Isn’t 14 a little young for a trusted mechanic??
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The nice thing about the NC is that it drives and handles a lot like an NA, just a little more refined (higher 5th gear and the bonnet doesn’t vibrate like a WWI biplane when you boot it). Ok, the NA is the best-looking, but it’s a lot easier to find a rust-free NC as they are newer. The NB has all the rust problems of the NA without the looks.
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Each to their own mate 
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Ever thought of a job with the Diplomatic Service? 
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What is it your looking for and need.
M-m
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Actually, as an owner of both and still am, I’d say the NB has all the Mk1 rot issues with the added excitement of rotting chassis rails ( the real killer) which is something you do not have to worry so much over in the Mk1…being thick single skins. NBs are worse by a fairly long expensive chalk…and Mk3’s are starting to catch up…well…of course they would given time.
If I was retiring say, and looking for a Eunos or an Mx5 as a latter day Spit or MGB weekend toy…it’d be a Mk1 all day long. Cheaper fixes and simpler.
I’ve spent 15 years with ours both keeping them on the road and learned a lot in the ££££££
processes.
It’s less accurate these days to simply assume a Mk1 is going to be more rotten than an NB or NBFL,the age gap is reducing with the passage of time. We can see Ebay now full of rotted out £300 spares/repairs of both.
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Hi Ben,
Would this car being sold here on the forums be worth considering?
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check this one out :
not exactly problem free, but the owner is being V honest in the description.
And the hardtop would probably fetch £500, so that’s a decent wedge towards future repairs.
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It looks decent, but a bit far from me in Nottingham.
I’m already heading up to look a a local (ish) one near me in a couple days anyway. Cheers for the thought though.
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Local MK2, ideally facelift. Few near me that I like the look of.
Ben,
Have a chat with S.P.A. Servicing in Ilkeston, great honest upfront guys.
I think you could be right to keep looking. Bought an NB with 40k on the clock, no rot anywhere, service history, recently serviced with new cam belt and water pump, with a hard top, for not much more money.
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Parent: How Was Your First Day at School
Child: OK [Sullen & Sulky]
Parent: What Happened to Upset You ?
Child: [Tearful] Well The Teacher Said “Just Sit There For the Present” and I Waited All Day and She Didn’t Give Me a Present 
DOH…Grammar …Another Skill I’m Losing 
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Old ones are the best……!!
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There are diffing points of views on this. I sit in a completely different camp. The NC I could never feel. The NA is not my caterham but I drive it the same way and they are much easier to live with than the 7 once you deal with the rust.
On the topic of NBs, the local car lot had an 03 plate and earlier today on an errand I pulled over and rolled around at the side of it for a bit.
You forget how bad bad is. Standing back 40ft it looked fine. Underneath the tell tail rust was present right down the lip of the inner sill even though it had been patched with six inch long tabs of metal so there is a fair chance the whole sill structure is on its way out. Rust stains were also dribbling out from behind the base of the front wings. On that topic the wings had obviously been off as it had newer bolts and the metallic silver match wasn’t right.
It had obviously had the rear sill fix in the past but that was failing badly and someone had tried to clag over the bubbles with spray paint and masking tape although it had lasted about a fortnight. There has been no attempt to feather the paint.
All the suspension arms, arbs tie rods etc had no powder coat on them and were doing the titanic thing as was the rear subframe.
The bits of the front chassis rails fwd of the bulkhead you could see had the texture of hard dusty dull orange earth - I imagine behind the covers they were holed and would need large sections cut out and new welded in - it doesn’t wire brush off when it gets like that.
Anyway this chariot was £2995.
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Wasn’t that in the book “Cider with Rosie”?
Probably…Not Read the Book but Do Remember it was Laurie Lee
I Recalled the Quote From a Book Called Childrens Minds by Margaret Donaldson which I Did Read as Part of My Psychology Degree ['87-90]
[Also Recall We Used the Learning Point as Part of a Complex Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Course for Offenders in the Probation Service namely Misinterpreting Someone can Lead to Anger & Aggression & Result in Breaking the Law]
I Was Just Using It as Self Deprecation in Order to Create Humour
Let’s Not Start on the Seven Ages of [Wo]Man Speech from Shakespeare [Now There is a Guy Who Knew His Onions re Human Fraility !]
…Now…What Was I Doing Before Logging On… 
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Yes it was.
Check the For Sale section on here. It is likely that any such cars will have been well looked after.