Ipswich area garage for pre-purchase inspection MX5

[ldn_mx5]

Hi, I’m thinking of buying this 2007 mk3 MX-5 (£4,000, 89k miles)
https://www.tripleccarsales.co.uk/used-cars/mazda-...

MOT history doesn’t highlight any corrosion or other issues, I’d still like to get an inspection done -
one in an authorised workshop, not an AA or RAC one. I’m no expert myself so I want to pay the £150 or £200 for peace of mind.

Any recommendations in Ipswich area?
I see one in the sticky but can’t get through to them.

[ldn_mx5]

Sorry won’t the garage inspection cover both??

[ldn_mx5]

Trevor555 said:

It looks nice in the pics, but with MX5's of that age, it needs checking underneath.

Well I am debating these 2 options,
(1) spend £4k on 80-90k miles 2006/7 car, have some £ reserve for repairs
(2) spend £6k on 60k miles/2009 car

I thought (1) made more sense...
And yeah, the dealer agreed to an independent inspection, even though it’s only a £4k car. They could even drop it off to the garage if it’s local. The guy seemed nice&professional

[ldn_mx5]

Trevor555 said:

The dealers sounds helpful, and not against you having an inspection.

That sounds very promising.

Regarding the two different cars you really have to judge every car on condition, regardless of age.

Some cars out there will have been used all year round, through winters, salted roads etc..

There'll be some MX5's that were more like summer toys and may have been garaged overnight for much of their lives.

So all I'm saying is you might get an older one that's in much better condition than a newer one, underneath anyhow.

Good luck with the search, they are wonderful cars to drive.

To clarify, „underneath” you mean corrosion?
I’d say 50% of older (2006-2009) NCs on autotrader have corriosion mentioned in their MOT histories. Not this one, I thought that was a good sign, but I of course
want this inspection to confirm that.

[ldn_mx5]

paulmaurice99 said:

Let us know how you got on. If you do buy one there’s an excellent specialist in Stradbroke, about 20 miles north of Ipswich. Can’t recommend them enough, and well known in club circles. Cleverley Repaired Cars or google MX5 expert. The proprietor, Michael, runs an early mk3.

Thank everyone for help. I bought a different MX-5, 2010 NC using click&collect from Norwich to London. Car arrived on the back of a lorry, I had agreed with the dealer that I'd carry out a "post-purchase" type inspection, and should that flag up something serious, I'd be looking to exercise my right to return the car within 14 days of purchase. The inspection was largely fine, anti-roll bar links had to be replaced for £120 which the dealer wasn't too forthcoming about refunding, even though he had assured me the inspection wouldn't flag up "anything". As otherwise the car was in very good condition, I just kept it, even if the dealer not replying to my email was a bit of a disappointment (he had been *very* responsive up until that point).