MX-5 rotting away, what next? (spec me, blah)

[Evilpaul]

Hi everyone,

I've had my 05 MX-5 for 3 years now, but it has succumbed to the inevitable and now needs work on the sills. The local recommended body shop has quoted £400 per side but along with the other work the car needs doing (cavity and underseal, alignment, etc.) I am feeling like the bill is too high and it is time to get rid and find something new.

Each way my commute is between 13 and 14 miles and can either be all B-roads or Motorway (6 miles) and then a mix of A and B-roads. Based on that I've got the following requirements:

• <= £9000 (including trade-in)
• Petrol
• Manual
• > 30 MPG
• < 60k miles
• 08 or later reg
• Suit B-road and Motorway driving
• > 2 seats
• < the current £260 for VED
• Not another MX-5
• Not a Mondeo

I've been up to AvailableCar at Donnington to try out as many options as possible, but I left feeling underwhelmed by the vast majority of cars. Many (including a lot of "premium" brands) had plastics that felt flimsy and liable to break, which is a bit shocking when coming from an MX-5...

The cars I felt comfortable in were the following:

• Volvo C30 R-Design
• Volvo S40 R-Design
• Ford Focus (New model)
• Kia ProCee'd (Old model)
• Audi S3
• Audi A3 S-Line
• BMW 320i coupe
• Skoda Octavia vRS
• Ford Focus (New model)

The majority of the above cars are out of my budget and ultimately I'm struggling for ideas on where to look; so, OcUK, what can you come up with?

 

[Evilpaul]

S2000, Civic Type R?

S2000 fails on practicality. Civic fails on the VED, and the quoted MPG is 31 which we all know is not going to happen in the real world

Z4?

Edit: Missed the more than two seats part.

Yeah, I'm not looking to run two cars and I've only just managed to get by with the MX-5 for the past 3 years. I now need something more practical, but hopefully a little bit fun as well.

 

[Evilpaul]

vRS is a good shout I think.

You do get some decent kit for the money with these, just need to find one locally to take out for a spin.

Mini cooper S? R56 model

Didn't really find the standard Mini's that comfortable when I tried them. I'll try and find a Cooper S to have a sit in, the sports seats might make all the difference.

Astra GTC 1.6T? It's better than you think.

I'll have to give one a try.

How on earth has an 05 '5 been hit by rust that bad? My 92' 5 is still only showing very minor rust which I'm combatting!

I've kept a close eye on the drain holes in order to keep them clear, but I've no idea what the previous owners did. Either way it's got rust now and it needs sorting.
Also there is some surface rust on the front chassis rails which needs cleaning off and treating before it turns into one of the horror stories like on the MX5OC forum.
While I can afford to get all the remedial work done, it is just so disappointing having to spend so much to fix a fairly modern vehicle when they are so cheap to pick up in the first place.

£400 per side seems way over the top

I thought that myself, but then based on other peoples experience then I know they'd do a good job. They are also able to supply a courtesy vehicle while doing the work, so I'll not be losing money by having to take holiday or hire a car to get to work.
Another place did quote £180 all in, but their manner didn't fill me with confidence and I've not been able to find reports from anyone else who has used them.

 

[Evilpaul]

Between Coventry and Leicester

 

[Evilpaul]

Thanks p1RATE, I'll give them a call tomorrow and see what they say.

 

[Evilpaul]

It's not the sills themselves, but the added work that if I were to keep the car I'd want doing as well (sills, cavity and under seal, dent removal, etc.). The front chassis rails aren't too bad, yet, but there is some surface rust appearing on them and it'd need doing as well.
It's the cost of everything mounting up that is rapidly making me fall out of love with the MX-5 really, which is why I'm considering changing it for something that'd essentially be more practical.