Advice on Mazda MX5 1990 purchase
Discussion
Need some urgent advice please! Very close to buying a 1990 Mazda MX 5 (not Eunos) with the following spec - buying from someone I know who I believe to be trustworthy!
He's asking £600 for the car - 170,000 miles on the clock which doesn't worry me too much as I understand they can easily run to 250k and far beyond. Reason for cheap price is that the top has a few tears - have priced new soft top on eBay for £170. Little bit of rusting on sills but have a friend who can sort this for me for a few beers as it's not too bad at all. Baffle is loose so exhaust will need replacing. He's going to MOT it before I buy so if baffle is that bad it will get sorted for MOT anyway. If MOT is less than £100 he said he'll put 6 months tax on it too.
He's selling it as was payment for a bad debt from a client. He has run it for 8 months, says starts first time every time and runs great.
My intention is to replace roof, sort rust patches (2 small ones), enjoy for the summer then sell - I reckon looking at similar that it could fetch around £1200. So a bit of a profit after purchase and spends.
No service history though - but I do believe it runs as he says and will of course check it over and have my boyfriend look it over.
I believe that these models cambelt-wise are non-interference though there seems to be a little contention about this on the web. Would you advise getting the cambelt done as a precaution quite soon anyway? What sort of cost? I'm in the Leeds area if anyone knows of a decent garage?!
Just wonder if it sounds like a reasonable deal for all the above points? It's will only be my second car - hence not bothered about the 1.8 version or bhp. It's a 1.6.
Any thoughts or advice would be hugely appreciated please!
He's asking £600 for the car - 170,000 miles on the clock which doesn't worry me too much as I understand they can easily run to 250k and far beyond. Reason for cheap price is that the top has a few tears - have priced new soft top on eBay for £170. Little bit of rusting on sills but have a friend who can sort this for me for a few beers as it's not too bad at all. Baffle is loose so exhaust will need replacing. He's going to MOT it before I buy so if baffle is that bad it will get sorted for MOT anyway. If MOT is less than £100 he said he'll put 6 months tax on it too.
He's selling it as was payment for a bad debt from a client. He has run it for 8 months, says starts first time every time and runs great.
My intention is to replace roof, sort rust patches (2 small ones), enjoy for the summer then sell - I reckon looking at similar that it could fetch around £1200. So a bit of a profit after purchase and spends.
No service history though - but I do believe it runs as he says and will of course check it over and have my boyfriend look it over.
I believe that these models cambelt-wise are non-interference though there seems to be a little contention about this on the web. Would you advise getting the cambelt done as a precaution quite soon anyway? What sort of cost? I'm in the Leeds area if anyone knows of a decent garage?!
Just wonder if it sounds like a reasonable deal for all the above points? It's will only be my second car - hence not bothered about the 1.8 version or bhp. It's a 1.6.
Any thoughts or advice would be hugely appreciated please!
I think you're being a little optimistic with your projected selling price.
But ignore that, because if it's as reliable as you've been told, comes with and MOT and tax and you don't mind throwing a couple of hundred quid at the roof, it's probably worth it for some cheap roof down action.
But ignore that, because if it's as reliable as you've been told, comes with and MOT and tax and you don't mind throwing a couple of hundred quid at the roof, it's probably worth it for some cheap roof down action.
Word of caution. Early cars had a design flaw as regards the crank. Make sure the pulley on the front of the crank is fixed firmly and does not wobble. You'll have an additional £700-1000 to budget for a replacement engine if it goes... Check here for more information and how to identify:
http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/forums/t/819.aspx
http://www.fizzindi.demon.co.uk/crankshaft.htm
I can speak from the position of unhappy experience.
http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/forums/t/819.aspx
http://www.fizzindi.demon.co.uk/crankshaft.htm
I can speak from the position of unhappy experience.
It's not just early cars which can have problems! Later models can also have similar issues due to sloppy maintenance.
To be honest, if buying another Mk1 MX5, the very FIRST thing I would be checking now would be that bottom pulley.It's advice
which is often left out of buying guides and is by far the most important piece of advice there is if you ask me!
To be honest, if buying another Mk1 MX5, the very FIRST thing I would be checking now would be that bottom pulley.It's advice
which is often left out of buying guides and is by far the most important piece of advice there is if you ask me!
A replacement engine can be got for as little as £200 and fitting is pretty easy so if you had to pay someone to do it I'd say not much more than £150. I don't think it will have a problem if it has that many miles though.
As said above, a little rust visible on the sill usually means a fair bit more behind the sill panel but if you know someone who is willing to do it for you for beer that won't be a problem.
Sounds like you have the hood covered (excuse the pun
).
So in summary, just go for it. I fact I wouldn't mind putting a small bet on that you will like it so much you won't want to sell it at the end of the year
As said above, a little rust visible on the sill usually means a fair bit more behind the sill panel but if you know someone who is willing to do it for you for beer that won't be a problem.
Sounds like you have the hood covered (excuse the pun
).So in summary, just go for it. I fact I wouldn't mind putting a small bet on that you will like it so much you won't want to sell it at the end of the year
So does this mean that if the crankshaft pulley is a problem, I will need to replace the engine? Or is there a way to fix it? I've been scouring online and see it's the woodruff key that wears another component - the check seems to be to wobble it and if it moves, don't buy it - does this sound right?
Also, is this crankshaft pully fault across the board on cars of this year, or was it just some that were affected?
I am going to see the car one night this week - in a real quandry because it seems a good, genuine deal but this pulley issus is a real worry. I'll be spending all my money in the world on this car, so can't afford a huge mistake (though I obviously appreciate that there's always a risk).
Also, is this crankshaft pully fault across the board on cars of this year, or was it just some that were affected?
I am going to see the car one night this week - in a real quandry because it seems a good, genuine deal but this pulley issus is a real worry. I'll be spending all my money in the world on this car, so can't afford a huge mistake (though I obviously appreciate that there's always a risk).
The check is to see if there is any wobble on the pulley. They can be fixed if it's not too damaged (search for Loctite Fix in Nutz or Miata.net) but if it can't be fixed that way then it's a new engine. They are pretty cheap though, especially if you can find someone to fit it cheaply so that's not really a major disaster - I'd be more concerned about rusty sills & arches as that can cost more to rectify than replacing an engine!
It's just the earliest cars so 89-90 (I think it was changed some time in 90). There is no fault with the crank, in fact they are lighter than later ones so are actually a bit better in that way - there is no reason why one of the early cranks would not last as long as any other and they are just as strong as the later cranks. The fault is in the servicing. If the cam-belt service was done by a reputable garage then it's probably fine. If it's been done by some back-street non-specialist or by someone on their drive then I'd be more wary..
It's just the earliest cars so 89-90 (I think it was changed some time in 90). There is no fault with the crank, in fact they are lighter than later ones so are actually a bit better in that way - there is no reason why one of the early cranks would not last as long as any other and they are just as strong as the later cranks. The fault is in the servicing. If the cam-belt service was done by a reputable garage then it's probably fine. If it's been done by some back-street non-specialist or by someone on their drive then I'd be more wary..
carspath said:
mx-5 lazza : please could you explain in more detail (to a complete non=mechanic),
where to look ,and how to determine, if there is too much wobble on the pulley
my car is a 1993 series 1 1.6
thank-you
Your car is safe. Well it doesn't have the "short-nose" crank anyway so should be safe. All MX5s can suffer from the woodruff key & keyway being damaged if the servicing isn't done correctly - I've seen it on a Mk2.5!where to look ,and how to determine, if there is too much wobble on the pulley
my car is a 1993 series 1 1.6
thank-you
I can't give more details myself as I'm not a mechanic and I've never come across the problem on a 1.6 myself, I'm just passing on what I've read elsewhere
You'll know from the vibration at low revs. At higher revs the imbalanced pulley spins faster and the wobble is less noticeable - it works like a centrifuge. It's still doing damage in the engine though due to the vibrations though you can't feel them so badly. MadMX5 in Ilford do a replacement engine, fitted for £65, so not a major disaster - rust is a much worse problem. A repaired sill done properly can be £300-400. My 1990 1.6 pulley went last year at 150k miles.
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