Hi Everyone
a really nice looking NB has come up for sale in your area.
please can anyone recommend a knowledgable MX5 specialist who would carry oot a pre purchase inspection ?
as per the description the car is located near Ely - March
im really nervous about the rust issues with sills and chassis rails etc
The car is the low miles 1.8 auto in the for sale section here.
Any help greatly apprecited
Regards Gary
Hi, some idea of where the car is and where you are would help.
Not a lot on just now so a bit of detective work reveals that OP is in Norfolk and the car is in North Cambridgeshire ( I think?)
it is so much easier though if location is put into the signature, very helpful
Barrie
Guys
The location is shown clearly in the description - the blue bar above.
However I’m in Norfolk and the car is in Ely - March
Thanks
So it is
Barrie
Now anyway 
Looking at the photos, its fairly obvious both rear arches have blown; where the wheel arch lips have bent outwards is a sign that rusting has started. If the bubbled paint is rubbed down, I would expecting to see pinholes or larger. Its had at least one sill repair, so the other one won’t be far behind, but I would be expecting within the next couple of years paying to have both sills and arches cut out and replaced. 20017; advisory about “soft sills” (rot on nearside). 2011 and 2012, advisories about rusting around seatbelt anchorage (aka sills) on the offside.
Given the condition of the sills, I would be expecting that rusting will have started in the front chassis rails; it may not be visible yet, as the rusting is from the insider out.
If you need a NB-FL automatic, your choice is going to be extremely limited, as only a few hundred UK-spec cars were sold here.
I would be looking to get the price closer to £1500; worst case is the bodywork in 2 years or so will need £1000-2000 spending on it, likely not all at the same time. If you give yourself a cushion of £1000 plus normal servicing per year, you might sleep easier. I look at the MX5 body as a service item; it will rust, and it will need repair, and this is part of the cost of ownership. The rusting arises because it is not a tintop. Rusting is bound to happen on a car where the design allows water to drain through a unibody, where there is a complex of sill reinforcements, full of various moiture traps.
Likely, given the mileage, and the pretty clean MOT history (https://cazana.com/uk/car/Y84CER) I wouldn’t expect anything mechanical untoward. Only two owners, so no redflags in terms of being crash repaired auction fodder. I’ve not heard of any particular issues with the autobox, though its a little strange to see photos of the car with the engine turned off, but the shifter in drive, and not park.
What are your expections of a professional car inspector and what is now an 18 year old car? I expect any inspection report to be full of so many caveats as to diminish its worth. A sill has been “repaired”, but he/she can’t gauge how well that was done. If the other sill is looking “soft” (whatever that means. I am assuming it crunches a bit under pressure), they will give you the worst case (needs chopping out). If it were me, I wouldn’t bother with paying for an inspection (if you can get a local enthusiast to tag along to give you confidence, by all means). He’s not going to be able to check everything that you want him to check. You will be able to get a good feel about how well the car has been looked after.
When buying a Mk2, like the Mk1, if you embark on the buying process with eyes wide open, it’ll be a lot easier. Too many stories of people searching endlessly for that unicorn car. If you don’t like the idea of dealing with rust on what is now technically a classic car, you need to up your budget a bit and look at an NC. More autos, but don’t look at the very cheapest NCs.
Roadster Robbie (the MX5 owners club technical guru who knows everything about these cars) lives in Ely I believe. If you speak very nicely to him (and offer him something in return ) he might be able to help. I obviously can’t speak for him, but I might be worth asking?
Edit: I’ve just seen you you don’t currently look to be a member of the club, you may need to join to get help from club members
It is also worth joining the club anyway for all of the benefits, etc
Saz9961 - thanks for your post. The purpose of an inspection is to confirm the condition of the front chassis rails, which I believe needs parts removing to gain access?
Starting to think this isn’t the car for me!
You can check the driver’s side by placing a mobile phone under the chassis rail from inside the bonnet and taking a picture, otherwise