Would a MX5 NB daily driver be a good idea?
Discussion
Hi Bob! I have an NB that is now about 23 years old but is only used as an occasional weekend car. However, I used to drive my earlier NB’s as dailies, had 3 in total. Obviously they were a lot newer then compared to the age of them now. Main things I’ve learnt are to always keep the drain holes behind the seats clear as letting them get blocked up is a quick way to let them rust. Get the rust checked every year. Preventative maintenance is cheaper than getting the sills on both sides done completely when they have gone too far. Some people recommend waxoil or similar to help slow down the rust. If you are buying an NB ensure it is in good condition otherwise you will have a big bill. Mechanicals are reliable and cheap to maintain. If you buy a good 1 you will really enjoy it, very different from modern cars, more raw if that makes sense.
I haven’t checked the market lately but with a £6k budget I would expect you can find a mint example! If you’re not confident on what to look for definitely get someone who does to check it out. Even if the bodywork looks perfect it can still be hiding nastiness underneath.
My current car was a gift from my Wife who paid £700 for it. Sadly it needed a lot of work, think it was about £3k to get the welding and paint done by a reputable garage (beware that not all places will actually do the work that is needed even if the end result looks good, if the rust isn’t dealt with it will come back). But if you find a good car you won’t need that and hopefully gives an idea of worst case repair.
Absolutely great cars to drive, even better when the roof is off!
My current car was a gift from my Wife who paid £700 for it. Sadly it needed a lot of work, think it was about £3k to get the welding and paint done by a reputable garage (beware that not all places will actually do the work that is needed even if the end result looks good, if the rust isn’t dealt with it will come back). But if you find a good car you won’t need that and hopefully gives an idea of worst case repair.
Absolutely great cars to drive, even better when the roof is off!
Check the front chassis rails. That's where NB's go the worst. Then check everywhere else!
My NA has lived outside for nearly 14 years, i did the sills a few years ago but i've got a restomod and some ITBs planned
What's your daily commute like?
If it involves motorways or dual carriageways the car can feel very small compared to modern stuff!
My 10 mile commute is across B-roads and single trackers where its bloody brilliant, even in town small roundabouts can be fun...
really easy to park too, and lots of room in multi-storey car parks because the car's so small.
If i was buying again, i'd probably look for a car with air-con, really useful for de-misting windows - mine doesnt have it and my hood leaks like a sieve so in wet weather it can become a bit misty inside!
My NA has lived outside for nearly 14 years, i did the sills a few years ago but i've got a restomod and some ITBs planned
What's your daily commute like?
If it involves motorways or dual carriageways the car can feel very small compared to modern stuff!
My 10 mile commute is across B-roads and single trackers where its bloody brilliant, even in town small roundabouts can be fun...
really easy to park too, and lots of room in multi-storey car parks because the car's so small.
If i was buying again, i'd probably look for a car with air-con, really useful for de-misting windows - mine doesnt have it and my hood leaks like a sieve so in wet weather it can become a bit misty inside!
Rough101 said:
I bought a brand new one in 2000 and put 80,000 miles on it.
Has a front wheel bearing changed, that was it other than servicing, tyres and brakes. I did run a hard top October to January though.
Glad to hear that it’s still going strong, I have read that the earlier mk2s are a bit more resilient to rust? If I end up going with one I would be running a hardtop till the nice summer weather hits.Has a front wheel bearing changed, that was it other than servicing, tyres and brakes. I did run a hard top October to January though.
LesMcQueen said:
I haven’t checked the market lately but with a £6k budget I would expect you can find a mint example! If you’re not confident on what to look for definitely get someone who does to check it out. Even if the bodywork looks perfect it can still be hiding nastiness underneath.
My current car was a gift from my Wife who paid £700 for it. Sadly it needed a lot of work, think it was about £3k to get the welding and paint done by a reputable garage (beware that not all places will actually do the work that is needed even if the end result looks good, if the rust isn’t dealt with it will come back). But if you find a good car you won’t need that and hopefully gives an idea of worst case repair.
Absolutely great cars to drive, even better when the roof is off!
It would be my first car if I went with one. Although I haven’t test driven one yet so I still can’t be 100% sure if they are for me but based off of everyone’s opinions on the driving experience I am pretty excited to test one out. Also out of all the MX5s in my opinion the NB is the best looking!My current car was a gift from my Wife who paid £700 for it. Sadly it needed a lot of work, think it was about £3k to get the welding and paint done by a reputable garage (beware that not all places will actually do the work that is needed even if the end result looks good, if the rust isn’t dealt with it will come back). But if you find a good car you won’t need that and hopefully gives an idea of worst case repair.
Absolutely great cars to drive, even better when the roof is off!
I’ve found the thread I started on mine.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I need to drive it more. Had the suspension refreshed this year. Done about 700 miles since the MOT in March (madness)!
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I need to drive it more. Had the suspension refreshed this year. Done about 700 miles since the MOT in March (madness)!
jimmytheone said:
Check the front chassis rails. That's where NB's go the worst. Then check everywhere else!
My NA has lived outside for nearly 14 years, i did the sills a few years ago but i've got a restomod and some ITBs planned
What's your daily commute like?
If it involves motorways or dual carriageways the car can feel very small compared to modern stuff!
My 10 mile commute is across B-roads and single trackers where its bloody brilliant, even in town small roundabouts can be fun...
really easy to park too, and lots of room in multi-storey car parks because the car's so small.
If i was buying again, i'd probably look for a car with air-con, really useful for de-misting windows - mine doesnt have it and my hood leaks like a sieve so in wet weather it can become a bit misty inside!
Thanks for that advice! My daily commute is 2 and a half miles on a dual carriageway, so not too bad. Although I can take an alternative route but it does work out to a bit of a further distance though. My NA has lived outside for nearly 14 years, i did the sills a few years ago but i've got a restomod and some ITBs planned
What's your daily commute like?
If it involves motorways or dual carriageways the car can feel very small compared to modern stuff!
My 10 mile commute is across B-roads and single trackers where its bloody brilliant, even in town small roundabouts can be fun...
really easy to park too, and lots of room in multi-storey car parks because the car's so small.
If i was buying again, i'd probably look for a car with air-con, really useful for de-misting windows - mine doesnt have it and my hood leaks like a sieve so in wet weather it can become a bit misty inside!
EuropeanBob said:
It would be my first car if I went with one. Although I haven’t test driven one yet so I still can’t be 100% sure if they are for me but based off of everyone’s opinions on the driving experience I am pretty excited to test one out. Also out of all the MX5s in my opinion the NB is the best looking!
Controversial about the looks but I agree! Go for the 1.8 engine though, no real difference in terms of running costs but much better performance. My 1st MX5 was a 1.6. andburg said:
Can’t see why not if you get a solid one.
No different to daily driving a mk4 if you fit a decent modern head unit
Was looking up some apple car play head units earlier funny enough. Any idea on how good the speakers are in em? I do love my music so it would be nice to have decent sound.No different to daily driving a mk4 if you fit a decent modern head unit
LesMcQueen said:
I’ve found the thread I started on mine.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I need to drive it more. Had the suspension refreshed this year. Done about 700 miles since the MOT in March (madness)!
That is a beauty! That colour really works with the NBs. Definitely one of my favourite colours on them as well as the crystal blue metallic.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I need to drive it more. Had the suspension refreshed this year. Done about 700 miles since the MOT in March (madness)!
LesMcQueen said:
Controversial about the looks but I agree! Go for the 1.8 engine though, no real difference in terms of running costs but much better performance. My 1st MX5 was a 1.6.
Yeah I will try and go for the 1.8 although the 1.8 is around a grand more to insure at £5200 a year 
. Still works out cheaper than the route I was going to go down with a 1 series and a black box 
EuropeanBob said:
Glad to hear that it’s still going strong, I have read that the earlier mk2s are a bit more resilient to rust? If I end up going with one I would be running a hardtop till the nice summer weather hits.
I no longer have it, so can’t comment on the rust. Was more a comment on them standing miles and daily use.I had worn all the paint off the nose one and worn out the drivers seat.
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