Edit: An overall thank you for all the people who are chipping in with thoughts and advices. Thank you very much, keep them coming.
As per title I came across a 2011 61 plate MX-5 sport black by complete accident. A friend of mine bought an RX8 and when he sent me the photos the MX-5 was sitting in the back so I enquired straight away. It is sold by Enjoyable Cars in Slough with almost 99k miles on the clock and I think 3 owners. Asking price is £6350. I asked few questions and this is what I got back from the dealer:
The car is very solid underneath, there is some rust of course but it’s much better than your average MX-5 of that age. It came from a big dealer group and unfortunately they bin any paperwork as they’re worried about GDPR so in terms of what’s evidenced there is what’s on the Mazda system - four services plus the one I’ve just done. The rear suspension shocks and springs have been changed, think the fronts are original.
Also strangely enough the car is listed on eBay instead of the official dealer website so you can imagine my skepticism and in the photos you can see that the front and rear tyres are mismatched which makes me think whoever had it last didn’t exactly cherished it that much.
My gut feeling tells me to stay clear but I am curious to hear also your opinion. Maybe some of you knows the car and can tell me a little more. Thank you very much in advance.
I don’t see mismatched wheels, do you mean tyres?
As with any car this age, viewing in person is the only way, don’t believe any dealers discriptions.
2 Likes
As it’s a dealer he is obliged to give 3 month warranty. Go and look at the car and look carefully for the rust. When I was looking last year I saw a white sport black in a dealer at Preston. The arches at the rear were rotten, walked away without further inspection. Finally found my 59 plate Sportech (rust free and 77k miles) for £5k
1 Like
Yes sorry, I meant tyres, brain was toasted; I rectified the original message now.
I was supposed to go last Sunday but I couldn’t in the end so I will try to go this coming Saturday and yes, I will never believe a dealer description ever again after some recent events but to be fair, the words of this one are not reassuring. Vanishing service history records are not a good thing I would say and how convenient to invoke GDPR to cover for it.
Yeah my main issue is that this model is high mileage, it will definitely need new coilovers which will set me back I don’t know, £1500 probably including labour, new tyres and possibly something else that might be major and at that point you get into low mileage 2014/2015 territory with the price. Yes it’s a limited model but it’s still a sport tech with black roof and mirrors after all.
Enjoyable cars I believe are quite well respected in RX8 circles if it makes any difference…
1 Like
I’ve owned my Sport Black for the last 12 years and changed the coil overs last year.
Check for any rust around the boot number plate lights and the side repeaters.
As well as the standard wheel arches etc.
Don’t rush into buying it, until you’ve had a good look under and over!
Go and have a look as Mick says - it’s the only way 
It’s not particularly high mileage either, if it’s been maintained. Technically below UK average for that age of vehicle. When I was looking at NC2s, I test drove one that had done 190k just as a baseline really. It drove, stopped and steered as it should 
Also looks like the previous owner owned it for a long time - last V5 document was issued in July 2014
Looks like a slight bit of damage on the offside bottom of the rear bumper, and the probably quite typical wear to the leather on the driver’s side bolster. It’s a 13 1/2 year old car of course, so there will always be the compromise of wear:tear versus what you’re prepared to do as ‘project jobs’.
Also a few repeated tyre advisories in the old MoTs, with a few pointing to edge wear so an alignment check wouldn’t go amiss, just to be sure.
Go have a poke round it, and report back 
1 Like
+1. (seems to get through tyres a lot)
Sump guard - has it been bashed? A long time ago if so.
I wouldn’t bother personally. There’s plenty of others about
2 Likes
It isn’t screaming buy me looking at the MOT history and why isn’t it on their website along with other similarly priced cars.
Plenty of gooduns out there as jimdad says
If you were local, I’d still go and see it in-person.
I’d say that if you’re someone who’s actively on the hunt for one, seeing examples like this can be really useful in understanding what advertised examples are actually like, ‘in real life’.
3 Likes
Yes I think body damages are going to be easy to spot, it’s not an easy colour to replicate. For the seats I don’t mind it too much, I was planning to put a pair go bucket ones anyway. And yes I get it, it’s an old car and compromises will need to be done, it is just to find the right balance I suppose. Where I am from we say who spends more spend less, the last thing I want to do is buying something that seems like a bargain and then turns into a nightmare. I will surely go, ask the dealer to lift it (he seems keen) and hopefully take it for a spin.
I know mileage is not absurd, it’s about 7.5k a year but at the same time not as low as some other models I have been seeing around
Would that mean lots of spirited driving? What do you reckon?
Yeah, that was my initial thought gut feeling. I might still go and check it out though.
1 Like
It’s a two hours drive for me but I am happy to do it. I am really keen to get one and honestly I’ve never drove one so as you said it would be a good learning experience nevertheless.
One side of me tells me I’d be better off buying a newer white sport tech and wrap the roof and the mirrors in black
Tyre wise, it looks like 20k+ usage between any advisories. So I wouldn’t say that’s excessive.
More a sign of a perhaps more general owner who isn’t keeping an eye on overall tyre condition.
1 Like
Yes I said my friend got a 40th Anniversary and was almost mint… this MX-5 doesn’t quite live up to that standard though.
By the way which one are the usual suspect in the UK when it comes to MX-5 NC, who usually stocks them the most? I know GoodWood is the one for NAs for example
