I’ve started looking for an NC for next year - I’m in no rush so hoping that I can find a nice example even though budget is restricted to an absolute max of £8k and preferably much less. I would also prefer a post 2009 model but this isn’t essential.
I’ve viewed 4 cars and all of them had rust under the arches - including one where I had driven a fair distance to view it !
So I’ve learnt my lesson - ask to see pictures of the wheel arches before travelling !
I’m just wondering if I’m expecting too much ? Do non rusty NC’s exist or have I just got to accept that it’s a part of owning one ?
Yes, NCs without rust do exist. You have to scratch around to find one. If the owner has WhatsApp, get them to take and send plenty of pictures of the arches and underneath. They can send you multiple images and even a video to save a wasted journey. Then when you get a rust free one, the trick is to keep it that way
Yes but in limited numbers I would imagine. Any car that has been used regularly throughout the winter will have rust (salt being the killer).
You may find a car that has been regularly washed underneath which will reduce the amount of corrosion but won’t eliminate it completely.
Basically, if little or no corrosion is your top priority, you need to be looking for a car that has been essentially a summer use only vehicle.
Not only that, one that has been properly stored over the winter. Just keeping one on the drive or road under a cover from November to April will not really do the job (with all due apologies to those without covered storage). I approach this as a past owner of Italian motorcycles. In an unheated and/or uninsulated garage, if you get a cold snap followed by a mild period, the water present in the air condenses on the cold bike or car and it appears to “sweat”. This also occurs out of sight in the chassis & door panels. An insulated garage slows down the effects of the temperature change. An electric dehumidifier will take the moisture from the air and condenses it on refrigerated coils which then drip into a storage tank which can be emptied each day.
A car that has been properly rustproofed with Dinitrol or similar will keep the ravages of winter at bay but it is difficult to establish if this has been done properly when the car was new or after thorough steam cleaning. Just applying rust proofing to a dirty or rusty car will only postpone the inevitable. I suppose it all depends on how long you intend to keep the car. If you plan to keep it for a couple of summers & then sell it on, it is less of an issue than if you intend to keep it for 10 years when you need to select more carefully. Don’t rush into a purchase, there are good cars out there that have been looked after properly but many owners tend to hang on to them (naturally). We owned our previous NC Miyako for ten years and only replaced it with an ND earlier in 2024 after I sold my bikes . We would have kept it otherwise.
Any car you look at needs to be in good daylight and you need to be able to take a good look underneath even if it is just at the rear where much of the corrosion occurs. Take a good torch or worklight, some overalls and a piece of old carpet to lie on.
I have a 2010 one, it is completely rust free, never had paint…probably because it has never ever seen a winter and rarely seen rain, in fact bone dry for the last 8 years under my ownership !
No matter which MX-5 model one is considering it is probably worth factoring in a couple of grand to get the underside stripped back to bare metal and professionally rust proofed, certainly if I was in the market for a brand new ND from the show room I’d make that a priority given that I like to use my cars in all conditions and keep them for 20 years or more.
Depends what the definition of rust is. I looked at a fair few and even the nicest ones had at least some surface corrosion on all the subframe and arms etc. I just ended up getting one with a non rusty tub regardless of the odd scab on the running gear and frames.
I let this go below earlier this year, pretty much rust free. Previous owners had treated it to under sealing, I applied some too (topping up protection) in the important areas.
Shame as you are, guessing Derbyshire, so am I but it’s gone.
As for the rust free term, well if you can find one with no sill rust, similar none in the lower wheel arches or either side of the boot floor then go for it. Most unless treated will have some rust around the suspension parts and chassis subframes etc.
Just be prepared to see a few let downs before you find the right one.
I know what you’re saying, but time moves on and I’ve owned it for over 15 years now. I didn’t quite manage 1000 miles this year and I’m finding it harder to justify keeping it more lately.
My 06 plated “5” has only done 44k, despite it being garaged and hardly ever wet over the last 12 years I’ve owned it the under sides do show some rust and it has been treated professionally when I first bought it.
Good luck with trying a show room car on any 5’ over 10 years old
