Help with valuing my Type 2 S-Special

[Howl]

Hi all,

Please excuse my ignorance here, I am quite new to MX5’s and don’t really know the in’s and out’s!

I bought my Eunos last year as a project and picked it up quite cheap. When I posted a picture on FB someone commented that it was a Type 2 S-Special and explained some of the differences to me. This was all new to me as I bought it assuming it was a basic NA, which was what the seller told me it was.

I am aware that there are quite a few ‘Special Editions’ of the NA but was also told this one was quite sought after due to the LSD that it comes with.

Its a 1996, about 142,000km’s and was imported in the earlier 2000’s. Its Montego Blue in colour and has the hard top with electric window demister.

It appears the Bilstein suspension has been replaced at some point with other shocks, however I have installed some decent H&R springs as one of the other ones was broken. The wheels are no longer with the car but I’ve put a nice set of Rota’s with Continental tyres on. I replaced the soft top in the summer and the hard top is in good nick. It has the black strut brace in the engine bay and bent stalks, momo leather steering wheel etc in the cabin and it says ‘Special’ on the door jam sticker.

The wheel archs are not rusted and I had the rear sills replaced in summer as they were starting to go. The body work has some dings (it was parked under oak tree so the acorns made a couple of dinks) plus there is some other age related marks on the bonnet. Overall its pretty good condition for 25 years old.

The interior is in very condition with the only issue being some wear on the drivers seat bolster.

The difficulty I have had is in finding other Type 2’s for sale to help me gauge a value. I am looking to sell soon as I fancy something different.

I guess the question I’m asking is are these more valuable than a normal MX5? And if so, by how much? I know this is a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string question’ as it depends on what someone would pay for it but I am hoping some fellow owners might be able to give me some pointers and what would be a fair place to star.!

Any help would be appreciated and thanks in advance!

Rob

[Jemster]

Love your car and love the plate!

[Roadster_Robbie]

Depending on where you are, if you end up selling the hard top separately can you give me 1st refusal please?

Can’t help with a value for the car I’m afraid, sorry.

[ast]

Not worth any more than any other Mk1 MX5.

“Special” in this case does not mean what you think. All Eunos Roadsters from 1992 onwards will have “Special Edition” on them. It does not denote they are a special edition.

I have one of these.

As a 1996 car, the S-Special was available in two flavours; the S-Special Type I and the S-Special Type II, the difference was the S-Special II had 15" BBS wheels. Its a pity these were not retained (harder to find than the 4.300 diff), as well as the rear finisher, with its distinctive green lettering badging. These cars were part of “Phase 2” Eunos Roadsters, which had the updated switch gear, revised seating (the wear on the bolster is par for the course), revised carpeting.

1995jp_Roadster_brochure.pdf

Given the condition from the MOT history, £3000-3500 seems fair. Lower end now we are getting into winter.

[Mazda_mender]

These are centred on CONDITION ,miles, originality and edition , as NOT all were editions for the JDM ,the wrong wheels are on, steering wheel and number plate carrier? and suspension, which makes me wonder “what alse as been change”? basically she was an RS without the bucket seats when built, saying that though she looks clean from the pics, but then they all do in pics, for a true valuation personally i would need to fully check her over in the flesh, and depends on how cheap the project was? as nearly everyone with these think they have a gold mine sat on the drive.

http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7638

M-m

[ast]

This car was imported back in 1998, so it would have been a very pricey car then (some of the Mazda dealers then were importing cars. My S-Spec was imported by the oldest Mazda dealer in 2000). As I recall, back then, there was this big issue about rear numberplate finishers, and Mazda was refusing to sell UK spec finishers to Roadster owners (along with speedos; the price was jacked up to £400 on exchange for a 0-140mph head). There was confusion at the time whether the rear square plates were even legal (they were). Andy Fox (Donutz) sold quite a few of these when Mazda wouldn’t supply them. My natural first reaction to seeing a rear panel change is to lift the boot carpet and check for damage.

The car looks smart, but anyone who knows these cars, will see the MOT history which indicates average condition on the underside. I would be pricing in, fairly soon (next couple of years), new arches, even though what you have looks fine right now.

The values are volatile. About 2 years ago, I sold my S-Limited. It was a nice car (180k kms, new arches, new sills, full repaint, new (Maxilite) wheels and Continental tyres, Zeta-Pro coilovers, new 4-2-1 header, Mongoose exhaust, “new” carpet, rollbar, some JDM goodies. I sold it as a nice, ready to go, Mk1, rather than as a S-Limited (I had black leather seats, no gold BBS, but it was sold spare cloth tombstone seats, and S-Limited seat furniture, came with wood Nardi rather than the leather Nardi it should have had). I had, in my head, a value of £5500, but the market quickly found its true value of £3500 or thereabouts. The market has moved on since, both for Mk1s, and used cars in general, but I woud still stick by £3-3500.

JDM special editions are niche. They matter less in the UK than, say, in Japan (you’d make more money shipping a RS back to Japan, which is what one owner did with their rare M2-1028; sent it back to Japan to a buyer there). The debate in the US and Canada now has turned to the UK as being a source of Mk1s, because we are now the cheapest market for these cars (because currency rates, and US buyers pushing up auction prices in Japan). The US is a relatively expensive market for used cars, where even a very worn out Mk1 fetches $3-4000.

[Howl]

Thank you!

[Howl]

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

[Howl]

Yeah I know it’s missing a few of the original bits which is a shame. The wheels I took off when I bought it were terrible and the tyres even worse, at least ones look nice and hold the road!

[Howl]

That’s a good, clean looking car. The underside is ok, showing it’s age for sure though, I feel like it would be perfect for an enthusiast who loves these to get back in to top shape.

The rear number plate panel was swapped out to a UK one so the private plate would work better!

[ast]

@Howl

Yeah I know it’s missing a few of the original bits which is a shame. The wheels I took off when I bought it were terrible and the tyres even worse, at least ones look nice and hold the road!

It didn’t have the 15" BBS wheels did it ?

[ast]

@Howl

That’s a good, clean looking car.

It polishes up ok, but it was repainted in 2009, and now that paint is looking tired. 270k kms on it. In 2017, it looked like this.

Had it since 2005. Even though the drivers side looked horrific, and the passenger side ok, once all the metal was cut back, the passenger side proved to be worse.

Didn’t look too clever in 2011, after losing an argument with a grass bank. £3k worth of damage, miracle I kept the car.

I guess I am attached to it.

[Howl]

Oh no they were some horrible aftermarket ones!!

That happens with cars, I change mine quite regularly as there’s a lot I want to own and never enough time but I always regret selling them!