Hello all. I’m about to buy my first MX5, and have decided to go for a used 2l Sports Nav MK4/ND. I’m currently eyeing a few 2015/65 plates.
I know these have not been on the used market for long, but is there anything I need to look out for? Any particular early problems that I should be aware of?
Also, I cannot find any information so I assume I’m okay, but I’m assuming there’s not been any changes at all between 2015 - current?
Thanks all.
The most common problem with the ND seems to be the lack of clearance for the soft top when it is folded down - many apparently rub on another piece of interior trim, and some have actually rubbed a hole through the roof. There are 160 postings spread over 8 pages and a whole year, under the heading “HOOP RUBBING ON MK.4 ND” in the ‘Body, interior, styling’ section, so that might be worth a look.
I have read reports too about the 2.0L gearbox being troublesome for some owners, but what the specifics are I cannot recall at the moment.
Other than that, owners seem to be very pleased with their cars. I’m sure other members will answer this request, some who have actually bought NDs.
Good luck.
I have a 1.5l ND which I’ve had since 27 Aug 2015 and I’ve had no problems whatsoever. As Chris mention the most common fault is when in the “down” position the front edge of the hood rubs on the back of the hoops behind the headrests on the seats. Some of this appears to be faulty design and bad fitting at time of manufacture aggravated by the promo speil that the hood can be raised and lowered whilst seated in the car, the handbook however contradicts that. I was given the “inside the car” performance by the dealer, but when I got the car home I read the handbook and then did the raising and lowering “by the book”. No rubbing to date! The other thing Chris mentioned was the gearbox problem. I believe that this applied to a relatively few early 2.00l models (whoops!) mainly in the USA (I don’t recall seeing a UK failure mentioned here) where only 2.00l models are available. Some cars stripped gears, theory is that the gearbox was designed for the 1.5l engine and under some circumstances it couldn’t handle the additional torque of the bigger engine. I think that problem has been addressed by Mazda on later production cars, I’m not sure of the where’s and when’s but someone will advice you I’m sure. So take a test drive or two and see how the gearbox feels and sounds (No noise is required!) and check the hood and hoops for evidence of rubbing. Good luck and many years of happy “5ing”.
PS: I forgot to add that it’s a GREAT little car!!!
As the cars you are looking at are still within the three year warranty period I would not worry too much about any ‘mechanical’ issues as Mazda should sort them. These include hood rubbing, hood rattles, door rattles, seat belt guides, thud noise on bumps (diff re torque), rattle/chattering noise from rear (rear callipers replaced) are some that I have seen.
The things to concentrate on are items that are ‘wear and tear’ that will not be covered under the remaining warranty. These include tyres, wheel damage, lights (the LED headlamps are not cheap), paint (easily damaged on Mazdas), interior trim particularly the seat facings and glass. If any of these are below par get the dealer to agree to fix these before purchase.
You will not be disappointed as the ND is a very enjoyable way to travel.
Thank you all.
I’m trying to do some research in to the gearbox failure issue. Since I’d be buying a 65 plate most likely, with perhaps only a year of warranty left, I want to make sure I won’t get the transmission problem. The US miata forum discusses a ‘revision 1’ gearbox and a ‘revision 2’ which didn’t have the problem. Is there any way to know which revision a vehicle in the UK has?
I have a 65 plate 1.5 Sport Nav and only had the hood rubbing issue which was fixed under warranty and is now fine. I can easily get over 50mpg if driving sensibly but still average 40mpg when having fun 
I have not seen anything on here about road cars having any gear box issues in the UK, but some race cars have. A good test drive should reveal any issues, but be aware that until the oil is warmed through there could be some ‘reluctance’ to engage 1st, 2nd and reverse when cold. Don’t get too hung up on this, if it was a BIG issue I think we would have seen more on here like we have with the hood rubbing issues.
I can’t help with the revisions you mention. But as Malc says don’t get hung up on the gearbox issue as it has probably been blown up out of all proportion. There are quite a few OC members with 2.0l ND’s and if there had been problems there’d be a shed load of threads on the forum. On one of the US Miata sites one guy summed it up “Too little real information, too much speculation spread by too many people too quickly” and that probably is the truth of the matter.
OC member IanH has had a 2.0l ND for some time, he’s done a fair amount of mileage in some of the toughest areas in Scotland, he’s in the Grampian region. If he doesn’t pick up on this thread why not contact him with a PM and ask him for his experiences and advice. He’s always very helpful!
Mines a 1.5, brilliant car.
Few reported gearbox issues in the U.K, Paul Roddison has trashed a few in his race cars, I’m not aware of any in road only cars, doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, does suggest there’s not an epidemic. There’s a theory not substantiated as far as I can tell that the majority of failures in USA cars are on those with limited slip differentials. A revised transmission was introduced on cars built after September 2016 or thereabout, there’s a shitload of detail on miata.net forums on how to identify them, however if you read the many thousands of posts (most saying nothing) you’d think the world was falling in. There’s is a global TSB in place to remedy any issues that do surface.
Blimey Malc, I had no idea there were so many ‘teething troubles’ with the ND !
My wife had her first new Mazda company car (a 6) in 2005, another 6 followed in 2008, then the first of our MX-5s in 2011. Every car was superbly built, to the highest standard, with quality materials, and were totally reliable. It really gave us a feeling that Mazdas were ‘a cut above’ most cars on the road. No teething troubles - no niggles - we couldn’t have wished for better motors. Ten years of problem-free motoring.
After the lease-hire period of the last Mazda company car (the MX-5) ended, and not liking the shape of the ND, we chose a VW Scirocco as its replacement, but missing topless motoring, we decided to buy another MX-5, as a second car last October, and then joined the OC.
Since then, I have been made aware of many issues with Mazdas that completely passed us by in all those ten years with the marque. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t joined !
The thing is, is this a trend ? Are Mazdas going down hill quality-wise ? If we had experienced so many problems with our first Mazda, as you have highlighted crop up with the ND, we would never have got another one.
Were we just lucky do you think ?
Whoops! My mistake! Sorry about that folks!
PS: Just a thought, is the 2.0l really essential, if not try a 1.5l it’s a brilliant little car!
Hi Chris,
I think the answer is that because the 5 is a specialist car and owners tend to be more interested, even fanatical about their steeds, we actively seek out information and so find out a lot more than you would normally.
Also because we are more informed and focused we tend to be more critical and so find some issues which may not become apparent to the average car buyer.
So to sum up, YES, we are very lucky in many ways.
Got my mk4 Artic Edition 1.5 it’s great car so far love the looks drive is great and fuel 56.2 at 70 mph on flat much better than my BMW z4 3.0
I want the best possible performance! Plus I test drove the 2l a few weeks ago so i worry anything which doesn’t feel quite as nippy will feel slightly disappointing.
Quite understand, but drive them both and then you’ll know for certain!
1.5 is great as I just changed from 3.0 z4 so speed dosent matter with all these cameras on roads plus if I feel like a bit of power I jump on motorbike lol
What does everyone think of this one?
http://www.motors.co.uk/car-45449172/?i=0&m=mcp
alternative link: https://www.bristolstreet.co.uk/used-car/1597723/mazda-mx-5-2-0-sport-nav-2dr-petrol-convertible/?tr=aexp&utm_source=DMR
Good price? Anything I should be concerned about?
Looks a great buy, certainly worth a look
The only issues on my 2.0 Sport Nav requiring dealer fixing after 12500 miles (October 2015 registered) were:
Headliner above rear window started coming undone when putting roof up - fixed with new clips
Awful sat nav/entertainment system didn’t work properly with my phone - fixed with software update but still awful and randomly reboots, will be getting that looked at with next service
There are some marks on the roll hoops but no damage to the roof and it doesn’t rub so the previous owner must have done it somehow. I will get these replaced before the warranty expires. There are also numerous cabin rattles etc. but no worse than any previous MX-5 model and par for the course with a cheap Japanese car.