NC2 1.8 - too slow?

[callahan]

I'm going to view a Miyako 1.8 tomorrow and, having had a 2 litre Sport Tech a couple of years ago, I was wondering if anyone has experience of them both?
It's a very high mileage car (150k) but looks to be in great condition and at a good price for an nc2 so I'm quite tempted.
Any input would be great.

[Nickp82]

It’s very subjective. Personally, I don’t think the 1.8 is too slow, it’s still a lot of fun to drive and quite rewarding given you have to really work it.

[callahan]

Nickp82 said:

It’s very subjective. Personally, I don’t think the 1.8 is too slow, it’s still a lot of fun to drive and quite rewarding given you have to really work it.

That's what I was hoping, one thing I like about the MX5 is being able to lean on it a bit while staying within the speed limits.

I'd probably look at changing the headers at some point too, giving it a bit of a boost, at least in MX5 terms.

[Lincsls1]

Nickp82 said:

It’s very subjective. Personally, I don’t think the 1.8 is too slow, it’s still a lot of fun to drive and quite rewarding given you have to really work it.

Agree with all of this.
Just because modern fast cars are so dam fast doesn't mean this lightweight sport car is slow.
Its all getting a little bit silly now.
I had a well worn and tired 1.6 NA years ago, still a brilliant fun little car. I never thought of it as slow either.

[callahan]

Lincsls1 said:

Agree with all of this.
Just because modern fast cars are so dam fast doesn't mean this lightweight sport car is slow.
Its all getting a little bit silly now.
I had a well worn and tired 1.6 NA years ago, still a brilliant fun little car. I never thought of it as slow either.

Yes my 1.6 NA was a great little car too and held up well to a Carlimits day many years ago.

Even my Boxster was the original 2.5 and that was rewarding to drive, although probably not as much fun as an MX5 with lower limits.

[callahan]

Unfortunately both rear arches are a bit crusty and the sills will need doing at some point. A shame because mechanically it looked good.

[Belle427]

They rust terribly but that does look quite bad, can be hard work finding a good one these days.

[Byker28i]

Mines quite rusty underneath but I'm realistic about it's value. What were they asking for that?

Oh and we've a 2.0 Sportstech. They are brisk rather than fast, but thats not what they are for. A roads, roof down, sunny day, music going, perfect.
Nip into town, easy parking - great.
Driving around London, roof down so you can spot every idiot - perfect

Motorway - bloody noisy

[callahan]

It was a good price (3 and a bit) but has done almost 150k, so not really worth the expense of getting the rust sorted unfortunately.

So I've gone to the other extreme and put a deposit down on an NA VR-Limited

[ZesPak]

As for the slowness, I can't speak on the NC, but for the ND, there's something really compelling about the 1.5.
On your favorite back roads, you can really push it, pull it through the rev range a couple of times without losing your license.
The 2L ND2 is hardly a rocketship, but finishing 2nd gear can already get you in quite a bit of trouble with the law.

Add to that that (probably the same for the NC) it's cheaper to buy, run, tax and insure, there's plenty of reasons to consider one.

The one thing I found lacking on the slower variant is pick up on the motorway. The slower MX5 really felt like it's almost done once it reaches 130km/h.
It's not a motorway car anyway, but something to consider depending on the sort of trips you plan on doing. Keep it on B roads and I'd say it's hard to be disappointed.

[handbraketurn]

I think the 2.0 is too slow, so there is my answer.

Part of its how you drive, of course, you have to keep them on the boil and keep the momentum and revs up and they will push along quite nicely, but that's not always possible and I regularly find the 2.0 just under the sweet spot in second or third hear where it just has no grunt, labours and grumbles as it goes back up the rev range, its always very dissatisfying, just doesn't have the power to pull you out of things once you get into low revs. I appreciate the purity of it, but I'd def rather have BRR 200 or even better 270.

Depends what you want it for I suppose.

You definitely have to get one with an LSD - IMO.

[callahan]

I'm getting an NA VR-Ltd, so it has an lsd but even less power! It is a bit lighter though 😁

[handbraketurn]

callahan said:

I'm getting an NA VR-Ltd, so it has an lsd but even less power! It is a bit lighter though ?

It's a good car in general, but for me it does need some fettling on the handling front. The brakes are superb, been very impressed with standard brakes. The chassis has too much roll as standard for my tastes, they're much better on coil overs and beefier ARBs. But they can then catch on speed humps and such, which is annoying if you're using it as a daily.

It's good you're looking for rust, check the front foot wells for water if it's rained. Take the boot carpet out and look for signs of water or rust under it.

There are videos for checking all the rain drains are functioning, if they're blocked standing water can caused rust. Ideally you want to be able to poor some water from a watering can or a hose. Not that easy on a viewing but I did it on the guys drive. I think I was the buyer from hell haha.

Water in the boot (if the drains are working) and rubber seals all look in tact, is the central brake light, you can't get new gaskets any more, its a brand new unit from Mazda, but I think you can loosen them and just put sealant under it and reset to solve.

If water is getting into the cabin, it normally smells a bit musty. If the hood is sound, it's more often than not it'll be the cowl screws. They screw into the bodywork via a plastic plugs with rubber gaskets. That perishes over time. They can be very cheaply replaced, kit on Ebay for about £8. Worth doing that as soon as you get it anyway as preventative measure. Add sealant for added future proofing.

I think there is a drain on the door as well for water that gets behind the glass, but cowl is the main culprit.

If the car smells, you can get enzymes cleaner from Amazon to kill off the bacteria.


Good luck with your purchase.

[callahan]

All good info, thanks.

The seller says the original shocks are showing signs of their age, so he's replacing them with those from an NB, but modified a little. I had Meisters on my nc2 though, so will bear that in mind.

Here's the ad by the way: https://www.goodwoodsportscars.co.uk/gallery_79040...

[sawman]

callahan said:

All good info, thanks.

The seller says the original shocks are showing signs of their age, so he's replacing them with those from an NB, but modified a little. I had Meisters on my nc2 though, so will bear that in mind.

Here's the ad by the way: https://www.goodwoodsportscars.co.uk/gallery_79040...

When are you picking the na up? Will be interesting to hear how it compares to the nc

[callahan]

sawman said:

When are you picking the na up? Will be interesting to hear how it compares to the nc

Towards the end of the month hopefully, it's a long way from home but I have family in Northumberland so can kill 2 birds and spend some time on the awesome roads if the weather is half decent.