I’m about to buy my first MX-5 after driving one recently and becoming obsessed!! I have my heart set on a MK1, 1.8i preferably an S (which I think are only imports?) or a classic special edition.
I am a little worried about buying an import - can there be problems with mileage, and how can you tell its service history or if its a repaired write-off? Also, do imports hold their value equal to UK cars?
I’m hoping to get one from Dandy Cars - does anyone know if they are good?
Best read on this forum is here, also have a flip through the rest of the posts in the buying guide and also the general forum in the FAQ section of the garage area
Speaking from what I’ve read/heard, rather than experience, Dandycars are dearer than a lot places, but their after sales service and warranty is second to absolutely none.
http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/forums/t/3518.aspx goes to show just how far their dedication stretches - without their help, Simon’s car would almost certainly have been written off, but from what I gather, they did as much as they could to keep it on the road.
They are experts in the cars, which is reflected in the preperation before the cars are sold, and in the rectifcation of any issues.
If you plan to sell your car after 12 months, then I’d look elsewhere, because you will lose a lot more money than you otherwise would, but if you want a strong solid car that will last, then look no further.
A good friend of mine has an ex-DandyCars 5. Was very well presented & prepped by them.
UK or import? - there’s arguments for both, but I prefer the Eunos Roadster - a bit less poverty-spec, although later UK Mk1s were starting to get some of the essentials too.
Hi Sarah,after a ride in a friends 5 last summer I looked for and bought a nice 1993 Eunos V-Spec. BRG and tan with the nice Nardi wheel, have a look here - http://www.withavee.co.uk/page25.html
I have had the car since end August '08 and it has been cheap to run and insure. It is a 1.6, though I started looking for a 1.8. I just found that in reallity there was almost no performance advantage on real roads and the ‘added lightness’ was more noticable.
The car had 91000km on the clock (less than 56000 miles) and limited service history but felt right. I am still a very happy owner and will keep on top of any issues as they arrise. It cost me £1800 as a private sale. Similar cars from specialist dealers were £2500 to £3300 at the time and I could not see where the £1000 was going, but perhaps I have been lucky.
There are certainly lots of people on here who will, I am sure, be happy to help with general info, test rides and specific help on any car you feel an interest in.
Don’t be afraid to go for a UK car if you find a decent example. Mine is a '94 1.8i S which has power windows, power mirrors, power aerial, ABS, PAS, etc…
My 1.8 is quick too. It’s standard but when i hit the pedal boy can it fly!!!
Whatever you choose make sure you get the roof down and enjoy some summer sunshine in style[:)]
Very exciting news - I’m going down to pick up a Brilliant Black 1997 1.8 Classic Special Edition on Friday!!! Haven’t seen the car yet so providing its as good and well looked after as the owners say I shall be spending my Easter cruising around in my new baby!!
Thanks for all your help - I couldn’t afford the Dandy Cars one in the end as needed to buy a hardtop too but this one is a real beauty - will post pictures as soon as I take them.
Cheers everyone, hopefully see you soon at a meet somewhere! I was thinking of taking it to the track day at Snetterton but that was when I thought I was getting a sport import, but now I’m not sure I can thrash a Classic! Any ideas?
Hope it all goes well on Friday! - that’s still 48 hours away… the longest 48 hours of your life! lol [;)]
I’d get a quick service done before you thrash it too much! At least you’ll know where you’re starting from if the previous owner hasn’t kept up the service schedule.
A popular misconception is that early UK cars were less well equipped (“poverty spec”) than Roadsters. In truth, there isn’t a lot of difference, once you get beyond vlsd and aircon, which were never offered on UK Mk1s (and not required by most). With the introduction of the 1.8 in 1994, Mazda Cars Limited introduced a more base level trim. The M-package Roadster (post 1995) can be seen as a little poverty spec (it replaced the old base level (and unpopular) Roadster, but wasn’t quite as well equipped as the S-Package).
With the age of these cars, trinkets like trim specs become less important, condition more important. Virtually all UK Mk1s have been in the UK longer than any Mk1 Roadster (a handful of Roadsters were imported prior to 1997, but not many).
My comments were typically based on the spec of Roadsters I’ve seen.
Typically they featured:-
LSD (either viscous or Torsen), PAS, A/C, elec windows, elec mirrors, headrest speakers, ABS, Bilstein suspension, as well as a variety of “Special Editions”.
I’m not saying that all imports I’ve seen had all of these, but from my experience not many UK cars had many of them until later.
The imports were generally in better condition too (with the odd exception - a rotten-silled VR Ltd in N.W. London).
