mx-5 advice

Alex*TLR said:
Aproctor, in a word, no. Insurance is a personal thing, Adrian Flux is a broker, not an insurance company. You may be lucky enough that the insurers you get quotes from through AF don't make the distinction, but most do.

All have the exact same under coating, but get a 93 uk car and it's had 17 years of crap, get an 93 model imported in 2001 and it's only had 9 years of crap, makes sense doesn't it? I have never said you should not get an import, but many say an import is the be all and end all, but a 5 imported in 1995 is likely to be as bad as a 1995 UK car.

Also if your getting a eunos/miata/mx5 and go for the 1.6 (which is definitley the right decision) There is not much in it to be honest, the 1.8 is a better car, and the 1.6 is a bit "revvier", my advice, try both and most won't care.

Make sure you get one I think post 91 (check mx5nutz) as there is a long nose and short nose crank engine, one has MAJOR woodruff(sp?) key issues and it isn't worth the risk unless it's a cheapie. There are 3 crank sizes, short, big and long, the short is the most prone to it (1989 to mid 1991) and it is due to the key being replaced the wrong way round when the cambelt is changed. If the cambelt has been changed 10k+ miles ago and there are no problems, i would not worry too much. All 5s can be effected, but the early 1.6 are (as you said) most at risk, but it can be fixed.

Yes ok, buy on condition, but if you go JDM you get eleccy windows/aircon and more often than not a few cheeky nice bits! Good point, the nice bits are the key selling point, i've seen £1k cars on AT with Zoom consoles, Key!s steering wheels etc.

Another thing worth mentioning before I forget is that get the owner to take you up a dual carriage way and get him to cruise between 65-75 indicated, chances are you'll find around 69ish that the car will shake lots, most do unless people keep on top of the alignment, if so, don't panic, Wheels in Motion do a full fast road alignment for £90 and it'll out handle a lot of things! On the note of handling, dodgy/mis matched tyres REALLY can affect the little mazdas so worth checking them! The skuttle shake is a design flaw that is made worse with out of balance wheels and certain tyres, good call on the alignment though.
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In that case don't say I'm wrong, if it's a personal thing then nobody is wrong are they, but for the OP, FYI, check Adrian flux, they good with MX5s.

Not really a better car, power difference isn't worth the premium they seem to carry, also lazier engine and bigger fuel bills. You'll only end up wanting to FI it anyway in which case the 1.6 is the better engine to go for.

See knew someone would know about it! Can be fixed but it is a bodge so better to just walk away else you'll have chemical metal'd key ways :P

Sure is, cause mine has it, alignment n tyres fixes no worries, the official mazda fix involves using a huntsman somthing or other tyre balancer, but the website for em only lists the german and american locations :(, well unless I was on the wrong website! Other thing if toe is slightly out they'll dive one way when accelerating and the other when letting off the go pedal.
 
Alex*TLR said:
I
Not really a better car, power difference isn't worth the premium they seem to carry, also lazier engine and bigger fuel bills. You'll only end up wanting to FI it anyway in which case the 1.6 is the better engine to go for.
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They don't carry a premium, there is just more about, so the cheap dogs end up by default being a 1.6, not because it worse, because it is a dog.

MPG is the same for both.

Please, go and drive a 1.8 and have a bit more of a read about.

EDIT: you are wrong on the insurance as you were saying "the insurance is the same", what you meant was "my quotes are the same for both", and i would double check that.
 
Me and the missus have MX5's now, mine is a UK car, and the GF's is a eunos import, mine is covered under classic car insurance for pennies, they wont let us add the Eunos on a classic policy.

I had mine aligned at A line in dudley and it really has made a world of a difference to the car, best mod i have done to the car.Rust isnt too much of an issue, its a fairly easy car to weld, if done properly it will last ages anyway.We saw just as many Eunos's with rust as UK cars, but that was in the 1k bracket. They do seem to fetch upto 500-700 more this time of year, so prob not the best time of year to buy.

Mines a 1.8,nice revvy engine, i wouldnt say its any worse than the better 1.6 tbh. I wouldnt turn down a cheapy if it didnt have the leccy windows and what not, its not the be all and end all for these cars, hell i can reach over and wind the passenger window down, if you can get one with a solid body for less than a grand, snap it up.
 
Have driven a 1.8, felt lazier engine wise, not going to say it isn't faster over all than the 1.6, just felt that the 1.6 is the better drive. Double check it all you want, ring up for a quote with adrian flux for a uk car, then change your mind saying it's a Eunos, tis what I did and the prices are the same....

And no, MPG isn't the same.
 
42 on a run on na mk2, 34 on a run fi mk1. If your getting 42 in a 1.8 then you are a hero and will be like the only person on mx5nutz!

Got those figures by brimming tank and zeroing then re-filling etc btw.
 
Alex*TLR said:
34 on a run fi mk1. If your getting 42 in a 1.8 then you are a hero and will be like the only person on mx5nutz!

Got those figures by brimming tank and zeroing then re-filling etc btw.
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I have had 40, but over 200 miles at 60 mph.

I get 32mpg~ but i am not suprised you are getting better mpg with FI as they run so rich stock.
 
my 42 was sitting at a steady 65mph on Satnav. Cause mine only has a basic powercard so soon as the boost up's it continues to overfuel so not to run lean. E-manage blue is in the pipeline but sorting the alignment and tyres first as main priority.
 
This thread has turned out well thanks for all the advice guys. Before I was thinking I definitely wanted the 1.8. But a lazy engine is exactly what I do not want, so I'm pretty sure about getting a 1.6 now. Much more choice, and chance of finding a decent one for my budget as well. Just waiting for the 190e to go and then I shall start looking proper. I have spotted a few that I'm keeping an eye on though. Would like to try and get uk spec as well, as insurance is a hell of a lot cheaper for me.
 
I would recommend trying both though, differnt strokes for different people etc, we just both fan boys of what we each own :P Mx5 is deff the right way to go, once you get one you'll absolutley love it! Again, mx5nutz has a lot of goodun's for sale :D
 
Thomas. PLease. said:
This thread has turned out well thanks for all the advice guys. Before I was thinking I definitely wanted the 1.8. But a lazy engine is exactly what I do not want, so I'm pretty sure about getting a 1.6 now. Much more choice, and chance of finding a decent one for my budget as well. Just waiting for the 190e to go and then I shall start looking proper. I have spotted a few that I'm keeping an eye on though. Would like to try and get uk spec as well, as insurance is a hell of a lot cheaper for me.
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Lazy is the wrong word, try both and i doubt you will notice the difference.

Both are good cars, all are very similar.
 
I can get insured on a uk 1.6 with bell for £450 odd. With adrian flux its £600. One think I want to know though is, I always hear that flux are good with mods. Do they charge extra when you add mods?

As although bell will be cheaper initially I will be adding bits to the car so may work out more expensive in the long run. Would be happy to pay extra at the start if I don't constantly have to fork out extra.

Tom.
 
The 1.8 is fine tbh, I've ran several. Rot-free is essential, if you get a mohair, get one frim the guy in Knutsford, Mazmania - mine was simply the best mohair/glass combo I've seen and the best quality.
 
Yeah I'm in the US atm, sorry ;) Most of what's been posted here already is true, but when I was looking at buying, there was a definite difference between import and UK model insurance.

The imports *tend* to have a better spec, but not always. Unless it's a recent import, the difference in condition between a UK and an import will be nowt to write home about, so if you don't have any insurance issues just buy one that takes your fancy and is in good condition. Don't get too hung up on an LSD unless it's going to be a track car. You can always fit one later.

£1.5k is plenty IMHO. The one you linked to looks nice - an early 1.6 is quite a good thing in that they're lighter than the later ones, but at the expense of some chassis bracing/strengthening. I haven't found this an issue however. The only thing to look out for on the 89-90 1.6 engines with short nose cranks is a much-documented crank pulley keyway wobbling issue which can damage a crankshaft irreparably. It's not tremendously common though, only on high milers where cam belt changes haven't been done properly. It's just publicised a lot!

I don't find the early 1.6s slow at all IMHO. Although forced induction does add another dimension of awesomeness.. :cool:

If there's an OCUK south meet or you're in the area or whatever before you happen to buy one, you're welcome to poke around mine :)

They're fantastic little cars. Really rewarding to drive, great to own, loads of character, reliable, easy to work on, and you can spend as little or as much as you want on them! I've opted for the latter it would seem :rolleyes: But I love the way mine drives now.
 
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