MX-5 buying guide?
Discussion
Hi guys, I've read through a few topics using the search function but couldn't seem to find a de facto thread.
I'm currently driving around in a very safe but ultimately boring Saab GM900. My previous cars have been nippy little french hatchbacks, I wanted something reliable so I bought the Saab, but I miss the buzz I got driving my old 205.
So the MX-5 has caught my eye, also because nearly everyone on PH goes on about them all day!
It would be in the next 6-9 months, I can't afford to change the car immediately (unless someone wants to swap for the Saab
), so I'm looking for some advice so I can take my time looking for a good one and make my mind up about whether its actually the car I want.
It seems it would be cheaper to run too, same power, less weight when compared to my Saab.
The car would be a MK 1, budget of £1500 - £2000 max and I'm looking for a 1.8, not fussy about colour although black or BRG is my preferred choice and I'd steer away from turquoise!
For insurance purposes it would have to be a UK spec, although I haven't had a quote on an import yet. From what I've read the imports are better specced but the likes of A/C doesn't bother me if its a convertible. I believe imported 1.8's also came with LSDs as standard, is this correct?
Few questions...
- How can you tell if the car is genuinely a UK model?
- Is an LSD recommended, which spec UK models came with one?
- What are the brakes like? Discs all round? ABS?
- Will they disintegrate and kill you in an accident?
- Where exactly are the dreaded drain holes that can get blocked up and cause rust?
- What are they like for the DIY mechanic doing routine servicing and more involved stuff such as cambelt change?
- Cost of Mazda parts?
- Known mechanical/electrical weaknesses? (if any!)
- What are they like as a daily driver, esp in winter!?
I know they are generally reliable mechanically, this is part of the attraction, also my brother used to run the old shape 323 with pop up lights, I assume they would have the same engine and he sold it with well over 250k miles on it and it was still going strong!
The main attraction is of course I want to inject some fun back into driving! And of course the novelty of having pop up lights is pretty inviting!
Sorry for all the questions.
Regards
Gareth
I'm currently driving around in a very safe but ultimately boring Saab GM900. My previous cars have been nippy little french hatchbacks, I wanted something reliable so I bought the Saab, but I miss the buzz I got driving my old 205.
So the MX-5 has caught my eye, also because nearly everyone on PH goes on about them all day!
It would be in the next 6-9 months, I can't afford to change the car immediately (unless someone wants to swap for the Saab
), so I'm looking for some advice so I can take my time looking for a good one and make my mind up about whether its actually the car I want.It seems it would be cheaper to run too, same power, less weight when compared to my Saab.
The car would be a MK 1, budget of £1500 - £2000 max and I'm looking for a 1.8, not fussy about colour although black or BRG is my preferred choice and I'd steer away from turquoise!
For insurance purposes it would have to be a UK spec, although I haven't had a quote on an import yet. From what I've read the imports are better specced but the likes of A/C doesn't bother me if its a convertible. I believe imported 1.8's also came with LSDs as standard, is this correct?
Few questions...
- How can you tell if the car is genuinely a UK model?
- Is an LSD recommended, which spec UK models came with one?
- What are the brakes like? Discs all round? ABS?
- Will they disintegrate and kill you in an accident?
- Where exactly are the dreaded drain holes that can get blocked up and cause rust?
- What are they like for the DIY mechanic doing routine servicing and more involved stuff such as cambelt change?
- Cost of Mazda parts?
- Known mechanical/electrical weaknesses? (if any!)
- What are they like as a daily driver, esp in winter!?
I know they are generally reliable mechanically, this is part of the attraction, also my brother used to run the old shape 323 with pop up lights, I assume they would have the same engine and he sold it with well over 250k miles on it and it was still going strong!
The main attraction is of course I want to inject some fun back into driving! And of course the novelty of having pop up lights is pretty inviting!
Sorry for all the questions.
Regards
Gareth
Los Angeles said:
Garett said:
Few questions...
- How can you tell if the car is genuinely a UK model? It's an MX5, not "Eunos." Engine number check verifies it.
Will usually also have a square rear number plate and warning label on sun-visor will be in Japanese. Actually called Eunos Roadster rather than just Eunos
- Is an LSD recommended, which spec UK models came with one? Yes. The car can fishtale.
Personally I'd say an LSD is only essential if you want to go drifting/do-nuts or you plan big power. An open dif helps to prevent spins/oversteer as only one wheel will be under full power in tight corners.
- What are the brakes like? Discs all round? ABS? Yes. Made to measure. Only on supercharged or turbo as bigger ones recommended.
Discs on the 1.6 are a bit small but capable enough on the road. 1.8 discs are fine. ABS is available on some models.
- Will they disintegrate and kill you in an accident? The second iteration had side protectors in the doors, the nose cone is polyurethene to take parking knocks, crash protection generally good.
There is metal reinforcement behind the front & rear bumpers. 1.8 also has door impact protection bars (not sure which year they came in - I think the earliest 1.8s didn't have them.
- Where exactly are the dreaded drain holes that can get blocked up and cause rust?Two holes on the windscreen header, and two right behind the hood, either side, easy to find and clean.
There are also drain holes in the sills. Easier to describe the location once you have a car though.
- What are they like for the DIY mechanic doing routine servicing and more involved stuff such as cambelt change? Relatively easy - a joy for the hobbyist wanting add-ons or power hikes.
I do all my own servicing so it can't be too difficult
- Cost of Mazda parts? Extremely reasonable - order major components from USA to be cheaper.
Cheaper than euro car parts but more expensive than something like Ford. They don't break much though so it's mostly service parts. Check out MX5Parts.co.uk
- Known mechanical/electrical weaknesses? (if any!) Early transmissions can kangaroo in reverse up incline. Test before buying.
HLAs (basically hydraulic cam actuators) can be noisy which can usually be fixed with an engine flush and replacing the oil with a good synthetic but occasionally an HLA can be beyond rescue and has to be replaced. Cam cover gasket and CAS o-rings can leak oil but are easy to replace. Sensors (O2, water temp) die. Radiators get blocked and cause overheating. Nothing that I'd call a weakness though. The most likely problem now is rust - rear arches and rear ends of the sills are the worst spots. If you see a car with rust just walk away - there are plenty of clean ones.
- What are they like as a daily driver, esp in winter!? Superb at all conditions bar snow drifts! Heater can boil an egg!
How they drive through winter is entirely down to tyre quality. Most people fit performance tyres which are also summer tyres. They are pretty poor below about 5C. Best to live with it that way though as the pay off in better weather is well worth it.
Los Angeles - How can you tell if the car is genuinely a UK model? It's an MX5, not "Eunos." Engine number check verifies it.
Will usually also have a square rear number plate and warning label on sun-visor will be in Japanese. Actually called Eunos Roadster rather than just Eunos
- Is an LSD recommended, which spec UK models came with one? Yes. The car can fishtale.
Personally I'd say an LSD is only essential if you want to go drifting/do-nuts or you plan big power. An open dif helps to prevent spins/oversteer as only one wheel will be under full power in tight corners.
- What are the brakes like? Discs all round? ABS? Yes. Made to measure. Only on supercharged or turbo as bigger ones recommended.
Discs on the 1.6 are a bit small but capable enough on the road. 1.8 discs are fine. ABS is available on some models.
- Will they disintegrate and kill you in an accident? The second iteration had side protectors in the doors, the nose cone is polyurethene to take parking knocks, crash protection generally good.
There is metal reinforcement behind the front & rear bumpers. 1.8 also has door impact protection bars (not sure which year they came in - I think the earliest 1.8s didn't have them.
- Where exactly are the dreaded drain holes that can get blocked up and cause rust?Two holes on the windscreen header, and two right behind the hood, either side, easy to find and clean.
There are also drain holes in the sills. Easier to describe the location once you have a car though.
- What are they like for the DIY mechanic doing routine servicing and more involved stuff such as cambelt change? Relatively easy - a joy for the hobbyist wanting add-ons or power hikes.
I do all my own servicing so it can't be too difficult
- Cost of Mazda parts? Extremely reasonable - order major components from USA to be cheaper.
Cheaper than euro car parts but more expensive than something like Ford. They don't break much though so it's mostly service parts. Check out MX5Parts.co.uk
- Known mechanical/electrical weaknesses? (if any!) Early transmissions can kangaroo in reverse up incline. Test before buying.
HLAs (basically hydraulic cam actuators) can be noisy which can usually be fixed with an engine flush and replacing the oil with a good synthetic but occasionally an HLA can be beyond rescue and has to be replaced. Cam cover gasket and CAS o-rings can leak oil but are easy to replace. Sensors (O2, water temp) die. Radiators get blocked and cause overheating. Nothing that I'd call a weakness though. The most likely problem now is rust - rear arches and rear ends of the sills are the worst spots. If you see a car with rust just walk away - there are plenty of clean ones.
- What are they like as a daily driver, esp in winter!? Superb at all conditions bar snow drifts! Heater can boil an egg!
How they drive through winter is entirely down to tyre quality. Most people fit performance tyres which are also summer tyres. They are pretty poor below about 5C. Best to live with it that way though as the pay off in better weather is well worth it.
Born again MX5 ManCheers, I was aware of the Eunos being an import, just wondering if dodgy sellers could cover it up easily and say it was a UK spec, but it seems this isn't easy to do.
Is Eunos the Jap version and Miata the American?
Having looked through old threads, the imports seem like good buys, so long you keep your wits about you, thats if I can get a reasonable insurance quote, which hopefully I can as I'll be 25 by then.
Is Eunos the Jap version and Miata the American?
Having looked through old threads, the imports seem like good buys, so long you keep your wits about you, thats if I can get a reasonable insurance quote, which hopefully I can as I'll be 25 by then.
I was in a similar position to you, and I too wanted a UK 1.8, however after looking at quite a few, and gettting some great advice from here, I went for a 1.6 import. My advice would be, firstly these are great cars and you will love it, I too use to have countless 205 GTi's but now I wouldn't swap my '5. Secondly, uk or import shouldn't be the main issue, but getting the right car is! You will know when a car is right for you regardless of uk or import and 1.6 or 1.8. I was concerned about the insurance difference between a uk car and an import, and yes the imports are slightly more, however, I have mine insured with Churchill on a second car scheme (I have my every day car also insured with them), I pay around £300 with effectively 0 NCB and I'm currently 26. My point is insurance on an import shouldn't be too bad as long as its a 1.6. (I think 1.8 imports are difficult to insure if you're young, but as your nearly 25 shouldn't be tto bad either) Use your head and follow your instincts and you won't goe far wrong. Hope this helps....
There are drain-holes in the sills to allow water to drain from the sills themselves. Sometimes these get blocked and the sills fill with water. Do a search on the OC forum and you'll see people complaining of sloshing noises when they are braking.
I've seen a number of cars, including a few people in my local club and my old Mk1 that suffered from blocked radiators. The cars tend to cope with it quite well and can work quite happily on a part-blocked radiator but you have to bear in mind that the coolant temp gauge is not linear so it will show a "happy" temp right up until it starts boiling when it suddenly goes over to the red by which time it's too late. I've never actually seen this on a modded car, only on standard cars and only once on a Mk2+.
Buying parts from the states can save you money but it's a gamble. The majority of parts imported are subject to import duty which can make it just as expensive as buying from a UK buyer. Sometimes you can get away without paying the import duty or maybe pay a reduced duty when the package is marked as "warranty replacements" but it's a lottery, sometimes you pay the full amount, sometimes you don't.
I actually prefer the shame of the Mk1 boot. The Mk2 boot is only just tall enough for wine bottles standing up. I've seen a few cars with dimples in the boot lid because they put shopping in the car including a wine-bottle sitting on something else. The Mk1 boot is deeper. The well in the spare wheel on the Mk1 is also a handy place to put stuff so it doesn't roll around in the boot. Having the battery hidden away under the floor on the Mk2+ does add more useful space though.
ETA: Sill drain holes
I've seen a number of cars, including a few people in my local club and my old Mk1 that suffered from blocked radiators. The cars tend to cope with it quite well and can work quite happily on a part-blocked radiator but you have to bear in mind that the coolant temp gauge is not linear so it will show a "happy" temp right up until it starts boiling when it suddenly goes over to the red by which time it's too late. I've never actually seen this on a modded car, only on standard cars and only once on a Mk2+.
Buying parts from the states can save you money but it's a gamble. The majority of parts imported are subject to import duty which can make it just as expensive as buying from a UK buyer. Sometimes you can get away without paying the import duty or maybe pay a reduced duty when the package is marked as "warranty replacements" but it's a lottery, sometimes you pay the full amount, sometimes you don't.
I actually prefer the shame of the Mk1 boot. The Mk2 boot is only just tall enough for wine bottles standing up. I've seen a few cars with dimples in the boot lid because they put shopping in the car including a wine-bottle sitting on something else. The Mk1 boot is deeper. The well in the spare wheel on the Mk1 is also a handy place to put stuff so it doesn't roll around in the boot. Having the battery hidden away under the floor on the Mk2+ does add more useful space though.
ETA: Sill drain holes
Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Wednesday 17th December 17:15
Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Wednesday 17th December 17:21
Los Angeles said:
MX-5 Lazza said:
Buying parts from the states can save you money but it's a gamble.
Not if you do your homework. Buying by Internet is now normal business. Most US aftermarket suppliers will happily chat to you over the phone if you want to be certain the item fits. But like British suppliers, they will sell what you want to buy. The clever thing is to avoid stuff that doesn't improve the car.
Cheers guys, I'll definately get some quotes from some more specialist insurers to see how much more an import would be.
I certainly won't let my heart rule my heart, I've been burnt before and learnt my lesson with my 205!
Was ABS an option? Or did it become standard with later models?
I certainly won't let my heart rule my heart, I've been burnt before and learnt my lesson with my 205!
Was ABS an option? Or did it become standard with later models?
Hi we have had both a Eunos (1990) and a later (1998)UK 1.8 MX5 OWNWED SINCE 1994.both been problem free and only routine servicing most expensive bit was a new exaust system costing £800 fitted by a main dealer on the 1.8. we also found that if parked up for long periods over winter its best to leave the hand brake OFF as the rear calipers can seize (about £150 to replace)found the 1.8 to drive less fussy than the eunos I.E. more torquey motor but both are harsh when reving hard 5500 rpm+
Hoods on both dribbled in when used in very heavy rain or parked in heavy rain facing downhill, driven reasonbly we get 38/42MPG off the 1.8. We still have the 1.8 but rarly use it and its always garaged over the winter. Its my wifes car and she does not like its tail happiness on greasy/icy roads. both models are noisy with the roof up which can be tiresome on long trips also on hot days the interior is ovenlike with the roof up. also she does not enjoy the tossers in corsas with dustbin pipes (we seem to have lots of them in Darlington area. As we are going to Spain to live in09 we have to decide what to do with the MX5 cos we cant use it in Spain for more than 6 months.
So go ahead get one nothing much to worry about. If the cambelt goes it doesNOT eat the motor valves piston will remain OK cambelt change on our MX5 cost around £150. buy the best you can afford, in my view 1.8 is best, pop ups can be problamatic on imports. All models are prety well bomb proof pretty fast with good comfort levels but the can be very tail happy in wet weaher.
Regards
John
Hoods on both dribbled in when used in very heavy rain or parked in heavy rain facing downhill, driven reasonbly we get 38/42MPG off the 1.8. We still have the 1.8 but rarly use it and its always garaged over the winter. Its my wifes car and she does not like its tail happiness on greasy/icy roads. both models are noisy with the roof up which can be tiresome on long trips also on hot days the interior is ovenlike with the roof up. also she does not enjoy the tossers in corsas with dustbin pipes (we seem to have lots of them in Darlington area. As we are going to Spain to live in09 we have to decide what to do with the MX5 cos we cant use it in Spain for more than 6 months.
So go ahead get one nothing much to worry about. If the cambelt goes it doesNOT eat the motor valves piston will remain OK cambelt change on our MX5 cost around £150. buy the best you can afford, in my view 1.8 is best, pop ups can be problamatic on imports. All models are prety well bomb proof pretty fast with good comfort levels but the can be very tail happy in wet weaher.
Regards
John
Garrett - if you dig through my thread history theres some useful stuff - I bought mine a month or so ago after thinking about it for aaaages and looking at loads.
I paid £1650 for a 1.8 94 S-special Eunos in great nick, with lots of extras and a hardtop. So you should definitely be able to get something nice in your budget. I can only echo what has been said already really - one of the great things about the Mazda is there is LOTS of backup and information available. There are many, many sites offering information - www.miata.net has to be one of the most comprehensive car sites on the net.
As for 1.6 V 1.8. Everyone kept telling me it didn't matter, or that the 1.6 was actually sweeter.
Actually, after driving multiple examples of both, I had to go with the 1.8. I felt the 1600 was just too weedy, especially coming from a much more torquey car. Plus theres the benefits of the extra braces, bigger brakes etc.
Take your time, I looked at lots. Theres lot of ropey ones, and the spec varies massively. Hold your nerve, and eventually you'll find one in the right colour and spec, in great condition, at the right price.
I paid £1650 for a 1.8 94 S-special Eunos in great nick, with lots of extras and a hardtop. So you should definitely be able to get something nice in your budget. I can only echo what has been said already really - one of the great things about the Mazda is there is LOTS of backup and information available. There are many, many sites offering information - www.miata.net has to be one of the most comprehensive car sites on the net.
As for 1.6 V 1.8. Everyone kept telling me it didn't matter, or that the 1.6 was actually sweeter.
Actually, after driving multiple examples of both, I had to go with the 1.8. I felt the 1600 was just too weedy, especially coming from a much more torquey car. Plus theres the benefits of the extra braces, bigger brakes etc.
Take your time, I looked at lots. Theres lot of ropey ones, and the spec varies massively. Hold your nerve, and eventually you'll find one in the right colour and spec, in great condition, at the right price.
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