MX5 MK1 - have a feeling it's not worth saving?

[Birdster]

Hi All,

I purchased this car last summer and the rust is starting to come through. I spoke to the MX5 dealer late last year and they just injected antirust chemicals into the rear sills. Spoke to a more highly recommended chap who said he'd need to see the car, but was looking for new inner and outer sills and was happy with the price guessed at. Now the rust is appearing under the front wings and the underbody appears to be showing signs.

I know I'll get nowhere with the dealer, legal action was suggested by a friend but I can't see that winning on a 20+ year old car.

I'm at the point where I'm not sure what to do with the car. Keep it going until it fails an MOT, or is it worth restoring?








Taken using endoscope camera through the holes by the seatbelt towers. Loads more pictures, but trying to not upload too many,

[Munter]

What's the problem here?

I'm assuming you paid the going rate for a MX5 with a bit of rust. And it's got a bit of rust.

Drive it until it fails the MOT then either get it fixed, or flog it. But MK1 prices are going up, not down, as far as I can see. So spend a few £ getting the rust fixed up and enjoy profits in 7 - 10 years time.

[HorneyMX5]

A lot of that looks pretty superficial. Get some cavity wax in it, use rust killer on the outside stuff and re stone chip the black bits and it'll last a few more years without makor surgery,

[tonymor]

Where in the country are you as I've got a superb chap that's done all that work and
More for me . Yes mk1 are only going to Increase in
Value so it's got to. Be worth it at the right price .

[Birdster]

Thanks. I was expecting less positive news. I love the car. I took it for a drive after taking delivery of my Golf R and loved the feel of the drive. It is a proper drivers car and the weather was mild, but sunny and two hours just disappeared. I was just a bit miffed at what I'd seen coming through this weekend and was a bit concerned, but if you guys think it's not that bad I'll go with the group. All in with tyres and a few other bits it owes me £2000 already and want to keep it, but perhaps I just though it was worse than it is.

It looks like the outer sill was just repaired to cover up the inner sill. Am I better off waiting for it come through rather than having it cut open to repair it?

I also undid the front wheel arch liner and pulled it back to have a look. Cleared out the debris seen in the below pictures. I'm guessing spray something onto that rusted bit on the inner seal, you can see the front wing has some corrosion inside too. I was going to remove the wing, but one of the bolts at the bottom sheared off so stopped right there before I made it worse.

[tonymor]

I'm sure the money spent on it will prove to have been an investment. Its justifying me spending time and money on mine.

[AndyMX5NA]

From what I can see I think the work needed is light and superficial too as another poster has already commented although we cannot see more of the car.

It might be worth saying where a number of MX5 buyers are at. The days of a good Mx5 Mk1 for £1000 are long gone. I recently bought my first NA because it is rapidly becoming a classic and I wanted to see what the fuss was about before the got out of reach. I looked at about 25 - most had issues. The ones I see posted up as perfect £2,000 I can see needing loads of work. Nicer ones were £5,000 but were a long way from perfect - (eg green rad means that rad is about to burst folks - they go black, brown, yellowish, green and then burst). I eventually settled on exactly the spec and colour MX5 I wanted and paid £1500 for a car that was honest but needed work. Since then its had or getting:

£1000 of engine and gearbox work (the mother of all services really);
New discs, pads and a couple of new calipers, radiator and dampers, some new suspension bushes - all OEM or reconditioned OEM
£1500 of welding
Quite a bit of interior trim including a seat bolster redoing.

Once all this is done the next thing is to pull out the sub-frames and clean them all up and tidy up anything needed under the car - but that is a job for next winter - summer is almost here.

I'll be in for £5,000 when I'm done but really that is where good MX5s are getting to and price wise will go on from there. I have an Alfasud too - bought many years ago when suds were pennies - then someone said "where have all the suds gone" and now I see one advertised for £22,000....A 'sud!.

Point of all this is to say your car likely has value - the more original it is the more value and I'd sell it or save it. That colour is popular. Your sills are no where near as bad as mine were. Heck if the price was right and the car straight I'd consider another to go with my 1.8.

Edited by AndyMX5NA on Thursday 23 March 23:53

[Vantagemech]

Theres plenty of MX5 specialists, looks like the standard sill and arch corrosion. Get some quotes and recommendations and bite the bullet.
Get it cut out and new metal welded in. Youre kidding yourself if you think treatment now will help, it just makes it worse when the rust is all coated in sealant!
Ive a 90 NA and one side is really good, the other not so. Did a bit of a repair to the arch and sill as Im not going into a big repair till next year if I keep it after buzzing around in it this summer.

[Birdster]

Paddy I know it wasn't a snide comment. It's appreciated.

Thank you for the replies. I had noticed the prices going up too. I guess I know that I'm looking at £1500 of welding and then a respray if I want it perfect. I'm thinking enjoy summer and then take it in.

A fresh import I was looking at is £5500, which if it is as good as it looks is what mine will set me back in total, but not be original.

http://www.themx5restorer.co.uk/inventory/1992-mk1...

[Birdster]

Thanks The Crack Fox. Looks a lovely car you have now.

Just been reading about your new book. Good luck, sounds great.

[tonymor]

What was your decision after all ?

[WJNB]

I'll let you & nobody else in on a secret.
I once bought a 2 year old Mk1 with only 5k miles on it. Bought new by the previous owner he promptly drove out of the showroom to Turkey & back several times before exchanging it for a LHD Mercedes saloon. I tweaked of the timing, fitted a through-flow air filter,a Borla back box & it went like the clappers. Just loved driving it with the full tonneau, a very very rare accessory which I still have.
The new 2006 Honda S2000 I p/exd it for & got so little for I cannot bring myself to say,seemed just as fast (if your thrashed it) felt less vulnerable as it was a larger car but the deal cost me thousands.
Next a used Audi A3 cabriolet 2 litre auto petrol replaced the Honda & was just as fast but much more comfortable, spacious & unlike the Honda totally lacking in cabin turbulence. Hood was fraying at 10k miles. That deal cost me thousands too.
Next & currently a 2012 ex. Mercedes UK demonstrator R172 SLK 250 which is an utter joy & fills ALL my needs & yes that cost me thousands too.

Two lessons were learnt.
1. The Mazda MX-5 gave me more smiles per miles than the all the subsequent cars purchased, It cost pennies to run, was in ex-factory condition when I sold it (it won many of the early owners club condition competitions) & I SHOULD HAVE KEPT IT.
2. Premium brand sports cars are not worth the money - unless you're a badge snob.

[Birdster]

I've been cleaning the arches out and removing the debris. I'll use it until the outer sills need doing and will take it in for the inner and outer sills and ask them to check the rest of the chassis/floor pan as it's covered with sealant. At the MOT last August he did have have a poke with the testing tool and didn't mention rust and a few taps didn't go through anywhere.

I'm looking forward to a summers drive tomorrow. ....Okay maybe it's not summer yet, but it's warming up.