Mine’s the same age and condition as Wardy’s . I’ll be getting a thorough underseal job done in the new year, but i don’t think it looks any worse than any other nine year old car. The really flakey ones do seem to be the exception rather than the rule, but that’s probably because MX5s get relatively light use compared to your average hatchback.
I am sure that if you look underneath any 9 year old car on the road , that subframes and suspension will have the same ‘patina’ and that Mazda is not any different to other manufacturers that sell cars in this damp and poor car friendly weathered country.
Looking for a cheap banger for the wife to beat to work in , than destroy her nice car and thats the age group I am looking at . So many have subframe corrosion, springs failing on rust etc. The difference is that manufacturers make cars for the world . Seeing an Audi guy from Birmingham in Florida on a busmans holiday working on an older V10 audi and showing how it has no corrosion at all compared to the UK cars he works on and how easy everything undoes and doesnt snap off etc.
I dont think the MX5’s are ‘really’ that much worse for corrosion. How many 18 year old general cars do you see on the road , when MX5’s just get welded up and carry on.
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My up gti! on 46.7K miles, used ‘as a car’ in whatever weather, looks better underneath than my ND, which has 30K miles less, and is rarely driven in the salt nor rain!
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That ND was apparently 1/2 that age
Thanks for all the advice - I’ve just put down a deposit on a NC2 so the ND will have to wait until next time !
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Great to hear - the discussions on rust and corrosion above very much still apply though 
Enjoy!
Steve
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Oh yes I’m fully aware of that !!
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I wonder why that is then, with it not being driven, as you stated, on wet or/and salted roads?
Did you get an underseal done?
3 posts were split to a new topic: Mini Cooper
We got a low mileage 17 plate and pleased as punch with it despite no glove box and contortions to change CD’s. Both key fob battery’s failed on the same day, I changed them myself despite the manual stating otherwise.
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