In am in the market to buy a used MX5 to use as a second car during the summer months l have a budget of around £1500 to £2000,what can l expect for this money,what do l need to lookout for and l’m l best to go for a UK car or a Eunos.Has anyone got any reviews about Goodwood sports cars in the North East as they look to have an appealing selection.lntend and look forward to joining the club once l have bought a car.
Many Thanks.
NOTE - If somebody else replies before me after I’ve typed all this out [:@]
The first thing that you will notice when you begin searching is that prices vary hugely - there are 15 year old MK1s for sale for more than 2 year old MK3s.
You should be able to pick up a sound MK1 for that sort of money, maybe even a reasonable MK2 - it just depends on your luck.
Between UK/Import, you will get different opinions from different people.
Japanese cars usually have a higher spec, often having a/c and electric windows etc. when at the time the UK cars had nothing.
However, the big down side is that there are quite a few insurance companies that do not cover imported cars, which can have a big difference in your premium depending on your situation.
For instance, I’m an 18 year old student, never made a claim (1 full year no claims), but would pay around £2000 more to insure an imported car, because the two cheapest companies for me do not cover them - if you are middle aged, with a fairly clean license & recent history, you probably won’t even notice a difference…
Parts are fairly similar for the two cars, with only minor differences, so there is no real worry there.
Rust is the biggest problem with older cars - check the sills, and the rear arches in particular, since these areas tend to be weak spots, but needless to say, check the whole car.
Mechanically they are very sound, so mileage should not be a concern (but the lower the better) - the cambelt should be changed at 54,000 miles, and argueably 6 years (depends who you ask), so budget a bit for that if there is no evidence of it being done (although the engine is non-interference, so it won’t be wrecked if it breaks).
Engine wise, I would go for the more powerful 1.8, but that depends on how you are going to use it, but since it is a summer car, presumably fuel economy is a smaller factor than performance.
Good luck, and welcome to the site!
I picked up my '91 V-spec with 85k miles on it from a dealer last summer for £1695. The jap cars do have a nicer spec and once you have looked at a jap car similar UK cars will seem a bit basic.
I have no issues with rust on mine. I have seen rotten UK and Jap cars, I think it all depends on how loved they have been. When you see a car you will get a ‘feel’ for it, mine had a lot of bills and history, so someone had obviously taken an interest in it.
I looked at a UK car from a dealer that had a tired hood, faded worn seats and broken interior switches. Why would anyone neglect a car, gives a good indication of the condition of the oily bits.
Second hand cars are always a gamble. Don’t be shy on a test drive. If it pulls clean, handles well and stops well it’s a good indicator!
The best place for the information you seek is here,BTW G’day mate, Welcome to the Forum
http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/forums/190.aspx
not a lot to add to all that advice except;
if it looks good
sounds good (quiet engine)
drives well & true
it’s worth a very close inspection & putting on the buy list
[Y]
Welcome John
Good luck with the car search, if it starts ok, no noises, handles well and stops without a problem and ‘feels’ right then you could be on to a winner!
Try a few out first to get a feel as there are plenty to choose from out there, some good, some bad, and some so used it’s a tragedy!!!
Make sure you post some pics of your new toy when you get it!
Cheers
Ben