Mazada MX5

The Recliner

Hi Guys

My girlfriend is looking to buy a car and she recently saw a Mazda MX5 that she could afford

http://www.cbg.ie/Car_detail.asp?CBGID=342318&ID=578067&NumPics=1&Make=Mazda&Model=MX5&frmFilter=

So has anyone got and advice/experience with the cost of running one of these, maintainence, spare parts, reliability etc.

Would prefer if she could afford a newer one but budget is a factor.

Any advice appreciated

py2006

I bought a 99 MX5 there a few months ago and I have never been happier! Its a great little car and an amazing drive!

My little baby has 6 gears and an 1830cc engine which took me a little getting used to as it was my first car!

I don't know a whole lot about cars to be honest so I couldn't really give any tips other than to warn her to take corners carefully on wet days! As its a rear wheel drive it can easily slide out. I drove sideways around a roundabout there the other day. But it was probably my own fault, maybe I took it a little fast.

I drove to Galway and back from Dublin using on 3/4 tank! which aint bad!

The one she is looking at is the old MK1 model, I prefer the MK2 to be honest. Its a better looking car and a little bigger in size (I think). I hate the pop up lights on the old model!

Silver is the best colour in an MX5 aswell!!

I had a massive thread on this car a couple months ago, if you do a search you will find it.

kluivert

I dont like the look of that one.

MX-5 love them.

Get onto autotrader.co.uk now is a good time to buy over there and source a good one. 1.8 is better than 1.6 and loads of parts available and specialists about in the UK at least. There is a irish mx-5 owners club and these guys knwo there stuff.

prospect

I have a MK1 mx-5 (with pop-up lights - Which I think is nicer ) and am a member of the owners club.

These cars are very reliable, but as stated before in other threads, if it wasn't looked after, it could give trouble.

Pop the bonnet and the lights and check for ripples in the bodywork, this would indicate if it has rear-ended anyone!

Also check the owners club website. They list the common problems (which are all minor) , and how to fix them.

What milage is on it?

The Recliner

prospect wrote:

What milage is on it?

I don't know the milage on it, I would imagine at the price quoted that it is high.

Was just looking for a car that she could afford and this came up in the search and she fell in love with the model.

So it doesn't have to be this car just something in the €5000 - €8000 price range, she seems to really want the MX-5 now though

Wanted to chek that older models were a decent buy, don't want her buying a piece of junk

ambro25

Autotrader.co.uk is your best friend, indeed.

Find one in the UK, preferably non-import as histories (ownership + service) will be easier to check and you can HPI it there (not sure you can in IE).

Mk1 is so much nicer than Mk2 - pop-up headlights make the car, tbh (can't you tell I own one ).

For high-milers, do prefer the 1.8i (less of those on import from Jap, more of those in the UK than IE - still, not that common as a Mk1), if you can afford it. Though the 1.6 is already pretty well suited to the car size/weight.

High mileage shouldn't be too much of a put-off if the car has been looked after - mechanically, this is base Jap engineering à la Toyota: indestructible, provided it's not been clowned with or spent most of its life on a track. But do check the cover and seals, these are not cheap/easy to replace if worn.

Maintenance is no more expensive than your average saloon, provided you look after the car decently, mpg is comparable on a 1.6, slightly heavy on a 1.8 - but note that your/your gf driving style will influence mpg greatly: I can get 37+mpg (motorway) with the 1.8i like I can get under 22-mpg (bit-o-fun) :eek:

Insurance is way higher, though - I'm @ €1100-or-so fully comp', with max bonus & all sorts of alarms/security features/factory-fitted immob/tracker/etc. Perhaps it's because mine's the only one in IE of the particular model (ltd ed)? (mind, they'd have a job replacing like-for-like, not sure they could at all, tbh). Should be much lower for a 1.6 'normal one'.

Bear in mind how/when/where is it going to be used - I've posted this a lot in the Forum, but people do not appreciate that panels (particularly doors) are convex (curbed 'out'), so very-parking-unfriendly: expect to pick a few dents/dings if you go regularly to -say- Liffey/Dundrum/the like.

Other than that - just like my old & trusty T28s mobile, they just don't make 'em like this anymore, and it's not been bettered yet in its class

The Recliner

Thanks Lads

I appreciate the response they have put my mind to rest a bit

Ernie Ball

ambro25 wrote:

Other than that - just like my old & trusty T28s mobile, they just don't make 'em like this anymore, and it's not been bettered yet in its class

Pfffftt.....

prospect

Ernie Ball wrote:

Pfffftt.....

LOL,

Brilliant.

But, boo boo booo

ambro25

Ernie Ball wrote:

Pfffftt.....

Like, whatever

Ernie Ball

ambro25 wrote:

Like, whatever

Totally, dude.

Squirrel

Ernie Ball wrote:

Totally, dude.

You should paint the callipers black man, suit the car

Post 1,000, had to be done

Ernie Ball

Squirrel wrote:

You should paint the callipers black man, suit the car

Maybe next time. I like the red for now. Since I took that picture I got rid of the orange repeaters and replaced them with clear ones. And I also got rid of those grey side vents and replaced them with black ones.

Squirrel

Ernie Ball wrote:

Maybe next time. I like the red for now. Since I took that picture I got rid of the orange repeaters and replaced them with clear ones. And I also got rid of those grey side vents and replaced them with black ones.

Looks sweet in that pic, care to put some up with the new additions? Today I was changing the orange indicators/parking lights on my dad's Mk2 for clear ones

On topic: Make sure it isn't trashed and you should be fine, japanese mechanicals

The Recliner

Just a quick question about the MX5 roof

As it is a soft top, if I was driving across the country and it rained from one end to the other would the rain get through the roof?

I don't mean will it leak, I mean will a sustained period of rain soak through the roof?

ambro25

[under proviso] No [/under proviso].

proviso = all seals in good nick, no punctures/repairs, clean the 'gutters' along the base of the roof regularly.

You'll find (with a bit of Googling, preferably unbiased) that the MX-5 is renowned as one of the best-designed rag tops, where rain leaks & infiltrations are concerned. Mine's got the original roof, 7 years old and always slept outside - not one leak.

I've driven quite a bit in Belgium a few years ago, with rain so bad at the time you couldn't see 20 yards in front of the car (motorway 'wash' was worst I'd ever seen in 15-odd years of driving, bar tropical storms, car was constantly aquaplaning -as a RWD - my sphincter at the time was squeezed tighter than what-have-you ). Never once got any rain in, even though it felt like a scuba tank would have been required outside...

Best test is (:sacrilege: ) take it through the rollers - if nought get's in, you'll be grand.

Conversely, I have this colleague with an 03 Z3, and friends with both an 04 Audi A4 and a 00 MGF and... well...

The Recliner

Thanks

Good to hear it from first hand experience

Will make sure to check all the seals so

Thanks for that