New owner with tale of woe and request for info/help
Discussion
First thing I would do would be to call Mark at Freelance Mazda in Chatham - he will give you an honest appraisal of what needs doing at a proper price, not with main dealer markup. None of those jobs sound expensive or difficult and I find it hard to believe they would amount to more than a few hundred.
Not sure if a dealer can "sell as seen" to the public, but I wouldn't bother going down this route. A lot of heartache and you won't see your money back. If you are spending this sort of money, always buy private.
Is it a Mk.2.5 or a 3? Are there any rust issues (sills/rear arches/front subframe)?
Not sure if a dealer can "sell as seen" to the public, but I wouldn't bother going down this route. A lot of heartache and you won't see your money back. If you are spending this sort of money, always buy private.
Is it a Mk.2.5 or a 3? Are there any rust issues (sills/rear arches/front subframe)?
Id find a local mazda specalist or trusted mechanic.
The faults listed are not major issues really and should be sortable with not too much money being spent.
Lesson learned is that there are a lot of sharks out there who will sell you anything to get money. Sold as seen generally means a pig in a poke though.
Hope you get it sorted out as these cars are great cars.
The faults listed are not major issues really and should be sortable with not too much money being spent.
Lesson learned is that there are a lot of sharks out there who will sell you anything to get money. Sold as seen generally means a pig in a poke though.
Hope you get it sorted out as these cars are great cars.
That list is a long long way from being the end of the car. Few hundred quic at a decent little garage/MX-5 specialist will have it all sorted easily. When I started reading this, I feared you were going to mention terminal rust with the car!
The biggest issue with MX5s is rust, end of.
Everything else can be relatively cheap to fix...unless you pay main dealer rates.
On a car of that age, it makes absolutely no sense to use a main dealer when there are so many great independent garages that can do the work for a fraction of the cost.
Is the bodywork on your car is sound, then I would say definitely get the work done and enjoy it.
I hope everything turns around for you soon.
The biggest issue with MX5s is rust, end of.
Everything else can be relatively cheap to fix...unless you pay main dealer rates.
On a car of that age, it makes absolutely no sense to use a main dealer when there are so many great independent garages that can do the work for a fraction of the cost.
Is the bodywork on your car is sound, then I would say definitely get the work done and enjoy it.
I hope everything turns around for you soon.
consider grabbing a haynes manual and doing the bulbs and easy bits yourself, even taking off the door card before going to a garage will save you money, then get it to a specialist as suggested above, brakes aren't expensive and as long as you don't want to track day it (which it sounds like you don't) you can get away with stock stuff which is very well priced with lots of options. It still sounds like a good car if it drove nicely despite all that until you knew it had the problems.
hobobaggins said:
consider grabbing a haynes manual and doing the bulbs and easy bits yourself, even taking off the door card before going to a garage will save you money, then get it to a specialist as suggested above, brakes aren't expensive and as long as you don't want to track day it (which it sounds like you don't) you can get away with stock stuff which is very well priced with lots of options. It still sounds like a good car if it drove nicely despite all that until you knew it had the problems.
agree with hobobaggins but I guess OP is about 7-8 months pregnant by now, I can't imagine my wife fannying about with door cards at 8 months preggers!It's all very doable for someone with the skills but if they are both new to cars it'll probably be overwhelming.
I'd say, sell it to someone on here and take a hit, and look for a good one (and get a mechanic to check it or an RAC/AA inspection at the least) bar that, try to find an independent to do the bits needed.
I recall doing discs and pads for our mk2 for <£100, a sticky calliper might be a hours strip down or a replacement calliper depending on how bad it is. as for the door lock, the door cards are easy enough to remove as I've had to do a window regulator before but the locks are in a bit of a difficult bit to reach, if you have the time and patience and the willingness to learn it could be a good hobby.
Exhaust is a good excuse to upgrade to a new louder one
but easy to replace the standard one on a drive with axle stands if hubby is interested enough exhaust bits are cheap enoughhttp://www.cats-direct-shop.co.uk/details/MAZDA/MX...
best to check your reg with them to get the right bits etc, and bolts always sheer/break so best to buy some
Edited by gowmonster on Tuesday 15th December 11:55
Edited by gowmonster on Tuesday 15th December 11:57
I was thinking as it's sorned and December that this might be a job for next year anyway but yes baby + knackered car don't mix.
That said I get a baby seat in mine no problems and its surprisingly practical assuming you have the airbag off switch installed.
But I'd fix the ABS before taking anyone (adult or baby) inside again just in case it's hiding something truly nasty, but again as it drove all summer with no issues that's questionable.
That said I get a baby seat in mine no problems and its surprisingly practical assuming you have the airbag off switch installed.
But I'd fix the ABS before taking anyone (adult or baby) inside again just in case it's hiding something truly nasty, but again as it drove all summer with no issues that's questionable.
Tannice said:
It's a MK2, registered 2002.
2002 car is Mk2.5 - basically a facelifted Mk2. It also suffers the worst from rust.If I were you, I would take it to an independent MX5 specialist and ask for a totally honest appraisal on corrosion. You may be lucky, or you may be absolutely horrified at what you have been driving around in because its rusted so badly - these cars rust in the front chassis legs really bad - its hidden and its basically your front crumple zone. I don't mean to scare you but at the end of the day you and those you love drive about in that car. Of course the car might be fine.
Everything the Mazda dealer has said that needs sorting is childs play and they must be rubbing their hands together in anticipation that you get them to do the work. Any garage can do these.
Brakes are easy and cheap. Door lock is likely to be a small spring that has broken or fallen off, very cheap. ABS is likely to be a sensor but might be something else. Still shouldn't cost a lot to fix - can do a flash test to find the problem. Exhaust can be very cheap for 2nd hand parts or cost as much as you like.
So... Pattern discs £120. Mazda pads £120. 2nd hand exhaust £50. Door £10? ABS - this is the only unknown.
So... Pattern discs £120. Mazda pads £120. 2nd hand exhaust £50. Door £10? ABS - this is the only unknown.
Tannice said:
Ok, so we have had a quote back from another mechanic who wants over £1000 to fix it. Given that we spent £1600 on it already, we really don't want to do that.
Really upset that the trader is getting away with this. It's been out of action almost 2 months now and I've been struggling without a car on buses and trains (which gives me a lot of anxiety - I don't do crowds very well!)
I think we're going to have to sell it. We're buying a Mazda Xedos9 on Sunday from a private seller (have checked with the garage as don't want to get stung again) and I think that we're going to see what money we can get from a hobbyist.
Now to figure out the price to sell it! Any tips? Obviously I realise it's likely not worth close to what we paid, but some money back from someone who wants to work on it would be good.
I would pay someone to fix it rather than buy someone else to lose you money.Really upset that the trader is getting away with this. It's been out of action almost 2 months now and I've been struggling without a car on buses and trains (which gives me a lot of anxiety - I don't do crowds very well!)
I think we're going to have to sell it. We're buying a Mazda Xedos9 on Sunday from a private seller (have checked with the garage as don't want to get stung again) and I think that we're going to see what money we can get from a hobbyist.
Now to figure out the price to sell it! Any tips? Obviously I realise it's likely not worth close to what we paid, but some money back from someone who wants to work on it would be good.
Tannice said:
I really don't have the money the mechanic wants to fix it (£1225) - the car we are buying is less than £500. There's no way we'll get the £1600 back and the £1225 repairs (plus £70 recovery and the £175 we paid for Mazda to health check it) back, so it's a sunk cost. I simply can't spend all this money right now - my first child is due in February. It's mounting up for something that was a replacement for a motorbike, which are cheap to run and insure. It's turned into an absolute nightmare and at the moment I can't stand the sight of this thing costing me money on my drive. It's so upsetting. It was supposed to make me happy, but now it's making me miserable and reminding me of how much money it represents.
I can understand your point of view, but it just makes no sense to me to throw another £1225 at a car that has already cost me £1600 to buy and £175 + £70 to be told it's dangerous.
No offence, but perhaps you shouldn't be having a child when you clearly don't have two pennies to rub together. I can understand your point of view, but it just makes no sense to me to throw another £1225 at a car that has already cost me £1600 to buy and £175 + £70 to be told it's dangerous.
If mazda healthchecked it then surely there is some recourse with them?
If it has an MOT - sell it to someone else 'sold as seen'....
Surely you shouldn't be buying a 500quid s
tbox, that's almost certainly going to cost more money which you don't have. Save for something better or get a brand new lease c1 or something small for 100 / month.Tannice said:
Also, I don't have recourse with Mazda as I didn't buy it from them. I bought it from a Trader.
Your argument is similar to 'I bought a TV for £800 and it's broken. The repairs cost £600. That's a good idea, when another TV costs £700"
Not really, assuming your TVs are new. You're swapping a known with an unknown. Spend the money on the mazda and you have a fixed car. By another car for shed money and you have something that could be even worse.Your argument is similar to 'I bought a TV for £800 and it's broken. The repairs cost £600. That's a good idea, when another TV costs £700"
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