MK2 6-speed - ???

Buying a ‘5 and Insurance advice Buying Advice
2

Hi there

I just did an introductory post on the newbies bit. I am going tomorrow to look at a MK2 1.8 MX5, and am just looking for any specific things to look out for. I know the standard bits about oilcap mayonaise, brake pull etc, but I’m sure there are some quirky ones specifically on MK2s to look for.

I was going to get a 1.6, but found out there was a £15 difference in insurance, so might as well get the hairy one :smiley: The one I’m looking at claims to have a 6-speed gearbox, but Direct Line said it was registered just as ‘Mazda MX-5 1.8 cabriolet’, so I don’t know if it really will have 6 cogs. I hope so - must make it a terrific cruiser!

I had been looking at early mk1s, but I think as a daily driver (350 miles per week, motorways mostly) this would be a more sensible option, and I like this particular one in the pics quite a bit.

Anyway, any tips or thread links would be much appreciated. Sorry for not hunting much myself, but I’m at work and pushing it already signing up here :stuck_out_tongue: and there’s not much time before tomorrow morning to scour the forum for tips, though I will try to have a scavenge tonight. Sorry, again, I know this is awful for a second post!! Promise to be more useful in future :stuck_out_tongue:

Cheers

Simon

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Hi there and welcome im new as well as have recently bought my wife a 10th annerversary mk2, if your buying this to use every day espesially on motorways i wouldn’t the six speed box is not there for better cruising but to give you another gear between 1st and 5th to keep it in the power band when driving fast (track days ect) they are noisy at speed both wind and road noise in fact i swear oura is quiter with the roof down.

It’s a great little car for round town and the occational long run but can be very tiring on a long drive at motorway speeds, its desighned for twisty b roads not long straight m roads. Sorry if this sounds very negative but it my honest opinion and as i have several larger cars the mx only realy gets used by my wife to go to work or visit her friends, all local trips.

Regards Mike

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I agree with Mike for the most part however[^o)]

 I currently use the 5 as more of a second car but in the past have used a Mk1 5 as a daily driver including 500 mile round trips from Glasgow to York every 4 weeks and I did this for 2 years.

Yes they are not traditionally comfortable Motorway cars, but they do keep you awake LOL.

Its like everything else… you get used to it and then dont think about it much. Just think when you hit those ineveitable jams you will be able

I only really noticed the difference when I switched back to a bigger car for some motorway journeys but I will always opt to take the 5 as much as I can no matter how long the journey.

I think it comes down to how much you enjoy driving the car.

Everyones different… probably best to try and find a motorway stretch on your test drive and give it a blast. This will help you get a feel for what it will be like longer term.

 

Best of luck

5

There are 6-speed Mk2’s
Icon and 10ae

otherwise it is a mazda roadster and a VS or RS

6

I’ll tell you what you want to hear!

I’ve got a MK2.5 (facelift) sport with a 6 speed gearbox, which I use for my daily commute to Uni’, on the motorway.

The 6 speed box is ideal for motorway driving, because you can always get a more suitable gear - if traffic is going between 55 and 65, you are not constantly going between 4th and 5th as you are in a 5 speed - just keep it in 5th, and you’ll have more power than you need, it is reasonably quiet, and economical (compared to keeping a 5 speed in 4th).

Noise - well, it is a soft top, so it’s not going to be that quiet, but I’ve never noticed it to be a nuisance.
To be honest, I don’t notice it to be a lot noiser than my Fiesta was.

 

The Sport (which you might be looking at if it has a 6 speed box) can suffer from clutch judder if they have the original (unmodified) clutch - some people have managed to get Mazda to sort it, but the old “wear and tear” arguement stopped a lot.
I sometimes get a little bit in reverse, but it is not really an issue - you get used to it. If I got it in first, then maybe it would be different.

 

Other than that, rust is the biggest thing to watch - particularly sills and rear arches, and the boot floor, just in case of leaks.
The engines are fairly bullet proof if maintained properly (even if not?), so just the usual check of oil & water to make sure all is OK.

Depending on what you are spending, you might also want to consider a MK3, which seems to have held its value like an Alfa - I was getting wipers the other day, and I can get a MK3 with a hardtop for little more than my MK2, which seems to be holding its value a lot more.
If it is an option, a lot of dealers are seemingly doing amazing deals on new MK3s, such as 3 years free servicing, and 5 years 0% interest - or so I’ve read. Might be worth a look.

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The Mk2 6-speed has a lower diff than a Mk2.5 6-speed

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Not strictly true. All MK2 6 speed sold in this country had a 3.6:1 diff as has the MK2.5 . The confusion is that JDM (and presumably some other markets) come with 3.9:1 diffs (RS, VS etc). All 6 speed diffs are Torsens regardless of ratio.

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nope

 

10ae and Icon came with 3.9 diff

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Facelift NB’s with vin 300001 onwards have a “Super” LSD. It is not a Torsen, it’s a torque sensing cone type.

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I’ve only had my MX5 1.8i Sport with 6 speed box and LSD for a few days and about 250 miles.  It is taking a while to become accustomed too but I’ve used the car to commute about 10 miles each day and had a round trip up the A1 into Lincolnshire.  So I’m beginnng to discover the benefits etc.  I had a fright early on not being sure if I was about to slot it into reverse(!) which is adjacent to 6th… Happily this was just me having a flap and momentarily losing it!  But after a few more miles I’m getting a feel for it and the 1.8 engine is surprisingly tractable at low revs and I’m learning which gear to use for the appropriate situation I’m in.  If your not in a hurry one can simply miss out 3rd or 5th.  My car has its hard hat on at the moment and going up the A1 at 70 the most pronounced noises were wind noise and on the rougher surfaces, tyre noise.  The car is currently on mismatched tyres and I don’t think any of them are the original fit(the dealer replaced the o/s/r before I picked it up because it got a puncture and its a cheapy.  So the tyre noise can probably be improved with the right tyres.  The wind noise is dependent on the prevailing wind too, when its a following wind the car is noticeably quieter, but anyway I do not find it too intrusive at any rate.

 I agree the car is much more suited to the twisty bits, it seems to come alive when its being moved around rather than just going in a straight line. 

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I thought that’s why Torsen diffs were so called - TORque SENsing

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He is right, but Torsens are not cone diffs.

14

Is Torsen not a brand name?

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It is hence it usually has the circled R after it, but it’s also a patented type of mechanism made under licence by various companies. For example Quaife.