i think I am back in the market for a mx5. It’s either thatnor a high end bicycle or motorcycle. Given I have both a bicycle and motorcycle my preference is for the car.
its mainly for high days and holidays as I need my current 4 seater.it also has to be reliable as with 2 young kids messing about is out of the window.
budget is really £2500 but everything I like or look good is nearer £3k.
I don’t want a mark2 as I had one years ago. I really like the stark simplicity of the mk1 but the mk3 is nice as well but if it really came down to it I would pick the mk1. I realise rust is an issue and given my lack of mechanical knowledge I would rather get a car that had a lot of history and was under sealed.
these are the current choices and would really appreciate some advice. I am in no hurry so don’t mind waiting a few months for the right car. Also how much would I need in the kitty for stuff that may go wrong?
Of the set below my preferences are:
1600 v spec
2.1.8 R
3.mk3/ mk1 blue.
my number 1 choice maybe a dealer but I could be doing the guy a great injustice.
My preference would be the Mk1 1.6 Roadster, without hesitation. The sill repair on the V-spec is baddly done, full of filler. The R-Limited; the seller knows better, there is a reason why there are no close ups of the repaired sills. The Mk3; I don’t like Mk3s, but this one sounds like a dogs breakfast. The slight reservation with the mariner blue car is to check the engine. Slightly strange about the mileafge; the speedo must have been replaced, but as a recent import, the mileage won’t be monstrous.It appears a very fairly price car considering the condition.
Why would the mileage on a 26 year old car worry you, when you are happy with a 167k miler Mk3, with a scrapyard engine that might last 40k miles?
The mariner blue car is a S-package; power windows, power steering, aircon, limited slip differntial. It will have heradrest speakers fitted, and has a nice new upgraded roof fitted. The sills are original and perfect. For that sort of money, I think you will be looking quite a while to find a better condition car for the same money. The issue with the mileage is that when the car was first MOT’d, it was recorded with 300k on the clock; whether that was miles or kms, that car does not look like a high miler. The seller posted about this car on their facebook page. It seems the previous speedo was faulty. Personally, I would certainly follow up on this car. Its very very rare to see cars out of Japan with more than 180k kms on, and when they do, the paintwork is in poor nick.
Sorry to hijack this thread, but I’m looking for a 2.0 mk3, so could you elaborate on these improvements? What’s wrong with the stock mk3, and what can you do to improve them? Have you any recommendations?