~£1K MR2/ MX-5/ Similar

danza · 14 May 2009 at 18:00

As title. I'll be after a 2 seater as a second car sometime in the near future, and basically what I want to know is whether I can get a good example of MR2 or MX-5 (or similar) for about £1K. Not fussed about turbo MR2s or 1.8 MX-5s, just want someting in goodish shape.

Will they all be steaming heaps of rust with HGF and aids, or am I likely to be surprised and find something actually alright?

The MX-5 may well be out the window anyway, simply because I'm 6'3" and might not fit properly.

There are obviously lotas available for this kind of money, but i just can't help thinking they'll mostly be lemons.

Any info would be most useful.

Peter Diffey · 14 May 2009 at 18:07

My MX5 was £1300 and is fine........

and im 6ft tall, fat and find that there is plenty of room

danza · 14 May 2009 at 18:09

Peter Diffey said:
My MX5 was £1300 and is fine........

and im 6ft tall, fat and find that there is plenty of room

Cool. I'll have to try and sit in one. I work nextdoor to someone who drives one, so I'm sure they won't mind me asking to try it out. I do have a 34" inside leg though, so might find it cramped?

Kitchster_uk · 14 May 2009 at 18:13

You are more in MR2 money than MX-5 money for a grand, either a reasonable Mk1 or an early mk2. Mk1 is more of a nippy little sports car, the Mk2 more of a GT. That said, I was doing a 60 mile round trip commute in my mk1 for 8 months with no issues. The 1.6i engine is a very respectable 122bhp. The mk2 is more powerful but is much more likely to have fallen into the hands of Chavvy Mcknacker who will have ruined it badly.

For an mx5, you are looking at an early 1.6, though this isn't such a bad thing as the 115bhp engine is excellent. G/H/J/K plates are the ones to have as after that they strangled the engine. Still, a 1k mx5 is not going to be problem free by any stretch of the imagination.

Dogbreath · 14 May 2009 at 18:14

You won't pick up much of an MX5 for £1k, perhaps one with a knackered hood and plenty of rust (yes, they can rust quite badly). You'll have much more luck getting a usable (but undoubtedly tatty) Mk2 MR2 for that money, or a high mileage and probably rusty Mk1.

You really need to double that budget to get a half nice example of any of them IMO.

Dorje · 14 May 2009 at 18:18

The mk1 has the most room and will be what you're looking at for £1k anyway, there's a quite a few that are 6ft5 who fit fine. If you're struggling slightly with your knees, you can fit a smaller steering wheel which some people do anyway.

Not much mechanically to go wrong. Major thing to look for will be rust, I wouldn't be scared of buying one with some surface rust just make sure there isn't anything deep and structural. Check that the soft top works well and there aren't any leaks. Many mk1's have HLA rattle sometimes on start up whilst cold, but is nothing to worry about.

I would look at owners forums and ebay, some good bargains have gone on ebay the last few months.

KaneStatton · 14 May 2009 at 18:20

danza said:
Cool. I'll have to try and sit in one. I work nextdoor to someone who drives one, so I'm sure they won't mind me asking to try it out. I do have a 34" inside leg though, so might find it cramped?

I'm 6,2 and have a 34 inside leg and I found one reasonably comfy.

mattpc · 14 May 2009 at 18:40

As has been said £1000 is really good mk1 mr2 money rather than good mx5 money. £1500 would get you a good mx5 tho. Depends whether £1000 is absolute tops or it's just what you would like to spend. £600-£1000 will see you an ok but tatty mx5. Problem is with tatty bodywork and hoods is that the cost of repairing them quickly adds up.

dthebuk · 14 May 2009 at 18:55

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1039615.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1006181.htm

I bought mine for £800 about a year and a half ago ago with 110 miles and 60k on the rebuild. So far ive had to replace a starter motor and the ignition coils. And i used it as a daily doing about 10k miles

they're faster than Mx5's, not sure about the mr2's but its close. And they handle better than mr2's imo. Shocking on fuel. about 22mpg, but if its a weekend job it shouldnt be too bad

danza · 14 May 2009 at 19:25

I like oldskool RX-7s, but the fuel economy would make it an instant no.

I'll be using it to travel ~ 6K per year which I know isn't a lot, but I already have a CTR which isn't the cheapest car there is to run. I just want something that is a bit different and has 2 seats (or 2+2 with unusable rear seats to prevent people scabbing lifts off me

), is reasonably cheap to keep on the road and isn't a Mondeo or similar.

If I can I'll buy when the summer is over so there is the possibility of getting hold of something a little cheaper.

Budget is around £1K, but I'd stretch a bit - maybe aim to haggle something down from ~£1,500 if I find something good.

excaliborg · 14 May 2009 at 20:33

My MX5 was £1200 with 11 months tax on it. Fantastic condition, no rust, new hood.
They are out there for this amount of money, have a look on the MX5 forums for the common things to look for to avoid the dogs.

Fantastic fun to drive, so much so that I wrapped it round a signpost and it is currently undergoing repairs

daveski · 14 May 2009 at 21:14

I've been looking recently and I think you'll be better off with a mk1 mr2. Most of the mx5's and mk2 mr2's I've seen haven't looked good.

danza · 14 May 2009 at 21:24

daveski said:
I've been looking recently and I think you'll be better off with a mk1 mr2. Most of the mx5's and mk2 mr2's I've seen haven't looked good.

Yeah, I'm quite taken by the MK1. I think Kaiowas and Vix are to blame for that!

They seem to rust like there's no tomorrow though. 'Good' ones do seem available around the £1k mark though.

aproctor · 14 May 2009 at 21:59

danza said:
Yeah, I'm quite taken by the MK1. I think Kaiowas and Vix are to blame for that!

They seem to rust like there's no tomorrow though. 'Good' ones do seem available around the £1k mark though.

Little tip, there is a few guys on MX5nutz that import and have cars that are not up as they would not break a grand and they are worth more.

I'm not going to say as i'm keen on 1 or 2, but they are out there and if you waved £1100 in his face i'm sure he would consider it.

kaiowas · 14 May 2009 at 22:13

danza said:
Yeah, I'm quite taken by the MK1. I think Kaiowas and Vix are to blame for that!

We're working on converting the forum. We'll never be able to compete with the BMW army though.

danza · 14 May 2009 at 22:38

aproctor said:
Little tip, there is a few guys on MX5nutz that import and have cars that are not up as they would not break a grand and they are worth more.

I'm not going to say as i'm keen on 1 or 2, but they are out there and if you waved £1100 in his face i'm sure he would consider it.

Thanks for the info. I'm not looking to purchase imminently anyway, so I'm sure plenty of good 'uns will slip by in the meantime. I'll bare you in mind as an info source when the time comes though.

kaiowas said:
We're working on converting the forum. We'll never be able to compete with the BMW army though.

No matter how futile it seems - NEVER GIVE UP!! Motors may turn into a welding skills forum yet!