Soldato
I drove one without it and thought it was absolutely awful, far too heavy and no feel or feedback whatsoever.
Mk1 MX5, general advice and what to look out for?
- Thread starter ng93
- Start date
I drove one without it and thought it was absolutely awful, far too heavy and no feel or feedback whatsoever.
Soldato
You big girls blouse
If you want a real raw driving experience, it has to be without PS, many owners convert the NA to non PS even if they have it. Ive driven both and like both, but prefer non PS.
Soldato
The last time I checked, it was the other way round. The power-assistance really isn't like modern stuff - you don't know it's there IMHO and the steering is perfectly weighted with it. Without it, it feels like you're steering some old 70s ****e.
You big girls blouse
If you want a real raw driving experience, it has to be without PS, many owners convert the NA to non PS even if they have it. Ive driven both and like both, but prefer non PS.
Go one further and strip out the rack and pinion nonsense for a steering box for that authentic agricultural feel.
My one feels just right with PAS.
I wouldn't want a hardtop on my one. In fact for me having the top down is a key part of the enjoyment of driving the thing. With the roof up I notice all the down sides of the car, I get bugged by the cramped cabin and what the hell is that annoying noise.... all of that disappears when the top drops! That said, my one is a toy and when the weather gets rubbish it lives under a cover.
As for fitting in. I'm a... lets say... 'stocky' 6'1 and I have no head room issues. Knee room is another matter and I really should get a smaller wheel but annoyingly my one has an airbag.
If your budget is tight then really look at what you mean by a "nice" example. I was shopping with £1500 and couldn't find a nice one. I also got frustrated with self proclaimed "experts" on forums selling rust free ones that had rotten sills and arches.
In the end I paid way more than I should have and bought one of the last mk1's that had been fully stripped down and rust proofed at 7 years old with 20k on the clock. BUT as Howard said, you don't need to go that far to have fun with these things. The £1k one that I looked at was a great runner and those rust issues were going to be £300 in a years time (as it had just passed its MOT).
I wouldn't want a hardtop on my one. In fact for me having the top down is a key part of the enjoyment of driving the thing. With the roof up I notice all the down sides of the car, I get bugged by the cramped cabin and what the hell is that annoying noise.... all of that disappears when the top drops! That said, my one is a toy and when the weather gets rubbish it lives under a cover.
As for fitting in. I'm a... lets say... 'stocky' 6'1 and I have no head room issues. Knee room is another matter and I really should get a smaller wheel but annoyingly my one has an airbag.
If your budget is tight then really look at what you mean by a "nice" example. I was shopping with £1500 and couldn't find a nice one. I also got frustrated with self proclaimed "experts" on forums selling rust free ones that had rotten sills and arches.
In the end I paid way more than I should have and bought one of the last mk1's that had been fully stripped down and rust proofed at 7 years old with 20k on the clock. BUT as Howard said, you don't need to go that far to have fun with these things. The £1k one that I looked at was a great runner and those rust issues were going to be £300 in a years time (as it had just passed its MOT).
The budget is flexible, I just haven't seen anything that would make me want to spend much more than a grand. Most of the expensive ones are track toys so are in worse cosmetic condition than the cheaper ones, and as long as the underneath is solid and it runs well I'm not too concerned about the interior/exterior being mint.
That said I would consider spending £2k if it was supercharged
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That said I would consider spending £2k if it was supercharged
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Soldato
Power steering is definately better than manual, having tried both on the same car. It is only worth going for a car with it fitted.
Soldato
Awesome, thanks.
I'm going to look at one next week. JDM "Special Package" with electric windows, power steering, AC (owner says hes never used this, so I assume it's broken), bilsteins with lowering springs, VLSD. Looks to be in good condition, although difficult to tell from pictures.
It does however have a repair to one of the sills. I'm not great with the underneath of cars, so any tips on checking if this is a decent repair job or a bad one?
I'm going to look at one next week
. JDM "Special Package" with electric windows, power steering, AC (owner says hes never used this, so I assume it's broken), bilsteins with lowering springs, VLSD. Looks to be in good condition, although difficult to tell from pictures.It does however have a repair to one of the sills. I'm not great with the underneath of cars, so any tips on checking if this is a decent repair job or a bad one?
Awesome, thanks.
I'm going to look at one next week
It does however have a repair to one of the sills. I'm not great with the underneath of cars, so any tips on checking if this is a decent repair job or a bad one?
I never saw one with working air con when I was looking despite the owners listing it in the spec. I'd also be wary of getting too drawn in by the Bilstein fitted cars or those with LSDs because both of these items are going to be well past their best at 20 years old and 150k on the clock. Concentrate on getting the best base to start from.
Electric windows may be painfully slow to operate, that will be due to the runners needing to be lubricated. Problems start to form when owners don't do this and start burning the motors out.
As for whether it is a good job, you simply can't tell. A good job involves cutting back all of the rot and treating the metal before welding in fresh steel, a bodge is just papering over the cracks.
Soldato
If the sill is showing signs of rust, as a minimum ensure it was not an advisory on the last MOT. My friend got a lovely late MK1 1.8 for £450 with plenty of tax and MOT, but it has the arch as an advisory, which pretty much means 'you're OK this time, but next time it is a failure'.Awesome, thanks.
I'm going to look at one next week
It does however have a repair to one of the sills. I'm not great with the underneath of cars, so any tips on checking if this is a decent repair job or a bad one?
If there are plates welded onto the sills I bet that the drain holes (two little dimples on the jacking rail) are welded over too so no water can ever get out.
Of the cars I have seen, the leccy motors were OK (aside from the one I saw with the crap aftermarket mechanism!) it was just the runners. If the windows move even just a little bit, my money is on the runners needing a clean. If no movement/noise is made then the motors are probably dead.
I too have never come across one with working A/C. Sellers say it needs a regas but the seals are all worn out and the whole lot is dead.
A VLSD won't be doing anything after 100k miles it will just become an open diff, but they are all worn out like that so don't worry. The 1.8 has a better diff, but whether this is standard or an option I don't know.
OP: Remember some imports have been here 20 years now. I bought mine because it is a 2005 import - Is it the best spec? Nope. Has it got beautiful paintwork? Nope. Is it dent free? Nope. It sure as hell hasn't got car cancer though
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OP: Remember some imports have been here 20 years now. I bought mine because it is a 2005 import - Is it the best spec? Nope. Has it got beautiful paintwork? Nope. Is it dent free? Nope. It sure as hell hasn't got car cancer though
Exactly. My one was the wrong colour (although it has grown on me!), had a few more dings than I'd like and was missing some spec that I'd have liked from some of the others that I saw. Why did I buy it? It was by far the cleanest underneath that I'd seen and preventative work had been done to stop tin worm.
I'm having a look at this at the weekend:
http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=137237
Thoughts? Looks tidy, but guess I won't know for sure until I see it in person.
http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=137237
Thoughts? Looks tidy, but guess I won't know for sure until I see it in person.
Soldato
on the note of having no cat. my mx5 is a 1992 uk model, when it went for its mot earlier this year (before I owned it) it simply came back with an advisory. is this right or should it be a fail. just so i know what to expect when i get it MOT'D
I keep finding little annoying niggles with mines that need addressing,
Here it is
I keep finding little annoying niggles with mines that need addressing,
Here it is
Soldato
If it's a UK then I think it may be a fail, I think the pre 95 thing applies to Jap imports only?
Soldato
hmm, oh well need to go speak to my mate see what the hoo ha is all about its him that will mot it anyway. ive got issues with water entering the doors somewhere, not obvious untill i took off the door card, ive been getting bad condensation inside and issues with the lock on the drivers side. so possibly another point to note, im not sure if i need to replace window door seals where the glass meets the metal part
Soldato
FOr anyone interested this is what he sent me regarding mot and cat. hes an mot tester with his own garage
From K reg it will need a cat to be able to meet the emissions.
If it is pre K reg, then the emission limit is 3.5co
K reg onwards is tested on fastpass at 0.2 co, and if it can't make it on past pass, it is extended to 0.3 limit.
A k reg onwards will never make the limits without a cat, best it will acheive is around 0.5co.
From K reg it will need a cat to be able to meet the emissions.
If it is pre K reg, then the emission limit is 3.5co
K reg onwards is tested on fastpass at 0.2 co, and if it can't make it on past pass, it is extended to 0.3 limit.
A k reg onwards will never make the limits without a cat, best it will acheive is around 0.5co.