I wonder what are the top Jap & UK MX5 Mk1’s…
Japan - I have seen RS Models for £8 , VR Models for £5k etc…I assume these are two of the best models , what comes next re level’s of desirability & why , what models would you consider to invest your money in ?
UK : I see Dakar , Merlot , Berkley etc…Ltd editions , is their , are their some top / really preferable models to buy ?
Look forward to the views on offer - .
With Thanks
Andrew
What exactly do you mean by investment?
Cars (individually, not talking about the auto industry as a whole) don’t pay dividends and dont produce useful work in the economy.
At best, they are a commodity, just like gold, pork bellies, and frozen concentrated orange juice, and the price can rise as well as fall.
At worst, they are depreciating liabilities. Therefore, cars are not investments unless you hire them out.
Of course, we mostly own them for fun and for commuting.
So, I don’t really understand your question…
Thank you for your reply - appreciated .
Depreciating : it appears the MK1 MX5’s which I ask after are fully depreciated…yet note specific models appear to have an upwards trend in residual values for specific models , RS , VR LTD etc…and dare say ten years from now they will be worth a lot more than they are today .
The curve is normally around 25 years , and when we look back a Fog Eye sprites; TR6’s etc…they seem to go up and up in value .
When we look at TVR’s , E-Type’s AH3000’s etc…they have all risen in value , but specific hi spec models have run away in price …
I’m trying to understand which are the best models to buy into … the Spec , BHP , performance , billies , LSD , trim level etc… , as I assume these will be great fun to own due to their enhanced spec & may will lift in value over and above some of the very basic mk1 models following the well proven trend on all classic cars …
In effect I’m looking for a real fun car that’s a little more exciting to drive than the bog std models , and if history repeats itself will prove a sound investment , not only that I recently sold a frog eye that I had made a little money on , but drove an MX5 MK1 and saw what a greet car it was
The only cars that will increase in value will be the cars in mint condition therefore if you use it and have fun it will suffer in the condition stakes.
Unless you are going to buy an expensive minter say £4k and up and only use it twice a year and store it in a cacoon powered in the winter and that in a dry garage it will not be an investment.
You are also very badly advised about the selling of Frog eyes and TR’s etc and the price of getting them to that condition.
I’m afraid you need to do your research a little better than you have and coming on here to make a quick buck by just getting some free advice about buying a “Best Model” MX5 / Roadster and just using it and putting money in the bank is basically deranged.
We drive our cars in here and the minters do not get driven much at all.
And there you have the comments of the Scottish Cultural Attache.
Thanks Nick
I have messed about with old cars for 40 yrs , always buy the best condition I can , maintain it, improve it , join the club , look after it and seem to sell it on for a few bob more than I paid. I change vehicles every two or tree years when I fancy it … All my old mates and I love it , messing about and finding the right parts etc…
Seems like the MX5 is a brilliant addition to the classic car movement , with all the fun of owning , driving , and enjoying them … not to mention picking up all the right bits on e-bay etc when they pop up !!!
Jeepers I only thought it would be a bit of fun for people to list their fav models …
I met a couple of young lads that were well into it and told me to get one … they were happy as Larry with their cars and it took me back 40 years , they were having a ball …they said what I already knew and had been doing for years , buy the best condition you can afford first , then seek out the best spec …they explained about the RS , then about how much they liked the VR and what a great spec it was etc…
They even said jump on the owners club site , warm and friendly lot , they will help & you can get into the club scene !!!
Still , Eddie is correct , It can be false economy properly restoring a classic , he’s right again about a quick buck , I would indeed need to do a lot of research to do that , I just happen to have made a slow buck over the years & this by default …as for Srdjan he is correct as well, cars are more often than not depreciating liabilities or depreciating assets as they are often referred
As Eddie mentions the word deranged , yes I probably am a little , but I have seen a tasty little green VR LTD for sale , think I will give the chap a call and have a look …then keep it for 2 or 3 years , maintain it , improve it, enjoy it , clean it , take it to shows, go on a couple of club runs & trips , meet some decent people and generally have a ball with it , for that alone it would have proved a great investment …
Yet somehow I think with the classic car market waking up to these great cars dam fast , with a ltd number of high spec ltd editions on the market a great spares back up …
So if I buy a great condition ltd edition MK1 & look after it , I won’t go to far wrong when I come to sell it 2 or 3 years down the line…how can I , if I paid 2k for a great Merlot or similar & sold it for £1500 in three years maintaining it condition that would have proved a great investment in my book , if the market drops , holds or sneaks up a little over three years I don’t think I will go far wrong …
That said I think I will seek out a VR .
Buy the best & keep it the best & you wont go far wrong !!!
Hey ho , what the bugger do I & my fellow old duffers know , its only been our little hobby for 40 yrs , all worked hard , never had much dough & can’t afford to waste what we do have …
Long may it continue with the MX5 and all the young guns coming through enjoying these vehicles at such affordable prices …
Thanks for your kind & considered input gent’s 
I think it is pretty certain the market will appreciate if you have a well looked after car. While these were sold in great numbers, it is still very common practice to break even mildly rusty cars, spurned on often by comments from this very forum that all rust will be terminal, rather than spend what in car terms is relatively little to get them fixed. By the time the market has woken up to the fact the numbers are dropping quite rapidly, many will have gone. However that is what is needed to make the value rise. I am told even the £150 MOT failure eBay bargains are now £300.
Many, many of these cars are modified, some better than others, but just by the very nature that one man’s meat is another man’s poison original cars of any spec will ultimately be the most desirable.
Mazda made many limited editions, particularly in the MK1, however, while the owners of these would no doubt say different, a vast majority of these were just mixing up the standard parts bin and adding some different paint colours.
What is most desirable? It depends what you like. Some would place a high value on the RS model, others would complain about hard ride. The difficulty I see however is while group members, and there are many MX-5 groups, like to think their car is very special and valuable, it is those same people who are the most vocal and derogatory when anyone does try to sell their car for more than what these people deem it to be worth.
Thanks Nick …
My thoughts entirely & exactly the same as has happened every time a niche vehicle hits about 25 yrs of age …Seen it all before !!!
Yet my real thanks go to Srdjan , Drumtochty … your a couple of super stars gents , I had a PM from Dennis , fellow deranged old duffer , ( his words not mine !!! ) selling his VR locally …
Apparently smile of Wry had crossed his face reading your informed posts , he wanted £2500 , but let me have it for £1850 just because he could afford to do so , and was only really interested in getting his money back from 4 years earlier , it looks close to mint bar a very small leather patch on those seats…The dear chap even put it up on ramps for me … Most impressive , he almost apologised for the RSR manifold & Powerflow stainless steel exhaust , K& N air filter ,let alone the monopro dual tech coil over suspension thingies , but hoped chucking in the hard top ( albeit black with a home spray ) made up for the lack off originality …Period Mod’s we can call them for now…so it looks very standard & has a good service history , long MOT & a few more tweaks to boot !!!
So thanks again Srdjan & Drumtochty , your valued & informed comment has been a great help … , Dennis you have been a legend today & as promised I will indeed sell it for more than I paid for it …Nick ,your reasoned ,measured & balanced comment Eco’s that of Dennis and myself … Careful lad, you don’t want people calling you deranged , yet I know where I will be heading for my first set of tyres …Thanks Nick .
Finally , Srdjan , Drumtochty again your the real super stars , so keep making those valid , helpful & informed post’s on here …your a credit to your self & the owners club !!!
Oh , by the way , I’m still keen to see that list of the most desirable Mk1 models…
Bottom line, they are all the same car, some may have a very slightly higher spec, ew, pas, ac but nothing really fancy, so in all honesty I think the only ones that may be more desirable are the really very rare ones such as the Le Mans, and they are very much a marmite car.
Indeed they certainly all appear pretty much the same vehicle , bar some factory up specking…yet as far as the MK1,s are concerned , is not driving the RS, VR etc… with higher BHP’s lighter flywheel , billies , LSD etc… a bit more of a buzz than driving the low spec / low power UK model’s … ?
I appreciate the experience may be 90% the same , but would expect the extra power & spec would just make it than much more enjoyable to those who like that sort of thing …
History proves with many brands & models of vehicle’s after 25 yrs or so that those limited models with a higher spec tend to form a hierarchy in residual value … It certainly seems to be the case developing looking at a couple of MX5 specialist websites today.
I may be wrong but does the BHP range go from 90 something to 130 something for a vehicle weighing the same …?
Would be interesting to know from those with the knowledge , is their much difference in the driving experience or is it a case of lots of factory mods look good on paper but make little difference on the road ?
Thanks NickandJane
Hierarchy (very desirable to desirable). Only an opinion of course
Import NAs;
Most Disirable: Mazdaspeed C-Spec: Super rare, controversial looks, a 2.0 engine you pray will never go wrong. Available as import to order only. 5 made? Lots more fake ones, when the moulds were sold on.
M2-1001: Mechanically, the perfect MX5, but the seats are a bit small
Mazdaspeed MS01s: Technically aftermarket, and no one will really know what the spec is. Supercharger version is primative.
Refreshed Mazdaspeed; Only 30 of them. Perfect stock car. But only an aficionado will know them.
M2-1028: Mechanically interesting, quite rare, the rollcage limits utility in the UK, as it required deletion of the rollcage. This costs it desirability
White R-Limited; Rare, very strong colour combination and Phase 1.5 spec
M2-1002; a tricky one. Its an M2-Inc car; only a 100 made, basically hand built. But mechanically mostly standard (the shocks are M2-specific, so ratings were obviously tweaked, and oddly, Mazda fitted 185/55 15s not 195/50 15s, so I am thinking there was some chassis tuning to get what seemed to me a very nicely handling car, with very compliant ride quality (images of E-types were used in some literature), so they may have been aiming for a more classic touring roadster feel, versus the clubman feel of the M2-1001. But on the other hand, its a V-Spec (with ivory leather) with no power windows and a manual steering rack.
RS-Limited; Only if the seats (in original cloth, not leather or leather cloth) are included
Blue R-Limited
S-Limited
VR-Limited
R2-Limited: Loses points over the White R-Limited, because the interior is a bit lazier
J-Limited; Nothing special mechanically, but suddenly very rare.
J2-Limited
Tokyo Limited: Super rare, but not that special a spec. Super blingy V-Spec.
Laguna Blue S-Limited: probably the rarest non-special edition, strong colour and decent spec
V-Special II: If you are going to get a V-Special, get the second most bling version. Not that many about
G-Limited: Only for the seats
Early S-Special: If its got the MSSS and BBS wheels, Nardi steering wheel
Black V-Spec: Quite rare, strong colour combination
BRG V-Spec: Quite a lot around, many with poor interiors, but its a classic colour combination. When they are good, they are very good. When not, they look incredibly tired
SR-Limited- Fairly rare, but most are in an awful colour, and interior looks like it came from the parts bin. White ones are better but harder to find
S-Special II: Most seem to be Montego Blue, making for a cheap RS Limited lookalike
S-package 89-93: So few left in original nick gives them a certain cachet, especially in mariner blue
B2-Limited: Good colour, average spec, strange seat fabric loses it points. Those seats don’t look like special edition seats.
Desirable: S-Package 93-97: Also the M-Package. Many can’t decide what is the difference between these specs. These seem to be the most common of the common garden variety Eunos Roadster
There is much difference in the driving experience between a 90hp Monza and a 133hp 1.8.
Cars with a 4.300 drive very differently from those with a 4.100 rear.
Who says you can’t make money I paid £521 for my v spec eunos 2 years ago and having spent less than £500 in mods (I’m a tight arse and find bargin ) it is now valued by the insurance company at £2500 oh an the reason I got it so cheep was it was miss spelt on ebay “masda eunos” so it didn’t show up only 1 person viewed it in 7 days and that was me
BINGO !!!
Saz9961 , that’s very much appreciated & very much the reply I had been looking for… I bought a VR today & look forward to having a blast this weekend …
Think I might end up having a few different models at the same time !!!
Gandolf … a fool & their money will soon go their separate way’s …your no fool , good on yer mate , a mate after my own heart !!!
Nice one on the purchase. I’ve had a few VR Limiteds before both the merlot and the BRG.
I’d agree with Andy on his assessment of the JDM limited edition models.
Enjoy the new car.
Of course thats a list meaningless to non-MX5 fans. Some will opt for the VR because its got the nice interior.
I was recently looking at a 1970 rhd Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV, a rust free Japanese import, with patina. £20,000, looks great (minor repair needed to the drivers seat). Recently, the Rothschild Alfa Romeo GTA has come up for sale; to the uninitiated, it looks similar to the 1750 GTV. But its worth £250,000 to those in the know.
Same with many of the import specs, especially those M2s. I know of one M2-1028 that was sent to a buyer in Japan, from the UK, because of the different perceptions of value between the two markets. But I think with time, that will narrow, as the Mk1 assumes more of a collectors target, there will be buyers looking specifically for those unusual limited editions. They won’t care which editions, but probably not the dealer specials (which in effect, most of the UK spec special editions were).
I think I missed out on my chance to buy an affordable M2-1001 3 years ago.
For info only:
If it goes like all other makes the early cars (89-93)will see a strong value…wouldn’t mind one myself. But all I can find in decent condition are Red! Blue or white would be preferable
As with anything, and the reason why manufacturers do this in the first place, is that people will attribute greater value with “higher” spec. In company car terms, the badge and trim level mean a lot in the pecking order.
Are the higher spec level cars more fun to drive. Very much depends how you drive them.