- The car I’m offering for sale is an MX5 Merlot 1996 1.8 Manual
- The car is located in Derby
- The price is £5495
- General information and history:
Here we have my Mazda MX5 Merlot Limited Edition. One of the more desirable UK limited editions coming with the 1.8 engine and a number of other upgrades. Low mileage at 81k miles, MOT till mid December 2023. Main selling point of this car is that it was completely restored and resprayed – with all sills and arches cut out and professionally replaced with pictures of the work carried out printed and documented with the car. All treated and undersealed for peace of mind. 2 keys, massive folder of documentation detailing numerous works carried out over the years, including belts, timing belt, discs and pads, services etc. Nice alloys with Mazdaspeed emblem, good tyre depth all round.
Bodywork is great, paintwork has a deep shine to it – no rust issues – perfects sills, no dents on bodywork, only the odd minor blemish. Underneath is undersealed and treated. Interior is very clean and tidy. Soft top in great condition, no leaks. Clean and tidy boot and engine bay. Drives amazingly – engine revs freely and gives great power, no knocks or noises from suspension, car feels planted and grips nicely.
I purchased this Merlot considering the extent and quality of the work that had been done to it. One of the pitfalls of buying a MK1 is the extent of rust and the the standard of any previous rust repairs. With the documentation with this car there are no such concerns and with some regular maintenance you can be sure to have a properly clean mk1 for many years to come. Getting this level of work done from a reputable place would cost most of the asking price. I’ve owned many of the rare limited editions, and this is one of the cleanest Merlot examples I came across so had to buy it – being a UK model they are often in poor condition unless restored like this one. Only selling as I have a couple too many cars at the moment!
Car has a great retro look and feel to it, receives loads of positive looks and comments. Considering the increasing price of clean limited editions I believe this car is a bargain as buying a cheaper mk1 and then having this remedial work would cost you far more. I’m sure the first person to view and drive will buy. Car comes with around 20 printed pictures of the sill and arch restoration which can be seen on viewing.
- Photo’s of the car:
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