Mk2.5 1.8 Sport Advice/Help!

[anonymous-user]

Hi all,

I'm getting rid of my E46 330ci Auto in favour of a Mk2.5 MX5. I've done a bit of research and I've decided the Mk2.5 1.8 Sport is the model I'm going to go for. My budget is 3k tops, will this secure me a good car and am I correct in saying that this is the "top spec" model? I know they face lifted in 2001, this was the Mk2.5, and the sport has a LSD and 6 speed box. I can't seem to get anything firm on what other options they had, such as A/C etc. Could anyone chime in and help me out?

My major concern at the moment is rust. I've been looking at lots of threads and it's almost putting me off. What are the areas I need to check when inspecting the car? What is the best way to go about making sure I don't get a rotten one. Should I ask to have it inspected prior, or should I try and get my mechanic to come with me?

Inevitably I will have to deal with the rust issue, what are the prices like if I pay for someone to sort it out for me? I'm handy at doing my own maintenance however rust is not something I'd be happy to tackle myself.

Finally when I find a good one, what choice mods would people recommend?

I know you've seen threads like this before so I apologise, I just wanted to get some advice before I go view a couple. Thanks for any help people can give!

PS. I have been looking at the wiki help guide as well

[Retroglide08]

I only found out about the mk2.5 weak spots after buying one. But from what I've read it's mostly front chassis rails, sills and rear arches should be checked for rust. Mine was in good condition so the first thing I did was to get it undersealed before thinking of any modding

[anonymous-user]

Retroglide08 said:

I only found out about the mk2.5 weak spots after buying one. But from what I've read it's mostly front chassis rails, sills and rear arches should be checked for rust. Mine was in good condition so the first thing I did was to get it undersealed before thinking of any modding

Alrighty thanks for that, I'll keep a look out! Any idea on under sealing costs?

[Retroglide08]

It depends on how much you want done. A good full one (Underbody, inner arches, underside of boot floor etc, suspension arms, subframes, cavity wax) is approx £360
I'm down south and came across mx5 restorer and Skuzzle Motorsport

[Beati Dogu]

AB57 said:

Hi all,

I'm getting rid of my E46 330ci Auto in favour of a Mk2.5 MX5. I've done a bit of research and I've decided the Mk2.5 1.8 Sport is the model I'm going to go for. My budget is 3k tops, will this secure me a good car and am I correct in saying that this is the "top spec" model? I know they face lifted in 2001, this was the Mk2.5, and the sport has a LSD and 6 speed box. I can't seem to get anything firm on what other options they had, such as A/C etc. Could anyone chime in and help me out?

My major concern at the moment is rust. I've been looking at lots of threads and it's almost putting me off. What are the areas I need to check when inspecting the car? What is the best way to go about making sure I don't get a rotten one. Should I ask to have it inspected prior, or should I try and get my mechanic to come with me?

Inevitably I will have to deal with the rust issue, what are the prices like if I pay for someone to sort it out for me? I'm handy at doing my own maintenance however rust is not something I'd be happy to tackle myself.

Finally when I find a good one, what choice mods would people recommend?

I know you've seen threads like this before so I apologise, I just wanted to get some advice before I go view a couple. Thanks for any help people can give!

PS. I have been looking at the wiki help guide as well

I've got an early 2002 MX-5 2.5 Sport. Features other than what you mentioned over the regular MX are white instrument dials, heated leather seats, Nardi leather steering wheel, front fog lights, 16" alloys and larger brakes front & back. Oh and more bracing underneath and shock tower bracing over the engine. I have a sony CD/tape/radio with an electric aerial, but I don't know if that was standard on the regular car or not.

In late 2002 onward they added a chrome filler cap, Bilstein suspension (mine has regular), which is stiffer & slightly lower, fixing points for a child seat (isofix), heated mirrors and a cloth soft top instead of vinyl.

I don't think air con was an option in the UK, although you can see all the mountings for it and I know it's possible to retrofit it.

On mine the sills were getting a little rusty (a common issue) & there was a single spot of rust above the rear wheel well. I got that all done earlier this year and it looks mint now. Otherwise it's in great condition.

Home maintenance is definitely something the MX lends itself too. There's decent amount of room around the engine compared to front wheel drive cars and it's all laid out nicely. FYI the battery is in the boot and the bonnet lid is aluminium for weight distribution reasons. A Haynes manual is available too.

I haven't modded mine yet, but I'd love to stick a supercharger on there one day.

[Sway]

Rust - front chassis rails aren't easy to check if you don't know what you're looking for, approx. 1k to fix and serious safety concern. Sills rust from inside, so anything visible on outside is rotten throughout. Can't remember how much mine were to fix. Rear arches is visible, but spreads quickly.

Unfortunately, very few mx5s of any age are rust free without having work done. The design really is poor from that perspective.

However, inspect thoroughly, have the budget to get it sorted straightaway, and they're a great buy. NB2 engines are pretty damned reliable - radiators are the weak point for cars reaching the age they are now. Luckily, aluminium rads are fairly cheap, as are silicone hoses. Replace and flush well with a decent coolant mix and a load of mechanical problems can be avoided.

Dampers will be getting on a bit (whenever you hear of someone not liking how 5s drive, I assume they've driven one with old dampers and bushes) but they'd be the first thing I would replace as a mod anyway. Meister R or Gaz Gold Pro are two great options with loads of satisfied 5 owners. Brakes won't need touching until power gets much higher. Tons of forced induction options, although the stock rods are the weak point so you're realistically limited to 200lbft on the stock VVT rods (as advised to me by Nick at Skuzzle a couple of weeks ago).

[battered]

Retroglide08 said:

I only found out about the mk2.5 weak spots after buying one. But from what I've read it's mostly front chassis rails, sills and rear arches should be checked for rust. Mine was in good condition so the first thing I did was to get it undersealed before thinking of any modding

3K will get you the best out there. You are looking for a garage queen.

Rust areas are rear arches (trivial), sills (just in front of the rear wheel - easy fix, £200-300 a side) and worst of all front chassis rail. This one is a killer. Engine out, lots of welding, bad news. Hard to inspect for, you need to remove the front undertray. If the owner won't let you, walk away. Snag is that in so doing you may snap off fasteners and then you have to reattach the tray with tyraps. Not great. Onlt with the tray off can you inspect the rails. The rot sets in between layers of steel that are laid up like layers of an onion. Once established, you can't get rustproofer in and underseal will just sit on top. It will fester underneath and eventually break out. By this time it is well established. Bad news. Look critically near the front ARB attachment points, they go here. In fact the whole rail rots and it's common to see an outwardly good car that has dangerous levels of corrosion and an impending MoT fail costing £1-2k to repair. Still think that shiny low mileage car is worth £3k?

[feef]

You can check the front rails without removing anything. Use the ARB mount to lever a screwdriver up onto the underside of the chassis arm. If it goes crunch then walk away or budget for the repairs.

I'm currently doing mine as part of an engine swap, using the panels from the MX5 Restorer

[battered]

Can you weld the front rails with the engine in place, if it's just a patch and not wholesale replacement?

[feef]

battered said:

Can you weld the front rails with the engine in place, if it's just a patch and not wholesale replacement?

you MAY be able to do them without taking the engine out or dropping the subframe, but it would be VERY tricky and a VERY tight squeeze. It'd be far easier to lift the engine and drop the subframe a little, even if you don't fully remove them, just to improve access, but it's FAR easier if you take the whole lot out

I guess guys like the MX5 Restorer, however, will have it down to a fine art