I live in France & will be heading off to the UK in the morning to look for a MX5 - much cheaper than buying here!! I have been searching for 2005 / 2006 models - Can anyone tell me if the headlights on either of these models are adjustable for European motoring, or would I need to change the entire headlight assembly in order to register it in France? 
David
You have to replace, check Autolink as they have broken some Mk3 cars.
To get you home / keep you legal just buy some beam benders then look for lights from a lhd car from a breakers local to you. There is very little chance that you will be able to get lights from a lhd car in the uk. If you have difficulty finding lights a may be worth looking at site in the usa as the cars are popular there.
Hi David - Bienvenue 
Hope you find what you’re looking for and good luck with sorting the headlamps 
Hi,
I did the same - given the prices in France, it was almost half the price to buy an MX 5 in the UK, taking into account the ferry crossing and the control technique/cost for the carte grise/certificat de conformite. I found a garage that was happy to drop in the right headlights (it was a Mk 1). As the car will be on UK plates then you may get away with sticking the masking cover over the headlights to get it here.
Just be sure to buy an original UK car (not a Japanese import) to ensure that you can get a certificat de conformite.
For the headlights, if you need to buy Left Hand Drive then IL Motorsport is often cheaper for by the time you take into account postage costs to France than Autolink or MX5parts (both of which are excellent).
Good luck
Trunnie
Hi Everyone.
Many thanks for all your advice & good wishes.
I have found my 'dream’car - Mazda MX5, 2006, 34,000 miles on the clock, silver with black leather interier.
Tracked several down on Auto Trader before leaving for the UK - a few were ‘rubbish’ garages (Real Arthur Daily’ set ups!) so didn’t even bother looking - decided in the end to stick with Mazda Garage only; pleased I did, they have changed the headlights, 1 year wattanty, full service, 1 year European break down cover & are providing letter of conformite etc all included in the purchase price.
Picked it up yesterday, brilliant weather so did my first journey with the roof down 
Heading back to France through the tunnel tomorrow so just hoping it will be ‘roof down all the way’!
David
Hi Trunnie
Thanks very much for your help and advice, greatly appreciated.
I am now the very proud owner of 2006 Mazda MX-5 Sport 2000cc (my first Mazda) The Mazda dealer changed the headlights from R to L for me, so that challenge is out of the way.
I must now obtain the “Certificat de Conformite”. Can you please advise me where I can obtain the COC.
Regards
David
Hi David,
This is the text I used. The price is last years - so it may have changed since then. You may also wish to check that the address hasn’t changed. I found it on Mazda France’s website and rang them to confirm that it was correct (not sure if they speak English). It took about 4 weeks or so to get the certificate out of Mazda France.
Mazda Automobiles France SAS
Service Homologation
34, rue de la Croix de Fer
Saint Germain en Laye
Cedex 78122
<o:p> </o:p>
TOWN, le 28 mars 2011
<o:p> </o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
Objet : Mazda MX-5; demande pour un certificat de conformité <o:p> </o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
Messieurs,
<o:p> </o:p>
Je souhaite immatriculer en France un véhicule Mazda MX-5 actuellement immatriculé en Angleterre. J’aurais besoin, à cet effet, d’un certificat de conformité…
<o:p> </o:p>
Je vous prie de bien vouloir établir un tel certificat.
<o:p> </o:p>
A cet effet, vous trouverez ci-dessus :
1. Une copie du V5 (la carte grise anglaise) ;
2. Une cheque pour €131 a l’ordre de Mazda France
Vous remerciant pour votre diligence, je vous prie d’agréer, Messieurs, l’expression de ma considération distinguée.
<o:p> </o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
Hi
Thank you very much for the advice and assistance, you’ve been a great help. I’ll keep you inform of my progress.
Best Regards
David
I promised to keep you updated: My
MX-5 is now officially French. The process for registering the vehicle went
smoothly without and problems at all.
-
I had a Control Technique (French MOT) carried out - no problems.
-
Applied to Mazda France for the Certificate of Conformity. I posted the request on the Monday with all the relevent documents plus a cheque for 131 euros and received the Cof C on the following Thursday. Hows that for efficiency?
-
Made a visited to the Tax Office for a Quitus Fiscal (Tax Certificate) That was straight forward with no problems.
-
Finally a trip to the Prefecture for the Carte Gris (French Registration Document) After about 45 minutes I had the new registraton (immatriculation)
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Job done.
Thank you everybody for your help.
Because the weather is so bad here, the MX-5 is tucked up in the barn and I’m back to driving the LandRover (big differance). Looking forward to the warm summer days and being able to enjoy my Mazda
David.
Enjoy your MX5 !
well done David.
i am passing on this very interesting info to my pal who has lived in Dordogneshire for 10 years & still brings his land rover & lotus elise back every year to Uk for MOT.
i keep telling him he’s mad, but hey, he’s too content living off a very large NHS pension…
i love those French roads, deserted most of the time.
For anyone wishing to register their car in France, this is a handy website. http://britishexpats.com/articles/france/registering-motorcycle-car-france/
Congratulations David - sounds like a more efficient Prefecture than I have (nearly 3 hours wait). The good thing about registering the car here in France is that the Control Technique (French MOT) is once every two years and not annually.
One of my (French) colleagues decided that it would be cool to import an old London taxi. He didn’t realise that you can’t get a certificat de conformite for them and he doesn’t want to spend the cash on the individual inspection/approval route. So it’s now sitting in his parents barn until it hits 30yrs old (or disintegrates in the 5 years wait it still has to get there) as cars over 30yrs old don’t need a certificat de conformite/individual inspection to be registered here.
Trunnie