1st mx5 - mk1 vs mk2 - comparison: main car, winter & summer, longer distances, safety, mechanic

Buying a ‘5 and Insurance advice Buying Advice
2

Hiya people,

For my 1st post I would like to ask opinons about buying my 1st mx5 (bet you dont get many of those on here!).

Had a test drive of the mk1 and it was great, so was the mk2.5 - both 1.6 engines. havent tried a mk2 yet.Before I get into all the serious searching wanted to at least narrow it to a ‘mk’.

As far as I can see they are both fun cars and I love the character of the mk1 (and the like half price cost), but what about all the day to day issues that goes with the long term ownership of the mk1 and mk2 in comparison. I dont want to just say which one should I buy - but at least provide an angle for the role of the car!

So got up to £3k to spend and would looking at mk1 or mk2  -  lets assume a 1.8 covering about 6000 a year (but please do suggest a 1.6 where this may be relevant in the comparison). The following criteria are probably inter related so any comments in general not specific to the criteria are welcome.

So any opinions people care to offer on the Mk1 and Mk2 on any of the following criteria (i.e. which is favoured for each criteria and why you think so):

Winter & Summer (driving all seasons)

Longer Distances (driving down the country and into europe and back, vibration, comfort etc)

Safety (what about car safety air bags and the like)

Mecanical Relieability/Longevity (how well they run and run with reasonable maintenance time spent)

Time under bonnet (linking to above, which requires more attention to keep on road all the time)

Bodywork longevity (which is more prone to rust disintegration)

Handling (is one easier to drive than the other, more grip etc)

Any other comments obviously welcome if I missed any aspects. Sorry about this probably will go down like a lead baloon! Embarassed

Ta

 

3

Firstly, greetings and welcome and congratulations on making the excellent decision to buy an mx / roadster.

Obviously, as I’m sure you’re expecting this question can generate lots of heated debate on here…

Both will cope just fine with all weathers. I use my mk1 every day on an 80-mle round trip commute no matter what the weather. She survived the snow with no adjustments and just some sensible driving. Didn’t miss a beat 

The mk1 can feel a bit firm, particularly if she has bilstein suspension on. Easily rectified by fitting mk2 springs and dampers. I can drive my mk1 all day - she goes up and down the country regularly with the mk2 suspension set-up. The UK cars, on the whole, are more basic but the Eunos roadster will have aircon, power steering, electric windows etc.

On the whole, the mk2 will, not surprisingly, win here (if it’s a competition). More available with with airbags and ABS. Personally, I’m not bothered about having either.  

Mechanically, they’ll both go on forever with proper maintenance. The early 1.6 or any 1.8 mk1 or any mk2. Avoid the late mk1 1.6 - they were detuned so are underpowered. If going for an auto mk1 - avoid the 1.6 full stop, the 1.8 auto is a great drive. The mk2 1.8 engine can use oil but if you make sure it’s topped up you’ll be fine.

both the mk1 and mk2 take about the same - it’s basically identical under the bonnet.

Based on my experience, the mk1 bodyshell is more robust than any of the later models. The mk2 shell uses a thinner gauge metal so rusts more easily. You need to look out for sills / rear wings on both - if they’ve been well looked after and drain channels / holes cleaned out then the sills will be ok but this is the most likely place for rust to get in.

The rawness of the mk1 makes it more like a go-kart (and in my opinion, therefore more fun). Both are lovely to drive though. It’s important to have at least axle-matched tyres and get a full geometry setup done - it can make a world of difference.

if you’re looking at a mk1, I’d go for an import over a UK car.

if you’re going to use it all year, a hardtop is brilliant (though you lose the benefit of being able to randomly put the roof down if you get a lovely sunny winter’s day).

 

 

4

Hey thanks for the reply!

I know a it may cause some debate, but I guess thats what forums are for and Im interested in experienced people’s passionate opinions Wink I am not suggesting a form of competition, its more of a way of selecting the right version mx5 for my needs Angel

So far sounds it seems

mk1 is favourable for everything except safety and firmness over long distances and

mk2 is favourable on everything except more rust vulnerability (bodywork) and slightly diminished go-kart effect.

So I could retrofit airbags and suspension onto the mk1 

or put up a good fight against rust with some good preventatives like ACF50 and be happy with the lovely drive of the mk2

Decisions…

5

That’s got to be the most important thing - depending on what you want from the car / how you drive / what you intend to do with it should all influence your decision. Some will love the mk1, others the mk2 but at the end of the day, the decision is so hard because whichever you chose, they’re both absolutely fantastic to drive and own.

[quote] mk1 is favourable for everything except safety and firmness over long distances [/quote] Thumbs up  [quote] mk2 is favourable on everything except more rust vulnerability (bodywork) and slightly diminished go-kart effect [/quote] but only slightly diminished - you'll still be able to throw it round a corner if you want to Wink [quote] So I could retrofit airbags and suspension onto the mk1 [/quote] possibly a driver's airbag, you couldn't do a passenger one. The suspension is a straight swap   [quote] or put up a good fight against rust with some good preventatives like ACF50 and be happy with the lovely drive of the mk2 

Decisions…
[/quote]

The best thing to do is drive as many of each as you can. Go along to a local meet if you can and see what other owners have done to their roadsters. If you really want a mk1 with pop ups with the comfort of a mk2 you can always fit the mk2 suspension and the interior to a mk1 shell… Whistling

 

6

Wowzers!

Had no idea you could fit a mk2 interior to a mk1 Shock

That would solve the twin airbag issue (at quite a cost probably!). The reason for the airbag concerns is that my girlfriend is a little concerned about the safety of the mk1 and I want her to feel comfortable going out in the car, she also thinks that the mk1 will pose more reliability issues because it is older.

I have had my eye on 2 cars - one is a mk1 1.6 93 eunos with 72000 and from pics looks pretty devoid of rust for £1400 and the other is a mk2 1.8 s uk car with 52000 and from pics looks pretty devoid of rust for £3000 (obviously will have to have a good look). Obviously there is a saving of roughly £1600 which is swaying my thoughts about the place also…

Decisions…Confused

7

Given your girlfriend’s concerns about the safety I guess a mk2 will fit your needs better, with the twin airbags.  
Reliability shouldn’t be a problem with either - the engine’s a pretty bullet-proof and both are DIY friendly. The UK mk2 has a built-in immobiliser which is linked to the ECU which can cause problems that Mazda will tell you is a £1000+ job to fix but you can do it yourself for less than half that (just something else to be aware of).
 My P-reg mk1 import has over 105,000 on the clock and shows no signs of causing me a problem and with regular maintenance, should be good for at least another 105,000miles Smile

The interior swap is a big job that me and mazda-mender are doing shortly as part of our project car - you need the entire mk2 interior and have to take all the electrics and transfer the mk1 electrics into the mk2 dash etc.Not for the faint hearted. It’s going to be more than a weekend’s work and probably shouldn’t be taken too seriously as a recommendation (only time will tell - there was a post over on nutz I think where someone had done it).

 

8

Personally, I’ve no doubt that technically, the mkII is the better car - why else would Mazda produce it. But which is the most appealing is going to be a long and drawn out debate that could end in pistols at dawn!

I’d imagine the mkII to be a better cruiser, a bit more torquey and a more refined package. My Eunos mkI does ride a bit choppy, is noisy at and around the legal limit but the 1.6 is said to be the sweeter revving engine than the 1.8. The mkI has a problem with it’s short nose crank engines - the mkII has clutch issues but both are remarkably reliable if serviced correctly. I’m afraid I couldn’t comment on rust issues or water traps because my mkI doesn’t have any rust - an amazing claim for a 20yr/147,000km car - but there again, the Eunos cars get an easier life in Japan than they would over here. There are many transferrable parts so why not just buy either model and kit it out as is your wish?

It really is horses for courses but what I find to be a big difference is in the styling and how people feel about the styling. Aesthetically, I think the mkI is the more pleasing car to look at. There is a purity about it that I like (even if it was heavily lifted from the Lotus Elan). I like the bespoke door handles, I think it has the prettier shape - it’s cute and I’m always a sucker for pop-up headlamps (I flashed them at a little boy - maybe 5yrs old - as he crossed the street with his gran and I saw him mout the word WOW. 35yrs ago that little boy was me). I feel that the mkI is an icon (if you’ll pardon the pun to all those ‘Icon’ owners out there) like the Mustang mkI, the Golf GTI mkI and the E-type mkI whereas the models that followed were variations of that original shape. If I had £3000 burning a hole in my pocket I’d be looking at a mkI… and then bolt a turbo/supercharger onto it Big Smile

9

Yeah perhaps your right, not really a way around that one - and if they are pretty much the same car I should still have a hoot in the mk2. I could always get a mk1 later as an extra car to use as my own little stunt car Car Big Smile(with a single airbag)!

Any advice on which engine 1.6 or 1.8? I hear the 1.6 is more robust or ‘sweeter’ is that the case with mk2?

I like the idea of a bit of thrust, but value reliability over speed, what with coming from a lupo it should seem pretty quick at any engine size!

I looked at spec for 98-2001 and they seem slightly better in accelerating due to less equip on the mk2, I actually prefer the older body shape and I hear you get a touch more head room in the mk2 which is important to me. 

Anything else I should be concerned about buying a mk2 apart from rust and cambelt and servicing?

Many cheers!

10

Thanks for the advice Elvie - yes good point - dont want wild west pistols at dawn! Shock Just trying to glean some wisdom from you folk so that I can make a decision that suites my situation and tastes.

Its quite hard - I do like the quirky and orginal soul of the mk1 and do want to buy one I had great fun driving it, but it has to try and meet a lot of other commitments as mentioned earlier. Im just being awkward i guess, didnt everyone go through this agonisation before getting their mx5 or is it just my situation?

 

11

The 1.8 on the mk2 can use oil but if it’s checked regularly, it won’t cause a problem. Other than that, I wouldn’t have a preference with either mk2 engine. A few things to consider when looking at one:

  • condition of roof (bargaining tool)

  • rear calipers can seize if not serviced properly - if this happens, you may end up buying new calipers so check the handbrake operates properly

  • tyres - as said early, you want at least the fronts to match and the backs to match. Check general tread etc as usual. Because they are so light, they can be fussy about what tyres are on.

  • check the oil level especially if it’s a 1.8 because of the oil use issue previously mentioned

The most important thing though has to be RUST! Whilst it’s repairable (sills + rear wing) you don’t want to spend £3k on a car to then have to spend another £500 getting them sorted.

 

PS I’d still go for a mk1 and just gradually persuade your girlfriend - she WILL love it in the end Wink

12

Cheers, will have a hard think - the info is helping, but I admit I’m still ummng and arring .

I’m tempted by both and perhaps I can bring her around to the idea of a mk1.


Would you go to somewhere like Italy and back in a mk1 in springtime?

13

Simply put - yes. I’ve driven my mk1 for hours at a time and never felt achy afterwards. The imports esp have got everything you need and with clever packing you can get luggage for two in the boot. With either, make sure you’ve checked it over before you leave and you shouldn’t have any problems. You can even have speakers in the headrests so you can properly hear your music with the roof down and if youre a spirited driver it’ll be an absolute blast!

14

Sounds awesome! Going to be dreaming about top down spring time european tours tonight, yeah Cool

Gonna get a car sorted soon so I can have winter fun too, think I need a couple more test drives this week.

You are all lucky folk and I want some of that luck too!

 

 

15

Oh yeah here is a link of one of the cars I was considering:

http://www.baskeyfields.co.uk/detail.php?vid=101

 

What does anyone  think of it on paper? - dealer sent me pics of the sills too:

Sill of 2001 mk 2 1.8i s

Sill of 2001 mk 2 1.8i s

16

Go and drive as many as you can as EVERYONE is different.

Whether is the shocks, tyres or set-up no two are the same…

If you are after something rawer go for a modded mark 1, if you want a car to go to and from work go for a mark 2,

I’ve driven some very nice modded mark 2s but it’s still not quite the same as a mark 1…it’s the flip-up lights everytime…and the 1600 over the 1800cc but thats just me. Big Smile

 

As for the photos they rust on the joints on the sill under the doors as well…2nd photo top right you should be able to see the joint

17

I drove my 1990 Mk1 to Gozo, with a little help from a ferry or two. Fantastic trip, three months luggage on board and the car never missed a beat…Mk1s are the best, and certainly tick all my boxes

18

Good point muppet - I will go and have some fun and try a couple more - yay! Love the experience they give its like a party in your driving seat and everyone is invited! Party

I really enjoyed the rawness of the mk1 and do like cheeky little cars (Lupo owner Embarassed), would not use the car for commuting, but would expect it to get up and down the country a about 6 times a year (with my girlfriend in it) without much hassle. Why would you say mk2 is better for going to work in?

 

19

Geoff that is an epic trip - from Queensland!?! Shock

Wow that sounds brilliant - did you write about it or keep a blog or anything? you deserve a Beer

I guess that just proves that driving down south in the uk or occasionally into Europe shouldn’t be a problem with a mk1.

 

Flabbergasted!

20

Nooo

I moved out to Australia about 5 years ago, leaving my MX with my son. I returned later and my partner and I drove from Uk to Gozo via France and Italy on the way down. On the way back we included Switzerland. If you can get hold of the club magazine back number for April 2009, the story is in there.

When I came out here I started looking for a new car, and tried all sorts, S200, Boxter,350Z but didn’t like any of them, non had the go kart sort of experience you get with a well set up Mk1. So, I decided to bring my Roadster out to Ozz, it was quite expensive but as the bottom was dropping out of the MX5 Mk1 market in the UK, the prices were staying really high over here. I just about broke even but I had a car I knew and loved. It was shipped late August 2008 and arrived in Brisbane 3 months later. The story about this trip is in the December 2008 edition of the club mag.

Maybe I’ll post the copy on my website, I’ll send you a link when I get it done

Here you go  http://verithingeoff.com/MX5%20stuff.htmWink