Hello im looking to buy my first N/A mx5 and was wondering what I should look out for, I know the rust can be an issue. I also have a question regarding the soft/hard top. Can this be changed out on any mx5 N/A?
Hello and welcome… Being an ND owner, I’ll let the NA owners reply to your questions - You should find all the help you need here. 
Rob
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Thank you so much, what made you decide to get a ND over anything else? Obviously they are newer but I’m just curious as to what swayed you
Yes re hood.
Was common enough pre_Covid.
Quite involved if no experience.
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You are welcome! I just wanted to avoid the whole rust thing, and not wanting to do a “Rolling restoration” - And for me, the ND really is the modern day equivalent of the NA. Don’t get me wrong however, I do get the NA and those who take much pride in restoring/modding theirs…!
What we share is our love for this wonderful little roadster whichever version we prefer
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I purchased a used mk2 hood with frame for my mk1.
It was an easy swap, didn’t bother to connect the hrw.
So instead of paying £450 plus fitting, I ended up with an
as new mohair hood with glass rear window for £200 plus the
cost of a trip to Birmingham and back.
I would advise you keep an eye on EBAY and Gumtree because
lots of mk2’s are being broken.
If you want me to see if I can find the seller’s contact details, let me know
and I will try to find them he races mk1’s and has broken a number of mx’s.
All the best
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As mentioned rust is the number 1 concern on all mk1 & 2. Mk2 ironically rust worse than mk1 due to the front chassis legs being double skinned & trapping water. Check the rear arches & bottom of sills for rust, get properly down on the ground and have a good look with a torch. Everything mechanical can be swapped out for peanuts if you are handy with a spanner, as lots of the cars have been scrapped there’s plenty of parts around. Mk2 hoods are nicer to have glass rear windows, but mk1’s have the rear plastic window that zips out/down which makes for a lovely through breeze when it’s really hot on the motorway and you don’t want to have the hood down and get burnt.
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thank you so much! Just so i am not mistaken, it is possible to buy a mk1 with the soft top and decide to switch it out for a hard top at a later date?
Olly, it just folds back me 'ol bean ( in a proper prescribed manner)…and you pop the HT on top.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Clever stuff.
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Thank you, I probably sound really daft asking these questions, I have always loved the car and I’m finally on a position to get one so im trying to learn as much as I can : )
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No you dont.
Not daft at all - We all learn something about our MX-5’s here almost every day, and the joy is sharing the knowledge and the passion for them
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Very well put.
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Hi, the NA will be available in rust free condition from 99% thru to “selling for spares”.
Your budget so long as it’s £3k plus will give you a good starting point and should cover the slightly modified thru to the summer weekend 5.
Mileage won’t be too much to worry about and most owners do their own servicing and maintenance.
Don’t rush but if you do find one that takes your fancy put the details on here and you’ll get some good advice.
Be prepared though once you have bought one it won’t be your last.
Oh and the sooner you do but please don’t rush then you’ll be able to bring it along to the rallies and meetings that we all hope will be back soon.
Enjoy.
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that sounds amazing, thank you so much! i have seen a few for sale in the east Anglia region, im still trying to deliberate between the 1.6 and 1.8. does anyone know what is best? i understand that the 1.8 is more powerful but does it make that much difference in the long run?
The one with the least rust. Every time.
No such thing as a standard “fast” Mk1 anyhow so an extra second to 60 is pretty irrelevant.
Some say the 1600 ccs’ are a sweeter engine…opinions differ.
My 1840cc is probably not a lot quicker than a well serviced 1600 tbh despite what the blob chart figures suggest. Had a few runs in 1.6’s over the years…they were nippy enough.
There are a few 1600 UK ( as opposed to Eunos Roadsters) versions with a weedy 90-odd BHP though so do a bit of sleuthing yourself on that…it’s all on Googly.
Getting to the stage engine size matters a lot less these increasingly hard to find days.
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The early 1600 mk1 are the ones that are often said to be “sweeter” it’s mainly due to the fact that they have a higher diff ratio which makes it drive quicker in the lower gears (but you miss out a bit at motorway speeds) Like fitting a close ratio gearbox. As above, the late 96/97 Uk cars with only 90 bhp are the worst of both worlds with less power and without the early diff ratio.
Welcome to the club and good luck finding a car. I sold a 1.6 NA in January and have bought a new ND, as it will be my only car (I sold my Golf), as I do not do that many miles anymore.
The 1.6 is certainly fast enough - but try and avoid the 90bhp one, it is quite a bit slower. However as the other respondents have said, condition is most important. There are many around and they will all either have rust that needs doing, have had rust done some time ago that may need looking at again, or be in rust free (ish) condition. However any car you will get will need keeping on top of. In some ways, if you are prepared to spend the money, getting it done yourself will give you a good idea of the quality of the work.
The ND is a great car and is similar to an NA, but has mod cons and you do not have to worry about maintenance or if it will break down. However having said that, mechanically, most cars are ok, it is just the rust that gets them. But if you get a car that has little rust, other things should also have been looked after too.
Buy a car as good as you can and try and keep on top of it, but always have the top down and you will always have fun!!
If you see a car and post pictures on here - you will get some good advice on how viable it is - everyone likes pictures and everyone likes to comment…
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