My wife fancies an Mx5. OK, let me re-phrase that. My wife needs a car, and I’ve managed to convince her that she fancies an Mx5 .
We have a big “practical” car, so this is just for my wife to get to and from work (only round the corner, she does 5 or 6k per year), and for a bit of fun at the weekends etc.,
The one sticking point, is that she needs Auto. She’s got an issue with her left leg, painful to press the clutch in.
I’ve discovered they’re as rare as rocking horse droppings.
I’ve seen a couple of mk2.5 at a couple of grand. I’ve been reading up re what to look out for, I’ve read about the rail rust problems.
But then, there are some Mk3s around, again auto seems rare but there’s the odd one for around 4k or so, which is more than I’d really want to spend - would require busting open a few piggy banks - but I’m just wondering if it would be worth spending the extra dosh?
While she’d like a fun car, I’d definitely put reliability & safety first. I’m sure the MK3’s are fun too, so if the general consensus is that the mk2.5 are more fun but mk3 are more reliable and better in terms of overall safety, then I’d go in that direction.
Thanks in advance,
oh - and if anyone has happened to notice an auto for sale, either mk2.5 or mk3, please let me know I’ve found a couple on eBay & Auto Trader.
The MK1 was uprated after a few years around 1993 with some more strengthening.
The MK2 in 1998 had a bit more strengthening to keep up with various regs.
The MK2.5 was tested by NCAP and got a goodish review but to an extent a could do better as it had only been piecemeal improved during the lifespan of the car.
There is no record of the testing agencies producing results for an NC in a public test.
The ND was tested in 2015 and while the crash testing was good it lost marks for a lack of active safety equipment like autonomous braking.
In 2018 it got full marks when the active safety measures were added to the 2 litre Sport and GT but not on the 1.5 or the base spec 2 litre SEL.
I’ve had 2 Powershifts in the last 3 years (changed the first for a better colour) which followed 6 manuals previously. For daily use there’s really no downside, and lots of positives.
The early automatics (NA,NB) were really sluggish, but he NC’s 6 speed slush box is pretty good. So, smash the piggy banks, blow the Christmas reserve, be patient, and go buy one; it’s an excellent car for easy driving and can be persuaded to pick up its skirts without much persuasion beyond a kick of the loud pedal. With a little negotiation you should get one privately for around £5k/50,000 miles though most will be unrealistically advertised for much more.
For example the real value of my 42,000 2009 Powershift, which is nearly immaculate, is 5600 or 4400 as a trade in. So with assertive haggling there’s room for considerable discount on advertised prices.
I‘ve now had 8 MX5’s over two decades and the only thing ever to go wrong was an electric window switch which I easily replaced myself. Serviced on time they’ve all been 100% reliable and the NC Powershift is no different.
I can thoroughly recommend the mk.3 (NC) Powershift.
Back in 2011, my wife talked her boss into letting her have an MX-5 as her company car. So a 2.0L Powershift with PRHT was her choice, because like the OP’s wife, she had a problem with her left leg when when changing gear a lot in traffic (and she did have to drive from Frome to Bristol, 25 miles each way, for her work). The 6-speed auto Powershift was perfect.
The NC does not suffer from the rust issues that plague the NB either - the latter’s front chassis rails are a definite weak point.
The Powershift-fitted MX-5s are a bit rare though - only 12 listed on Autotrader this morning - so expect to have to travel to find one.
All sorted :-). Found a 51 plate auto with 86k on the clock, my wife loves it :-). Thanks to the various helpful threads on here, I knew what to check for - no Chassis corrosion etc., the only thing I wasn’t sure on was whether the timing belt had been done as that was missing from the history, but an email to the very helpful garage who had looked after the car for the previous owner confirmed this was done at 54k miles, so all good
I’ve found a couple on eBay & Auto Trader.