High mileage mk2's?
Discussion
Hi all, I am currently scouring the web looking for a cheap (max £1500) mk2. I have it in my head that i should look for cars with under 100k, is this relevant or if the usual rust areas have been done will the engine keep going? Ultimatly I want to supercharge the car in the future, would a high mileage engine cope as well as a less high one? Thanks in advance for any help!
Mileage is really not an issue, and remember these cars are usually looked after by their owners.
What you have to check for is rust. Rust is the killer of these cars and my MX-5 mk2 is near death now thanks to rust on its sills.
But the engines are generally accepted to be pretty bulletproof and will run 200,000 miles if not more.
Similarly the rest of the parts are well built and reliable.
What you have to check for is rust. Rust is the killer of these cars and my MX-5 mk2 is near death now thanks to rust on its sills.
But the engines are generally accepted to be pretty bulletproof and will run 200,000 miles if not more.
Similarly the rest of the parts are well built and reliable.
If it's well maintained high miles is fine. You will know when you drive it, no rattles on startup and the oil light out immediately means it's good. If it's neglected, no oil changes, bad news. Worst news is corrosion to sills (mine has this) and worse still corrosion on the chassis rails (mine has a little bit but it's mostly OK for now). The worst spot is hidden by the engine undertray so try to remove this to inspect. If the owner won't let you, then get a lever under it so you can test the chassis. The critical point is where the ARB goes through, to do a proper repair on this is engine out and £800 worth of a garage's time. Easy DIY, but a lot of work.
Be prepared to kiss a lot of frogs. Either that or buy cheap: very cheap, then you can bin it when the thing fails the test and you can use your knowledge to get a better one next time.
Be prepared to kiss a lot of frogs. Either that or buy cheap: very cheap, then you can bin it when the thing fails the test and you can use your knowledge to get a better one next time.
Thanks for the advice guys, I have to admit the very cheap option is looking good right now! Theres one for sale for 800 with a fresh cambelt, new mot and a service and I have found a place near me that specialises in mx5's that will do the chassis rails for 720 so in my mind as long as everything else on the car is ok that gets me a good one for a little over 1500 quid 
Not a lot else to add other than reiterate, check for rust. Get under the car and really check thoroughly. Good examples are out there - I've picked up a 95k Mk2 iS for exactly this sum, £1500. Try and find one for sale by a private seller - dealers will be asking £500 quid more than it is worth, without exception. Finding a private seller is the key. I'm now the proud owner of a rust-free (OK not quite, the exhaust is a bit browned!) example, with all the S trimmings.
Good luck in your hunt.
Good luck in your hunt.
Well yesterday i bit the bullet and went and bought a cheapy! Was advertised for 800 and got it 7 will be taking it for a full inspection in the next couple of weeks, i know the sills have been done but unsure in the status of the chassis rails... rest of the car seems solid enough, the only immediate downside is the straight through exhaust which only got mildly annoying in the 2 and a half hour drive home..
. I did also buy some spax coilovers off the bloke for a hundred quid which was a bit of a touch! Will start a seperate thread on it once I know what needs to be done
will be taking it for a full inspection in the next couple of weeks, i know the sills have been done but unsure in the status of the chassis rails... rest of the car seems solid enough, the only immediate downside is the straight through exhaust which only got mildly annoying in the 2 and a half hour drive home... I did also buy some spax coilovers off the bloke for a hundred quid which was a bit of a touch! Will start a seperate thread on it once I know what needs to be done
NorthernSky said:
Not a lot else to add other than reiterate, check for rust. Get under the car and really check thoroughly. Good examples are out there - I've picked up a 95k Mk2 iS for exactly this sum, £1500. Try and find one for sale by a private seller - dealers will be asking £500 quid more than it is worth, without exception. Finding a private seller is the key.
I have found that with Mk2 values being on the floor, clueless dealers that just see "MX5" can be a good place to pick up late imports for less than you would pay from a private seller that knows what they have.lilwashu said:
NorthernSky said:
Not a lot else to add other than reiterate, check for rust. Get under the car and really check thoroughly. Good examples are out there - I've picked up a 95k Mk2 iS for exactly this sum, £1500. Try and find one for sale by a private seller - dealers will be asking £500 quid more than it is worth, without exception. Finding a private seller is the key.
I have found that with Mk2 values being on the floor, clueless dealers that just see "MX5" can be a good place to pick up late imports for less than you would pay from a private seller that knows what they have.A Mk1 for 1.3k is a rare thing these days. They are generally either rotten and worthless or £2k up. Mk2s are the bargain, take your pick at shed money. Mk1s though are getting hard to find as a cheap runabout, a mate had one for donkey's years, a Eunos. Eventually it went rotten, he lives by the sea, the MoT tester said "not this one any more" so he slung it on Fleabay expecting it to go for 35p, it ended up north of £500 and someone collected it, presumably for a MIG welding marathon. None I have seen on Fleabay look like bargains, I've seen some grim looking Mk2s fetching nearly £2k.
My Mk2 is worth under £1k by a long way, but it works, it's fun and what the hell. I'll use it for the Leeds-London trip when the weather improves.
My Mk2 is worth under £1k by a long way, but it works, it's fun and what the hell. I'll use it for the Leeds-London trip when the weather improves.
battered said:
My Mk2 is worth under £1k by a long way, but it works, it's fun and what the hell. I'll use it for the Leeds-London trip when the weather improves.
So much this! I have only had my one since saturday and have already completly fallen for it, i love its simplicity, i love the way its dances over bumpy roads, i love the way it smells, i love the simple anologue dash, it reminds me of what driving used to be like back in the fun days before everything weighed the same as a truck and ended up with electric anything. Im sure things will go wrong but i dont care it will be fun to fix because i like the car! Only thing so far that is frustrating is the amount of time it takes to get fuel in, do they all make the pumps click at anything more than a quarter squeeze?battered said:
A Mk1 for 1.3k is a rare thing these days. They are generally either rotten and worthless or £2k up. Mk2s are the bargain, take your pick at shed money. Mk1s though are getting hard to find as a cheap runabout, a mate had one for donkey's years, a Eunos. Eventually it went rotten, he lives by the sea, the MoT tester said "not this one any more" so he slung it on Fleabay expecting it to go for 35p, it ended up north of £500 and someone collected it, presumably for a MIG welding marathon. None I have seen on Fleabay look like bargains, I've seen some grim looking Mk2s fetching nearly £2k.
My Mk2 is worth under £1k by a long way, but it works, it's fun and what the hell. I'll use it for the Leeds-London trip when the weather improves.
I couldn't agree more with this bit about what the hell. It's got enough zip to keep up with the modern traffic, which is just depressed grey people in grey German diesels who never use the gearbox properly :-)My Mk2 is worth under £1k by a long way, but it works, it's fun and what the hell. I'll use it for the Leeds-London trip when the weather improves.
I got rid of a well sorted mk1 which was beginning to suffer the rust affliction. Sad times. That you can get good mk2's for such little money - mine has MP3 aux, new roof, load of stuff - is jokes, I like to laugh at those around me driving brand new machinery that'll lose them 10k or tie them to a few years of heavy debt, whilst the sun kisses my face as I drive contentedly on the national speed roads and urban environment, MK2 are awesome
hucumber said:
battered said:
My Mk2 is worth under £1k by a long way, but it works, it's fun and what the hell. I'll use it for the Leeds-London trip when the weather improves.
So much this! I have only had my one since saturday and have already completly fallen for it, i love its simplicity, i love the way its dances over bumpy roads, i love the way it smells, i love the simple anologue dash, it reminds me of what driving used to be like back in the fun days before everything weighed the same as a truck and ended up with electric anything. Im sure things will go wrong but i dont care it will be fun to fix because i like the car! Only thing so far that is frustrating is the amount of time it takes to get fuel in, do they all make the pumps click at anything more than a quarter squeeze?Gassing Station | Mazda MX5/Roadster/Miata | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff