RE: Shed of the Week: Mazda MX-5

[givablondabone]

8IKERDAVE said:

Every petrolhead should own one of these at some point.

No they shouldn't. A busso engined alfa maybe but not an MX5.

[daemon]

treeroy said:

daemon said:

I just dont think it has much going for it that would warrant spending the money on it that its going to require. If it was a mk1 then yes, if it was a mk2.5 iS then yes or maybe a nice limited edition with some spec, but a boggo silver mk2.5 in standard spec isnt something i could feel passionate about spending significant time and money on - which i suspect that one will need.

Yes, if it was perfect, but thats ones not. It needs probably £,£££ spent on it to welding it up and getting it looking decent and even if you adopt the "just drive it" shed approach then you've got that end of summer MOT to worry about.

For shed budget, i'd find a mk1, run it between now and the end of the summer as a bit of fun, then spend the time and money on it as a winter project.

you can make any car your own though. £1350 is not that much money and you can quickly and cheaply make some changes that make the car more personal.

True. I just wouldnt use that one as a starting point.

[daemon]

Itsallicanafford said:

Sure, i agree its a total money pit if you wanted to keep it long term but i suppose if it looses its ticket in September you could just trailer and track it.

If someone has those specific requirements then great, however for the 99% of prospective buyers who dont, then they have a problem come September....

[brrapp]

sgtBerbatov said:

TimHorn said:

Great car, but I'm 6'2" and don't fit. And if Mrs Shed is 6'2" wide, I can't imagine how she fits either!!!!!

I'm 6ft 3" and wanted an MX-5. Thank you for ruining the dream.

I'm 6'4" and was 20 stone(dropped to 17 recently) when I got my NA mk1. It's a tight fit, but absolutely fine.

[classicyanktanks]

PDL76 said:

classicyanktanks said:

I paid £650 for this one for my GF I love it ! reminds me very much of a MK1 Elan and a Mk1 Frogeye (except everything works). As you can see "birds" love it.

Is that a Nevada model? I remember coveting a new one before I bought a 3 year old Mk2 back in 2003.

I only kept my Mk2 for a year due to a house move, but returned to MX-5s with a Mk3 which I had for 8 years, until summer last year.

Both were very well looked after but the Mk3 started bubbling on the underside of the boot lid around the number plate lights and on the bottom face of the rear arches. The rear arches form an internal shelf which collects mud which sits on the metal. I needed to replace it with a family car, bought a Mazda 6 and that has the same design with a lovely accumulation of dried mud. Not sure if that’s just a Mazda thing, but it felt like a poor design.

It’s a Nevada ! Bummer !

[Pericoloso]

Gosh ,so much negativity....man..........chill.

I learnt the difference between a MK2 and 2.5 anyway.

[HorneyMX5]

Mk3s do rust. My grey 06 needed a patch on the passenger side rear sill for this years MOT.

I bought another 06 Sport to build a track car but when I got on a lift it was too rotten and I’m breaking it instead. I’ll get some photos of the underside of the shell next time I see it for you all. Alternatively if any south MX5ers visits Skuzzle Motorsport for anything, it’s the Black NC on axle stands outside his, feel free to take a look. It’s frightening.

My advice is no matter which MK of Mx5 you buy, buy as clean a one as you can and then underseal the sh!t out of it.

[NDNDNDND]

givablondabone said:

8IKERDAVE said:

Every petrolhead should own one of these at some point.

No they shouldn't. A busso engined alfa maybe but not an MX5.

In my experience, the MX-5 is a sort of litmus test. If you like, or at least respect and understand MX-5s, then you're probably a petrolhead. If you don't, you're probably not.

They're the mostly widely raced production car in the world for several very good reasons.

[MoelyCrio]

My 2.5 Sport was immaculate on the outside. I ignored the slight bubbling on the rear arch when I bought it Utter rotbox

[givablondabone]

NDNDNDND said:

givablondabone said:

8IKERDAVE said:

Every petrolhead should own one of these at some point.

No they shouldn't. A busso engined alfa maybe but not an MX5.

In my experience, the MX-5 is a sort of litmus test. If you like, or at least respect and understand MX-5s, then you're probably a petrolhead. If you don't, you're probably not.

They're the mostly widely raced production car in the world for several very good reasons.

So I'm not a petrolhead because I don't spill over an MX5?! For the record I understand why they're popular. Light, nimble, reliable, inexpensive and accessible. But, you know what? Some of us actually simply prefer other things. Perhaps we like our sportscars to be a little more hirsute with a 6 or an 8 upfront and the ability to scare ourselves silly. If this makes us non-petrolheads then I guess you're right.

[GibsonSG]

givablondabone said:

For the record I understand why they're popular. Light, nimble, reliable, inexpensive and accessible.

That answer covers NDNDNDND's point - you appear to respect and understand MX-5's even if you don't like them. Therefore, by his definition, you are indeed a petrolhead

[princeperch]

I own an old mk1, 1.6 on a 96 n plate. It has been parked up for quite a few years at my parents, since 2009. Has only done 56000 miles.

Now the old man is retired I said to him why don't you get it back on the road.

Insured it for £100 quid and took it for an mot. Needed new brakes all round and new tyres all round. Also had a bit of rust on the underside. Whilst it was in the garage it also had a new water pump and Cambelt and radiator and a few other odd jobs done. The bill came to just shy of 2k unfortunately however the result now is a very tidy and nice looking mx5- probably amoungst the lowest Mileage examples in the UK.

I drove it the other day for the first time in nearly 9 years and it drives spot on-like a dream. Took it down some twisty roads near my parents house and it handled like a go kart.

A lot of fun.

[R8Steve]

JimSuperSix said:

As others have said - an NB with rust showing - no thanks, it'll be totally screwed underneath and along the chassis legs. I looked at what appeared to be a mint one before I got my 3rd NA, but it just wasn't worth the risk, at least an NA can be easily fixed.

But....I didn't know they could have heated seats - can you retro-fit those into an NA and get them working somehow??

EDIT : you can buy elements to fit into a mk1:
https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/seat-heater-mk1-25-1989...

I'm getting one of those for my NA, winter driving will be much nicer.

Edited by JimSuperSix on Friday 19th January 11:36

I would sell the black heated leather sport seats out of mine.