Im looking at Mk 1’s and im on a very low budget.
Seen a nice roadster advertised on the net at a reasonable price.
I cant get to it easily but its not that far away. I did the HPI and it was imported in 2001 and has 5 owners including the current owner who has had it nearly 2 years.
Does this seem a lot of owners?
Im loath to pay for a full RAC inspection as its about 10% of its vlaue, and money ill sorely miss.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Has anyone bought a car from the net they havent seen in the metal?
Cheers
Jonathan
No i would always go see it/drive it first - very foolish not to!
I wouldn’t worry too much - if the current owner has had it for 2 years, then it surely won’t be a lemon, or if it was, the problems will be sorted now.
My 2003 had 4 owners (If I recall) when I got it in September (and between them had only covered 11000 miles!), so I wouldn’t worry about it.
Take the trip and see how it looks - at worst it is a day out [:)]
I think mx-5’s are the sort of car that has a higher number of owners. The V5 should also tell you the owner before the current one. You can always write to them and ask their history with the car. I’ve done that a few times with bikes in the past.
The first registered owner would have been the importer.
I wouldnt worry about the owners either especially if the last owner has had it for 2 yrs.
I bought my Mk1 based on internet pictures and description and paid a deposit safe in the knowledge that once I travelled the 200 miles to pick the car up, if I wasnt happy… I would walk away.
Best of luck
Can’t agree really [*-)]Mine is 10yrs old and I’m the 2nd owner
Seems like a lot of owners. My 1991 Eunos has had 2 owners since coming in to the UK in 2001. Although it could have had 100 jap owners and I would never know!
Sometimes there can be an explanation. I once had a car that had been passed from father to son and then to his wife. All the service invoices backed this up.
Just be weary. If 4 people have used/abused it and got bored it may have been pushed hard a few times.
If you see the car you can usually ‘feel’ if it has been looked after and a nice service history/collection of invoices/history shows a loved car. If you turn up and it has 4 mismatched tyres, poor paintwork, dirty interior etc and no history its not an ‘mx5oc’ type of car!
It’s the right time of year to buy and the credit crunch can only help.
Good luck.
I didn’t say everyone [:)]
I know a few people who have had 2 seater convertables and once the summer is over they realise that they can’t really live the relatively inpractical nature of the car and sell it. Bikes tend to have a high turn over of owners too for similar reasons. I’ve done it myself where i’ve decided to get rid of my bike and then in the spring, get the bug again…and repeat to fade.[:^)]
My uk 1991 has had 9 owners and 51k but i also have every mot it’s ever had.
I’m owner number 5(ironically lol!) of my 94 UK. I’ve got a folder full of receipts and bills, all the original manuals and leaflets so i know it’s been well looked after:)
I think when buying a car as with anything else it’s buyer beware, but i would never buy a car without seeing it/test driving it as i think you can ‘feel’ whether a car is a good 'un or not. Good luck with your quest and enjoy the car when you do get one:)
Cheers
Ben
The car i have put a deposit on is three owners since 2003, with one being importer and two owners owning for two years ech - quite happy at that.
However my last one had 7 owners sinece 94 so I guess a lot of peopel do buy and then move these on quite quickly.
The bst ones are the ones that people run in summer though, a look underneath will give away the true story.
Hi Jonathan
I dont see it matters. At the end of the day its all down to money. You get what you pay for. What do you want to do with your 5.
Our 1990 British 5 was £750 with 12 months ticket and 12 previous owners. But. She is straight, tidy, no major accidents and complete. We only bought her to have a little fun in. On reflection we could have paid double or more. That would have given us a better condition (maybe) car with certainly a better history. But we bought the car for driving and enjoying. I dont think spending more money would make it more enjoyable. They are after all a sports car and their greatest asset is their handling so they should have been thrown around a couple of corners sideways in their past. You dont buy a tractor to go to the shops do you.
Just check the usual things. Mot. Rust(especially rear of the door cills), brakes disks and pads, suspension and steering incl. bushes etc, any fluid leaks etc and condition of hood.
Like I said at the start of the reply. What do you want to do with your 5. If it is going to be a show car then buy as good a one as your budget allows. If it is just a fun car just make sure it is clean, tidy and safe. You will probably want to spend a few quid on it as you go anyway.
Go and see the car unless the price is rediculously cheap. Thats the best bet.
cheers Wayne
Mine’s had 5 owners from new. Incredibly, it was sold at 7 years old by a Mazda main dealer for £7000 and then driven with no maintenance for just over a year - I got it for £4000. They stand up to it mechanically, although the paint on mine was rough because it hadn’t been waxed regularly and appeared to have been parked under some nasty sappy trees.
5 owners is not a problem.
You often find people buy a 2 seater sportscar on a nice sunny day and as soon as it rains or they can’t fit in their mates or kids they trade it in.
This does’nt apply only to mx-5’s but all 2 seaters.
Also you get punters who will change their car’s 4 maybe 5 times a year.
I have one customer who changes his car every 3 months. More money than brains…
Ian[;)]