Cheap MX-5's - Worth It Or Not?
Discussion
I've done the same as you, its a third car really, but just use it when I'm fed up of driving a van.
Paid £900 for a poverty spec R-Reg MK1 1.8 with 9 Months MOT. Not perfect, needs new rear arches and a general tidy up, needs a new roof and has a few knocks from the suspension, but I'll sort these issues in time.
Paid £900 for a poverty spec R-Reg MK1 1.8 with 9 Months MOT. Not perfect, needs new rear arches and a general tidy up, needs a new roof and has a few knocks from the suspension, but I'll sort these issues in time.
Thread title said cheap MX-5.
£1500 is a pretty good MX-5!
As for which to buy, forget that and just think of which ones to avoid, I.E -
Post 94 1.6 UK cars which are de-tuned/low pwoer
Any car with seriously rusty sills and/or front chassis rails - most likely to occur on early, R S, T reg etc Mk2 cars.
Other than that, crack on!
£1500 is a pretty good MX-5!
As for which to buy, forget that and just think of which ones to avoid, I.E -
Post 94 1.6 UK cars which are de-tuned/low pwoer
Any car with seriously rusty sills and/or front chassis rails - most likely to occur on early, R S, T reg etc Mk2 cars.
Other than that, crack on!
Hi Insight, I see your in Bristol.
There is a guy on MX5nutz called Mark I think, he is based in Cardiff and repairs and sells mx5's from his home, he photographs his work and runs topics on the nutz forum showing what he's done. have a look on gumtree I think advertises them on there. I've not had any work done there but only heard good things.
Might be worth a look as its not too far.
Search google for penarth mx5, hes got a website.
I bought my 1995 mk1 18 months ago as a second car, its been great, i paid £1600 for it and it came with a hard top worth about £250, so they are out there, mine had been imported in 2008 and was completed rust free.
If its a second or third car its worth noting that the brake calipers can stick if its not used everyday, i've had to change all 4 on mine, it is a job you can do at home and the cost of the calipers is not bad.
good luck finding a nice example.
Chris
There is a guy on MX5nutz called Mark I think, he is based in Cardiff and repairs and sells mx5's from his home, he photographs his work and runs topics on the nutz forum showing what he's done. have a look on gumtree I think advertises them on there. I've not had any work done there but only heard good things.
Might be worth a look as its not too far.
Search google for penarth mx5, hes got a website.
I bought my 1995 mk1 18 months ago as a second car, its been great, i paid £1600 for it and it came with a hard top worth about £250, so they are out there, mine had been imported in 2008 and was completed rust free.
If its a second or third car its worth noting that the brake calipers can stick if its not used everyday, i've had to change all 4 on mine, it is a job you can do at home and the cost of the calipers is not bad.
good luck finding a nice example.
Chris
Hi Insight, I see your in Bristol.
There is a guy on MX5nutz called Mark I think, he is based in Cardiff and repairs and sells mx5's from his home, he photographs his work and runs topics on the nutz forum showing what he's done. have a look on gumtree I think advertises them on there. I've not had any work done there but only heard good things.
Might be worth a look as its not too far.
Search google for penarth mx5, hes got a website.
I bought my 1995 mk1 18 months ago as a second car, its been great, i paid £1600 for it and it came with a hard top worth about £250, so they are out there, mine had been imported in 2008 and was completed rust free.
If its a second or third car its worth noting that the brake calipers can stick if its not used everyday, i've had to change all 4 on mine, it is a job you can do at home and the cost of the calipers is not bad.
good luck finding a nice example.
Chris
EDIT: reposted for some reason? i dont know how that happened?
There is a guy on MX5nutz called Mark I think, he is based in Cardiff and repairs and sells mx5's from his home, he photographs his work and runs topics on the nutz forum showing what he's done. have a look on gumtree I think advertises them on there. I've not had any work done there but only heard good things.
Might be worth a look as its not too far.
Search google for penarth mx5, hes got a website.
I bought my 1995 mk1 18 months ago as a second car, its been great, i paid £1600 for it and it came with a hard top worth about £250, so they are out there, mine had been imported in 2008 and was completed rust free.
If its a second or third car its worth noting that the brake calipers can stick if its not used everyday, i've had to change all 4 on mine, it is a job you can do at home and the cost of the calipers is not bad.
good luck finding a nice example.
Chris
EDIT: reposted for some reason? i dont know how that happened?
Edited by cjwrighty on Wednesday 2nd October 11:00
I searched a long time to find a MK1 that was rot free... In the end I bought one that had just a couple of scabs on the bottom of the sills, pretty much perfect otherwise and only 34K miles. I decided to cut the sills off and address any rust before rust proofing the car. It was very good inside the sills. Just been all around Europe (3000 mile!)in it over the summer, never missed a beat! My brother liked mine so much, he bought one as well, we both paid £1000 for each of the cars late last year. Its a third car for me, but I now find I do more miles in it than the other two!
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[url]|http://thumbsnap.com/lSno4btv[/url][url]|http://thumbsnap.com/i2N8Wo3y[/url][url]|http://thumbsnap.com/289lXjiv[/url][url]|http://thumbsnap.com/1rexusCP[/url][url]|http://thumbsnap.com/yHcOoSAc[/url][url]|http://thumbsnap.com/Doolq5XR[/url]Edited by buzzer on Wednesday 2nd October 16:39
Just bought a N reg 1800 UK car for under $500 on Ebay with a full MOT & described as being in good condition with no known faults. I have spoken at length to the seller, but cannot collect until next week due to work commitments and the distance from home. I have bought a couple of MGF's in the past for around £650 with long MOT's and found them to be very good cars and great fun, although I did in both cases view them first, so good cheap sports cars are out there. I felt like trying out an MX5, hence the change and will update with photos once I finally collect the car.
So I picked up the eBay special Eunos the other evening and the seller gave me £30 back because it had no fuel!
Drove it 35 miles home and it didn't miss a beat. The proof is in the pudding today as it's going in for an MOT.
Good bits:
Clean exterior in terms of rust, only bit is on the top of the sills
Starts, runs and stops ok
The diff appears to work properly.
Roof has been replaced in the last 12 months
Not so good bits:
The suspension was clunking quite a lot, I think the bushes are shagged. (Will find out later in the MOT!)
No radio or aerial
A small dent in the front OS corner, apparently the previous owner ran out of talent a bit! Nothing that can't be popped back out!
A small amount of rust on the top of the sill.
Drove it 35 miles home and it didn't miss a beat. The proof is in the pudding today as it's going in for an MOT.
Good bits:
Clean exterior in terms of rust, only bit is on the top of the sills
Starts, runs and stops ok
The diff appears to work properly.
Roof has been replaced in the last 12 months
Not so good bits:
The suspension was clunking quite a lot, I think the bushes are shagged. (Will find out later in the MOT!)
No radio or aerial
A small dent in the front OS corner, apparently the previous owner ran out of talent a bit! Nothing that can't be popped back out!
A small amount of rust on the top of the sill.
Have now collected my MX5 and driven it home from the Hampshire coast back to Lincolnshire. The following day I took it 20 miles on the commute to work and 50 odd miles commuting home ;>)
The car itself is solid, everything works with a tidy interior and a sound waterproof hood, although the screen is cloudy. The bodywork looks fine with just a few marks & scratches expected with age, although the paint is dull and patchy - needs a good polish. The sills have been repaired to a good standard in the past & although there is no history, it comes with a long MOT ( almost 12 mths ).
I really did not get the whole MX5 thing prior to driving this car, having been an MG fan and having owned and enjoyed 3 MGF's. Although they drive well and are well appointed, they don't have the cute Elanalike looks and they can't quite match the way the MX5 drives. I have had a number of different sports cars in the past, but this - wow! I get it, these cars are amazing and to get a roadworthy solid sports car for under £500 is the driving bargain of a lifetime. I would encourage anyone to take the plunge as it is possible to pick one up for under £1000 with a wide choice, or under £500 if you are lucky & willing to put up with a few battle scars.
The car itself is solid, everything works with a tidy interior and a sound waterproof hood, although the screen is cloudy. The bodywork looks fine with just a few marks & scratches expected with age, although the paint is dull and patchy - needs a good polish. The sills have been repaired to a good standard in the past & although there is no history, it comes with a long MOT ( almost 12 mths ).
I really did not get the whole MX5 thing prior to driving this car, having been an MG fan and having owned and enjoyed 3 MGF's. Although they drive well and are well appointed, they don't have the cute Elanalike looks and they can't quite match the way the MX5 drives. I have had a number of different sports cars in the past, but this - wow! I get it, these cars are amazing and to get a roadworthy solid sports car for under £500 is the driving bargain of a lifetime. I would encourage anyone to take the plunge as it is possible to pick one up for under £1000 with a wide choice, or under £500 if you are lucky & willing to put up with a few battle scars.
Cyder said:
So I picked up the eBay special Eunos the other evening and the seller gave me £30 back because it had no fuel!
Drove it 35 miles home and it didn't miss a beat. The proof is in the pudding today as it's going in for an MOT.
Good bits:
Clean exterior in terms of rust, only bit is on the top of the sills
Starts, runs and stops ok
The diff appears to work properly.
Roof has been replaced in the last 12 months
Not so good bits:
The suspension was clunking quite a lot, I think the bushes are shagged. (Will find out later in the MOT!)
No radio or aerial
A small dent in the front OS corner, apparently the previous owner ran out of talent a bit! Nothing that can't be popped back out!
A small amount of rust on the top of the sill.
MOT update?Drove it 35 miles home and it didn't miss a beat. The proof is in the pudding today as it's going in for an MOT.
Good bits:
Clean exterior in terms of rust, only bit is on the top of the sills
Starts, runs and stops ok
The diff appears to work properly.
Roof has been replaced in the last 12 months
Not so good bits:
The suspension was clunking quite a lot, I think the bushes are shagged. (Will find out later in the MOT!)
No radio or aerial
A small dent in the front OS corner, apparently the previous owner ran out of talent a bit! Nothing that can't be popped back out!
A small amount of rust on the top of the sill.
Steve
Check the front chassis rail and the underside.
Oil services should be less than every 10K (6k ideally)
Ignition leads tend to need replacing often.
Also, check the condition of the tyre sidewalls. My car was a summer use one and the tyres were 5 years old. The sidewalls were cracked through ageing which resulted in scary handling characteristics that I didn't pick up on the test drive.
Oil services should be less than every 10K (6k ideally)
Ignition leads tend to need replacing often.
Also, check the condition of the tyre sidewalls. My car was a summer use one and the tyres were 5 years old. The sidewalls were cracked through ageing which resulted in scary handling characteristics that I didn't pick up on the test drive.
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