HI,
Ive never owned an MX5 and have found onen at a good proce but i see from the mot advisories that all four Suspension arms are corroded but not seriously weakened and both the fron and rear Sub-frames are corroded. Please advise as to how much this would cost me to repair and whether i should go ahead and purchase the car.
I would not be too worried about this - common enough scenario with the MX5 as they were never really treated properly when first manufactured.
The thin paint layer soon disappears with salty roads and surface rust quickly coats the suspension and subframes.
Check it out to make sure it is not serious but expect it to be a cosmetic issue. Worth sorting out when if you buy the car to get rid of the advisories.
I’d be more worried about wherelse it may be corroded. (Like sills , brake pipes, suspension mounts, jacking points) As it could be very expensive to get these sorted.
How old is the one you are looking at? These things get worse, not better
you really need to get it on a ramp, peeel back the wheel arch liners and have a good prod.
or take someone with you who knows these cars.
Looks like the poor old OP has been struck by Double Post Syndrome!
Copy/paste from “The Other Thread”
Cheap 5’s are cheap these days for good reasons.
I’ve not entertained possible costs. It may be…these components just need a good scrub & treatment.
How long is a piece of string insofar what else will be exposed?
Wishbones rot from the inside as well and can eventually perforate.
I ought to know. Had to replace both rears and it was not cheap.
Visible crud can be cleaned off and made to look pretty.
You need to go nose to tail with this example while it’s hoisted.
Chassis rails, especially on a Mk2/Mk2/5 but much less so with a Mk1 are problems…not to mention structural.
Rear wings and sills are well documented weak spots. Boots rot out around the boot lights.
Lift the boot carpet and check for daylight.
There’s plenty info on this forum regarding rot if you use Search.
If the thing has been allowed to go that far, it’s possible…indeed likely…there’s more rot ready to erupt anytime soon.
On the upside, there are still plenty good ones out there…for more money.
The car is an ICON 05 plates. The corrosion was only picked up in this years mot and previous mot’s do not mention it.