Tell me about the MX5

SiHH

SiHH

SiHH

Soldato
Joined
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Hemel Hempstead, Herts, U
My girlfriend is taking her test at the end of next month and she likes the MX5 as her first car.

Budget of around £4k max - what model would you suggest for this money and what should we be looking out for with them so far as niggles, problems etc etc ?
 
First car just get like a 1.0 something or other.

She'll only probably ding it and drive it slow anyways.

Plus insurance will be expensiveeeee.

Probably not what she wants to hear but...
 
get a Mk1 - you could get an awesome P or R plate mk1 for £4k. Look out for rusting on the external seatbelt mounting point and rear wheel arches. Expect to replace the clutch slave cylinder as well (not a huge job) as they're pretty synonymous with going. Other than new pads, calipers, water filter and timing belt (those 2 were only replaced because they were off at the time anyway!) and a lock because someone tried to use a screwdriver as a key in mine it's been (touch wood) an awesome and reliable car.

I've also found that the material on the drivers seat is wearing away, but I think that it catches on my jeans, so that'll be why!
 
Boscher said:
First car just get like a 1.0 something or other.

She'll only probably ding it and drive it slow anyways.

Plus insurance will be expensiveeeee.

Probably not what she wants to hear but...
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Well she is actually 27 so i doubt insurance will be an issue.. she wont be doint many miles in it but she likes it and it will be fun for me to drive too !
 
Sic said:
get a Mk1 - you could get an awesome P or R plate mk1 for £4k. Look out for rusting on the external seatbelt mounting point and rear wheel arches. Expect to replace the clutch slave cylinder as well (not a huge job) as they're pretty synonymous with going. Other than new pads, calipers, water filter and timing belt (those 2 were only replaced because they were off at the time anyway!) and a lock because someone tried to use a screwdriver as a key in mine it's been (touch wood) an awesome and reliable car.

I've also found that the material on the drivers seat is wearing away, but I think that it catches on my jeans, so that'll be why!
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Thats cool thanks for that.

Just looking on Pistonheads and seems there are a lot of example even cheaper than £4k and "appear" to be in good nick.

What are the Eunos models like ?
 
Get a eunos- they are higher spec, uk models are worse condition and lower spec for the same price.
 
Eunos is just the import. You'll get better electrics (windows, might get central locking), maybe power steering and air con. Oh, and a CD player as standard. I'm not too sure on them but I've heard that they can be more expensive to insure. I fancied a UK one because I don't like power steering or air con.

The only way you can really know is to just go and look at a few.

I just remembered that I replaced the roof on mine as well. Got a nice mohair as opposed to the standard vinyl one as it was ripping on either side.

edit: jamoor, I wouldn't say worse condition necessarily. Lower mileage potentially, but not necessarily worse condition. I've seen some incredible UK 5s, and some sheds (mine's around half-way aesthetically!) and some incredible and crap imports. Just depends how they've been looked after and, like I said, it's best to go and look
 
Ok, well I would say they are a pretty daft first car. It's not that they are particularly powerful it's the fact that they are rear wheel drive. This makes them not so good for new drivers because they have to be driven with respect. Driving has to be adapted to weather conditions. Care needs to be made when applying throttle etc etc. That said if they are kept shod in good quality tyres with good tred then they will handle very nicely indeed and you don't need to be a racing driver to enjoy them properly. If your girlfriend is careful I am sure she will be fine. You will probably want to find a model that does have ABS and power steering because without it your girlfriend will quickly get sick of wrestling to park it and may skid a bit without the help of ABS.
 
mattpc said:
Ok, well I would say they are a pretty daft first car. It's not that they are particularly powerful it's the fact that they are rear wheel drive. This makes them not so good for new drivers because they have to be driven with respect. Driving has to be adapted to weather conditions. Care needs to be made when applying throttle etc etc. That said if they are kept shod in good quality tyres with good tred then they will handle very nicely indeed and you don't need to be a racing driver to enjoy them properly. If your girlfriend is careful I am sure she will be fine. You will probably want to find a model that does have ABS and power steering because without it your girlfriend will quickly get sick of wrestling to park it and may skid a bit without the help of ABS.
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Interesting point and one taken. I wouldnt imagine she would be one to floor the thing and hammer it... I have never driven one myself so I have no idea what it would be like for her. I might go and test on myself just to see what its like..
 
Sic said:
Eunos is just the import. You'll get better electrics (windows, might get central locking), maybe power steering and air con. Oh, and a CD player as standard. I'm not too sure on them but I've heard that they can be more expensive to insure. I fancied a UK one because I don't like power steering or air con.

The only way you can really know is to just go and look at a few.

I just remembered that I replaced the roof on mine as well. Got a nice mohair as opposed to the standard vinyl one as it was ripping on either side.

edit: jamoor, I wouldn't say worse condition necessarily. Lower mileage potentially, but not necessarily worse condition. I've seen some incredible UK 5s, and some sheds (mine's around half-way aesthetically!) and some incredible and crap imports. Just depends how they've been looked after and, like I said, it's best to go and look
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info :)
 
mattpc said:
Ok, well I would say they are a pretty daft first car. It's not that they are particularly powerful it's the fact that they are rear wheel drive. This makes them not so good for new drivers because they have to be driven with respect. Driving has to be adapted to weather conditions. Care needs to be made when applying throttle etc etc. That said if they are kept shod in good quality tyres with good tred then they will handle very nicely indeed and you don't need to be a racing driver to enjoy them properly. If your girlfriend is careful I am sure she will be fine. You will probably want to find a model that does have ABS and power steering because without it your girlfriend will quickly get sick of wrestling to park it and may skid a bit without the help of ABS.
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They have **** all power, just drive sensibly and nothing will go wrong.

I guess in general the imports are better condition, but obviously it varies.

You will be able to snag a high mileage mk2 for your budget if you're quick. Don't let high miles put you off and ensure the service history is extensive and up to date.
If an import, you can get jap s/h sometimes, if not, make sure the owner has serviced it, or if no uk owners, get the garage to do a complete service incl timing belt.

No disguised swearing. Star them out. FF.
 
jamoor said:
They have **** all power, just drive sensibly and nothing will go wrong.

I guess in general the imports are better condition, but obviously it varies.

You will be able to snag a high mileage mk2 for your budget if you're quick. Don't let high miles put you off and ensure the service history is extensive and up to date.
If an import, you can get jap s/h sometimes, if not, make sure the owner has serviced it, or if no uk owners, get the garage to do a complete service incl timing belt.
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granted they dont have much power especially the 1.6 but I rest by what I've said. There's no ESP to save you! Oh and you need to do more than drive sensibly because if it's got pants tyres it's still going to get out of shape very very easily. I know this from experience. I would go for a mk2 as it will be a little more refined for road use than the mk1. If it was me buying the car I would have a mint mk1 1.8 special edition.
 
mattpc said:
granted they dont have much power especially the 1.6 but I rest by what I've said. There's no ESP to save you! Oh and you need to do more than drive sensibly because if it's got pants tyres it's still going to get out of shape very very easily. I know this from experience. I would go for a mk2 as it will be a little more refined for road use than the mk1. If it was me buying the car I would have a mint mk1 1.8 special edition.
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I agree with the tyres point, but I guess it's the same for any car.

Special editions vary from excellent bits of kit, to just a special colour and a sticker somewhere.
http://ox.mx5oc.co.uk/guide_eunos.htm
http://ox.mx5oc.co.uk/guide_mx5.htm

use those links to see what each come with.
 
it is true with any car but not to the same extent. It is true with any RWD car I will conceed that. I am genuinely scared by some of the tyres I see fitted to older Mazda MX5's. There are an awful lot with illegal tread but almost worse are the ones fitted with appalling budget tyres not fit for puntos never mind roadsters.
 
The mk2 is a more refined drive than the mk1. I suggest you get her to test drive both, but my instinct would be that she might find the mk2 more comfortable.

If you get an Eunos make sure they have service history and get an insurance quote first, I had to get a UK car for insurance reasons.

As already stated the main niggle with the mk1 is rust just infront of the rear arches as drain holes get blocked and the sills fill up with water.

Don't worry about timing belt changes if it's missing from the service history. The engines are non-interference so if the belt does go pop the worst that should happen is the car will roll to a stop and you'll need to be recovered by breakdown. Pop a new belt on and off it will go again.

In the dry they can be pushed and pushed and the handling is very forgiving and it's hard to get into trouble. The chassis is brilliant. However even with relatively little power in the wet they can snap the tail out if you're not smooth - especially if the tyres arn't great. I would suggest a quick skid pan afternoon for her to drill in the correct instincts to correct a RWD slide. But you really do have to provoke it so it's not something that you need to worry about.

Avoid UK 1.6s. They really do lack power. The early imports can be just as fast as 1.8s but the UK ones were restricted (IIRC, its been a while since I researched all this). The 1.8s have a habit of not feeling very fast for their performance figures, but they love to rev. The clutch and gearbox makes it a joy to throw it around the back lanes flicking gears to keep the revs high.

Reliability should be good if its looked after.

I really enjoy mine and look forward to every drive:)
 
mattpc said:
Ok, well I would say they are a pretty daft first car. It's not that they are particularly powerful it's the fact that they are rear wheel drive.
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Most cars used to be RWD, most people who learnt back then seem to have done just fine.
 
Thanks for all your posts so far thats really great and will be checking out the links given :)
 
willd58 said:
Most cars used to be RWD, most people who learnt back then seem to have done just fine.
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Exactly. How many thousands of people learnt to drive in a RWD Escort, Chevette or an Avenger etc, probably running on crossply tyres?

Jump into ANY car as a completely inexperienced driver and drive it like a loon and you will kill yourself and/or others, wether it's a RWD or FWD. In fact I'd go so far as to say that learning to drive (after passing test) in a modestly powered RWD car is no bad thing.
 
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