Buying an mx-5: What do i need to know?
Discussion
Up until recently I've been driving round in a £650 mk1 Clio RSi (a proud shed). Unfortunately as is the way with old cars and especially older french cars the repair bills have got a bit too steep for me to afford on my poxy student budget. I'm looking to buy an mx-5/eunos because I've always been a fan and I've looked into a number of options with regards to getting my grubby hands on one. My first idea was to buy a mk1 1.8 on a budget of about £1500. My second idea was to buy a mk2.5 (hopefully the rather delectable euphonic model) for a maximum of £3500 paid on finance. If i were to buy the older car what are the tell tale signs that it might be a bit of a dog and I know these are reliable cars but how many miles can they actually do before things start to fall apart? Being a 21yr old I'm also a keen yobbo and modified car enthusiast, which model (mk1 or mk 2/2.5?, 1.6 or 1.8?) are better for (tasteful hopefully) modification? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
The pop up headlights are a big selling point for the mk1 for me. I just want to make sure I get a reliable one more than anything. I quite like the look of the euphonic edition mk 2.5 with its gunmetal grey paint, gunmetal alloys and red and black leather. Looks a bit less cutesy than other mk2's. aren't import models more to insure or is that just me hearing things? If i could find a mint mk1 1.8 Eunos I'd be chuffed.
Fair play. Everyone has their own tastes and I like the looks of both NA and NB cars. I'm just wondering which I would be better off with. The last 3 cars I've bought have all cost me a lot in repairs so I'm wanting to get as much advice as possible and gain a general idea of what to look for before putting my money down.
Many thanks for the help anyway 
any advice is good advice as far as I'm concerned. I suppose it's all well and good me saying i want a nice and relatively fast one but I need to make sure that it is going to be reliable as i will be driving it daily for about a year. How As far as i can tell the engines are pretty much bulletproof but some of the mileages on cars for sale seem to be too much to consider buying... Is it just going to fall apart after the 120+ thousand miles I've seen on some advertised. My Clio is pretty much done and heading to the scrapheap after just 74k.
any advice is good advice as far as I'm concerned. I suppose it's all well and good me saying i want a nice and relatively fast one but I need to make sure that it is going to be reliable as i will be driving it daily for about a year. How As far as i can tell the engines are pretty much bulletproof but some of the mileages on cars for sale seem to be too much to consider buying... Is it just going to fall apart after the 120+ thousand miles I've seen on some advertised. My Clio is pretty much done and heading to the scrapheap after just 74k.These aren't some dodgy French engines made of cheese, Japanese engines (in both cars and bikes) are some of the best in the world, there are MX5s with 200k+ miles on them that are still running perfectly well...
I've just bought an 03 1.8 Sport with 73k on it and it sounds and goes like it has done only 7!
I've just bought an 03 1.8 Sport with 73k on it and it sounds and goes like it has done only 7!
Engines and gearboxes are virtually worthless, because theyre seldom sold. Their achilles heel is the rear of the sill into the leading edge of the wheelarch. The wheelarch is principally a cosmetic issue, but the sills can be terminal unless dealth with properly.
Expect to have to pay £500-£600 to have them repaired properly, not lashed up, and you cant go wrong.
Expect to have to pay £500-£600 to have them repaired properly, not lashed up, and you cant go wrong.
Haha, I suppose that is true. I know I was asking for it buying a 1997 Clio some of the mileages on them seems massive even for japanese engineering. I just seem to have a habit of picking cars that seem good then turn out to be rotters. First car I had was a diesel corsa for £1200 with 53k on the clock which cost me £1400 in repairs over the year i had it. Second was a mk5 fiesta which snapped a conrod and proceeded to disembowl itself 3 weeks after buying it and third is the clio which I bought for £650 in april and has thus far cost me £800 in repairs and now needs a new exhaust and steering rack, hence why I'm throwing in the towel with that. My track record isnt good with cars hence my scepticism. It does seem that aside from a few rust problems mx-5 are very reliable though.
GC8 said:
Engines and gearboxes are virtually worthless, because theyre seldom sold. Their achilles heel is the rear of the sill into the leading edge of the wheelarch. The wheelarch is principally a cosmetic issue, but the sills can be terminal unless dealt with properly.
Expect to have to pay £500-£600 to have them repaired properly, not lashed up, and you cant go wrong.
On the NA it's just the rear sills/wheelarch that go really, but unless it's epicly bad it's always repairable, and even then someone competent will be able to fix it.Expect to have to pay £500-£600 to have them repaired properly, not lashed up, and you cant go wrong.
Unfortunately with the NB the front chassis members/monocoque structure in the engine bay rust from the inside out.
This is nigh on impossible to repair without stripping the car to a shell and cutting it out, i.e. not in the least bit cost effective.
So don't be too worried about rust on an NA, it's always repairable, but on an NB, be super anal about checking for rust in the engine bay.
As for which version I have both. Had the NA for 8 years+ and the NB for 6 months. I prefer the NB for the comfort on a daily commute. On track I'm hard pressed to tell the difference.
If you like modding, there's far FAR more aftermarket parts available for the NA.
You like the look of the pop-up lights? Get the NA.
You want something you can modify? Get the NA.
You want something with the least repair bills? Get the NA.
You have £1500, to get a decent car in good nick? (very easy on that budget) Get the NA.
You're a student, so obviously not made of money, and you're considering FINANCE for an NB?!?! Firstly, you need a slap. Secondly; Get the NA.
You want something you can modify? Get the NA.
You want something with the least repair bills? Get the NA.
You have £1500, to get a decent car in good nick? (very easy on that budget) Get the NA.
You're a student, so obviously not made of money, and you're considering FINANCE for an NB?!?! Firstly, you need a slap. Secondly; Get the NA.
Riknos said:
You like the look of the pop-up lights? Get the NA.
You want something you can modify? Get the NA.
You want something with the least repair bills? Get the NA.
You have £1500, to get a decent car in good nick? (very easy on that budget) Get the NA.
You're a student, so obviously not made of money, and you're considering FINANCE for an NB?!?! Firstly, you need a slap. Secondly; Get the NA.
What he said. I've had my Eunos now for nearly 9 months, its 19 years old and i've done nearly ten thousand miles in it. After i spent £100 pounds sorting the mess the previous owners made of the alternator, its been brilliant and i have given it some hammer! I had a snapped rear spring last month which was sorted easily and thats about it. I got mine because i've always wanted one and i switched from company car to car allowance and wanted a cheap car to enjoy but commute in. There were those who thought i was mad and expected it to die within a month of me buying it but i have to say it feels tight and could easily see me through a couple more years. At the moment it appears rust free in the sills and arches.....You want something you can modify? Get the NA.
You want something with the least repair bills? Get the NA.
You have £1500, to get a decent car in good nick? (very easy on that budget) Get the NA.
You're a student, so obviously not made of money, and you're considering FINANCE for an NB?!?! Firstly, you need a slap. Secondly; Get the NA.
To be fair Riknos you sound like the voice of reason here, i think ive just been seduced by the interior and the included extras on the mk2.5 euphonic. I geniunely like any generation mx-5 and i just want something i can run as a daily driver with minimum cost that can put a grin on my face when i decide to give it the beans. I know you said i need a slap for considering finance but i can genuinely afford it and have spent a good couple of weeks working out how to accomodate it into my budget. The only issue I have with getting an NA is that to get a good one I'm looking at buying off a private seller in exchange for a fair chunk of cash up front which is hard to come by when you're a toe-rag like me. I was hoping to buy fairly soon too before the weather starts coming good and the value of convertibles starts getting silly which is another reason i was considering the finance option. if i'm to get an NA (I really want a 1.8 and not a 1.6 to be sure i dont get a watered down engine) what should i look for in terms of model and signs of wear and tear?
Gassing Station | Mazda MX5/Roadster/Miata | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff