Tuesday 30th December 2014

Mazda MX-5 (NC): PH Buying Guide

Mazda's third take on The Answer to Everything, now available from £4K

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The first hint of the third generation NC Mazda MX-5 came with the unveiling of the Ibuki concept at the 2003 Tokyo motor show. It was a further two years before Mazda launched the replacement for the popular NB model in mid-2005 after an initial reveal of the production model earlier that year at the Geneva motor show.

Hardtop RC arrived in 2006

At first glance the NC was more of the same, but under the skin it was a much more thorough re-interpretation of Mazda's high-selling sports car. The basics were still the same: a relatively lightweight two-seat open top with classic front-engine, rear-drive set-up. Mazda was never going to tamper with this, but in came all-new Ford-sourced 1.8- and 2.0-litre petrol engines with 126- and 160hp respectively. They offered 0-62mph in 9.4 seconds for the 1.8 and 7.9 seconds for the 2.0-litre. The 1.8 cost from £15,600 and the 2.0 started at £16,600.

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Also new was the multi-link rear suspension design that was aimed at further enhancing the MX-5's famous handling balance. Many motoring journalists felt the NC had taken a backwards step in handling and steering response, though much of this was down to personal grousing rather than any fathomable, objective reason.

Mk 3.5 update came in late 2008

In the summer of 2006, Mazda further pushed the NC into new territory with the launch of the Roadster Coupe model. This replaced the usual fabric roof with a folding two-piece hard-top that retracted into the same space as the soft-top to retain the same boot capacity. Widely referred to as the RC, the Roadster Coupe tipped the scales at 40kg more than the 1,139kg soft-top models.

To answer those critics of the NC's handling and steering, a revised NC2 model pitched up in October 2008. The front roll centre was lowered to improve turn-in and cornering feel. It also has lightly reworked engines, which increases the rev limit from 6,750rpm in the 2.0 to 7,000rpm. Engine sound was also improved, while a new six-speed manual gearbox was also fitted. Restyled headlights are the obvious exterior clue to the NC2 over the original NC.

Very last NCs identifiable by the grille

Another revision of this MX-5 resulted in the NC3 being announced in July 2012 and on sale for the 2013 model year. It has reworked headlights and a more prominent front air intake to mimic those of the CX-5 and 6 models, while a new chin spoiler improves aerodynamics. The NC3 also comes with Mazda's Active Bonnet that uses explosive charges to push the bonnet up and away from the engine in the event of a pedestrian collision to better protect the pedestrian's head and torso. There was also a modified throttle for the six-speed manual gearbox models to give sharper response, while all NC3s benefitted from a new brake return control to give better pedal feel.

There have been a plethora of special editions based on the MX-5 NC models. For the UK, this has included the Special Edition Launch model, Icon, Niseko, 20th Anniversary Limited Edition with a production run of 2,000 cars, Miyako, Kendo, Venture, Kuro and Sport Venture.

We won't go into the equipment upgrades of each of the special editions, but will instead concentrate on the standard SE and Sport models that make up the bulk of used NC MX-5s for sale. With prices now dipping below £4,000 for early NCs, the Mazda continues to offer reliable sports car fun on a tight budget and they needn't cost much to run.

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PHer's view:
"I found my MX-5 to a fantastic car to use as a second car - having a blast cross-country was brilliant. Handled great and went pretty well too. It loved to be 'wound up'."
Phil Grover

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Buying guide contents:
Introduction
Powertrain
Rolling Chassis
Body
Interior

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[threespires]

I've just added a Kuro to my collection of four cars, 2 x NA's, one a BBR, 1 x NB & now the NC2 with folding tin-top. All of them are terrific fun but my favourite is the 1.6 BBR with 204bhp and six speed 'box.

[Charlie Michael]

I love mine - As it's my only car I plan to use it all through the winter.

So much fun on these cold mornings.

[squirdle]

It's also an easy car to work on. I have as much fun fiddling with mine (ooh er!) as I do driving it.

[cirian75]

whats the rust situation on the NC ?


My NB was a rot box

[stevenandalex]

I bought a nc 2.0 sport to use as an every day car to replace a VX220 turbo and the daily boring vectra. How wrong was I to do this! The interior is more poky than the VX and apart from having a good heater, I hated it. £3000 worse off a a year later it was gone! I found the scuttle shake and poor chassis a real disappointment and having so little power the tail unless it was wet would not freely move. It is a shame that the gt86 was not around at the time! If you are going to buy one of these mainly driven by women - yes the image is also a problem for men, then make sure you get an extended test drive. I also found for a car of such small dimensions, that it was also poor on fuel.

Steve

Edited by stevenandalex on Thursday 8th January 09:44

[Ecosseven]

Great car and I've thoroughly enjoyed owning mine for the last 2 years. Just to be pedantic the red line on the mk3.5 was increased to 7200rpm and I believe the rev limiter is around 7500rpm although I've never hit it.

I can only see me replacing my MX-5 with a mk4 in a 3 years time.

[underphil]

Ecosseven said:

Great car and I've thoroughly enjoyed owning mine for the last 2 years. Just to be pedantic the red line on the mk3.5 was increased to 7200rpm and I believe the rev limiter is around 7500rpm although I've never hit it.

I can only see me replacing my MX-5 with a mk4 in a 3 years time.

yeah, it was peak power that was raised from 6750 to 7000

(though I'm sure they just extended the range of the peak power..)


The mk3.5 had more forged engine parts that allowed the limiter to be raised

[WolvesWill]

Seems a pretty accurate buying guide....

I love mine but it is heavily modified (coilovers, 200bhp bbr kit etc), was a bit of a disappointment as stock in terms of engine power and handling (the pre facelift NC1 has comedy ride height as standard, fixed somewhat on the facelift NC2 and NC3).

All 2.0 models have a torsen Lsd, regardless of gearbox option, not sure if that's mamade clear.

Rust can be seen on these in places sadly, check around the number plate bulb holders, arches and quarter light panel trims (got these to replace on mine in the spring).

[renaultgeek]

Are the engines actually bulletproof? Seeing a lot of them for sale recently with "new engine at xxxxx km"

[ron130888]

I am very tempted to try the 2.0 version in the next few months as a potential purchase. I know that speed & acceleration isn't the point of this car but something tells me it will just feel slow.

Rust is another concern!

I have sat in one though and it felt like a proper car, unlike my Clio with it's horrid driving position.

[Howroyd]

ron130888 said:

I am very tempted to try the 2.0 version in the next few months as a potential purchase. I know that speed & acceleration isn't the point of this car but something tells me it will just feel slow.

Rust is another concern!

I have sat in one though and it felt like a proper car, unlike my Clio with it's horrid driving position.

I have had mine for a year and a half, absolutely love it. In terms of speed, it is perfect for the road. We get lost nowadays in the power race, power which is often completely wasted on public roads. With the MX5 you can absolutely ring its neck through the gears and hold onto your license. The turn in is lovely, the balance is great and all round just a great car.

After looking at many rivals before purchasing, I do not regret my decision. I am in a position now to get a ~ 6-12 month old Boxter S, but every time I get in the MX5 I forget about it. The engine in the porker is a real gem, but I can't help thinking that it's just to much too enjoy as much of the time as the mx5.

I had the alignment done on mine and have put on a set of Toyo T1Rs, once they heat up it's brilliant. The exhaust note is pretty average, sound pretty decent between 3.9k & 4.4k on full throttle, but that's about it. A decent aftermarket system is on the list

Tom

Edited by Howroyd on Tuesday 30th December 13:00

[mizx]

WolvesWill said:

Seems a pretty accurate buying guide....

I love mine but it is heavily modified (coilovers, 200bhp bbr kit etc), was a bit of a disappointment as stock in terms of engine power and handling (the pre facelift NC1 has comedy ride height as standard, fixed somewhat on the facelift NC2 and NC3).

All 2.0 models have a torsen Lsd, regardless of gearbox option, not sure if that's mamade clear.

Rust can be seen on these in places sadly, check around the number plate bulb holders, arches and quarter light panel trims (got these to replace on mine in the spring).

The auto doesn't have the LSD, they mentioned it in the article. The OEM can be retrofitted, so I'm thinking about sourcing one for mine.

It's probably worth pointing out about the paddle shift auto; I wouldn't recommend it unless for medical reasons like me, there's no real point. It is by no means a bad gearbox, it's the best I've used besides clutchless-manuals.

I'd recommend Racing Beat exhausts. Mine took 2 weeks to arrive from the US but it is well worth it, fantastic quality and cheaper than some of the common options over here, it sounds far better in my opinion too. I don't have any major mods as yet beyond the excellent TEIN coilovers, wheels, and tyres up to 235/40s (everyone on Miata.net running those or wider can't be too far wrong, it's great with them not overtyred as it might sound at all).

Edited by mizx on Tuesday 30th December 20:46

[mx5tom]

renaultgeek said:

Are the engines actually bulletproof? Seeing a lot of them for sale recently with "new engine at xxxxx km"

...if looked after. They're very susceptible to oil levels (sounds obvious, but more so than other cars I'd imagine). My engine went pop at about 70k: the oil level was about half way between min and max... Combined with cornering quite quickly and then getting back hard on the throttle after the apex caused an oil surge and blew the big end. Keep the oil at max!

Other issues that I've only really heard of for track cars is that on the NC1s, the wiring to the coil packs isn't up to scratch and can fk up under heavy load (i.e. the type if driving you'd be doing on track rather than on the road). I think this was resolved with the later cars, but it's definitely an issue on the first gen. Causes intermittent misfires, can screw up the coil packs and a nightmare to figure out what's going wrong. Yep, that happened to me, too.

That aside though, they really are good cars! Not powerful in the slightest (I have the slower 1.8 but test drove the 2.0 and didn't feel massively different), but amazing fun to drive on track and so long as you don't over-tyre them (i.e. keep the grip levels relatively low) they're a blast to drive on the road as well.

[Housey]

stevenandalex said:

I bought a nc 2.0 sport to use as an every day car to replace a VX220 turbo and the daily boring vectra. How wrong was I to do this! The interior is more poky than the VX and apart from having a good heater, I hated it. £3000 worse off a a year later it was gone! I found the scuttle shake and poor chassis a real disappointment and having so little power the tail unless it was wet would not freely move. It is a shame that the gt86 was not around at the time! If you are going to buy one of these mainly driven by women cars - yes the image is also a problem for men, then make sure you get an extended test drive. I also found for a car of such small dimensions, that it was also poor on fuel.

Steve

I agree on the scuttle shake, it seems to be an unmentioned aspect of the Mk3 MX5 but when the roof is down and on a bumpy road the steering shake is bloody awful and for me needs work. The steering feel is hugely improved through geo however and the feel difference was significantly improved on my wife's after purchase from new after Centre Gravity did their stuff. The handling however was only subtly enhanced through the geo changes and not night and day as some people seem to wrongly indicate.

[Mannginger]

mx5tom said:

...if looked after. They're very susceptible to oil levels (sounds obvious, but more so than other cars I'd imagine). My engine went pop at about 70k: the oil level was about half way between min and max... Combined with cornering quite quickly and then getting back hard on the throttle after the apex caused an oil surge and blew the big end. Keep the oil at max!

Other issues that I've only really heard of for track cars is that on the NC1s, the wiring to the coil packs isn't up to scratch and can fk up under heavy load (i.e. the type if driving you'd be doing on track rather than on the road). I think this was resolved with the later cars, but it's definitely an issue on the first gen. Causes intermittent misfires, can screw up the coil packs and a nightmare to figure out what's going wrong. Yep, that happened to me, too.

That aside though, they really are good cars! Not powerful in the slightest (I have the slower 1.8 but test drove the 2.0 and didn't feel massively different), but amazing fun to drive on track and so long as you don't over-tyre them (i.e. keep the grip levels relatively low) they're a blast to drive on the road as well.

Agreed, I lost the bottom end on mine with still a goodly amount of oil left in (similar amount to the chap above). Mazda eventually coughed to it under warranty (My engine was only about 40000 miles old). That really rather took the lustre off the car which I thoroughly enjoyed otherwise. I had the 2.0 Sport with Eibachs, dropped to the correct ride-height and a few other tweaks (The RX8 variable wiper column slots right in to an NC for example)

It was a great sports car which for me was my only car and was parked on the road so needed to have a decent boot and not be too fussy about not being covered.

[adetri]

Good buyer's guide.

My 1.8 NC RC is plenty fast enough and the 5 speed 'box is (as on my previous Mazda MX5s) a delight. A lot of press slate the 1.8 - but it is smooth, flexible and never feels underpowered. I wonder sometimes if they have ever driven it?

30-40mpg depending on the drive. It's a car which grows on you over time. 3.5 years into ownership and I like it more than ever.

Upgrades have been limited to Eibach Springs (which lowered it by 20-30mm IIRC) and a X-Car-Link bluetooth installation.

The new springs, with lowered ride height and a good alignment setup truly made a big difference. Again, at first I was little disappointed (although not with the 'new look) but after it settled in and I got used to the new feel I can say it is a 100% improvement. It's a much more 'pointy' car now. Just be aware of some of London's more aggressive speed bumps as, although this is quite a minor drop (and I think was originally a factory option), it does make a difference and it the car can get caught out.

The X-Car-Link Bluetooth kit is fantastic - simple to fit (removing glove box) without even taking out the stereo.

Servicing by Mazda dealer £200-300 per year. No problems at all (hope not a jinx). Brake pads and tyres only replacements, now at 50K miles.

Overall - love it. Almost replaced with a Cooper S this year but, the drive to the Mini garage convinced me this was not going to happen.

Only 2 things I don't like:

1 - No spare wheel and no official space saver option available. Common nowadays, I know, but always hated this lack of a spare.
2 - Sun visors, when down, block visibility a lot for anyone over 5'9' looking forward and do not swivel to block sun from side window

Cheers!

[PistonBroker]

At the risk of losing any semblance of PH cred, I find the dipstick a pain to read as well. After 40 odd cars owned, it's the only dipstick that I've not been able to get on with as it's one of those where you pull out a little pool of oil. I much prefer the more conventional flat stick in SWMBO's CRV.

Other than that though, I've enjoyed my 06/56 NC 2.0 ever since I bought it back in May '13. Just as much fun as the NA V-Specs we had 8 or so years ago IIRC. If not more fun in fact with the extra power.

Lower springs wouldn't go amiss. Almost sits as high as the aforementioned CRV . . . :-p

[adetri]

Agree on the dipstick I guess, but after coming from an RX-8, a car which needed frequent checks, it is much easier. The RX-8's dipstick was practically impossible to replace first time the way it was buried in the dark depths of the engine bay. Remember balancing iPhone torch in one hand dipstick in the other each time!

[iloveboost]

Howroyd said:

I have had mine for a year and a half, absolutely love it. In terms of speed, it is perfect for the road. We get lost nowadays in the power race, power which is often completely wasted on public roads. With the MX5 you can absolutely ring its neck through the gears and hold onto your license. The turn in is lovely, the balance is great and all round just a great car.

After looking at many rivals before purchasing, I do not regret my decision. I am in a position now to get a ~ 6-12 month old Boxter S, but every time I get in the MX5 I forget about it. The engine in the porker is a real gem, but I can't help thinking that it's just to much too enjoy as much of the time as the mx5.

I had the alignment done on mine and have put on a set of Toyo T1Rs, once they heat up it's brilliant. The exhaust note is pretty average, sound pretty decent between 3.9k & 4.4k on full throttle, but that's about it. A decent aftermarket system is on the list

Tom

Edited by Howroyd on Tuesday 30th December 13:00

I agree that it's more usable than more powerful sports-cars, but I think you're exaggerating when you say you can 'ring the neck' of either NC Mx-5 on a B road, without getting to ban speeds. Ban speed on a 'de-restricted' road is over 85mph on a typical speedo.
I'd quite like a facelift 1.8 NC Mx-5, and the new 1.5 Mx-5 looks great. Both cars could tempt me from FWD hatchbacks, when I can afford to.

Edited by iloveboost on Tuesday 30th December 18:10

[SteveSteveson]

stevenandalex said:

I found the scuttle shake and poor chassis a real disappointment and having so little power the tail unless it was wet would not freely move...If you are going to buy one of these mainly driven by women cars - yes the image is also a problem for men

Sounds like you drove one that was badly set up. I have no issue with scuttle shake on mine and it will wag it's tail, when asked, in any conditions. They do need the right tyres, tyre pressure and the geo aligning properly (not getting the geo done by a specialist, which will help, but just getting it aligned.) but then if your going to start worrying about it being a "woman's car" it was probably the wrong car from the start.