Old MX5, MR2 or....?
Discussion
Similar to another current thread, budget is about £2.5K.
Reasons for buying : I need to keep the mileage down on one of my cars, and the other one is too big and too thirsty. I previously had an Alfa Spider for similar reasons, and that did the job fine - but I want to spend less this time.
MX5s always get mentioned, and there are a few around at this budget - even some with ~50k miles - but I know they rust badly and I really think I'm too old to buy a car that's going to need the sills / wheel arches welded every few years.
Apparently, MR2s don't - so they tempt me, but how do the running costs compare? I know these are old cars and will require some maintenance - but I want reasonably cheap insurance, and at least an average of 25mpg, preferably 30+mpg on relatively short trips. Annual running costs are one of the most important factors - I want a (relatively) cheap runaround - but it has to be enough fun that I'll use it.
Other ideas are welcome, but old hot hatches etc. don't interest me. None of them will compare with the car I'm trying to avoid using. The Alfa convinced me that even relatively low powered cars can be quite fun with the roof down, so I'm concentrating on convertibles.
Reasons for buying : I need to keep the mileage down on one of my cars, and the other one is too big and too thirsty. I previously had an Alfa Spider for similar reasons, and that did the job fine - but I want to spend less this time.
MX5s always get mentioned, and there are a few around at this budget - even some with ~50k miles - but I know they rust badly and I really think I'm too old to buy a car that's going to need the sills / wheel arches welded every few years.
Apparently, MR2s don't - so they tempt me, but how do the running costs compare? I know these are old cars and will require some maintenance - but I want reasonably cheap insurance, and at least an average of 25mpg, preferably 30+mpg on relatively short trips. Annual running costs are one of the most important factors - I want a (relatively) cheap runaround - but it has to be enough fun that I'll use it.
Other ideas are welcome, but old hot hatches etc. don't interest me. None of them will compare with the car I'm trying to avoid using. The Alfa convinced me that even relatively low powered cars can be quite fun with the roof down, so I'm concentrating on convertibles.
bristolracer said:
£2.5 k should just get you
MX5 mk3
BMW Z4
Mercedes slk
I've seen a few Mercs on AutoTrader at that price - are they any good? (I assume the mpg won't be great). They do tempt me - quite nice looking cars.MX5 mk3
BMW Z4
Mercedes slk
ETA : Looks like almost all SLKs are auto. I'd prefer manual - mostly because the two cars I'm using most of the time are auto / flappy paddle and I don't want to forget how to drive a manual car!
Edited by davek_964 on Friday 10th January 08:53
From what I hear the MR2 roadsters get about 38mpg as for the Mk2 they get around 30mpg depending on the year as the engines are different. If you get a 2003 MR2 you'll get a 6 speed and a few other changes especially the pre-cats.
MX5 gets about 30mpg from what a previous owner told me and there's rust to look out for. The up side is that there's so much aftermarket parts are easy to find from any manufacturer.
Between the MX5 and MR2 I'd test drive both and see what you think. Word has it that the MR2 is better at handling due to the position of the engine also standard form has better power to weight ratio from cars from those years. MR2 roadster doesn't have the aftermarket that the MX5 has that's for sure. There still is plenty of places but you will just pay a bit more for it.
MX5 gets about 30mpg from what a previous owner told me and there's rust to look out for. The up side is that there's so much aftermarket parts are easy to find from any manufacturer.
Between the MX5 and MR2 I'd test drive both and see what you think. Word has it that the MR2 is better at handling due to the position of the engine also standard form has better power to weight ratio from cars from those years. MR2 roadster doesn't have the aftermarket that the MX5 has that's for sure. There still is plenty of places but you will just pay a bit more for it.
I own an MX-5 and I guess its the same with many cars, depends how they are driven, I get under 30mpg average on mine but to be honest, I get it out, take it for a hard drive where I really enjoy it and put it away again until the next time, it's not a daily car, I guess if it was 30mpg would be achievable, they aren't really geared for motorway use, especially in 5 speed Mk2 shape, for me they rev too high at 70mph to make a comfy economical motorway cruise but depends on your driving style.
I'm not planning to drive it particularly hard, or to do long journeys / motorway with it.
It will be used for commuting (currently 15 mile round trip), shopping and maybe into the outskirts of London a few times a week (~50 mile round trip). Any long journeys, or "fun" blasts will be in one of my other cars.
It's really going to be typical "shed" use - however, if I don't buy something that I enjoy driving, it will simply never get used - I made that mistake once before with a Focus.
It will be used for commuting (currently 15 mile round trip), shopping and maybe into the outskirts of London a few times a week (~50 mile round trip). Any long journeys, or "fun" blasts will be in one of my other cars.
It's really going to be typical "shed" use - however, if I don't buy something that I enjoy driving, it will simply never get used - I made that mistake once before with a Focus.
When you say shopping you are best looking an MX5. MR2 Roadster very little storage space. You might be Ok with a could of shopping bags but that's it really. It does have some storage behind the seats for a duffle bag but there's not much at all.
I'm a Toyota fan boy but there's a reason why the MX5 is so good and popular. The only issue here is rust as it'll be a costly job to sort out where as 95% of MR2 roadsters don't really have this issue.
I'm a Toyota fan boy but there's a reason why the MX5 is so good and popular. The only issue here is rust as it'll be a costly job to sort out where as 95% of MR2 roadsters don't really have this issue.
I've currently got an MR2 roadster. I should have sold it at the start of the summer when I bought a Boxster but I can't bring myself to do it because it's such a bloody good laugh, much more so than the Boxster.
I have previously had a mk2 MX5 and for me the MR2 is a more engaging car.
MPG wise I've never calculated it but its certainly decent. You're more than welcome to have a bash in it if you're ever around South Cheshire.
I have previously had a mk2 MX5 and for me the MR2 is a more engaging car.
MPG wise I've never calculated it but its certainly decent. You're more than welcome to have a bash in it if you're ever around South Cheshire.
I have had two mk2 MR2s. Currently using one as my daily car.
They are incredibly reliable and fun to drive. Mine is only very lightly modified I have taken it on track a load of times with no issues, I also recently drove it to Wales and back over a weekend (6 hours each way). On my commute I get around 25mpg (10 miles each way, warming up for a couple minutes before moving). On a run I get about 35 mpg @ 75mph. In total I have put around 30k miles across the two MR2s I owned. 20K of that is in my current one. It has required very little in that time apart from regular maintenance (I have also spent some £££ on minor modifications). If you get one, be careful getting any parts from Toyota as they want silly prices.. (£120 for a single drop link!).
However, the mk2s all suffer from rust issues. Not as bad as an NA or NB MX5 but still bad. The area to look out for is the sills infront of the rear wheels. Unless the car has been garaged its whole life they have either been repaired before or are due for a repair. You can buy the repair panels off eBay (both sides for around £150 I think). I had mine done a couple of years ago. Expect to pay £500-£600 (including cost of panels) to get it done at a body shop. If you aren't bothered with how it looks you can get them patched really cheaply or do it yourself.
Mk2 MR2s are currently still pretty cheap although prices are going up. For £2500 you should be able to get a reasonably tidy rev3 (~1995+).
I have also driven a mk3 MR2 which was a good steer but haven't owned one so can't speak about running costs. They're stupidly cheap to buy though!
They are incredibly reliable and fun to drive. Mine is only very lightly modified I have taken it on track a load of times with no issues, I also recently drove it to Wales and back over a weekend (6 hours each way). On my commute I get around 25mpg (10 miles each way, warming up for a couple minutes before moving). On a run I get about 35 mpg @ 75mph. In total I have put around 30k miles across the two MR2s I owned. 20K of that is in my current one. It has required very little in that time apart from regular maintenance (I have also spent some £££ on minor modifications). If you get one, be careful getting any parts from Toyota as they want silly prices.. (£120 for a single drop link!).
However, the mk2s all suffer from rust issues. Not as bad as an NA or NB MX5 but still bad. The area to look out for is the sills infront of the rear wheels. Unless the car has been garaged its whole life they have either been repaired before or are due for a repair. You can buy the repair panels off eBay (both sides for around £150 I think). I had mine done a couple of years ago. Expect to pay £500-£600 (including cost of panels) to get it done at a body shop. If you aren't bothered with how it looks you can get them patched really cheaply or do it yourself.
Mk2 MR2s are currently still pretty cheap although prices are going up. For £2500 you should be able to get a reasonably tidy rev3 (~1995+).
I have also driven a mk3 MR2 which was a good steer but haven't owned one so can't speak about running costs. They're stupidly cheap to buy though!
Edited by NelPo on Friday 10th January 13:51
I own a 04 MR2 Roadster which I daily and have been doing so for about 10k miles now.
It works well as a daily, has long gears, gives me 38mpg consistently, decent driving position and the heater is very powerful. But it does have a lot of road and wind noise on the motorway, fair few rattles in the cabin, and consumes some oil but it's manageable.
It is pretty cheap to run, needed some maintenance before I got it involving pre-cats and some other small bits and bobs including tracking, but since that it hasn't put a single foot wrong in a long time now and I am confident in the car as long as I keep the oil consumption under control.
Mine is coming up to 105k now, I bought it for 1400 last year, put about 600 into it including a new roof and haven't spend anything on it since, I hope it gives me another 10k at least without any problems!
It works well as a daily, has long gears, gives me 38mpg consistently, decent driving position and the heater is very powerful. But it does have a lot of road and wind noise on the motorway, fair few rattles in the cabin, and consumes some oil but it's manageable.
It is pretty cheap to run, needed some maintenance before I got it involving pre-cats and some other small bits and bobs including tracking, but since that it hasn't put a single foot wrong in a long time now and I am confident in the car as long as I keep the oil consumption under control.
Mine is coming up to 105k now, I bought it for 1400 last year, put about 600 into it including a new roof and haven't spend anything on it since, I hope it gives me another 10k at least without any problems!
Mr2 mk3 are great cars but they do rust on rear subframes, £330 for a new one from Toyota. Difficult to fit due to seized in bushings etc. I did mine on drive.
Terrible for storage as advised, the rear bins are useless and so is the frunk. I only used to put two bags in mine, passenger footwell and passenger seat.
Mr2roc.org is the best forum for advice.
Terrible for storage as advised, the rear bins are useless and so is the frunk. I only used to put two bags in mine, passenger footwell and passenger seat.
Mr2roc.org is the best forum for advice.
LordGrover said:
Is £2,500 a hard limit?
Boxsters can throw up big bills, but if you feel lucky they're great fun.
For the right car, I might vary the limit a bit - but it's irresponsible enough that I'm considering another car so it can't go up too much.Boxsters can throw up big bills, but if you feel lucky they're great fun.
However, where Boxsters are concerned - I really don't like them.
I'm on my 2nd NA MX-5. Love them, pretty practical, light, fun and easy for an idiot to drive.
That said my first one the sills went and did an at home patch repair, the car was eventually traded in but it gave something like 12 years trouble free in the family performance with minimal attention, it was a bit rough toward the end though.
My second one I brought for my honeymoon (drove route napoleon faultlessly), it was a well looked after car and had had one of the sills done previously (although I'd say probably not the most complete repair). Both started to bubble up recently so had them the front offside wing (also a bit of rust) and the hood replaced with a Mk2 new one all fixed by the MX-5 restorer in Pevensey (a great specialist) who also cleaned, under-sealed and injected all the relevant bits. It should be good for a long time now/forever, the bill was not insignificant (around the budget for your car). But then again I now have a sorted <60k MX-5 NA that I love, get to drive for fun every now and then and shouldn't cost too much to keep indefinitely... I do keep it in a garage though.
They do suffer, there are some nice NA ones around your budget but I think they are starting to cost a little more as rust claims more and more of them (certainly approach any NA with a bill or two to sort the rust out in mind). NB (2 and 2.5) are probably the best bet in budget and the NC probably isn't far off, but for me these later versions lost some of the purity of the original, but are still fantastic cars.
Depends what you want out of it, you don't sound like you'd be doing it for the same reasons I did. So I'd probably stick to your budget and go for the best MX-5 NB, MGF or MK3 MR2 I could find. They will all be a laugh, simple enough unlike later German rivals and will see you with some fun cheap motoring for however long their condition allows.
That said my first one the sills went and did an at home patch repair, the car was eventually traded in but it gave something like 12 years trouble free in the family performance with minimal attention, it was a bit rough toward the end though.
My second one I brought for my honeymoon (drove route napoleon faultlessly), it was a well looked after car and had had one of the sills done previously (although I'd say probably not the most complete repair). Both started to bubble up recently so had them the front offside wing (also a bit of rust) and the hood replaced with a Mk2 new one all fixed by the MX-5 restorer in Pevensey (a great specialist) who also cleaned, under-sealed and injected all the relevant bits. It should be good for a long time now/forever, the bill was not insignificant (around the budget for your car). But then again I now have a sorted <60k MX-5 NA that I love, get to drive for fun every now and then and shouldn't cost too much to keep indefinitely... I do keep it in a garage though.
They do suffer, there are some nice NA ones around your budget but I think they are starting to cost a little more as rust claims more and more of them (certainly approach any NA with a bill or two to sort the rust out in mind). NB (2 and 2.5) are probably the best bet in budget and the NC probably isn't far off, but for me these later versions lost some of the purity of the original, but are still fantastic cars.
Depends what you want out of it, you don't sound like you'd be doing it for the same reasons I did. So I'd probably stick to your budget and go for the best MX-5 NB, MGF or MK3 MR2 I could find. They will all be a laugh, simple enough unlike later German rivals and will see you with some fun cheap motoring for however long their condition allows.
I used my Mk2 MR2 Turbo as a daily for a few months when I was without a daily/shopping car and it wasn't great tbh. Admittedly I was using it during winter and it's a 25 year old car but it took ages to clear the windscreen, doesn't have AC so the windows would mist up, cabin was freezing and (maybe I should hand my card in now...) the manual shift got tiresome.
On the plus side, the ride is great (had new OEM shocks recently), much better than the M-Sport/AMG line crap you get these days and storage space is amazing for a car of that size. You get a boot, a froot and space behind the seats so it's very practical.
YMMV but I'd be inclined to go for something newer and with a bit more refinement as a proper daily car. Dare I suggest a Mk1 TT??
On the plus side, the ride is great (had new OEM shocks recently), much better than the M-Sport/AMG line crap you get these days and storage space is amazing for a car of that size. You get a boot, a froot and space behind the seats so it's very practical.
YMMV but I'd be inclined to go for something newer and with a bit more refinement as a proper daily car. Dare I suggest a Mk1 TT??
Most of its been said already but as a former MR2 roadster owner I would highly recommend them.
Go for the facelift cars from 03 onwards as these don't seem to have the problem of pre cats disintegrating and killing the engine.
I paid 2500 for an 05 plate 5 years ago. Bought in the middle of winter when they are cheapest. Ran it for 18 months until we were expecting our little boy which meant it had to go sadly. I sold it in the summer for 3000 so it's the only car that I've ever made money on. Absolutely nothing went wrong in my ownership and mpg was high 30's so cheap as chips to run. I still miss it as it was a great drive. Of course space is limited but we managed some weekends away by packing stuff in carrier bags and using the bins behind the seats and the frunk without the spare wheel in it. Just carried some tyre weld instead.
Go for the facelift cars from 03 onwards as these don't seem to have the problem of pre cats disintegrating and killing the engine.
I paid 2500 for an 05 plate 5 years ago. Bought in the middle of winter when they are cheapest. Ran it for 18 months until we were expecting our little boy which meant it had to go sadly. I sold it in the summer for 3000 so it's the only car that I've ever made money on. Absolutely nothing went wrong in my ownership and mpg was high 30's so cheap as chips to run. I still miss it as it was a great drive. Of course space is limited but we managed some weekends away by packing stuff in carrier bags and using the bins behind the seats and the frunk without the spare wheel in it. Just carried some tyre weld instead.
davek_964 said:
Shaoxter said:
YMMV but I'd be inclined to go for something newer and with a bit more refinement as a proper daily car. Dare I suggest a Mk1 TT??
I would be very happy with one of those - but the running costs put me off a little.Mine does just over 50mpg, cheap insurance and tax. I use mine as a daily but I do have back-up cars too. Mine had been very reliable but had two recent issues which have cost me £20 in parts to get going again. (I am a very average car mechanic and I quite enjoy tinkering anyway). No rust issues unless the subframe has taken a bashing......
Make sure the auto gearbox does not phase you ( I like the quirkiness...) and the rest of the experience is very satisfying/ rewarding.
If the commute is motorway\ dual carriageway I wouldn't bother though. Town or A\B road blast definitely consider one.....
Mike
Edited by mike9009 on Friday 10th January 21:07
ChrisH72 said:
Most of its been said already but as a former MR2 roadster owner I would highly recommend them.
Go for the facelift cars from 03 onwards as these don't seem to have the problem of pre cats disintegrating and killing the engine.
This is not true, on my 04 the cats were disintegrating when I checked them. Had the MR2roc forum not kept nagging me I would not have checked and would have seized my engine as oil was dangerously low also. I laid it off for so long because I had thought the same as you as there is a lot of conflicting information and I thought I got away with it with my facelift, but take mine as an example that facelifts still suffer from oil consumption and pre cat disintegration. Go for the facelift cars from 03 onwards as these don't seem to have the problem of pre cats disintegrating and killing the engine.
But it is manageable, take the damn things out and replace with a cheap manifold, and if the oil consumption is manageable, just carry on without worry.
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