Does anyone know what spec a mk2 1.8i Sport is?

[Chris71]

Hi,

I'm looking for an MX5 at the moment. I'm leaning towards a mk2 1.8iS (a bit more refinement for the commute and a Torsen diff for the weekends).

Virtually all the cars I've seen advertised are listed as a 1.8i Sport, like this one:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

However, the hallowed MX5 model guide doesn't list such a model as an MX5 1.8i Sport for these years:
http://ox.mx5oc.co.uk/guide_mx5.htm

So, is the Sport actually a different model or is it just another term for the 1.8iS?(Not fussed about the semantics of the name, but I do want that slippy diff and the Bilsteins )

Chris

[MX-5 Lazza]

Mk2 1.8iS was the top standard Mk2 model up to 2001. Sport was a Mk2 special edition.

In 2001 the Mk2 was face-lifted. We generally call that the Mk2.5.
At that point the 1.8iS was replaced with the 1.8 Sport often called 1.8 VT Sport. The Sport from here on is just the top spec model, not a special as it was before.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Oh, and from 2001 the Bilstein suspension was an option, not standard fitment. Most had them but not all. "Sport Suspension" or something most probably.
I wouldn't be too fussed about it myself anyway. I still found mine too soft with the Bilies (i.e. softer than my previous Mk1 with standard suspension) and replaced with coil-overs.

[Chris71]

As I understand it the 'special' Sports were all red or blue. So the silver ones must be 1.8iS?

Sorry, getting a bit confused here.

Is there such a thing as a mk2 5-speed 1.8iS? Not found a great deal of love for the 6-speed box so far.

[wildoliver]

Mk2 IS is a 5 speed.

MK2 Sport and RS is a 6 speed.

The cars your finding are likely the 1.8S models, povvy models basically, nowt wrong with them, I've got one I picked up a couple of months back, it's a 1.8 so has the chassis bracing, electric windows.

Doesn't have the ABS, Electric mirrors, central locking, nardi leather wheel, 15" wheels, LSD that the IS model has.

I do think however an S makes a decent starting point for a quick 5, I prefer the 5 speed to the 6 so that's RS and Sport out. The S has none of the heavy nonsense the IS has, the ABS isn't of value to me, the electric mirrors are pointless, the electric windows are useful and barely any heavier than manuals anyway. Shove a nice steering wheel, LSD, mk1 cabin brace, wheels and suspension of choice in an S and you have a bit of a weapon for not much money or effort.

Then again silly sod here is doing a reshell, full spray, sport bodykit, bilstein suspension and a few other mods on a mk2 IS, I'm currently about to put the loom in the shell and trying to decide if I refit the ABS and Airbags or save circa 40kg by dumping them and the associated wiring.

They are all good cars, the 1.6 is a bit gutless in mk2 form, buy on condition as rust takes hold badly. the cars are like toys you can bolt bits on and off at will and create any of the specials from the base models easily.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Like I said before, from 2001 Mk2.5 there is no 1.8iS. Just the 1.6i (110bhp), 1.8i and 1.8 Sport (both 146bhp). The example in the Auto trader ad posted is a Mk2.5 Sport.

Nothing wrong with 6 speed. Mine is better than the 5 speed I had in my old Mk1.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Not sure about some of the advice from wildoliver there. I assume you are talking about Mk1. There is no point in adding a cabin brace to a Mk2.

Standard UK specs were:
Mk1
1989 - 1993 1.6i (114bhp).
1993 - 1998 1.8i or 1.8iS (128-133bhp).
1995 - 1998 1.6i (88bhp).

Mk2 1998 - 2001
1.6i (110bhp).
1.8i or 1.8iS (138bhp).

Mk2.5 2001 - 2005
1.6i (110bhp).
1.8i or 1.8 Sport (146bhp).

Of the UK models, only the Mk2 10th Anniversary Edition, Mk2.5 Sport and some Mk2.5 special editions had the 6 spped gearbox.

[S7Paul]

If you're looking at cars of that age, make sure you check the main chassis members for rust. The only way to do this properly is to remove the plastic undertray (under the front of the car). Failure to do this could prove very expensive. My daughter has a 2002 Sport, and she's just forked out £560 to get hers repaired (and that was just one side; luckily the other side was still solid).

[wildoliver]

Actually its generally well acknowledged that adding a mk1 cabin brace to a mk2 is an very cheap and easy upgrade.

[wildoliver]

Oh and your wrong about the models too. The mk2 sport has a 6 speed.

By the sounds of the ops question provided an import is out then his options for bilstein and LSD are;
Mk2 sport
Mk2 is with optional sports suspension
Mk2.5 sport (mx5 lazza will know these models better than I)

Drive a few, especially drive a mk2 and 2.5 there are subtle differences, also drive 5 and 6 speed. My preference is 5 speed mk2 but a lot of the trick bits from 2.5.

[MX-5 Lazza]

wildoliver said:

Actually its generally well acknowledged that adding a mk1 cabin brace to a mk2 is an very cheap and easy upgrade

Not that well known. I've never heard of anyone doing it for bracing. It's pointless as the Mk2 was stiffened over the Mk1 having a reinforced floor and additional chassis bracing making the cabin brace redundant. The only people I know who have fitted one did it just to have something to attach harnesses to. A proper rear roll-bar will help as that not only braces across the rear but adds bracing between the seat belt towers and the rear chassis.

wildoliver said:

Oh and your wrong about the models too. The mk2 sport has a 6 speed.

I'm not wrong. Mk2 Sport was based on the UK Mk1 1.8iS so has the standard 5-speed. 10AE was based on a JDM spec model so came with the 6-speed.

[Chris71]

Ah. Now this is getting confusing!

I probably won't have the chance to hold onto the car for more than a year or so before 'grown up' commitments intervene, so I'm looking for something that's ready to go and likely to retain its value.

I'd really like a LSD straight out of the box - slithering around in the wet is my fondest memory of my mk1 (and that was before the advent of cheap drift days and second hand tyres).

So does this sound right?

Mk2 1.8iS - LSD
Mk2 Sport (to 2001) - open diff, poverty spec
Mk2.5 Sport (2001 on) - LSD

The ones I've seen described as Sports were all six-speed I think and most (if not all) appear quite well specced with leather etc. A few specifically mention Bilsteins and LSD in the ad.

ETA I have no objection to an import or a mk1. It's just that there don't seem to be many on the market. Virtually all the imports I've seen have been early 1.6s with a viscous diff (if you're lucky). Was hoping I'd pick up a bit of a bargain shopping for a convertible in the wettest winter for a decade, but that's proving tricky so far.

Edited by Chris71 on Thursday 16th January 09:58

[MX-5 Lazza]

Chris71 said:

So does this sound right?

Mk2 1.8iS - LSD
Mk2 Sport (to 2001) - open diff, poverty spec
Mk2.5 Sport (2001 on) - LSD

All of the above are top spec cars and will have LSD, leather etc. Mk2 Sport was based on the Mk2 1.8iS so has everything the iS had as well as some other niceties i.e. front fogs, body kit, AC, hard-top. Mk2.5 Sport adds 6-speed, a redesigned front bumper with fog lights and much better headlights and a revised interior with high-back seats rather than the Mk2 separate headrests.

Chris71 said:

The ones I've seen described as Sports were all six-speed I think and most (if not all) appear quite well specced with leather etc. A few specifically mention Bilsteins and LSD in the ad.

They will be Mk2.5s then and most people just assume they have Billies because they have a Sport. Best way to know for sure is to take a look at them yourself.

There should be plenty of Mk2 imports around. You can usually identify them due to most of them having AC and many having 6-speed. Look out for things like S Spec or V Spec as all these ? Spec models are JDM and not UK.

[Chris71]

A rather more sedate spec than I was originally aiming for, but this mk1 Berkeley looks quite tempting:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

[MX-5 Lazza]

I used to have a Berkeley. Bought it new from the showroom in 1998. I believe I was the first person to take delivery of one in the UK. I needed it pretty urgently so the dealer let me buy their showroom car as there weren't any others available yet. I loved that car but sold it 6 years later for a higher spec newer car with all the goodies so I could supercharge it.
The Berkeley is a bit greener than it looks in those pictures. Also, it's based on the poverty spec Mk1 1.8i so no LSD, electric windows or mirrors and no ABS. That didn't bother me at the time. The interior is lovely, especially with the fake walnut removed from the centre console (as in the one you have linked).

[Chris71]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Also, it's based on the poverty spec Mk1 1.8i so no LSD, electric windows or mirrors and no ABS. That didn't bother me at the time.

There is that. Lack of electrics is practically a bonus in my view, but the open diff is a shame. Did briefly Google the cost of doing a transplant, but it's not especially cheap if you want a proper mechanical LSD.

Still, a smart, low mileage mk1 with plenty of history strikes me as the sort of car that would hold its value well. I'm conscious I probably won't get to keep it for very long, so I'm looking for something that's fun but also something I'm likely to get my money back on. Beyond that I'm fairly open minded on the spec.

[TheJimi]

For road use and sub 10/10ths driving, the existence of an LSD is neither here nor there, imo.

[Chris71]

TheJimi said:

For road use and sub 10/10ths driving, the existence of an LSD is neither here nor there, imo.

Depends how much of a hooligan you are.

It may be purile, but I used to enjoy exiting damp T-junctions broadside in my RS-Ltd (I'm talking 1st gear speeds away from prying eyes, I hasten to add, not 70mph past the school gates...) I also plan to do the odd drift day and track session.

I wouldn't refuse an otherwise-perfect example on the grounds of an open diff, but I do think it's an advantage. I'd also quite like the chassis bracing, coilovers etc. that often tend to be fitted on LSD-equipped cars.

[MX-5 Lazza]

My old Berkeley used to go sideways out of junctions easy enough. Its just proper speed drifting that's more difficult without LSD.

[Chris71]

Been to see a few today. Of those, it was an early 1.6 Eunos V-Special that seemed to have the most character, but it did need a spot of TLC. Hopefully off to see another tomorrow.

Any thoughts on the V-Special specification?

As far as I can see the manual V-Specs all came with a viscous LSD? It also got me thinking about the 1.6 vs 1.8. To be honest, I'm not hugely worried about outright pace as long as it feels willing (that said, I would like the chassis upgrades the 1.8s had...) If I did go for a mk1 1.6 (115bhp) is it likely I'd see any fuel economy benefit over a comparable 1.8?