Can I get some thoughts on this '5?
Discussion
I've spotted a mk1 for sale that sounds quite interesting. It's up for £800, which almost seems too cheap, but I want something I can use and abuse, so something at throwaway money might not be such a bad idea.
It's a 1.6 V-Spec imported in 2001. Currently on 93k miles.
Mohair roof (owner says no rips or leaks)
Judging by the photos the tan leather seats are pretty respectable still
Racing Hart Sprint wheels (apparently in need of a refurb but they don't look too bad in the photos)
GAB super stroke adjustable shocks with Eibach lowering springs
Body work said to be good barring a small bit of rust on one of the fronts wings wing and a few stone chips
10 months MOT, upgraded headrest speakers,original cassette/cd headunit, decent tyres and nearly new battery.
No MOT advisories, but the owner thinks one of the rear wheel bearings is going (about £100 to get done, I'm guessing?)
It's a 1.6 V-Spec imported in 2001. Currently on 93k miles.
Mohair roof (owner says no rips or leaks)
Judging by the photos the tan leather seats are pretty respectable still
Racing Hart Sprint wheels (apparently in need of a refurb but they don't look too bad in the photos)
GAB super stroke adjustable shocks with Eibach lowering springs
Body work said to be good barring a small bit of rust on one of the fronts wings wing and a few stone chips
10 months MOT, upgraded headrest speakers,original cassette/cd headunit, decent tyres and nearly new battery.
No MOT advisories, but the owner thinks one of the rear wheel bearings is going (about £100 to get done, I'm guessing?)
My thoughts too. I've not seen close ups, but on a general shot of the offside I can't see any rust at all. It's not as if there's a hole you can stick your hand through.
The seller did mention that it has "the MX5 shimmy" I did a search and this does seem to be a known issue - a sort of wobble at about 65-70 mph. He's had the wheels balanced but that didn't sort it. May be the bearing he mentioned, perhaps?
Current MOT has no advisories, but he mentioned advisories on the previous one (before he bought the car) for perished ball joint gators, so I guess another possibility is that the ball joints have suffered.
I'm not going to buy it if it's a total basket case, but my feeling is you could budget a reasonable amount for tidying up an £800 MX-5. And if the worst comes to the worst you could break it for spares in 10 months' time and lose less than the value of the wear and tear you could inflict on a really pristine £3k+ example in the same timescale.
I have a few specific questions:
The seller did mention that it has "the MX5 shimmy" I did a search and this does seem to be a known issue - a sort of wobble at about 65-70 mph. He's had the wheels balanced but that didn't sort it. May be the bearing he mentioned, perhaps?
Current MOT has no advisories, but he mentioned advisories on the previous one (before he bought the car) for perished ball joint gators, so I guess another possibility is that the ball joints have suffered.
I'm not going to buy it if it's a total basket case, but my feeling is you could budget a reasonable amount for tidying up an £800 MX-5. And if the worst comes to the worst you could break it for spares in 10 months' time and lose less than the value of the wear and tear you could inflict on a really pristine £3k+ example in the same timescale.
I have a few specific questions:
- Where else should I look for rust? (Assuming it's like a mk2 - sills, arches and chassis legs)?
- If the rust is confined to one front wing, what's the worst case scenario? How much would it cost to replace that wing? It's quite a common colour, so do you think you could get a colour match with a second hand panel or would it need to be resprayed?
- I can live with the wobble for now if it's a balancing issue. Are there any more serious potential causes in the chassis or suspension that I should look to rule out? If so, what should I look for?
- How much am I looking at roughly to get the rear wheel bearing replaced if I go to a garage?
The mk1,s seem to rust less than mk2,s. Never had one with rusty chassis legs. The front wings can be a pain to get off due to the nuts that join it to the bumper.awkward to get to and usually snap due to corrosion. Not sure of the shimmy. Had 8 now and never had it.could be a wheel out of shape or maybe a shock
I believe the chassis leg design changed from Mk1 to Mk2 and the Mk2 design is much more prone to rusting.
For Mk1, I would checki the usual places - sills, rear arches, bottom of front wings, etc.
My Mk1 doesn't have any kind of shimmy? Not sure what he means - I am running new Meister suspension though.
For £800, as you say, as long as it's not hanging off then is could be a decent buy.
For Mk1, I would checki the usual places - sills, rear arches, bottom of front wings, etc.
My Mk1 doesn't have any kind of shimmy? Not sure what he means - I am running new Meister suspension though.
For £800, as you say, as long as it's not hanging off then is could be a decent buy.
My old mk1 was braced to high heaven and it still felt a bit wobbly. Does seem to be a known issue:
https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst7142_shaki...
I must admit, that does worry me a bit, but it's £800 ... could put a new set of tyres on, do the tracking and replace a ball joint or two and still get my money back selling it on a nice warm day in June. That's not the intention, but it does provide a safety net.
https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst7142_shaki...
I must admit, that does worry me a bit, but it's £800 ... could put a new set of tyres on, do the tracking and replace a ball joint or two and still get my money back selling it on a nice warm day in June. That's not the intention, but it does provide a safety net.
MX-5 Lazza said:
As long as the car has a full set of balanced, reasonable condition and matching tyres, the "shimmy" is usually 95% down to alignment. The remaining can usually be sorted with the right chassis braces, particularly the turret brace between the seats and the under rear chassis brace.
Good to know. I'm not too far from Wheels In Motion, so might pay them a visit if I buy it.Chris71 said:
MX-5 Lazza said:
As long as the car has a full set of balanced, reasonable condition and matching tyres, the "shimmy" is usually 95% down to alignment. The remaining can usually be sorted with the right chassis braces, particularly the turret brace between the seats and the under rear chassis brace.
Good to know. I'm not too far from Wheels In Motion, so might pay them a visit if I buy it.
Have a good poke around underneath. Floor pans can and do rust particularly if the rails on the floor have got bent.
If you can take off the arch liners and look underneath. Rust lurks there too but sills and arches go first. Lift the carpet in the boot too.
You can get whole new wings for not much money but it seems to take a fair bit of skill to get them to fit right and they will obviously need paint. Cars that are being broken tend to have rusty wings so finding a good one in the right colour maybe harder than expected. (Although cheap)
If you can take off the arch liners and look underneath. Rust lurks there too but sills and arches go first. Lift the carpet in the boot too.
You can get whole new wings for not much money but it seems to take a fair bit of skill to get them to fit right and they will obviously need paint. Cars that are being broken tend to have rusty wings so finding a good one in the right colour maybe harder than expected. (Although cheap)
Edited by drgoatboy on Wednesday 21st October 23:00
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