Looking for some advice, I’m looking to buy my first MX-5 and I thought I had found one, I was going to look at it tomorrow.
The pictures of the car look great, the service history is good and it’s the spec that I want and I think the price is ok at £4700. However the seller has given me the reg number and I think I’m put off by the MOT history. Am I right to avoid it or should I go and look anyway?
For reference it’s 2010 20th anniversary.
Subframe rust is a norm (as well as other chassis components) ,however it does depend on severity and how easy it would be to rectify….correctly.
Brake pipe renewal…. Ask seller to rectify to seal any form of deal ?
If it’s not too far away from you no harm in looking.
Take pics of underneath the car if possible and check the rear arch to sill location for rust.
Post taken pics for further advice on forum.
As above really, slight surface corrosion is pretty much standard on all cars, I agree that brake pipes should be asked to be replaced as a deal sealer, also the wheel being slightly distorted that probably says its a bent rim so id be bartering abit of money off to replace said wheel and tyre, if they refuse to do brake pipes to sweeten the deal but will drop the price close to 4k then it might be worth it, if not id be tempted to walk away.
Also of note that is not a current up to date mot certificate, does it have a current ticket or not?
If the answer is in the negative I’d definitely be walking away without a good chunk off the asking price or completely but that choice is your’s.
Ok thanks.
The latest MOT reports 3x of the wheels are slightly distorted, I will sleep on it but I think I will keep looking, probably enough red flags
That being the case, it sounds like it would be a can of worms, doesn’t sound like its been too well cared for if 3x wheels are bent, I’d be questioning what else is wrong or been overlooked maintenance wise.
My advice would be to look for a nicer example, you’ll save yourself money and headaches in the long run and actually enjoy the journey of owning an MX-5 rather than regret it.
Hope you find a better example soon.
What exactly are you after spec wise?
looking for mk3 1.8 or 2.0, with good service history and ideally without any mention of rust on the MOT.
Colour wise pretty open, budget max 5k I think that’s a good amount
That should be doable, hopefully you will find a nice low mileage well cared for mx.
Good luck
