Hi I have taken advise and am now looking for a MX5 mark 2, either 1.8 or 1.6, manual in British Racing Green or Navy blue preferably tan hood. low mileage, no rust, does anyone have a car they want to sell that fits the bill!
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What age is it?
year 2000 and imported
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its year 2000
Ok, so it’s old. Totally depends on condition. If it’s done 27,000 miles of short trips it will be much worse than if it’s been used as a weekend car. Rust is your no.1 concern, though. You must lie on the floor and look up at the sills just ahead of the rear wheel arch. There are other places where they rust too, but this is where they always go. Value mostly depends on body condition.
Automatic ones are rare and a bit of a niche interest if you come to sell it.
Thanks so much for the advice much appreciated
Its a NB (Mk2). The number 1 rust problem is NOT the sills. The number 1 spot on a NB are the front chassis rails, near where the front anti-roll bars and subframe attach. It seems this is an area NBs ALWAYs rust through on. In extreme cases, the car is rendered a death trap. Sills and arches are easy to deal with in comparison.
By the way, as its an import, its a Mazda Roadster. No such thing as a “1.8 Sport Limited Edition” import. Something made up by the seller.
I can see the ad of the car you are looking at. Its a Mazda Roadster V-Special, with aftermarket wire wheels. Done 3000 miles in 18 years… One ad suggests its 27k kms not miles…Be wary of a tick that doesn’t go away. 1.8 BP engine oil pump strainers can sludge up in lightly used cars, leading to oil starvation. The BP engine can also have sticky rings, look for grey-white smoke on cold start up. Looks like a 1998 car imported in 2000.
As I recall, TW Whites, a main Mazda dealer, imported a “lot” of Mk2 Roadster automatics, and sold them through the dealership. Maybe this was one of them because as a 2 year old car back in 2000, it would have had to jump through a lot of hoops to get registered. My S-Spec 2 came through TW Whites as a 4 year old car in 2000.
I’ve had a look at the advert too, it seems very expensive to me.
I’d check how much the road tax is too.
My old 2000 NB Icon had no chassis rail issues. As @rogerzilla mentions all the car need to be properly assessed and taken on an individual basis.
@SuziD not sure where you are based, but I’m sure there will be some willing volunteers to help you look at a car you find.
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Thanks so much for this advice, do you know of any mark 2, relatively low mileage, lovely looking for sale?
Im in Essex out near Tiptree and would welcome any help. as I would hate to end up with a bad car. I have seen this but honestly Im out of my depth! 1993 Mazda Eunos 1.8 V-Special - Low Miles & in Lovely Condition For Sale
That one sounds great but I’ve driven 100 miles to look at “rust free” cars that were anything but!
On a car of this age a lot of things should have been replaced by now, as they will be cracked or hardened with age. It’s not like buying a typical secondhand car - it’s a classic and always needs money to keep it on the road. By the time my 1994 car was 12 years old, it had new:
Shocks
All hoses
Brake flexible lines
Brake discs and pads
Door and roof seals
Clutch (pilot bearing went noisy)
Clutch slave cylinder
Main engine oil seal
Gearbox input shaft seal
Cambelt
Alternator belt
Water pump
Battery
Headlights
Gear lever boots
Carbon canister solenoid valve (these make an awful ticking noise when they fail)
Dipstick (handle snapped)
…and a £2,000 respray!
For a dealer car, its relatively cheap for a Mk1. The MOT history tells you why.
From the ad:
The rear wheel arch/ sill area still shows its original spot weld marks and the underside is solid and clean, having had some minor repairs last year.
From the October 2022 MOT record:
- Offside Rear Outer Suspension component mounting prescribed area is inadequately repaired sill (5.3.6 (a) (i))
- Offside Rear Outer Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength sill (5.3.6 (a) (i))
Rusting on the sill since 2010, enough for an advisory.
That in itself isn’t a bad thing, but its at odd with the motor trader’s description of “rust free” “no rust anywhere” "fairly pampered life “honest description” it seems. I suppose sales patter. Given rising values of Mk1s, the car is fairly priced given what it is, but I would assume if the driver side sill has gone, the arch and other sill/arch are not far behind. The car will likely be mechanically reliable. Its a good spec, very sellable.
There is this car, which I am guessing will have less gaps.
From the wording, the owner has passed away. The car appears to have been owned by a MX5OC member, so might be known here. The MOT history is almost immaculate, with one slight transgression for showing up with tyres near the legal limit. Got a hardtop with it, which is a bonus. Low miles/KMeterage (the odometer is likely a mix of both, but either way, very low.
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The search by @ast appears to have turned a nice one. The ad doesn’t mention if the gearbox is conventional or automatic. The MOT history is pretty boring - no jaw-dropping failures and only one minor advisory 13 years ago. It’s not too far away from you either. Of course, it needs a thorough underbody and front chassis rail inspection to check for rust that can affect Mk2 models badly.
Picture indicates 6 speed manual also in the advert.
It’s certainly possible, even likely, for the offside sill to rust but the nearside sill to be ok. No idea why, but my old NA only had rust on the offside.
I wouldn’t travel to the Scottish Borders to see it, anyway, not with what ast has turned up. The small independent dealers are always risky - you pay a full price but they know how to dress a car up and they are not good with warranty if faults become apparent straight after sale. I only go to the extremes - buy brand new, or privately for an old car. Private means you take all the risk but you get plenty of time to look at the car, it’s cheaper, and you find out a bit about the previous owner.
Moreover, so called specialist dealers. Yes, they know the cars well. That can be a blessing or a curse.
Regarding the white car, yes, its a 6-speed manual. RS-type rev counter, Nardi steering wheel with 14" wheels indicates a 1.8 S, possibly with a Torsen LSD (or are those 15"? Not up on the visual differences between a normal VICS engine and the RS version, which had more power). Only imports came in white. Over £2k cheaper than the V-Spec, and better history.
And it was sold by a local dealer at one point:
Er, a MX5 specialist by the looks of it.
Sills rust from the inside out. One sill gone, the other is not far behind, even if the owner is unaware. Fundementally, sill failure starts with a failure in the wing lip seal, allowing dirty, salty water to take a grip in a non-draining area of the sill (the blocked sill “drains” (ventilation slits) issue is a red herring). The offside tends to take more of a pounding on any road, as its the side facing oncoming traffic.
SuziD - get the AA/RAC to check it over, you don’t need to be a member, it’s around £300 I think, probably money well spent to avoid trouble or to confirm a good car.
Dave
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If you find the right one for you ,and as long as you budget in the repairs in the final cost to meet it then there should not be an issue, don’t be scared of finding one that does need work to put right to be your dream car, if it is to far gone then don’t waste your money,they all will need some kind of work regardless because of their age ,even if they have been a garage queen.
A lot of the Autos are now manuals that have been converted( which is easy to do) but that as brought the number of autos for picking now down in lower numbers, nearly all autos here will be imports apart from some MK 2.5 mx5 versions sold here in very low numbers, you don’t want a UK spec one, stick with finding an import 1.8.
But take someone with you that is really clued up on these Roadsters on all marks , versions, specs ,be it a Uk spec mx5 or Roadster imported here, that will pay in the long run.
AS for the Auto versions, the MK 1 1.8 was a nicer auto than the 1.6 version , but the auto box in the MK 2/2.5 was even nicer to live with , smoother change and kick down was quicker, the auto box is a hard box and lasts a long time if looked after like anything.
But you must remember none of these are new cars now, so they will always require looking after correct for them to last longer, none will be use it and forget it, and one thing i will say ,no matter what mark, version ,model, spec you pick ,you will find the right one for you with there being so many options to pick from with them , because i am sure people will agree ,we don’t drive these roadsters , we put them on and wear them.
If you are having trouble finding an auto , i’ll help you search.
M-m
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