Have located a September 2024 Mazda MX-5 1.5 SKYACTIV-G Kizuna limited edition at my local dealership with only 680 miles on the clock.
Are there any faults I should be aware of in the late ND cars. For example are there any issues with 12V battery discharge if the car is not used on a regular basis.
Any info from owners will be very useful before I go to view the car. Thank you.
Sounds nice, for less than a year old nothing comes to mind other than any cosmetic damage it may have picked up, though I’m sure you’ll have considered that already.
It will still have a warranty so if something significant (like the battery?) fails early, you’d hope it would be covered by Mazda.
680 miles because it was a demonstrator, or previous owner didn’t like it? If it had a previous owner, maybe they had it properly undersealed? If not, consider budgeting £1K to have it done properly if you want.
Worth looking for cosmetic repairs as it may help negotiate the price. My car had ~1500 miles on it at purchase and I later discovered some overspray on the black grille - the nose had been repaired at some point. The nose actually looks fine (they did a good job) & I consoled myself that at least whatever damage there had been was not so great there had been a need to take off the front nose/bumper!
Thank you for the above, much appreciated.
If the ND is unused for a few weeks is there an issue with 12V battery drainage?
If I were to hook up a CTEK in situ and can I connect to both battery terminals without disconnecting anything.
With my previous NC it could be left for weeks but would still start easily every time.
You would be wise to use a smart charger on the ND.
Later cars seem to be better at keeping a charge than earlier ones.
You do not need to disconnect anything. It is easier to have a trailing plug permanently connected to the battery positive terminal and a body earth
point. (There are a few handy bolts in the vicinity of the battery on the ND)
MX5’s always tops the league tables for reliability and it’s under warranty still. If I was looking at it then I would check for even panel gaps and the tyres (for matching) and any other sign of an accident repair. Get any kerbing or minor scuffs fixed as part of the deal.
Battery drain is not usually a major concern but use a CTEK charger now and then or trickle charge over periods of non-use (say more than 3 weeks). My 2018 ND is still on the original battery.
Mazda suggest you don’t connect a charger direct to the -ve terminal of the battery. It should go to a chassis point somewhere so the battery management system can ‘see’ the charging.
That said my 2023 car has an issue with a CTEK (and maybe some others?) charger, as some others have reported, whereby stop-start stops working after using the charger. This is reported to self correct after some significant miles (100’s?), but being not willing to wait I disconnect the battery and sensor lead after the charging session’s finished for 30 seconds. On reconnection, stop-start works immediately, but the disconnection causes historical MPG data to be forgotten. None of this may be a problem on a 2024 car…
To the point of road rash on the wheels, they are difficult to repair/respray being a ‘shadow chrome’ colour. Some places won’t even attempt them as they can’t colour match them. Best I’ve found say they will do it, but want to do both wheels on the same side (so they match, and you can’t see the other side at the same time to compare!). I was quoted £150 a wheel, so £300 in total for one damaged wheel. Use that in your negotiation if you see any scuffs /damage on a wheel…
If they offer to repair, make them do both wheels on the same side so they match 
I had one dealer offer to replace a battery that had gone flat ‘just in case’, in an attempt to close the deal
Is it this one?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505302969710
Given the private plate attached and currently in the process of being retained, it would be safe to assume the last owner wasn’t the dealership. It has had 2 owners overall already though so could have been a demonstrator previously. 2 owners and that amount of miles is a possible flag to some buyers, but it depends if that bothers you and how long you intend to keep it for.
With that in mind, I’d be keen to understand what the reason for it coming into stock is. Oh, and don’t forget to ask where the cupholders have gone!
My first MX5 had one previous owner but had numerous cosmetic faults and must have had minor accidents both front and rear. Took a lot of work to bring it up to my standard. My second MX5 had two previous owners and was “approved” from a Mazda dealer. It still needed some work and turns out had been in a serious accident (but repaired well). My current MX5 had three previous owners and was in wonderful condition with no work needed. So number of owners is not necessarily an indicator of any mistreatment, quite often it’s just a lack of use that leads to passing them on.
Yes that is the car. It was originally a demo car, it was sold to someone who bought it for his wife as a surprise!!! but she wouldn’t drive it so it was sold back to the dealership after just a few weeks, hence the low mileage.
I have bought two MX5’s from this dealership over the years (both ex demo cars + an ex demo Mazda 3) and never had any issues. Anyway will have a careful look at it tomorrow.
On the opposite end of the scale I have found a 2011 2ltr Kendo, one owner from new 28K miles. Waxoyled from new, full service history and seems to be immaculate inside and out. Perfect MOT history. Have previously owned three NC’s over the years. Obviously a lot les money to lay out - but fancied updating to an ND. Choices, Choices ???
Some decent context and background then - shame she didn’t like it!
Hope all goes well with the viewing and keep us updated 
I tried an ND but stuck with the NC. It’s mostly half the price for pretty much the same experience.
Maybe…but then I only found out last week that that dude called Father Christmas, whom I believed in all my life, don’t really exist after all 
I shall be digging into the exact history when I visit the dealership, I know for certain it was an ex demo car registered in Sept 24, I want to know the date the buyer purchased the car and the mileage, the date the buyer sold the car back to the dealership and if any warranty work has been carried out.
Have a look her Nd hologram stickers - Technical Area / Body, Interior & Styling - MX-5 Owners Club Forum. I shows where all the VIN security stickers should be. If they are missing or painted over it raises some questions.
Arrived at the dealership this morning. Despite me calling the day before to ask if they can make sure the car will be under cover and dry it stood outside in the pouring rain. Not a good start, so not possible to have a good look at the bodywork in detail.
History - the car was an ex demo registered in Sept 24, it was sold in Feb 25 and then sold back to the dealership in June 25 as the buyers wife could not get on with the car. It only covered a few hundred miles during that time.
There is no history of any warranty work just the PDI in Sept 24. It does seem a genuine car.
It appears to be immaculate inside and out side apart from a small mark on the front bumper about 1 cm wide and 5cm long. This would need to be rectified to as new standard if I were to buy the car.
As the weather was so bad I have arranged to go back on Sunday morning when the car is dry, the weather is supposed to be dry and sunny on Sunday. Hopefully I will get a decent test drive and a good look at the bodywork.
Had a long test drive today in the September 2024 Mazda MX-5 1.5 SKYACTIV-G Kizuna limited edition at my local Mazda dealership. A very nice drive, engine stills feels tight which you would expect with only 640 miles on the clock.
I went to the dealership with the intention of buying the car today, but I have to say after driving the car for almost one hour I returned to the dealership with quite a lot of lower back ache. I tried all sorts of seat adjustment combinations but couldn’t get any lower back lumbar support. I’m really not sure what to do now, I came away from the dealership feeling very disappointed.
I have owned three NC’s and never had back ache even after driving on long journeys. I think the seats in in the NC are more supportive.
Anyone else had the same problem with ND seats, and did you find a way round the issue.
I’ve had two NAs, one NC and one ND. The ND seats have zero lumbar support and I too find them uncomfortable on a long journey. I’ve never found this with my previous cars.
I’ve been meaning to add an inflatable lumbar support to the seats. Access to the back of the seats looks easy and should be possible to fit something inside the seat. Extra padding in the base wouldn’t do any harm either.
Mazda just went way too far with weight saving in the seats,