Hey guys at the minute im considering buying an mx5, just need to know which one!
It will be the 2000-03 shape, need something pretty new for work, but i don’t know which of the 1.8 or 1.6 engines to go for!
Im 21 so im thinking the 1.6 would be the better bet as regards insurance…
Opinions PLEASE! [H]
There is not a huge amount of difference in performance, but needless to say the 1.8 is faster, and uses more fuel.
When I got insurance quotes, there was very little difference between the 1.6 and 1.8, so you may be surprised.
Depending on the type of driving you will be doing, your best bet is possibly to find a car in good condition, specification, and a colour you like, regardless of the engine size, and go for it, rather than cutting down your options simply for power that you won’t notice driving on a motorway, or economy you won’t notice on the back roads.
ah rite, well im looking it for a 80/20 mix, whereby the 80 is workdriving, then the 20 is ‘fun’, i was told today that the 1.6 isa more reliable engine? any truth in this?
Huh?
Mine is a 1990 Mk1 and I drive it to and from work everyweek day and play at the weekends.
What dictates that the car needs to be new for what you do as a job?
I’ve never heard anything but good things about both engines.
Potentially the 1.8 will have been driven harder (being the faster car, maybe bought by more spirited drivers), but that is just speculation really.
The 1.6 could arguably have been pushed harder because it was necessery to get more power…
MX5s are reliable cars, so as said above, don’t strictly tie yourself down to a new(er) one.
I have just been through this dilemma needing to change my Mk1. Another thing you may want to consider is that the RFL on a 2000 X is planned to be £100 less that a 2000 Y on the new CO2 tax rating. This has been postponed by the Gov but if you are looking at two similar cars, it made me think. I bought a 1.8iS and think it’s great.
good luck,
Ian
Of the two, the B6 1.6 engine has a better reputation than the BP 1.8 engine. I’ve just replaced the 1.8 engine in min after 200k km; piston ring failure. My previous 1.6 cars have been impeccible. The specialist who installed the engine agreed that the 1.8 engine just didn’t seem quite as good as the 1.6. It has more torque, for sure, but not as revvy.
For my next MX5, I may well revert back to a 1991-93 1.6. In many ways, the perfect MX5, but obviously a lot older than what you had in mind. I still hanker after a M2-1001…
Also I think (could be wrong here) that the biggest differences in quality in the engines between the 1.6 and 1.8 is more relevant on the now older Mk1’s
From what I have read and am led to believe the difference between the 2 on the later Mk2’s quality wise in negligible unless someonw can put me right?