Would-be newbie mx5 owner questions
Discussion
I'm after a cheapish mx5 mainly for use at Cadwell plus a bit of road driving though I might take it off the road and get a trailer if I get into track days. Cadwell is only up the road and I've been meaning to do this for years but now I hopefully have the time at last.
I've been looking at a few priced between £1.5k to £2.5k. I don't mind whether it's a MK1 or 2 but I'd prefer a 1.8 and I'd prefer one with an lsd.
However most of the ones I've looked at so far have either been neglected in some way, had comedy patches on the inevitable rust or have had a dodgy feel about them. Until today. I looked at an early MK2 1.8 which seemed a genuine car from a mature private seller, lowish miles at under 80k, fsh with the cambelt last done at 53k. One rear arch had been well repaired and possibly one sill with a small repair. The rest looked pretty good.
But no lsd, on 14'' alloys where I'd prefer 15''.
So the promised questions:
How easy would it be to fit an lsd, roughly how much or do I not really need it?
Is the handling better on 15'' wheels, everything else being equal? I believe 15'' tyres are cheaper too. Correct?
How much for a basic roll bar, both to buy and to have fitted? Are bolt-in ones good enough? And can you get them to fit under a hood?
And how often should the cambelt be done? Is it worth doing the tensioners etc and the water pump?
Or should I forget this sort of car and look for one which has already been sorted for non-competitive track days? The downside of this approach is the risk of buying a car that's already tired.
Lots of questions there I'm afraid. I'm sure that many of the answers are already in the forum, buried somewhere. I've read loads of threads and now got a headache so hopefully the collective wisdom of PH can help me out.
Thanks in advance.
I've been looking at a few priced between £1.5k to £2.5k. I don't mind whether it's a MK1 or 2 but I'd prefer a 1.8 and I'd prefer one with an lsd.
However most of the ones I've looked at so far have either been neglected in some way, had comedy patches on the inevitable rust or have had a dodgy feel about them. Until today. I looked at an early MK2 1.8 which seemed a genuine car from a mature private seller, lowish miles at under 80k, fsh with the cambelt last done at 53k. One rear arch had been well repaired and possibly one sill with a small repair. The rest looked pretty good.
But no lsd, on 14'' alloys where I'd prefer 15''.
So the promised questions:
How easy would it be to fit an lsd, roughly how much or do I not really need it?
Is the handling better on 15'' wheels, everything else being equal? I believe 15'' tyres are cheaper too. Correct?
How much for a basic roll bar, both to buy and to have fitted? Are bolt-in ones good enough? And can you get them to fit under a hood?
And how often should the cambelt be done? Is it worth doing the tensioners etc and the water pump?
Or should I forget this sort of car and look for one which has already been sorted for non-competitive track days? The downside of this approach is the risk of buying a car that's already tired.
Lots of questions there I'm afraid. I'm sure that many of the answers are already in the forum, buried somewhere. I've read loads of threads and now got a headache so hopefully the collective wisdom of PH can help me out.
Thanks in advance.
Digby said:
That would have done nicely.That one on Nutz looked nice, wish it had of been for sale when I bought mine.
My first trackday in the '5 was at Cadwell... it was a great day. I'm sure someone will come along and say wether you need an LSD of not (I find it does help), I reckon you'd be looking at around £500 to get one fitted.
Lots of roll bars available, I'll be getting a TR Lane one come the spring.
My first trackday in the '5 was at Cadwell... it was a great day. I'm sure someone will come along and say wether you need an LSD of not (I find it does help), I reckon you'd be looking at around £500 to get one fitted.
Lots of roll bars available, I'll be getting a TR Lane one come the spring.
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