MK3 MX-5 for a 20 year old?
Discussion
I've been driving a 1.2 Punto for over 2 years now since I passed my test; I'm very very bored of it and need something that's a bit more comfortable on fortnightly trips up the motorway.
The Director of my company is looking to start leasing a new car and therefore will be selling her 07 2.0 Mx-5 with hardtop (not sure about what spec is on it or anything yet). She lives 1 mile away from work and therefore the car has only done 23k miles in her time of owning it from new. It's a very small company so I'm happy to speak to her about it but initially it was my direct manager who brought it up to her and she said she'd definitely sell it to me rather than part exchanging it for the deposit on her new car. She reckons she wants around £5k-6k for it although I haven't asked her about this directly yet. Initially I didn't really want to show interest as I don't want to get a loan but my manager was even like "oh she's said she wouldn't mind you drip-paying for it either".
My questions are:
1) Would it be a good choice of car? I do about 8k miles a year, my daily commute about 5 miles down country lanes and the weekends are normally spent on the motorway.
2) The car is in a dark blue colour, I know this argument will have been flogged to death but is a mk3 mx-5 generally regarded as a girls car and should I avoid?
3) Is getting 'finance' through my company a great idea or do you think it could cause issues?
Thanks in advance
This is the colour of car just for clarification.
The Director of my company is looking to start leasing a new car and therefore will be selling her 07 2.0 Mx-5 with hardtop (not sure about what spec is on it or anything yet). She lives 1 mile away from work and therefore the car has only done 23k miles in her time of owning it from new. It's a very small company so I'm happy to speak to her about it but initially it was my direct manager who brought it up to her and she said she'd definitely sell it to me rather than part exchanging it for the deposit on her new car. She reckons she wants around £5k-6k for it although I haven't asked her about this directly yet. Initially I didn't really want to show interest as I don't want to get a loan but my manager was even like "oh she's said she wouldn't mind you drip-paying for it either".
My questions are:
1) Would it be a good choice of car? I do about 8k miles a year, my daily commute about 5 miles down country lanes and the weekends are normally spent on the motorway.
2) The car is in a dark blue colour, I know this argument will have been flogged to death but is a mk3 mx-5 generally regarded as a girls car and should I avoid?
3) Is getting 'finance' through my company a great idea or do you think it could cause issues?
Thanks in advance
This is the colour of car just for clarification.I drive a mk1 which is less 'manly' I would say than a mk3. I don't really care what people think of me or my car to be honest, I've turned up to important meetings in it, been out in the snow with the top down etc etc. I'm probably frowned upon by the reps on my street with basic diesel BMW's and Mercedes for not believing a car is a status symbol like a lot of people seem to do.
5 miles down a country lane is where this car will probably be at its best, it'll make your commute a lot more fun. I remember when I bought a Swift Sport and my commute suddenly turned into a fun morning hoon. And the joys of open top motoring aren't to be grumbled at if that's your thing.
I'd much, much, much rather have a loan than be on finance to someone though, having finance tied to the car is a complete ball ache when it comes to swapping for another car. The process is simple but it puts people off for some reason. Probably the same brigade that tell you don't have an Alfa because they always break down. Only you will know whether it's right to finance it or not though.
ETA:
If she was going to part ex it anyway, you could potentially get a bargain as px price will be quite a bit below a private sale price I would have thought. Webuyanycar or similar will give you a roughly similar price to what she can expect px. Anything you offer above that is a bonus for her i guess if she doesn't have to go through the hassle of putting it up for sale etc.
5 miles down a country lane is where this car will probably be at its best, it'll make your commute a lot more fun. I remember when I bought a Swift Sport and my commute suddenly turned into a fun morning hoon. And the joys of open top motoring aren't to be grumbled at if that's your thing.
I'd much, much, much rather have a loan than be on finance to someone though, having finance tied to the car is a complete ball ache when it comes to swapping for another car. The process is simple but it puts people off for some reason. Probably the same brigade that tell you don't have an Alfa because they always break down. Only you will know whether it's right to finance it or not though.
ETA:
If she was going to part ex it anyway, you could potentially get a bargain as px price will be quite a bit below a private sale price I would have thought. Webuyanycar or similar will give you a roughly similar price to what she can expect px. Anything you offer above that is a bonus for her i guess if she doesn't have to go through the hassle of putting it up for sale etc.
Edited by Alapeno on Thursday 21st November 15:55
I bought a dark blue mk2.5 for my year in industry when I was 20. Did a 7.5 mile commute to work each day and it was brilliant, apart from when both front caliper seized.
I would definitely recommend it, they're a right laugh and relatively cheap to run. So much so that I'm back at uni now and have refused to sell it.
I would definitely recommend it, they're a right laugh and relatively cheap to run. So much so that I'm back at uni now and have refused to sell it.
Nice looking car, Go for it, much better than a 1.2 Punto .
Who gives a s
t what anyone thinks? Do you like it? If so then go and buy one.
I have a MK2 and I'm 20. It's a great car, and the only people that look at it and say "ha hairdresser/gay/girls car" are people that have never driven one.
Also the one you're looking at is the 2.0, better than the 1.8
.Who gives a s
t what anyone thinks? Do you like it? If so then go and buy one.I have a MK2 and I'm 20. It's a great car, and the only people that look at it and say "ha hairdresser/gay/girls car" are people that have never driven one.
Also the one you're looking at is the 2.0, better than the 1.8
I bought my first MX-5 at 19, and now that I'm 25 I've clocked up over 100k miles in four of the things with a number of different cars in between... Started off with a 2004 1.8i Sport, then upgraded to a 56 Mk3 2.0i Sport. During that time I also had a mk1 1.8i, and now have a 12 mk3.5 Sport Tech...
They are great cars and you should give it a try!
They are great cars and you should give it a try!
Well I'm going to do it, boss advertised it on autotrader for £7.5k, I never realised it had such a massive spec, no expense spared when purchasing it from new... 2.0i Sport model, Leather heated seats, Bose sound system, electric hard top, full dealer history, loads of MOT and tax, garaged since new; it was a lot better than I thought!
We had a chat and she's given me a massive discount, basically the price it had been valued as part ex by two indepedent dealers (one being the company she's leasing her new SLK from).
Massive win in my eyes, gonnna go out for a drive this afternoon just to make sure it feels right for me and then see how we go. Will post pics when I get it! Very excited now.
We had a chat and she's given me a massive discount, basically the price it had been valued as part ex by two indepedent dealers (one being the company she's leasing her new SLK from).
Massive win in my eyes, gonnna go out for a drive this afternoon just to make sure it feels right for me and then see how we go. Will post pics when I get it! Very excited now.
Edited by Grimezy93 on Thursday 28th November 15:11
Grimezy93 said:
Well I'm going to do it, boss advertised it on autotrader for £7.5k, I never realised it had such a massive spec, no expense spared when purchasing it from new... 2.0i Sport model, Leather heated seats, Bose sound system, electric hard top, full dealer history, loads of MOT and tax, garaged since new; it was a lot better than I thought!
We had a chat and she's given me a massive discount, basically the price it had been valued as part ex by two indepedent dealers (one being the company she's leasing her new SLK from) and when I mentioned I'd give her a deposit and then get a loan sorted she told me not to be daft and said they'd let me pay it back through my payslips to avoid interest from a loan.
Massive win in my eyes, gonnna go out for a drive this afternoon just to make sure it feels right for me and then see how we go. Will post pics when I get it! Very excited now.
Without risking sounding a little sexist..We had a chat and she's given me a massive discount, basically the price it had been valued as part ex by two indepedent dealers (one being the company she's leasing her new SLK from) and when I mentioned I'd give her a deposit and then get a loan sorted she told me not to be daft and said they'd let me pay it back through my payslips to avoid interest from a loan.
Massive win in my eyes, gonnna go out for a drive this afternoon just to make sure it feels right for me and then see how we go. Will post pics when I get it! Very excited now.
Get a full alignment done at a decent place as unless shes a petrol head i doubt she has ever had it done and you will be able to tell the difference. I've got a 2.0 Sport also and i love it, have fun!
So glad you've ignored "image" and gone for it - lovely looking car if you ask me. Pistonheads is rife with folk who dwell on image over driving enjoyment which seems a bit odd for a motoring forum (well it does to me anyway)... Both me and a mate own MX5s, mine's a Mk1, his is a Mk3. We each take the piss out of the other's girly car and have heard others comment on our "gay little sports cars" before driving off in their boring sloonz... ignorance is bliss for some!
All the best with it and don't worry, you don't need to wait for the summer to have a bit of top down fun, especially with a spec' that includes heated seats! Enjoy...
All the best with it and don't worry, you don't need to wait for the summer to have a bit of top down fun, especially with a spec' that includes heated seats! Enjoy...
spoodler said:
So glad you've ignored "image" and gone for it - lovely looking car if you ask me. Pistonheads is rife with folk who dwell on image over driving enjoyment which seems a bit odd for a motoring forum (well it does to me anyway)... Both me and a mate own MX5s, mine's a Mk1, his is a Mk3. We each take the piss out of the other's girly car and have heard others comment on our "gay little sports cars" before driving off in their boring sloonz... ignorance is bliss for some!
All the best with it and don't worry, you don't need to wait for the summer to have a bit of top down fun, especially with a spec' that includes heated seats! Enjoy...
Well said. Roof down for me in my MK3 unless its raining, even at night! Heated seats on the sport are nice!All the best with it and don't worry, you don't need to wait for the summer to have a bit of top down fun, especially with a spec' that includes heated seats! Enjoy...
Thanks for the encouragement guys! The abuse has already started and I haven't even got the car yet! I guess that's the problem with buying the Company Directors car... everybody's used to see a slightly overweight 50 year old woman use it as a daily...
I can't complain though, anything is an upgrade from a 1.2 Punto and I can't wait to get my mitts on it!
I can't complain though, anything is an upgrade from a 1.2 Punto and I can't wait to get my mitts on it!
Grimezy93 said:
Thanks for the encouragement guys! The abuse has already started and I haven't even got the car yet! I guess that's the problem with buying the Company Directors car... everybody's used to see a slightly overweight 50 year old woman use it as a daily...
I can't complain though, anything is an upgrade from a 1.2 Punto and I can't wait to get my mitts on it!
meh, it's a nice looking car, and a lot more interesting than a hatchback.I can't complain though, anything is an upgrade from a 1.2 Punto and I can't wait to get my mitts on it!
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