MX5 Owners in here....bring your curling tongs

Cleisthenes said:
From memory I think there's one on pistonheads. It'll be a NC1 for that budget.


e: 2014 the PH thread was from so perhaps not quite so up to date https://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-guides/mazda-mx-5-nc--ph-buying-guide/31354
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Presume NC1 you mean mk3
So NC2 would be mk3.5 (2008+?)
Hope I've got that bit right at least :P

Yeah I did see that one, didn't really have what I was looking for, i.e. cost of replaceable items; calipers/discs/shocks/clutch that sort of thing.
 
Plenty O'Toole said:
Presume NC1 you mean mk3
So NC2 would be mk3.5 (2008+?)
Hope I've got that bit right at least :p

Yeah I did see that one, didn't really have what I was looking for, i.e. cost of replaceable items; calipers/discs/shocks/clutch that sort of thing.
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That's right, although 2009 was when the 3.5 came in.

To be honest, I think the only thing to worry about per se is rust. It's still a problem, albeit less so than on the mk1 and 2. Check rear arches (the lip on the inside), the side indicators (metal around these are prone to go) and boot lid underside (by the registration lights).

Prices to replace things seem fairly reasonable on the whole, I suppose as you'd expect for a 'cheap' sports car.

The clutch on mine has always had a fairly low bite, and the mx5 restorer (specialist in eastbourne) tells me that this is normal on the mk3, so don't let this put you off.

It's worth getting an underseal, they get a lot of surface rust but for the most part they don't seem to be too bad other than unsightly.

Upgrading the gearbox oil is recommended as they are very stiff into first when cold, mine's been changed and it is still a bit stiff to be fair.

A good geo set up is supposedly the best thing to spend on initially. I'm not going the whole hog with mine so am just getting springs and the geo done by wheels in motion (Oxford way).

I'll picked up quite a bit from my extended research so feel free to ask away!
 
Thanks, hopefully going to have a look at one this week.

2006, 2.0 LSD, 55k miles, £4250. Doesn't have service history but hopefully my friend can find some using dealer tools.

Probably wouldn't spend any money on it other than essentials initially as may not require a car in a few months.
 
If it's an occasional car, you may want to look at finding a decent NB. All my MX5 friends who have gone to a NC as a second car have gone back to a NB or a clean import NA fairly soon. The NC is a good car but they've never found them as involving as the earlier models.

YMMV though, I also know people who love their NC.
 
It'd be a daily driver, not too focused on getting maximum fun, have drove them before so know they'd be alright for me.

Bit confused at the moment though. I'm not seeing many MX5 MK2 with retractable hardtops? I'm sure I've seen one before; are they after a specific year or is it special edition / aftermarket?
 
I wouldn't worry about the fun aspect with respect to the NC, I've experienced it the other way, most NA/NB owners from my motor club who have driven my NC get out very surprised after a drive, they don't expect it to be as good as it is, mostly because of comments like above on forums, the only thing that puts them off the NC is the price of car and consumables versus an older model, but it's not really that bad, just for motorsport use there are cheap sources for tyres in 15 in, they can get a set of 4 from the likes of the Ginetta race teams for the price I pay for one. :(

power retractable hardtops are only on mk3/mk4 the others have removable optional hardtops, you can also get a removable optional hardtop on mk3 to fit to a soft top, I have one of those, better for fitting aftermarket cage etc, if you are motorsport inclined, sounds like you are not.

I prefer the look of the removable lid on the mk3, comparison below, obviously one is a newer model so just pay attention to the roof. It is a pain in that it is not light and requires two people to safely remove and you need some where to put it when you remove.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201710230568309

vs

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201707016966451
 
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i think the powered hard top came in with the NC model. AFAIK NA and NB are all soft tops, but some people have fitted a clip-on hard shell over the top of the lowered soft top, i think? I've only owned a NC, so not 100% sure on this. If you want to drop the top, it means leaving the hard shell at home and use the soft top.
 
I think the NA/NB crowd put down the NC as it's more refined, especially the RC version with the powered hard top. You almost had to make more of a commitment to the compromises of a cold, noisy, small 2seater with the older cars ;) It is a heavier car (especially the RC), with more equipment, but a bigger engine makes up most of the difference. I daily'd my NC2 RC and was ace year round and only got rid as I needed a car which could carry a bike. They're surprisingly spacious (for a 2 seater) and could fit a weeks shopping in the boot (with top up or down). Compared to my dad's SLK it's got a lot of storage space - with the top up you can use the space the roof drops into, for coats and small bits and bob, and with the top down the boot's space isn't reduced. I still think about whether I could get another MX5 as a weekend/summer car as while my M135i is certainly a LOT faster, it seems to lack the charisma (and LSD) of the MX5. But, then I know that i don't "need" another rwd car, hell i dont need another car full stop and can only drive 1 at a time, so it's purely 1st world greed to even entertain the idea. But, if I was to, I think I'd go soft top, instead of RC, as it will save a decent bit of weight ;)
 
NC and subsequently ND are both better cars, most people get the lack of refinement in the NA/NBs confused with being faster.

NBs are soft top only other than the removable hard top. Unless of course your lucky enough to own 1 of the 100 or so holy grail cars


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I think there's only one or two in the UK
 
If Mazda ever sold a proper Coupe on the latest MX5 platform I’d buy one tomorrow, just make sure it has headroom for a bigger guy wearing a helmet :)
 
are mk1 mx5's good boats? because I had to go through some deeper flood today and mine is probably 2" of the ground. Was peeing my pants as I went through it.
 
Sorry, didn't mean to put the NC down in any way, as I said it's personal preference and your milage may vary.

I personally like a less refined car, but that's me, I had an Integra DC2 and still rate it as one of the best cars I've owned. The DC5 was a nicer place to be but just didn't do it for me in the same way when I took one round Donington back to back with my DC2.
 
Many thanks for all the advice so far, really is appreciated.

I've only driven one mk1 mx5 and it had a ropey turbo on that didn't kick in until the last 1000rpm so can't really base an experience on it :D

Definitely looking for something refined in any car I buy unless its track use, I think that's what's put me off by DC2s and ultimately EP3s too in the past.
 
Plenty O'Toole said:
Many thanks for all the advice so far, really is appreciated.

I've only driven one mk1 mx5 and it had a ropey turbo on that didn't kick in until the last 1000rpm so can't really base an experience on it :D

Definitely looking for something refined in any car I buy unless its track use, I think that's what's put me off by DC2s and ultimately EP3s too in the past.
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You need to try a properly setup turbo one.

Before I killed mine a little it made 200ft/lbs by 3100rpm, 250ft/lbs at 4k rpm then held the torque to 6k and continue making power till 7200rpm
 
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I've had multiple NB's and own a tidy NC. The NC feels similar in a lot of ways to the NB but it feels much more solid and well put together. Still some scuttle shake but nothing like as rattly or shakey as the NB's are. I compare the NC to feeling a bit more like an S2000 in the way it feels put together. just a bit more solid and modern.
 
given how cheap the NCs are getting, there's (in my mind) little reason to go for a NA or NB, unless you're thinking of going turbo or down the MEV Exocet route in the future. AFIAK the NC engine is trickier (more expensive) to go FI and the mk3.5 engine is a little better/strong for that (forged crank, which I don't think the mk3 has) - 5k is a LOT for a FI kit, but fitted to a 5k NC and it would be a seriously fun/potent car for 10k (or about 12k with supporting mods, lol).
 
DereksDontRun said:
given how cheap the NCs are getting, there's (in my mind) little reason to go for a NA or NB, unless you're thinking of going turbo or down the MEV Exocet route in the future. AFIAK the NC engine is trickier (more expensive) to go FI and the mk3.5 engine is a little better/strong for that (forged crank, which I don't think the mk3 has) - 5k is a LOT for a FI kit, but fitted to a 5k NC and it would be a seriously fun/potent car for 10k (or about 12k with supporting mods, lol).
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I was tempted for about 5 minutes to go FI on my nc2, but to spend 60% of what the car is worth seemed mad to me. May as well buy a Cayman instead but I suppose it might not be as fast :p
 
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