Good afternoon gentlemen’s and gentlemissus’ of the Mx-5 community. I wrote an (almost) identically-titled thread some time ago saying I wanted to spend ~£1k on an Mx-5, and thanks to the helpful folk here, I was offered the chance to revise my thought process (and budget) and come back when I, ultimately, had more money!
Pending the sale of my 2009 Clio dCi (I no longer need a diesel work-horse (let me know if you know anyone who wants one )), I will have a budget of ~£2.6k (almost definitely) to about £3.5k (with an interest-free loan from my kind parents) for a Mk1 Mx-5. The lower end of my budget is roughly what I’m looking for my Clio, the top end has been explained.
I’m entirely aware of rust issues and whatnot that arise from running 25 year old cars on salty (eugh) British roads, but do you have any ideas where best for me to start to find my first (and hopefully long-lasting) Mx-5? I’m constantly checking the usual Gumtree, eBay, Autotrader, here, Mx5nutz etc. but there seems to be fairly little nearby. I am willing to travel, but the more I can limit that, the better, as it frees up money for me to spend on the car itself.
Thanks again for your time and effort, chaps and chapettes!
Thanks, DonT. I’m just hoping for something that’s not particularly rusty and works well enough. I work with people who love to tinker on cars, plus I’m curious enough to learn as much as I can about it so I can hopefully learn to maintain to a high standard by myself! Been hankering for a little Mx5 for yonks now, and now seems as good a time as possible for me to get one.
To add a general note, I’ve noted that the imports (Eunos) seem to hold off rust a bit better (generally speaking, of course) and are better spec’ed, so I would veer towards one of those. As long as it has power steering I think I would be happy though, followed shortly by air-con… ‘keep-fit’ windows don’t bother me much, ha!
Right - I’ve seen a car that is nearby, going particularly cheap (circa £1,000). It’s a red Eunos, imported '98. I’ve done an MoT history check and it’s stated corrosion to anchorage area etc. which has been rectified for MoT, and backed up by the seller. He mentioned that it was done by a previous owner. Is it still worthwhile having a look? I know concourse examples would be favourable, but at this price would it be worth a gander? From the photos it looks like a tidy enough example - obviously I’ll be checking subframe/arches/sills to the best of my ability (with the help of the sticky guide on here).
I’m aware that the car is being sold on the unfortunate grounds of a familial bereavement. I assumed that would be the case - that it hadn’t been done properly. AFAIK, they don’t have the photographic evidence as it was stated the repairs were carried out when the car wasn’t in their possession, I guess that can be deemed a red flag in some eyes. I’m definitely look more towards the top-end of my budget but am struggling to find something good and close to home. Thanks for the contact, I’ll get in touch with them now.
Also, I’m unaware what the precise rules are on plugging an ad, but I have my Clio for sale on Gumtree now! Y’all probably find it, it’s down at £2,800 but there’s some wiggle room available
Thanks again for your time and patience, guys and gals. I’ll delete this response and start over should I be breaching rules (:
I was looking at 1 to 1.5k mk1s but in my experience all of them had varying degrees of rust flagged up on the mot check. I upped my budget and went to see an s-limited near me that had been up for sale for a couple of weeks. After a good check over i bought it for £2250. Bit of a weathered interior but a tidy exterior. £2800 will get you a good one but you may have to be prepared to travel. I was lucky mine was fairly local.
How much of an issue is rust if it has been rectified for MoT? I guess it would depend on how well it’s done. I’m prepared to travel for sure but I don’t want to be traveling around the country on weekends only to find the car is a dud, or just not right for me.
I’ve seen a recent thread where someone asked about a £2k budget. They are told better bet is to look for a cheaper one and accept it might have some rust, find the most cosmetically affected (rather than structurally) and spend the remaining budget on repairs. I don’t mind too much about weathered interiors etc as I’m keen to try my hand at repairs/maintenance and that would be a good place to start.
Thanks for the link as well. I’m checking car and classic practically daily haha!
As it so happens I’d managed to sell the Clio to the first viewer!
As a result of the sale I’m now the proud owner of a black, 2006, non-sport, 2.0L NC! I’ll have to get photos up. It’s a cracking drive but looks a smidge on the tatty side outside. I’ve bought some Renovo hood reviver to re-waterproof the hood and I’ve been looking into having it detailed to bring it up to a respectable standard.
Is there anyone around the South Wales area who can do decent detailing (preferably close to Swansea)? I’ve checked it out with Crystal Clear Auto Detailing in Gorseinon. It seems pricy at a glance but looks like they do a fantastic job.
I’ve certainly been bitten by the bug!