Buying an MX-5

[Eddy77]

So I'm in the market for a MK3 MX-5 next spring. That's the shape which ran from around 2005 to 2015...2.0 version is the one I am after.

Only looking to sink £3.5k into one which seems to give me a good range of cars to go at. Anyone had one or got any practical advice?

I know it's the antithesis of the CLK and that's why I want one. A toy for B road blasts and I may tweak it for track day use. The Benz only does 4K miles a year and the MX -5 will be another toy which gets driven very little. So mileage, mpg etc totally unimportant.

Anyone have any thoughts? I had been looking at Caterhams but the price point is too high for the limited use it will get.

Mazda reliability, 170bhp rwd roadster with 50:50 weight distribution seems like a winner at £3k. Or is there a catch?

 

[HughJarse]

I had a Mk1 - imported it from Japan. Fab fun car.
I was a member of another forum mx5oc.co.uk who were an extremely knowledgeable bunch. This is a link to a page on their site about buying a Mk3 - it may help.

https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst60858_Mk-3-buyers-guide.aspx

 

[PobodY]

Are you going to put a turbo on it? - A supercharger is probably an easier install, but with the turbo you can have more power (albeit with less linear power delivery).

More fun as a track toy with boost; that's the one think the CLK is lacking.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Great cars but you'll need to spend a little more money.

My wife loves the Mx5 and has had five - a mk1, and four mk2's (a.k.a the NB). All 1 owner garaged / full Mazda history cars with less than 40k on the clock for roughly £3k.

You're looking at the mk3 aka the NC. You will only just get yourself into an 80,000 mile 2005 1.8 with £3,500 - you won't normally get a 2 litre car for £3,500 unless it has a few issues (no service history, a fault you can't see, or a distressed seller.)

But it's a car that's worth buying. Depreciation flatlines after 10 years and they're stunningly reliable.

Like the Mercedes SL, there's very little price difference between well maintained cars that have been garaged and city cars that have been misused and not serviced. Save a couple of hundred quid on the purchase price and you could find yourself spending a couple of hundred on unexpected repairs in the not to distant future.

As regards the difference between 1.8 and 2.0 engines, on the owner's club website you'll see people supporting both engines / gearbox set ups. These are very lightweight cars and the difference seems marginal - as always it's the torque where you need it rather than the absolute bhp matters. The 2.0 litre engine has a six speed gearbox which some say is more notchy than the five speed box on the 1.8.

So the good news is that they're great cars to own and have a very loyal following, the only suggestion is that if you spend an extra £500 you'll get a better choice of cars to buy.

Ps - Obviously buy it before March. In the Winter, they're cheap. When the clocks go forward, they're another £500.

 

[brucemillar]

There is an industrial stainless steel outfall pipe around here that somebody has added some MX5 Panels around. To get the wheels to fit the pipe, they have crabbed them outwards giving it the appearance of having been dropped from an airplane without a parachute. The interior consists of two racing seats with head restraints that would not have gone amiss on It's a Knockout Weebles. It does look to be around the 90% air 10% filler and sounds like a bag of grenades going off in a tin dustbin. The owner a has fixed maniacal gaze on his face at all times. It has no hood (the car that is) and can often been seen steaming up the M2 in the mornings.

I could ask if he wants to sell?

 

[GeeJayW]

My daughter has a 25th Anniversary edition. Very nice little car, but clearly very outside of your budget and us not for sale anyway. Wouldn't mind an MX5 as a sunny day fun car myself.

Good luck in your search.

 

[Revvd]

They're a lot of simple fun, whichever engine you go for. Keep an eye out for rot underneath and the check the roof mechanism doesn't rattle when it's down though. I work for Mazda, and quite a few we've taken in need a little tweak here n there to get rid of the rattle.

 

[DSM10000]

As above, check for corrosion in the wheel arches and sills, unsure if the front uses the same laminated steel crash structure of the Mk2.5, this often rotted unnoticed.

Either engine has ample power to be fun, turbocharging is going away from the concept of a simple, light(ish) rear wheel drive car that can be enjoyed closeto it's limits easily on roads without offending anyone.

 

[Darrell]

I think there's one for sale in the classifieds.