Mk1 for £1500-2000 that won't be a money pit?

[Conor D]

I guess you guys are sick of seeing MX5 threads from me.. But it's a long process trying to get one sorted.

The original plan was to save up for a mk2 for about 4-5k, but it's going to take too long to get the money together.. Instead I'm thinking of just buying now with what I have, which is about 2k (MAX).

Will anything, mk1 with about 100,000 miles be a money pit at that money..?

I can't get a Eunos due to insurance.. So it'll have to be a UK car..

[Monumental]

If you get a good one it shouldn't give you any serious problems.

A year ago I bought a '94 Eunos with ~100k miles on it for <£2k and the only real problem I had was a radiator failure that was cheap and easy to fix myself.

The only thing I'd be worried about if I were you looking at UK cars is the rust issue, I saw some horrors when I was looking at mine. IMO it would be worth looking for an import friendly insurance co as they are generally in better nick.

[hornetrider]

I know a good Mk2 available for that money. It's only issue is rusty sills but has some trick bits on. PM me if it interests you.

[Howard-]

I'd have thought you'd get a mk1 with a lot less than 100k on it for 2k. Just check for rust, everything else won't be a problem if it runs and drives right

[NiceCupOfTea]

2k will get you a nice mid 90s 1.8. Mileage is no problem. Just make sure it's been well serviced (oil changes every 9k in the book I think but do every 6k IMHO to keep the noisy HLAs at bay) and has no rust in the sills (more of a problem with UK cars).

[NiceCupOfTea]

Imports are more expensive to insure than UK cars.

[Gizmo!]

Mine ('96 UK Mk1 1.8) was £1625 in May last year. 105k on it, 117k now. It's cost £600 in that time purely because of an open-wallet servicing policy that it hasn't really needed.

Buy a good'un.

[Conor D]

Buggles said:

When you say you can't get a Eunos because of the insurance what do you mean exactly?

Going to be selling mine soon is all, once it's got a years MOT on it, probably looking for around 1300 quid. 93 K reg, 80 something thousand miles, black S-Special. No rust on the sills at all.

I'm 19, anything over group 12 will really be pushing it.

[ell_bkr]

My 93 1.8 eunos with 70,000 km on it, only 500 of which were done in the uk since importing, was £1550.00 Think i got lucky there.

Only downside was the paintwork, looks to have had a life of jet wash brushing! But its mostly used as a weekend/track car, so not fussed about that.

A good one will come up at that price, just keep looking.