I'm back, this time looking for an ND!

Buying a ‘5 and Insurance advice Buying Advice
#1

Hi, pretty sure I was here in the past but I sold on my NC in 2012 so haven’t been around for a while.

Currently have a Porsche Carrera 2S and Volvo V40 (don’t ask, it was my dad’s and I took it over after selling my M140i last autumn after being out of work 5 months :frowning: ).

I’m on a new plan now - Porsche and V40 are going and incoming will be a new Tesla M3 plus something ‘lightweight and fun’. I’ve had Caterhams and an Elise in the past, but now need something a little more practical hence looking at the MX5 again!

I have found a few that I like - any opinions on these gratefully received -

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101067696866?onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&radius=200&postcode=po124gd&sort=price-asc&advertising-location=at_cars&make=MAZDA&maximum-mileage=60000&model=MX-5&zero-to-60=TO_8&price-to=14000&transmission=Manual&year-from=2015&price-from=10000&include-delivery-option=on&page=1 - this looks nice, slightly higher mileage than some, can be delivered and not sure about Dimex R8 tyres??

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101298495724?price-from=10000&body-type=Convertible&radius=70&postcode=po124gd&sort=relevance&make=MAZDA&zero-to-60=TO_8&advertising-location=at_cars&model=MX-5&price-to=14000&include-delivery-option=on&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&page=1 This looks really nice (IMHO), any thoughts on the ‘full factory fitted Aero body kit’? private seller

And of course this one 66 Reg Mk4 2.0 Sport Nav roadster with safety pack in soul red for sale 16k mileage - further to travel to view but also newer and slightly more expensive.

I’m completely new to looking at these so any words of wisdom gratefully received!

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#2

Just had a quick look and they all look nice… The Dimax tyres may have been put on by the seller - proper “ditchfinders” by the look of it…! I have a 2018 ND2 " 2 Litre which has the uprated (184) engine, but they are rarer and dearer…! But overall, I love the ND :slight_smile: Rob.

#3

I’m not an owner (yet) but am actively looking for a late 184 RF, and have been around the car world for many years.
From my research the very early cars are more likely to have gearbox issues, although anything before about 2018 may have. There have been 3 revisions I think. Someone please correct me if I’ve got this wrong.
Unless you particularly want the safety pack, it adds no value to the retail price.
Ditchfinders are a no go for me, as they’re not much cheaper than decent tyres and smell of running on a budget, so what else may have been done on the cheap?
Ideally a one owner car.
Buying privately is a risk as it’s out of Mazda warranty. In theory a dealer is responsible for faults that develop, or could have been developing for 6 months from date of sale.
So, to conclude, a new as possible 1 owner 2 litre sport nav with impeccable provenance is what I’d be looking for, in the colour you want.
Personally I’d prefer a 2 year old with 30k miles, than a 5 year old with 10k,
Good luck with your search.

#4

4 revisions, mine came with a v1 and now has a v5.

#5

I stand corrected,- blimey, 4 - is the problem sorted now?

#6

Wow, I hadn’t heard about the gearbox issues before, that’s a bit of a worry!

#7

Sorted no, i think failures on an ND2 are practically unheard of. But the problems with the gearbox weren’t resolved on ND2, they basically just made changes to the car to mitigate gearbox failure, for example the ND2 has less torque than the ND1 despite being more powerful.

#8

The early gearbox problem was mostly on the 2.0l model and most of those were, I believe, due to using the cars for track days.
The ND was designed around the 1.5l 130bhp engine with a gearbox made to match. However the US market wanted a more powerful engine and so the 2.0l 160bhp variant was built but it put additional stresses and strains on the gearbox that wasn’t designed for it. There were very, very, very few failures on the 1.5l model.
The first 2.0l was not really what it should have been with about 160bhp(?). What it should have been is the post 2018 engine which has the characteristics of the 1.5l but at 183bhp it has 50bhp more power and more useful torque.

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#9

I have read pretty much the same thing - 1.5L didn’t translate very well into American! Hence a 2L engine that wasn’t designed for it - Happily I have a 2018 ND2 2L… (184, just to be sure :slight_smile:

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