My wife wants...

Author
Discussion

skinny

5,269 posts

242 months

Saturday 15th September 2007
quotequote all
she's right. for 4k she could find a very good example of a mk1 that would not cost any more to run (except in fuel maybe) than the rover.

speedychrissie

2,994 posts

246 months

Saturday 15th September 2007
quotequote all
if you do your research and wait until you find hte right car, you could easily get a very nice mx5 in that budget that will have extensive history and be incredibly reliable.

Stickers

1,387 posts

206 months

Sunday 16th September 2007
quotequote all
OR.............you/she could always buy a Eunos Roadster?

Compared to an MX5:
Same parts, more power, serviced regular, looked after, no salt on Jap roads, electric windows, aircon, more likely to have SE add-on's and last but certainly not least, cheaper to purchase!

But what the hell do I know?........it's your money!



Remember, if ya aint first.............yer last!

Munter

31,326 posts

248 months

Sunday 16th September 2007
quotequote all
Stickers said:
OR.............you/she could always buy a Eunos Roadster?

Compared to an MX5:
Same parts, more power, serviced regular, looked after, no salt on Jap roads, electric windows, aircon, more likely to have SE add-on's and last but certainly not least, cheaper to purchase!

But what the hell do I know?........it's your money!

Remember, if ya aint first.............yer last!
Sorry what are you blathering on about? The import will be the same price, and may have better kit. My UK car has elec windows so thats not a difference, and the engines are all the same power, serviceing depends on the owner!, lots of mx5 or eunos with full history.

pre 1994 1.6 = 115bhp
after 1994 1.8 = 130bhp

I agree go for the eunos to get the extra kit. Most of the rest of what you said is balls

no-one would buy a uk 1.6 after 1994 with the 90bhp anyway.

Stickers

1,387 posts

206 months

Sunday 16th September 2007
quotequote all
Munter said:
Sorry what are you blathering on about? The import will be the same price, and may have better kit. My UK car has elec windows so thats not a difference, and the engines are all the same power, serviceing depends on the owner!, lots of mx5 or eunos with full history.

pre 1994 1.6 = 115bhp
after 1994 1.8 = 130bhp

I agree go for the eunos to get the extra kit. Most of the rest of what you said is balls

no-one would buy a uk 1.6 after 1994 with the 90bhp anyway.
nononononononononono


WOW, you are a rude one eek ...........as for the insults, that was very adult of you! clap

1: May I suggest that you first check out the price differences between these vehicles before running your mouth off.

2: Yes, the Eunos does have better kit as standard, it was very big of you to admit this.

3: If your 'UK' MX5 has E/W it's because someone payed extra for it (non standard) unless it's a special, therefore more expensive.

4: I was refering to a late MK1 (90psi), do you really expect someone to pay £4,000 for an early one?????????????.......sounds like you did! laugh

5: The Japs are renowned for looking after/servicing their cars.......unlike the vast p/c of UK owners!

6: Did you forget about the salt?.......volcanic ash is used in Japan.


Next, you're going to tell me that you're a member of the MX5oc...........go on, put the icing on the cake! bouncerofl

You were saying something about balls? byebye


Remember, if ya aint first............yer last!

Munter

31,326 posts

248 months

Sunday 16th September 2007
quotequote all
Stickers said:
Munter said:
Sorry what are you blathering on about? The import will be the same price, and may have better kit. My UK car has elec windows so thats not a difference, and the engines are all the same power, serviceing depends on the owner!, lots of mx5 or eunos with full history.

pre 1994 1.6 = 115bhp
after 1994 1.8 = 130bhp

I agree go for the eunos to get the extra kit. Most of the rest of what you said is balls

no-one would buy a uk 1.6 after 1994 with the 90bhp anyway.
nononononononononono


WOW, you are a rude one eek ...........as for the insults, that was very adult of you! clap

1: May I suggest that you first check out the price differences between these vehicles before running your mouth off.

2: Yes, the Eunos does have better kit as standard, it was very big of you to admit this.

3: If your 'UK' MX5 has E/W it's because someone payed extra for it (non standard) unless it's a special, therefore more expensive.

4: I was refering to a late MK1 (90psi), do you really expect someone to pay £4,000 for an early one?????????????.......sounds like you did! laugh

5: The Japs are renowned for looking after/servicing their cars.......unlike the vast p/c of UK owners!

6: Did you forget about the salt?.......volcanic ash is used in Japan.


Next, you're going to tell me that you're a member of the MX5oc...........go on, put the icing on the cake! bouncerofl

You were saying something about balls? byebye


Remember, if ya aint first............yer last!
Insults? EW are standard on my UK car....please check your facts. And it's definately not a special. I didn't forget the salt but if you want to go down that route which island will the car have come from? The really wet one where lots of rusty cars come from? And as mine is 10 years old and the only rust has come from scratches etc....I dont think it's a large concern. As you point out no-one would buy an early 1.6 for that kind of cash. And I dont think anybody would buy a late UK 1.6 for the same money either, with so many 1.8's out there. So power between models is not really going to be an issue here is it? So why did you mention it in your 1st post? Unless as you said imports have more power....is this true?...errr no. As for prices UK and Import seem about the same price to me. As far as I can tell the only benefit with an import is you get more kit.

As I was saying. Most of your post was Balls that was a statement not an insult. An insult would have been. "Yo' mamma so fat they painted a H on her and use her as a helipad".

Dino D

1,953 posts

228 months

Sunday 16th September 2007
quotequote all
Are all MX5 owners such girls?

lord summerisle

8,148 posts

232 months

Sunday 16th September 2007
quotequote all
Dino D said:
Are all MX5 owners such girls?
nope.

Kinky

39,800 posts

276 months

Sunday 16th September 2007
quotequote all
Guys,

Can we keep the thread vaguely on track please.

I don't think there's any need to resort to the lowest level of personal abuse? By all means lets discuss and debate and argue. But please keep the un-necessary insults away.

And no - not all MX-5 owners are girls.

K

MX-5 Lazza

7,954 posts

226 months

Monday 17th September 2007
quotequote all
Just to help out a bit...

Mk1

=======


1989 - 1993 = 1.6 114bhp (UK & Jap MX5/Eunos - Same standard spec except Jap car will have viscous lsd)
1994 - 1998 = 1.6 88bhp (UK only for low insurance group)
1993 - 1998 = 1.8 128-133bhp (UK & Jap MX5/Eunos)

Mk2 (UK & Jap)

=======


1998 - 2005 = 1.6 120bhp (I think - not sure)
1998 - 2001 = 1.8 138bhp
2001 - 2005 = 1.8 146bhp

A Jap spec car is more likely to have Air-con due to the weather conditions in most of Japan but it was an option so not all have it. Air-con was also a UK option but not many buyers chose it, put off by the high price (£1500).
In UK we had a choice of 1.8S which has all the bells & whistles or the basic 1.8 which did away with power steering, electric windows/mirrors leather seats etc.
There are lots of special/limited editions (average 2 a year in UK through the life of the MX-5 from start to present day) which put many of these option back that can be very good value.
I believe all Jap cars had LSD (viscous on Mk1 so will be acting as an pen diff by now) but not sure if that's true or whether that was also just a very popular option.

With Jap spec cars it is a popular myth that all the cars came with high spec. The fact is that the Japanese have a different culture to us (had - it's changing). They live in a very mountainous country and there are lots of people so space is at a premium. Therefore their houses tend to be small and mostly identical to their neighbours. Instead they used their cars as status symbols. This is why so many Japanese cars from the eighties had such long names and often had loads of stuff written on them (I used to have a late 80's 'Toyota Carina II 2.0 16v GLSi Executive'). This is also why so many Jap spec cars come loaded with all the options. There are also some Jap spec cars without power steering, air-con, electric windows etc...

GHW

1,294 posts

228 months

Monday 17th September 2007
quotequote all
MX-5 Lazza said:
I believe all Jap cars had LSD (viscous on Mk1 so will be acting as an pen diff by now) but not sure if that's true or whether that was also just a very popular option.
I think it was a very popular option.. I've seen Jap cars in import dealers that have been claimed to have no LSD (but then, without taking it for a hoon there's no way of telling).

Also, the viscous LSDs were only fitted to the 1.6 Mk1s. Torsens were fitted to the 1.8s.

MX-5 Lazza

7,954 posts

226 months

Monday 17th September 2007
quotequote all
GHW said:
MX-5 Lazza said:
Also, the viscous LSDs were only fitted to the 1.6 Mk1s. Torsens were fitted to the 1.8s.
Yes but the UK 1.8S also had the torsen LSD (I think - correct me if I'm wrong). It's only the base model (and related special editions) that had the open diff. I only mentioned LSD as being a difference as the 1.6 viscous LSD wasn't offered to UK customers.

Munter

31,326 posts

248 months

Monday 17th September 2007
quotequote all
MX-5 Lazza said:
GHW said:
Also, the viscous LSDs were only fitted to the 1.6 Mk1s. Torsens were fitted to the 1.8s.
Yes but the UK 1.8S also had the torsen LSD (I think - correct me if I'm wrong). It's only the base model (and related special editions) that had the open diff. I only mentioned LSD as being a difference as the 1.6 viscous LSD wasn't offered to UK customers.
The MK1 1.8is does not come with the torsen (or any other) LSD. The MK2 1.8s does.

MX-5 Lazza

7,954 posts

226 months

Monday 17th September 2007
quotequote all
Munter said:
The MK1 1.8is does not come with the torsen (or any other) LSD. The MK2 1.8s does.
Ah, well I was almost right biggrin

speedychrissie

2,994 posts

246 months

Tuesday 18th September 2007
quotequote all
there is a slight mis-understanding there:

the LSDs on the 1.6s are vis-cous i.e. they dont work in a mechanical way but rely on a viscous liquid.

as far as i know they arent vicious.

a lot of people do say that they dont have much effect after about 60k miles but i dontknow how easy that is to confirm.

Edited by speedychrissie on Tuesday 18th September 08:40

Munter

31,326 posts

248 months

Tuesday 18th September 2007
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
smile It's not Vicious. (As in agressive), it's viscous (as in a thick fluid, think treacle). Rather than use cogs to limit the slip between the wheels it uses a viscous fluid.

Look up differentials on howstuffworks.com and I think you'll get a better idea. Basically an LSD is good in low grip conditions as it stops only one wheel spinning and ensures drive to both wheels. You need one to do doughnuts....and in the MX5 the one I'd suggest you want is the torsen (uses fancy cogs) from either an import 1.8 or a UK MK2 1.8 wink

lord summerisle

8,148 posts

232 months

Wednesday 19th September 2007
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
ok... since this hasnt really be addressed in the squabbles over spec. i'd thought i'd put in on this point.

I've had my car now for nearly 2 years - bought for £4000 - a 1995 1.8i UK car - exactly what i wanted - manual windows, no central locking, just a heater, no PAS or airbag - but was in excellent nick.

in the 40,000 miles i've done since then - its had 4 new tyres about 30k miles ago... and the backs are needing changing again (but at £30-40 a corner it aint too bad) 2 new headlight bulds (the halfords extra bright ones i put in soon after buying it blew last month) replaced the front pads about 20k miles ago, dunno how long the origonal pads had been on the car, but £5 for the EBC pads i aint worried (50% marshals discount). rear disks and pads where changed this summer - the old disks could have been ground down but i had already bought the new disks anyway.

the exhaust tail pipe rusted off in June - but to be fair, it was the origonal one fitted to the car new. that was replaced with a stainless steel larini for not much cost over another mild steel origonal type.

the cam cover gasket is currently leaking, which is a £10 part and a bit of my time to replace.

the clutch slave cylinder went Jan/Febish.. would have replaced it myself if i had had time in daylight to do it, but got a garage to change it for £50.

oh and replaced the hood just before last winter - but i knew it needed changing when i'd bought 9 months earlier - again the old one was the origonal mazda vinyl roof.

so when you go an look - just check for rust around the rear sills - on the wing infront of the rear wheels - thats £100-200 to sort if rust is present, mostly on UK cars... if its been sorted already - great. Look for ones that have had their hoods replaced. thats the 2 big cost things that tend to come with cars in the £4k & under bracket - if they've been done recently then you dont have to worry. everything else i kind of class as one of those things that can happen with any car... or wear n tear in the case of ehaust, pads n tyres.

PulseTurbo

670 posts

208 months

Wednesday 19th September 2007
quotequote all
PD, you'll get a very nice MX-5 for that price range. I'd personally try to get a Mk2 (with some more money), but that's my personal preference. Also ensures (almost) that you get a UK car, not having to check each advert for 'UK Car' to be mentioned. Obviously dependant on your wifes age, but imports cost more to insure aswell, so the saving you make might not be worth it anyway, if you're planning on running it for a few years.
Btw, I had a Mk2 1.6, and it was more than enough power (put it this way - I have a VXR like you now, and want my old MX5 back!)

skinny

5,269 posts

242 months

Wednesday 19th September 2007
quotequote all
but you'd get a much better mk1 than 2 for that money and if you want reliability and low cost then it's better to go for the best example you can find. do you know what model she'd prefer?

Edited by skinny on Wednesday 19th September 22:24

speedychrissie

2,994 posts

246 months

Wednesday 19th September 2007
quotequote all
performance requirements will depend largely on what she drives at the moment and how she drives it.

i have had my mk1 1.6 for about 6 months now but properly using the full range of the engine in the first 3 gears still sends a bit of adrenaline pumping through my veins. thats probably partly because my previous car was a Ka so the performance increase is rather noticeable, and partly because the mx5 is so involving and pure that it is a lot of fun even at not too ridiculous speeds.