Update- hoping to go see the grey sport tech on pistonheads tomorrow.
Sounds genuine enough and a nice guy.
Anything in particular I should keep an eye out for??
Not really much at that age, the leather on the drivers seat bolster can get scuffed, any stone chips on the bonnet that are untouched should be done ASAP as it is aluminium. Full service history, it is electronic so no book.
Ask if the geometry has been checked recently, if not a Hunter 4 wheel alignment is worth the money, these cars are very responsive through the suspension and a good set up makes them an absolute joy to drive.
All the regular Mk3 faults should not apply with the age and mileage of this car.
Have fun, it looks a beauty
P.S. Make sure tyres match, mismatched tyres on any MX5 are not a good thing, not urgent but it is worth remembering.
You may not be bothered about this,but not all MK3’s came with aircon/climate,useful even in Leeds, if only to clear condensation.
6
Cheers for the heads up- going for a top spec, sport at least, so will be getting one with climate control hopefully.
The red one in an earlier post has been pulled, so most likely sold.
The grey sport tech I have decided against going to see- was sent some more pics and the front bumper looks to me like it’s had some paint; it’s clearly a different colour to the wings, even given the fact it being plastic they’re not always a spot on match, I’m not willing to travel to see one that might have had a bump in the past. (the current owner has only owned it since April this year).
A velocity 1.8 Kuro has popped up privately on a 62 plate, up at £10,500, but it’s a convertible, only a 1.8 and from what I can see is based on an SE so pretty basic save for the Halford’s looking add ons.
The guy with the grey sport tech above had a 1.8 previously and said he felt it’s a little underpowered, especially with the prht. (although he was trying to sell a 2.0)
The search continues…
I’ve seen a few plastic painted bumpers show up a slight colour difference in pictures,. Don’t know why this is but in reality (in the flesh) the paint matched the rest of the car.
I bought a brand new car 3 years ago and such was the paintwork it seemed to show a difference shade in certain light on the front bumper, but at other angles viewed it looked a perfect match.
Mmm, trouble is it’s further than the ad states, up near Middlesbro.
Toying with idea of getting a 3.75, the venture in stormy blue with brown leather looks the dogs…
Not all ‘sports’ have aircon/climate.
Just seen an 007 plate without it,don’t know about later models.
Many thanks for your input- am currently looking at newer models post 09 which on higher spec models do seem to have climate on the whole.
Off to see a rather special looking 14 plate sport venture tomorrow, more than my budget but if it’s as good as it sounds will stretch it.
Will post back with thoughts.
Cheers everyone.
Sorry to hijack this thread but I’m in exactly the same situation as the original poster. I’m going through kind of a mid life crisis, mainly because I got made redundant and came into a bit of cash and found another job. I want a second car as I have a bit of a commute and don’t want to clock up loads of miles on a decent car. Its also a drudge going to work in the winter on a congested A road. However in the spring/summer I can take a scenic route going over Caldbeck common on the edge of the Lake District on some decent stretches of B road, and thought a roadster would be ideal. I narrowed it down to an MX5 Mk3/3.5 or an MR2 Roadster, or a Honda S2000. The MR2 is a bit old, and I imagine finding a decent one is hard work, plus it has hardly any storage. The S2000 is the quickest, and I love VTEC engines, but I could lose my license easier, its very, very expensive, I could get a 2013/2014 MX5 2.0 for the price that decent 2007 examples seem to be going for,after 2006 the VED is £499 also. The MX5 is top of my list, because it will be newer, there are lots more to choose from and I think I’m really past driving really fast, I also like the look of the later MK3’s.
I guess my question is regarding what is mentioned above by PJR. Is it just the Sport Tech model that has the Bilstein suspension? What is NC2 and NC3 are they model revisions? I’ve only seen one 2006 2.0 sport advertised locally with an independent car dealer. It had done about 40K, was black with lots of scrathes in the lacquer, like you get with drive through car washes. Black really shows this up, it also had a few 10 pence coin sized blemishes on the bonnet that looked like it had corroded a little and touched up really badly. All 4 tyres had about had it too. I was told that the bonnet would be re-painted if I paid next to the asking price, but I really didn’t care for it that much for 6K. Also when I looked underneath it loads of the underseal, which looked to be of a really poor quality had flaked off, and there were signs of moderate surface rust in lots of places. So I decided to walk. Regarding this matter with the underbody, was the protection improved with later cars, or is it still really poor? I’m really looking for a car in decent shape underneath and if necessary improving rust proofing it.
Does a folding metal roof actually make a big difference to how the car handles? I have a garage but still prefer this, is the roof mechanism known to be reliable, as I could imagine it being very expensive if it fails?
I really like the look of the 2.0 Kuro in red, but not sure I want to stretch that far as they are newer. I think I’d be looking at a 2010 model. Am I right in thinking that a car that age would have a six speed gearbox or are some 5 speed? Is the Bose stereo upgrade worth having? I’m into hifi and it’s not a brand I would ever bother with, but obviously a car is different. Most cars I have had, apart from a Ford Focus have had dire standard stereos, I had to change speakers to components, and an amp and a sub or underseat sub. If the Bose is genuinely decent it would be a bonus. Thanks for any advice by the way.
Is it just the Sport Tech model that has the Bilstein suspension?
Yes it is the Sport on the NC1 and the Sports Tech on the NC2!
What is NC2 and NC3 are they model revisions?
NC1 is the original car from mid late 2005.
NC2 from about mid 2009 on had improved build of gearbox, engine, improved suspension geometry and uprated electical bits inside. The heated seat in the cars that have it have temperature controls etc. Different grille
From about 2012 or so the NC3 has improved protection for pedestrians it crashes into and some changes to the throttle response and brake reponse i think. Different grille
Also when I looked underneath it loads of the underseal, which looked to be of a really poor quality had flaked off, and there were signs of moderate surface rust in lots of places. So I decided to walk. Regarding this matter with the underbody, was the protection improved with later cars, or is it still really poor? I’m really looking for a car in decent shape underneath and if necessary improving rust proofing it.
Budget £350 to £450 to rustproof if you are going to keep the car and the new Mk4 is just as bad.
Does a folding metal roof actually make a big difference to how the car handles?
Only if you want to make it up!
I have a garage but still prefer this, is the roof mechanism known to be reliable, as I could imagine it being very expensive if it fails?
If it fails it needs dealer kit to reset the mechanism as it must be done with the Mazda diagnostic electronics and in the unlikley case yes it can be well over £1,500 if one side of the mechanism needs renewed but I only know of one car that has had the problem.
I think I’d be looking at a 2010 model. Am I right in thinking that a car that age would have a six speed gearbox or are some 5 speed?
There are few NC2 2 litrs with a 5 speed.
The audio is a personal choice as are speakers etc!
Eddie has covered most points, for the audio the Bose in the MK3 family is not particularly good, adequate comes to mind, however it is a light open top sports car with minimal internal sound deadening. I had both NC1 and NC2 with Bose, in the NC1 I added Clearwater speakers which made a positive difference. In the NC2 (powered hardtop - composite not metal) there were extra speakers added at manufacture which helped some.
On the ND (MK4) the Bose is very good indeed, not that it’s particularly relevant to this discussion.
Ok, thinking of travelling to see this…
Up on miles a little but keenly priced so not too worried as been serviced on time.
Worry is, wheels are not original as seller claims he hit a pot hole and damaged the originals.
So,
What is likelihood of suspension damage here- will it just need a re-alignment, assuming he didn’t bother which didn’t sound like he did from speaking to him.
And how much and where do I source original wheels from (other than Mazda direct as presumably this won’t be cheap)
Cheers all.
Thanks Eddie and Ian H for taking the time to reply you have covered all my queries, thanks. Ian your comments about the Mk4 stereo are slightly relevant, I could stretch to one of those but it would totally clean me out, I have thought about one and had a look at one twice in a showroom, its just the depreciation of new cars that puts me off. Also when sitting in one with the roof down, I had a feeling that my head might be touching the roof, unless it is really quite convex in shape. My eyeline also appeared to be looking at the top of the windscreen frame. I’m just over 6’1". In the mk3 I looked at my head was very close to the roof but it wasn’t that bad. So I think a mk3 is for me. The stereo is not a huge concern, I’ll just replace it along with speakers. I also have access to a 2 post lift, compressor etc, so I would rust proof the car myself. Thanks again.
Dexy, nice car, nice colour, all the toys too 
Original wheels from Mazda are not too ridiculous (for once):
http://www.mazda.co.uk/buying-owning/accessories/mazda-mx-5/2008-10/wheels-suspension/9965677070/
The wheels that are on don’t look too bad and should have resale value if you don’t want to keep them.
A full suspension alignment and potential adjustment from a reputable place should be a must anyway after you buy the car. If the car has had an MOT then damaged suspension components should show up there hopefully.
Thanks, I looked at those then thought that’s going to be over a grand with decent tyres.
Had a look also on mx-5parts.
Must say I didn’t notice they weren’t original just from the pics until the seller pointed it out- 10 spoke like original so maybe worth keeping.
Done the on-line mot checker and passed in Sept with no advisories.
Might have a ride down this aft.
I’ve finally been to see 3 MX5’s today, all in franchised dealers, all reasonably priced, and I walked away from all 3. I test drove 2 of the cars and have a few questions as I have never driven an MX5 before.
The first car was advertised as a 2010 2.0 Sport Tech with only 18k miles, at a Honda dealer for £8,900. I phoned up about the car and said that I would be traveling 80 miles to view the car. This was a mistake as the salesman said you’d better get here soon, as somebody else is also coming to view the car, hopefully you’ll beat them to it. So I already couldn’t be bothered with him, as with nearly 30 years of buying cars I knew he was full of ****. When I got there I drove around the car park, found the car. The car was filthy, he hadn’t even bothered to get it washed. All four alloys were badly kerbed, it wasn’t a Sport Tech but a Sport. It just didn’t look that good to me so I just left. The car salesman phoned me three more times during the day, and left a voicemail, which I just ignored. I decided to travel another 80 miles or so to see two other cars.
The second car was a 2012 2.0 Sport Tech, with supposedly 32K miles, a soft top for a reasonable £10,295, at a Mazda dealer. When I got there the car was not there, it had been sent for a wash etc. I was also told by the salesman that the car would have a few more miles on it as it had been used for test drives etc. The car looked decent, at least they had made an effort. It had minor bodywork issues, but nothing that bad. Front tyres were totally illegal, it had Potenza’s on the back with quite a bit of tread left on. The car was also warmed up when I got in it. It was strange driving it at first as it reminded me of the worst car I have driven, an MG Midget, but way, way better. Still fairly cramped, and my head was just touching the roof. The first thing I noticed was that the clutch was pretty stiff, it had hardly any travel and the biting point was really, close to the top of the travel. It changed gear really well though, and drove well. I give it a bit of welly exiting a roundabout as it was wet, and the back end marginally stepped out, but was good fun and really controllable. The other thing I noticed was that the car now had over 35K miles on it. So I would guess that they had had the car for some time, and somebody was using it. I said I was concerned about the clutch as this was the first car I had driven. They said that they would check it out, but I wasn’t committing, and wanted to drive another. So I walked.
The last car was in a Honda dealer, it was a 2013 63 plate 2.0 Sport Tech with an electric hardtop, 23K, up for a very reasonable £11,500. The car had been washed, but looked like it had never been waxed for years. It had quite a lot of minor scuffs and scratches. The alloys were in good condition though. The front tyres, Potenza’s had totally had it. It had some cheap crap on the back that I had never heard of, with loads of tread on. On the test drive we needed fuel, I had to google to find out where the release switch was, as we were looking for it, like idiots for ages. This car just didn’t feel as good to drive as the first, and the gearbox was really notchy, changing from 1st - 2nd, and 2nd - 3rd. It was close to crunching first to second. I let the car warm-up, and it got better, but was still there, slightly. it also vibrated slightly through the pedal when braking, discs maybe. When I gave this car a bit of welly through a slightly wetter roundabout it just totally let go big style. I wasn’t going fast, but the back end went, then the front went as well. The car just did not feel as good to drive as the last one. The tyres must have been utter garbage, and I’m guessing the wheel alignment was out. I looked at the paperwork and the car was due a service, and only had one male owner. I just thought that somebody that genuinely enjoyed owning this type of car would not put really poor tyres on the back of a rear wheel drive car. It was dangerous, in my humble opinion. I voiced my concerns to the salesman, about the gearbox, bodywork, tyres. But I’d made up my mind I didn’t want it. I explained that it was a reasonable price, but stated that I was happy to pay more for a good example. He said is there anything I can do price-wise. I said not really, he told me to hold on as he’d have a word with his boss. He came back and told me that a car trader was coming to buy the car at the advertised price (sigh), and the price wouldn’t be lowered. I just said ok, shook his hand and left.
Basically do these cars have a heavy clutch? Is it normal for a gearbox to be pretty notchy when cold? I’ve had other cars that were, a Primera P10 eGT (great motor) that was always notchy 1st - 2nd. I put some quality fully synthetic Motul oil in the gearbox and it went.
What I have picked up from this experience is: I think I want to buy a car privately, off somebody that has hopefully cherished the car like I would. I don’t want to have to deal with car salesman, whom don’t have a clue about what they are selling, and treat you like a slight idiot. I think, they think, because you have travelled, they have got you. Simply not the case with me. I won’t pay 10K+ for any car that’s a bit ropey. I might also look at higher priced cars, as these cars were maybe cheaper for a reason. Still I won’t hold my breath, and might get the same outcome.
In the Honda dealer I was looking at a brand new Civic Type R. It looked like it was on steroids, obviously copying an RS Focus. It was quite striking from the front, but hideous from the back. I was reading all the information on the placard next to it, I was looking for how powerful it was. Surely the main thing when buying a car. All it had was 2 pages of bumf, listing all the electronic crap that the car had on it. Nothing about the BHP. The car was 32.5K. I had an EP3 Civic Type R years ago, a 2002 plate. It was a world away from that creation, probably 300KG lighter, pretty basic, with a NA 2.0 VTEC engine, no turbo, to pull it’s lardy-ass along. The car salesman told me this car had 305 BHP. Pretty impressive, but whether it’s as raw as an EP3 or the earlier import EK9, or the excellent DC2 Integra Type R, I seriously doubt. I wonder how much cheaper this car could of been, if it was stripped of all the unnecessary electronic crap, trim etc, like a proper Type R should be. A type R was about a high NA revving agile, light car, with minimum features. Honda lost the plot years ago.
Sorry for rambling about crap, but I admire Mazda with the MX5. Sure the latest version has a few luxury’s, to bring it up to modern standards, but they haven’t lost track of what the car is all about. I wish more manufacturers would do the same, as I find the cast majority of modern cars so, so dull. Hence wanting an MX5 I guess. I guess they don’t need to now though, as most people get-off on gadgets, not driving experience.
Did you look at the Sport Venture, fantastic car and have found out that this car was the first 25th anniversary model produced in 2014 it even has a limited number if you were in France or Belgium, her is mine
Not all dealers are created equal. My local dealer has been incredibly helpful over the years I have been going there. In Horsham (not too far from M23)
And some of the independents really don’t know about the MX5.
The first MX5 we looked at was a Mk2.5 in our local s/h car dealer and it was immaculate, at first sight, but when I opened the bonnet I could see heavily corroded power steering pipes, bubbles on the front chassis rails, and when I looked under the front wheel arches the paint at the front end of the chassis rails was different to the rest and without under-seal, and bubbling. At the time I knew nothing about the MX5, but we still walked away.
I bumped into the dealer a few months later on the Tube (I’ve known him for years) and I asked him if he sold it, and he admitted he lost more than a grand on it because it needed to have the rails and steering sorted, and he also had to drop the price. He also admitted he would not chance selling any more MX5s.
I went looking today in the North East of England this time. I decided to look at a couple of cheaper cars before going onto a Jaguar dealer that had a very low mileage 13 reg car with only 7.5K miles on it for just over £13k. The first car I saw was a low mileage 08 plate sport. It was pretty tidy but just had 1 key, the traction warning light was on, on the dashboard, it had a bit of condensation in the boot, and looked like the rear quarter panel had been painted. The salesman said it had just been steam cleaned. I had a look underneath, and whilst not as bad as an 06 car I viewed a few months ago, it would need the rust neutralised and rust-proofed. I decided to walk.
I took a chance on going to see an 06 plate car in a Mazda dealer as it was only a couple of miles away. I was expected the worst from my previous experiences. The car was advertised at a very reasonable price, compared to what some so-called specialists I’ve noticed on Ebay sell them for. The car was totally mint outside, just one kerbed alloy, the tyres were good, but a budget brand. It had a FMSH with 34K miles. The salesman was spot-on, no pressure at all. He noticed me lying on the floor to get a look underneath and suggested that the car was brought into the workshop and put on a lift.
I was expecting it to be tatty, but underneath was completely mint, not a sign of any rust and all underseal in-place. The mechanic was amazed how good it was, as he said he had seen some bad ones. I took it for a drive, and again it was faultless. The history was all there, done at the same dealer and it is a one owner car. The only issue I could see is that the drivers seat bolster had a bit of wear. But I can see how, as some people might struggle getting in and out of such a low car. I’d take this any day on a car that was nearly 10 years old, compared to rust or bad bodywork.
The salesman said that they would normally pass cars like this onto traders, but as it was so good they were selling it on. Initially I was looking for a newer MX5, but the three I viewed last week, a 2010, 2012 and 2013, were nowhere near as good order as this one. So I bought it. Might spend a grand or so on wheels/tyres and suspension springs. Have to wait and see. It has 12 months Mazda warranty. Was a bargain in my eyes, even for a 10 year old motor. I’ll pick it up early next week. Good result, thanks for all the great advice, much appreciated.
