Advice on purchase

[LordHaveMurci]

Been offered an 1800 NA, MOT'd til June, had some welding for last MoT.

Has some known isues but is in daily use.

Worth the £500 WBAC have offered - should I bite her arm off?

[LuS1fer]

Can be total rust buckets. A lad round here bought a tatty one and it spent most of a year with wheels turned into the kerb so the handbrake obviously didn't work and though it was driven occasionally, he eventually got rid and bought a GT86.

That said, MX5 parts and hard tops are reasonable prices.

Check the gov UK MOT history but bear in mind a year can do a lot of harm in a harsh winter.

[chrisch77]

So long as the mechanicals are in good order then it will be worth at least £500 as a donor to a kit car builder, likely for engine/box/diff transplant into a 'Seven' type build (e.g. GBS Zero or MK Indy). There are also full 'body off' transplants of MX5 running gear into kits like the MEV Exocet, but a rusty mk1/NA MX5 may be less attractive for that if the subframes are as bad as the body.

[ARHarh]

If it had some welding, that was done to get a ticket on it, e.g. patched rather than cutout and replaced with proper rust protection, it will just rust out again in a year or 2. If you intend to keep it then buy a good one that's been done properly. If it just for a fun summer hack "bite there arm off at WBAC price ONO.

[LordHaveMurci]

Right, I messed up, it's an NB - I've been in it & seen it loads of times!

I want an NA so I've passed but my daughters mate is having it, he's a mechanic, his dad owns a garage so any issues will be no issue!