Mazda MX-5 (NB) | Spotted
If now is the MX-5's time to shine as a classic, there surely can't be many better than this one
That the original Mazda MX-5 is a classic will come as news to nobody; you'll do very well to find one that isn't at least 25 years old, for starters, and the styling has timeless appeal. That's before considering the amount of rust that could have got them to by now, or the price some people might believe they're worth. The MX-5 was and is a classic because it so sympathetically updated the traditional sports car recipe and that won't change. So what about the update of the update?
Besides the more generic headlight design, the NB version of Mazda's MX-5 stayed faithful to all of the attributes that had made the original a success. It was light, simple, great fun and good value. It attracted all the plaudits you might expect around the turn of the century, and was broadly considered a decent overhaul of the Mazda roadster. By contrast, when the Mk3 succeeded the Mk2, the mid-2000s NC gained weight and struggled to win everyone over with its look.
Which has meant that, slowly but surely, the NB is being recognised as significant to the MX-5's history where it perhaps wasn't previously. As numbers inevitably dwindle thanks to the effects of time - the Mk2 was introduced back in 1998, remember, and not much better at fending off the rust than its predecessor - so values are being heaved upwards. It seemed like just last year the classifieds were chock full of really good MX-5s at Shed money; now there's just one, languishing as spares or repairs for £1,000 at a van centre. Once upon a time it seemed hard to pay more than three figures for one, which was probably said about the original MX-5 at some point as well. The Mk2 has moved up...
This particular MX-5 Nevada represents almost the top of the NB market for now; more can be paid for something like this 7k-mile (!) car, but we'll focus on the Nevada as it comes with the more powerful 1.8-litre engine. Some might see it as almost too good to use, boasting as it does just one lady owner from new and 19,000 miles. Alternatively, another 20,000 miles could be added to it and it would still be a very low mileage car.
With Strato Blue paint gleaming and upholstery seemingly unsullied by the human touch, it looks every inch the MX-5 dream. The advert says that the car comes with a full main dealer service history as well as an MOT equivalent; it would be worth keeping a very close eye, in both the paperwork and in real life, for the dreaded rot. Low mileage, one owner car or otherwise, you don't know how it's been stored and there are more than enough horror stories now that it would be daft not to check.
But a solid MX-5 still provides a joy like no other. At £6,395 it's more than many will have seen a 2003 car at for a while, and there's certainly no guarantee of that value increasing. On the other hand, it's hard to see a nicely specced MX-5 of this era becoming any less desirable as the roadster concept inevitably has to advance and evolve. Furthermore, if you don't sell, it could perhaps become a family heirloom, to remind the kids what a sports car once was. Then nobody needs worry about future values at all.
SPECIFICATION | MAZDA MX-5 NEVADA
Engine: 1,840cc, four-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 140@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 119@4,500rpm
MPG: 33.2
CO2: 210g/km
Year registered: 2003
Recorded mileage: 19,000
Price new: £16,495
Yours for: £6,395
I would love to buy one as a project car, but as prices going up on decent ones fast it is getting to the point where a low end NC looks like a decent buy.
I would love to buy one as a project car, but as prices going up on decent ones fast it is getting to the point where a low end NC looks like a decent buy.
You could easily pick up an NB and change everything on it to upgraded parts - suspension, brakes etc etc and sort any rust out and still have maybe £2k left over compared to the one in this article. Hell I sold my rusty Mk2.5 SVT Sport for £800 a couple years back. Other than rust it was spot on.
The main thing anyone needs to look for on these is rust. I’ve had two - both basically dissolved before my very eyes
The main thing anyone needs to look for on these is rust. I’ve had two - both basically dissolved before my very eyes
This isn’t a rare limited edition Ferrari, it’s an MX5. Do people really cherish them? I’m on my fourth and have always just seen them as cheap fun. They aren’t rare or particularly desirable, especially the NB.
Have been sprinting + hillclimbing MX5s for the last 4 years in a power to weight championship, winning it for 2 years against Lotus, Porsche, Ginetta, Honda, Marcos, TVR etc. MX5s with a couple of tweaks are amazing cars to drive.
https://youtu.be/6skTUj--4wE
I understand there's a specific issue with the NB generation in that the front chassis rails are double-skinned and behind a plastic cover, so hard to inspect at purchase / MoT time but can then spring a sudden expensive surprise when the rust finally becomes evident. I'd want to be extra careful if paying out for a higher-priced example, that it wasn't suffering unseen in this way.
At some point as numbers thin and values rise, perhaps, the necessary rust repairs become less significant in relation to the cars' values, and accepted as part of the cost of ownership as they are for their '60s spiritual predecessors.
Still, you can get a facelifted NC2 Mk3 model for that money (after they fixed the handling), which is probably where I'd go.
At some point as numbers thin and values rise, perhaps, the necessary rust repairs become less significant in relation to the cars' values, and accepted as part of the cost of ownership as they are for their '60s spiritual predecessors.
Still, you can get a facelifted NC2 Mk3 model for that money (after they fixed the handling), which is probably where I'd go.
I loved the car but as others have said the rust killed it in the end, I knew it wouldn't pass another MOT without significant work and I was doing some work on the brakes when I noticed the rear suspension spring had snapped at the top and that was enough for me to sell it as scrap.
I bought it for £1050, had 18 months of fun with it and sold it to a breaker for around £400 so not bad value really.
Happy days. Sold the below for what I paid for it, enjoyed two trouble-free years accumulating mileage, and spent on nothing except for consumables... It went to a young couple as their wedding present IIRC, which is a nice way to part company with such a fun and reliable thing.
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