Afternoon All,
I’m currently running a diesel Jag XE R-Sport but as things have changed i’m looking at getting an ND RF as a weekend car with the odd requirement for use during the working week.
I’ve read about gearbox issues in the early ones that still seem to have the odd problem so the advice seems to be the later the better. Is there an easy way to ID the gearbox version and will it make a difference if it’s a Mazda dealer or not if there’s an issue?
The budget is £20K and hopefully the XE will contribute a useful amount.
Anything to look for in a test drive?
Cheers
Nat
Good afternoon Nat.
Upto £20k should get you a nice RF with the updated gearbox 68 plate onwards…)
Do you prefer a 1.5 or 2 litre? Gearbox is less of an issue on the 1.5 and affects largely the early 2.0 litre cars more.
I bought mine from a small independent dealer and was happy to do so, because it still had 14 months manufacturers warranty… Have a look on Prestige Vehicle Consultants (PWC) - They specialise in the sales of quality MX-5’s… 
Car Guru’s and Autotrader are also worth checking out…
Rob
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Cheers Rob, i was thinking of the 2.0 184 ideally. I’ll take a look at PVC.
Cheers
B-)
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Hi Nat
Before you take your test drive just make sure you adjust the seat and rake so you feel really comfortable, I’m over 6ft and I have no problems at all. I think some walk away without properly adjusting saying it’s too small.
If possible get a 30 AE , they are known to be 99.9% Oranger than all other models 
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Okeycokey, i’m looking at late model GT Sport Nav + but can’t decide on the Red, Grey or Black! Any help appreciated.
B-)
For me personally Soul Red , I always think it’s a colour that really suits the ND . I don’t mind black, but my son has a black car ( not Mx5)and boy is it hard to keep clean.
Apart from the launch edition I haven’t really seen many greys , I do quite like the new flat machine grey I think it’s called ?
At the end of the day it’s your choice , I just think it’s a sports car don’t hide it away.
Sorry I meant polymetal grey
I do like the Soul Red it’s does look good in the garage and the Machine Grey looks nice aswell. Then again i do like a (clean) Black car but as you say they are a mission to keep clean!
B-)
If you’re not too worried which colour out of the three, I’d buy on condition/price/mileage.
Personally I’d never have another black car. To me unless it’s just been cleaned they always look grubby, plus swirl marks / micro scratches show up really badly.
Certainly not black for me… Soul Red or Machine Grey are nice, and I’d just get the nicest example I could find at the time of purchasing…! 
Rob
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Good point on those micro scratches etc, my current XE which is black is in for a clean today to spruce it up for sale.
B-)
My previous MX5 was Soul Red, an absolute gorgeous colour, complimented with tan/cream leather. When I was thinking of swapping I would stare at the picture below over and over wondering what to do.
Black never featured in the equation for me but the Polymer Grey did. In the end… well Snowflake Pearlescent White won… I totally love it now, but back then it was a close call 
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My black rf looks awesome when it’s clean, keeping it clean is hard work though as it’s Street parked. I should have got ceramic coated when I bought it… I will probably get that done this summer.
If I was to buy another I’d still buy black
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That Black on Black with the wheels as well does look good. . Black does seem to be a less popular colour for the MX5 B-)
Have been looking at white soft tops for the gf. They do look sexy.
With my black one I’ve swapped the badges to black ones, just for that batmobile feeling. I wound get it debadged and filled but expense has stopped me.
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