Hello,
Just a quick one if anyone is or knows anyone selling any mk2 sub 70k miles, well looked after and under 5k please let me know
This one looks tidy with good MOT history. I just would like some advice from any previous owners that have owned one before and all the bad things to look out for.
Thank you
Dylan
Difficult on the strength of those photos. Drivers side rear sill welded up in 2019
Passenger side
Drivers side
Where are the drain points either side of the drivers side rear jacking point. Could be crappy photo/lighting, but I would take a close look at that side, to make sure they haven’t tried to form a lip using a repair patch (which would imply there is effectively no jacking strength, because the actual sill is lying in pieces inside).
Have a good look in the front wheel arch, around the subframe and front antiroll bar mountin g points, of the front chassis rails., particularly the underside. The plastic engine tray might be in the way. Have a screwdriver discretely available for a poke. If the engine tray is missing, I think in general, that’s a bad sign about the car in general.
The B6 is a robust engine;m check oil etc. The radiators can give way around the filler. If the plastic looks a bit brown-green, look for any little yellow plastic cracks. Look for oil leaks around the back onto the rear heater hoses. If you can, pull a plug lead, and look for oil as evidence of camcover gasket failure.
The gearboxes rarely give issue, hence used ones are worth not much more than scrap weight. Check clutch action. If it feels light, spongey, likely the slave cylinder is on the way out, which is a super cheap fix, but could be a useful bargining point. Low fluid in the small clutch reservoir indicates a failing £20 slave cylinder. Full fluid, and a light clutch probably points to imminent master cylinder failure. A chiriping clutch might be a seized release bearing, which is basically a gearbox off job, or it might be lust a dry release fork needing a dab of grease.
Mk2 seats are normally quite worn. This is also a non-import (or not an EU import, as some Irish Mk2s came here); Jap import Mk2s have high back buckets that look like earlier Mk1 seats.
Same brakes as the Mk1, so cheap to fix. Same handbrake issues; check it holds on a hill; if it doesn’t, it might need new rear calipers. 6-7 clicks, not 9-10. After a drive, go around and check, carefully, wheel temperatures, and look for any that are hotter than the rest. Front wheels will be warmer than the rears, but shouldn’t be redders.
Check in the boot, around the battery. These still need the same AGM Panasonic as Mk1s, and if the wrong battery is fitted, there might be corrosion. In some cases, a replacement battery might be fitted without a plastic battery tray, leading to rust. Some of these Mk2s also used to suffer from rusting of the bootlid, from the getgo.
Roof; probably a replacement by now, but as the car has a hardtop, it might be original. Don’t foret to get the hardtop off to inspect the roof. On a base car like this, it will be vinyl. On early cars, Mazda had issues with the bonding between the rear glass and the vinyl. If there are splits in the binding over the doors, the hood might have 12-18 months left in it.
Personally, for £5k, I think this is expensive. If one sill has been welded, I’d expect the other to be not too far behind. A £3-3.5k car.
Hello,
Thank you so much for taking time out your day to help. I will take into notice everything you have said. I’m likely going to go and have a look in the next few days.
Again thank you a lot for the advice i really appreciate it being young and not having a lot of knowlage about there welding/rust situation
A lot of the same things, front chassis rails apart, affect both the Mk1 and Mk2, as underneath, they are essentially the same car
Guy down the road has a special edition Mk2 of some sort that looks very tidy. Under 50k. Offered it to me for 3k. Just had £600 spent on tyres. Cornwall mind.
Ah I see. Are they still looking to sell it?
For your price range, an NC would be a better long-term buy.
Most people are nowhere near Cornwall. If you are serious I will pop round and ask him.
Agree. Especially a first time buyer.
A lot less to the NA/NB. Much more is DIY, and parts are cheap. There is a HUGE amount of technical information in print (workshop manuals) and on line (the excellent miata.net resource is primarily NA/NB). Rust is well understood. Rust knowledge on the NC is still developing. Added to that the perception about the fickleness of the MZR engines. B6 engines really are bulletproof, and can take a beating. The MZR less so, and 1.8 MZRs are thin on the ground if replacement is needed.
Owned an older mk2 for a few years and it was a lovely car. If you are set on one then be patient and be prepared to travel. As said the B6 engine is robust and the gearbox sweet. Inside the cockpit is simple and all the better for it. I have never owned an NC so can’t comment, but not as pure an experience I would imagine. Good luck.
