Looking at buying an MX5 - Dilemma

[RichardC27]

I'm looking at joining the MX5 gang in the very near future, but am unsure which route to take. My current car (a Ford Focus) is worth around £4500-5000 ish at present, and would be going to fund the purchase of something much more fun.

My dilemma is, do I spend £4.5-5k on a relatively low mileage Mk2 Sport, or spent around £1500 on a decent Mk1 and use the remaining money as a tuning fund, but with attendant worries about the age and mileage of the car. It would be my daily driver, and I do undertake reasonably long drives fairly regularly.

Any advice, stories, tips etc gratefully received

[MaxMX5]

I would suggest that you wait and look for a MK 2.5 1.8 Sport version as this comes with the 6 speed gear box, 16 inch rims, leather heated seats and air con. My fiances mother has a 1.6 MK 2.5 but compared to mine it looks rather un finished. Mine is an 02 reg and i paid just under £5000 for it nearly 3 years ago so you should be able to pick them up for £4000 I would guess. I have added a grill, stainless steel fuel cap and a K&N air filter to mine since.

[New POD]

My wife has a monza : a 1.6 88 bhp mk1, which by rights is the slowest and least well equiped of them all. I have driven it to Derby from Merseyside, on the motorway, and dual carriage ways, a number of times, and it's just a little low geared, but at 70 it's just at the point where the acceleration in top starts. I've achieved 40 mpg by driving very sensibly, and have driven in the dark at 5.30 am with the top down (and wooly hat on)

All I can say is that it's a hoot.

That said I've bought myself 2.2i Ctdi honda accord which is the opposite car.

[RichardC27]

MaxMX5 said:

I would suggest that you wait and look for a MK 2.5 1.8 Sport version as this comes with the 6 speed gear box, 16 inch rims, leather heated seats and air con. My fiances mother has a 1.6 MK 2.5 but compared to mine it looks rather un finished. Mine is an 02 reg and i paid just under £5000 for it nearly 3 years ago so you should be able to pick them up for £4000 I would guess. I have added a grill, stainless steel fuel cap and a K&N air filter to mine since.

That's what I'm thinking at the moment. I could pick up a ''standard" 1.8 for around the £4k mark but the LSD, 6 speed box and other upgrades of the sport seem worth the extra cash

[RichardC27]

I may be viewing a car tomorrow (I'll ring the dealer in the morning), a black 2003 sport with a hard top fitted. It does look like its been lowered though, which puts me off slightly

[MX-5 Lazza]

AC is an option on the Mk2.5 Sport, not standard fit

[MaxMX5]

MX-5 Lazza said:

AC is an option on the Mk2.5 Sport, not standard fit

Ah I just assumed that because mine has it, they all did. My bad.

[rfn]

For 5k you could get a Mk3.... :-)

[SimonV8ster]

For 5K you could get a turbo charged MK1 AND a supercharged MK1 !!

[craikeybaby]

Having had both older and newer MX-5s my advice would be to get a late mk2.5 Sport, 150(ish) BPH is certainly enough to be fun in a 5 and the later models benefit from 15 years of improvements.

[dapearson]

Will you be tracking it?

[Crimson Dynamo]

Over the last few months, my friend and I have bought two MX5 Mk2.5 SV-T Sports for track days. I enjoy mine so much I drive it when ever I can. The SV-T Sport is very well equipped but without the weight burden of air conditioning. The standard bigger brakes, the 6 speed gearbag, the torsion LSD and decent shockers all make this a great value sports car. I've since fitted KAZ coil overs, dropped it down a little, replaced the discs and fitted uprated pads and this has completetly sorted out the handling.
My thinking is you are better to buy a decent 2.5 Sport than a high mileage Mk3.
To be honest which ever MX5 you buy you won't be disappointed.

[gd49]

If you're having doubts, I'd definately test drive a Mk1 and Mk 2 or 2.5 with and without the Bilstein suspension. Mk 2.5 Sports have the Bilstein suspension, think some of the other special editions might also have it. When I was test driving Mk2.5s there was a noticeable difference between the standard and Sport suspension.

If it's going to be a daily driver air-con is worth thinking about - most of the year you won't need it, but if you get caught in heavy traffic in 25 degrees plus heat an MX-5 isn't a pleasant place to be.

16" wheels don't necessarily add anything to the handling of a 5 and tyres are considerably more expensive compared to 15".