beginning to show surface corrosion. It's probably the first car I've had that's required nothing as far as running goes, everything inside works, there's no leaks from the roof and I really can't say enough good about it!
Just today got back from a 400 mile round trip up north (Warrington) where it performed admirably on these horrible roads driving through, snow, rain, slush and back to rain and returned a whopping 420 miles to a single tank of petrol! New for me as I'm used to the Volvo which gobbled petrol like it was going out of fashion and my 1.8 Focus which is horrendous on petrol considering it lacks any sort of grunt whatsoever.
Plans for the future are new alloys and some decent rubber (currently fitted with Pirelli P6000s rear and P3000s front >__< they're in decent condition but not really ideal for the car.. or any car for that matter..) a new hood to be fitted next year, sort the front bumper out, the finish up with a nice OEM front lip and possibly an MX5parts exhaust
TL;DR - I understand why these cars are so beloved and it really has enlightened my love of driving and can see that the more I drive it the better it will become.
Truly a wonderful machine.
Now enjoy some horrible quality iPhone photos;
Edited by Codd on Sunday 5th December 20:49
I doubt I'd have got it so cheap if he wasn't up and leaving the country, it's definitely far more than £900 worth of car!
He said he'd already had a few silly offers and if I didn't take it his brother (who owned and babied it for the first 5 years of it being here) would have taken it back, so I think it'd have gone to a good home even if it wasn't the one for me
I shall make sure I pop my head into the MX5 forum and hope to join the owners club in the new year, for the moment I'm just enjoying some reliable and fun motoring for the first time in a very long while!
He said he'd already had a few silly offers and if I didn't take it his brother (who owned and babied it for the first 5 years of it being here) would have taken it back, so I think it'd have gone to a good home even if it wasn't the one for me
I shall make sure I pop my head into the MX5 forum and hope to join the owners club in the new year, for the moment I'm just enjoying some reliable and fun motoring for the first time in a very long while!
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