Looks less crusty than the other one. Has had some issues for a while though that don’t seem to have been managed. Enter the Reg No. here:
Seen far worse MOT histories.
The hood is not shown…suspicious.
The driver’s seat bolster is not shown…as usual…probably cracked up.
Leccy ariel looks stuck.
No mention of service history…if any.
It’s been laid up years…but to be fair it’s got a long ticket…BUT…never the less it’d need to be very cheap. It’ll probably need tyres due to age, full fluid change, brakes checked etc…check when CamBelt & water pump were done if possible. That’s vital if no history…and around £300.00 all in to get done.
Ball park, were it me, I can see around £600.00 plus needing spent.
In addition, there are no Frankenstein hard top bolts which may indicate the fabric hood has done all the work year in & out…which if needing fixed is around £450/£700.
Plus side, it’s an Auto whose engines if serviced properly ( Hah!) tend to lead an easier life.
Ask plenty questions on this one. Needs to be cheap…and now you know some bargaining chips. 
It does not look messed about with though…down to the folding sun visors.
Not sure if alloys are original but that’s no biggy.
There will be rust, G’teed…just a question of degree. See if vendor will send chassis shots.
Bet he won’t want to bother…
Its a black n tan, imported in 2005. Relatively rare; 1991 was when this colour was introduced. Looks completely standard; when these black V-Specs appeared, a lot of owners specified the chrome mirrors and additional front mudflaps. Aerial is a £25 repair. Drivers bolster looks all good. The split dust covers will be nothing more than the shock absorber boot being shredded.
Smashed in drivers side sill, might be pre-import.
Odometer is probably in Kms, so about 100k kms when imported. 19k kms in the 7 years it was in use before being taken off the road in 2012. I suspect, rustwise, its very very good. Cheap price for a Mk1 of this spec. Recomissioning, minor panel cosmetic sorted, this is a £3000 car.
Autolink has similar dry stored imports for £4k+.
anyone??
My power steering pipe needed replacing after it was sat one winter.
Worth a look though, surely.
Any old MX5s are bound to have issues to a certain degree. Normally rust. Just look in the places where people recommend.
Its got rot, will need recommissioning. Seller is being a bit evasive about the rust, short of “come see it yourself”. It needs to be trailered. Its a long way. You’ve said you are looking for a treat, and don’t know much about cars. This car will be another that won’t see much use, if any, this summer. I think there might be others worth looking at instead…
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This looks nice but too much do I think. it already up ro 1K. Would be a project. i think i may and buy a caravan insread!! 
thaks all of you for your help. Just o ask if i see one do you do a mechanic thing someone can have a look for me and i’ll pay them ofr thier time? id hate to drive to skegness for a mess!
BW
david
It may be worth finding out where your local monthly meeting is held and popping along there when we are allowed to meet again. I’m sure there will be plenty of owners prepared to offer advice
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Nope not for me that one if I wanted a doer up car.
Too many advisories brake related, it’s stuff a caring owner of 12 years you would have thought would have addressed. No rust related stuff though on the MOT.
It seems only the basics have been done to gain an MOT to make it stop go and turn corners. That accident damage is more serious than it seems, could have the door frame bent at the hangers, who knows. Move on👍
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Agreed - that’s quite a bad knock on the nearside. The bit in the ad about the front bumper being “still firmly attached” despite some mishaps made me smile - it’s a long time since I saw so much gaffer tape holding bodywork together!
You will find just the car for you in the for sale section on here. If there isn’t the right car for you now it will be there soon. 99% of the cars will have been cherished. 99% of the owners will be genuine enthusiasts. 99% of the cars will be honestly described. Anybody can list anything on Facebook, Autotrader and eBay. Only paid up members of the owners club can advertise here. I’m probably underestimating with all the 99% figures. I’m on my fourth MX-5. The first two were found via Autotrader and eBay. Both had some issues I wasn’t aware of. The last two have previously been owners club members cars. Both have been free from hidden issues and very accurately described. Look elsewhere if you wish, there will be some good cars but unless you are an expert it will be difficult to identify them. You did right coming here for advice, you will do well to stay here until you are sorted.
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For DavidJames.
I have just sat down and read from start to finish regarding the posts and advice.
I AGREE with all the advice about you buying a car from this Forum.
I was getting quite worried when you put the offer in to be honest! 
Likewise, I AGREE with all the advice about walking (sorry RUNNING) away from the rust buckets.
MickAP has great knowledge of the different models/years like MANY others do.
I like Roadie’s advice in particular.
Look what bally3 just picked up. 
Also, going to local meetings.
As you say you do not really know a great deal about the pitfalls of rust etc and just an opinion, you perhaps need to take off the “Rose Tinted Glasses” when you are looking.
Use your head and not your heart.
I mean all that in the “Very Nicest Possible Way”.
You say you have your heart set on buying an MX5 of some form.
In which case why don’t you join the club, (currently 3 months extra free)?
That would be money wisely spent and not chucked away on what we all would call “A Shed”.
Sure, you must be able to without owning a car just yet?
You can then make good useful contacts via this forum and indeed by word of mouth about buying a “GOOD” car for you to enjoy and not worry about forever.
Every one has different budgets and different needs and you WILL find one to suit you. 
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If on a limited budget, buy something with a long MOT, enjoy it for the summer, worry about repairs in winter. That first black n tan was a bargain. Even if you did nothing to it and moved on, you won’t loose any money on it. Non-interference engine, cambelt change is on miles, not age, and they rarely snap (I had a replacement belt snap on me on the M25, outside lane, no engine damage). California law warranties the same belt to 100k miles.
When searching, ignore mileage. Its the least important thing, with these cars.
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And as if by magic, if you fancy the 1.6 auto look no further, good price and description all laid bare, fill your boots.
But just look more closely at the sill/arch repair.
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Just the job. Been in the member’s ownership for four years. Was probably a good solid car when bought and it has had way more spent on it than is being asked. There’s a good chance that spending maybe £2k on a car worth £1.5k is what has made the owner fall slightly out of love with it. The van load of spares that come with it probably won’t be of interest to you so I would suggest somewhere between £1500 and £1600 for the car would be a very good deal for both buyer and seller.
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Hi,
Virtually all MX5’s unfortunately end up rusting.
However mostly it is underneath. To see this level of rust on an outer panel would fill me with dread, as it is likely to be a lot worse underneath. It comes down to how much is the car and how much you want to spend. As a minimum you will need the sills doing and a new wing, then some paintwork, but my guess is that it would be more extensive than that, so I would get a really good look underneath.
If this is all, you are probably looking at £1,500 at least to do the job properly. I would be tempted to look elsewhere…
Thank you.
Is that a reasonable price or would it be cheeky to push it? Are the autos as much fun? I’m slightly confused as it H reg but said reg in 2000’s
Thank you guys very much appreciate it.
David
It was first registered 1991 then imported 2004. They always give the car an age related reg plate on import hence it’s the H reg.
My imported Mk2 (now sold) came into the UK in 2008 but it had an R reg as it was first used in 1998 in Japan.
I’ll leave the comments about auto’s to others although I’ve read they can be just as much fun as a manual, I’ve never owned one.
As for price I think Roadie has it about right with his summary of the price for the car.
Having said that, and it’s just my personal preference if that were a manual gear box I’d be jumping all over that car myself, I’m looking for a car to tinker with. I’d look with caution though, check the sill/arch area.
If I were to buy another MX5 I’d buy from an enthusiast.
I bought mine cheap and envisaged buying it and fixing it up would be £2,000-£2,500.
I’ve now spent WAY more than that. (I paid with my heart instead of my head, and in dribs and drabs.) If I was to sell it tomorrow it would only be worth half of what I’ve spent on it. So the next owner, having bought it from an enthusiast, would be getting fantastic value for money. Much more value than buying a £500 car in my opinion.
If you didn’t get on with auto the conversion to manual is an easy standard swap.
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