Fix or keep?

[Perseverant]

My/our MX5 has failed its MOT, most importantly on corrosion in the sills, which frankly is not surprising. I'd be interested in opinions on what I should do, so here are the factors to consider : Firstly, it's a high end 2004 car - vvt sport etc., with only 55000 miles (23000 with us). Secondly, it's the only car my wife feels safe driving as she lost a lot of confidence following a minor stroke five years ago, and while she doesn't drive any great distance I feel that independence is important. Thirdly, I'm not so spry as I was and don't have a pit any more, so DIY repairs are much more difficult. The garage would repair it for the MOT, but the real solution would be complete sill repair, which obviously would be costly and time consuming as I suspect that the central diaphragm is likely to have failed too. So cost has to be set against the car's value and its benefits for us. We are lucky in that we can afford to fix it. My current thinking is to let the garage fix it for the test then have a proper go next year when the weather is better - get it propped up nice and secure and take my time to do it properly. I'm also a great believer in not throwing things away if they can be mended or recycled. (My 30 year old 190e has just passed its test with very little trouble!) I'd be interested in PH opinions!

[buzzer]

before you make a decision on the sills... take a real hard look at the front chassis rails. to do it properly you need to take the under tray off..., althogh you can reach down in the engine bay and feel.

on the MKII they suffer corrosion of the rails, and its not always picked up on the MOT as its hidden by the under-tray.

google "mx5 mk2 chassis rail rust"

[TVRees]

Perseverant said:

..... We are lucky in that we can afford to fix it.

As mentioned, check the chassis rails. If these also need fixing, then you need to think about total cost.
Whatever, when the cost of fixing is less than the cost of a replacement car, then that's a winner - you have the cash, as you say.

If NOT, buy a GOOD replacement car, same spec., etc. and sell yours for scrap or as a proiject..

Just did both repairs on my 2001 Sport. Sills, I did myself, 2-3 weekends for both sides. First time I've ever done such a big repair.
Chassis rails were done by a mate for a few $$$.

[Perseverant]

Thanks for the response! Don't worry about the front rails as I did them shortly after I bought the car, using this knowledge as the main bargaining lever. I'd also done them on our previous MX5. The tester's advice was to repair it for the test, run through the winter then do a more thorough repair when the weather improves - the car is pretty tidy otherwise he reckons.

[Perseverant]

Brief update - car now tested again and the garage did a pretty neat job too. CJ Autosports of Alloa, if anyone's nearby and interested.