[nursecroft]

Hiya

Ive been looking to buy an MX-5 and am trying to do as much research as possible so I makesure I buy a decent car at the right price.... any advice on what to look or would be gratefully received!! I'm looking to get a car no older than 7 years old... undecided whether to go for a old shape cheaper MX-5 with low mileage or stretch abit to the new shape maybe 06 plate.

I test drove a 2002 1.8i mx-5 with 32,000 (advertised for ?5995) on the clock a couple of days ago and thought it was lovely, really love them! But the guy selling it was hardly trustworthy, had to drag information out of him, it had no tax, was overdue for a service, had not hd a cam belt change and needed new brake pads the back... he told me it was up together! Also had a couple of little dents which he claimed he had not noticed before!

Help!

 

[DavesBRG5]

Hi & welcome to the nut house.

Take your time looking. You will know the right car when you find it.

As for MK2.5 or MK3 it`s all down to taste i guess. The new shape hasn`t grown on me yet so i went for an 2003 Sport when i was looking to upgrade my MK1 about a year ago.

Excellent car. I paid less than the one you looked at so you will find cheaper (1 owner 30,000 miles) So they are out there & remember this was a year ago so i would say about 5K will buy a good one now.

Not many Sports have air con but they have everything else. Better brakes & bracing.Heated seats etc etc.

One Limited Edition that did tempt me when i was looking was the Montana (comes with hardtop & air con from new).

This guy just happens to be selling both models right now.

http://www.mx-5.com/Forum/Room/Topic/?topicId=14204

And don`t forget you never pay the asking price. I paid £1000 less than the advertised price for mine.

Can`t really advise on the MK3 as i`ve never owned one. The shape hasn`t grabbed me yet but you never know it probably will some day. I`d guess you would have to up your budget for a decent spec one though.

None of this probably makes any sense as i typed it at silly o`clock in the morning before work but good luck with the search & keep us posted

BTW where abouts are you? so we can keep an eye out incase a good buy comes up.

 

[DavesBRG5]

If it helps....

Montana spec

http://www.mx5-mazda.co.uk/montana.htm

Sport Spec / review (about 6 pages sorry)

http://www.carpages.co.uk/mazda/mazda_mx5_review_part_1_11_10_03.asp

 

[nursecroft]

If it helps....

Montana spec

http://www.mx5-mazda.co.uk/montana.htm

Sport Spec / review (about 6 pages sorry)

http://www.carpages.co.uk/mazda/mazda_mx5_review_part_1_11_10_03.asp

Oh thankyou so much for your reply. The trouble is not that many seem to come up down my way, I live in Christchurch, Hampshire. Im going to have a look at a dark blue 1.8i sport 2004 26,000 miles advertised at ?6,500 ono. Its had two new back tyres, his says its immaculate apart from the usual few stone chips on the bonnet. It is due a service but has MOT from feb this year. What do you think? Only comes with soft top too.

Lara

 

[DavesBRG5]

If it helps....

Montana spec

http://www.mx5-mazda.co.uk/montana.htm

Sport Spec / review (about 6 pages sorry)

http://www.carpages.co.uk/mazda/mazda_mx5_review_part_1_11_10_03.asp

Oh thankyou so much for your reply. The trouble is not that many seem to come up down my way, I live in Christchurch, Hampshire. Im going to have a look at a dark blue 1.8i sport 2004 26,000 miles advertised at ?6,500 ono. Its had two new back tyres, his says its immaculate apart from the usual few stone chips on the bonnet. It is due a service but has MOT from feb this year. What do you think? Only comes with soft top too.

Lara
[/quote]

Same model & colour as mine by the sound of it. Bear in mind if you need / want a hardtop you are talking another ?450 ish & it took me 3 months to find one in the right colour blue.

You are in right area for a service (Autolink - Southampton come highly recommended)

I would try & knock ?1000 of the asking price personaly if everything alse on the car is good.

Good luck

 

[nursecroft]

If it helps....

Montana spec

http://www.mx5-mazda.co.uk/montana.htm

Sport Spec / review (about 6 pages sorry)

http://www.carpages.co.uk/mazda/mazda_mx5_review_part_1_11_10_03.asp

Oh thankyou so much for your reply. The trouble is not that many seem to come up down my way, I live in Christchurch, Hampshire. Im going to have a look at a dark blue 1.8i sport 2004 26,000 miles advertised at ?6,500 ono. Its had two new back tyres, his says its immaculate apart from the usual few stone chips on the bonnet. It is due a service but has MOT from feb this year. What do you think? Only comes with soft top too.

Lara
[/quote]

Same model & colour as mine by the sound of it. Bear in mind if you need / want a hardtop you are talking another ?450 ish & it took me 3 months to find one in the right colour blue.

You are in right area for a service (Autolink - Southampton come highly recommended)

I would try & knock ?1000 of the asking price personaly if everything alse on the car is good.

Good luck
[/quote]

Well it wasnt in the condition i was hoping for, front alloys were pretty curbed, there was a decent scratch in the leather on drivers door, will need cam belt major service in the next year so have waled away. I do want the hard top too, so guess i'll carry on looking! Thankyou will have a look at Autolink.

 

[Jaydee5]

Are you called Lara Croft and you're a nurse?

Bit of a hi-jack....but I'm curious

 

[nursecroft]

Are you called Lara Croft and you're a nurse?

Bit of a hi-jack....but I'm curious

lol no I'm just called Lara, my nickname at uni was Crofty for obvious reasons and yes i am a nurse.

 

[Jaydee5]

Are you called Lara Croft and you're a nurse?

Bit of a hi-jack....but I'm curious

lol no I'm just called Lara, my nickname at uni was Crofty for obvious reasons and yes i am a nurse.
[/quote]

Thank you for that....and a very big welcome to Nutz

 

[DavesBRG5]

You will do well to find a Sport with original wheels still in good condition as they tend to suffer from bubbling / corrosion. They are however an easy wheel to get resprayed & often come up for sale on Fleabay. I had to replace 2 of mine because i`m a fussy bugger but they were only ?40 each refurbed.

Don`t worry too much about a cambelt service on a low mileage car like that one as it`s a non interferance engine so all being well no damage if it snaps. It`s worth having done but no need to worry straight away IMO.

Anyway better luck with the next one!

 

[nursecroft]

You will do well to find a Sport with original wheels still in good condition as they tend to suffer from bubbling / corrosion. They are however an easy wheel to get resprayed & often come up for sale on Fleabay. I had to replace 2 of mine because i`m a fussy bugger but they were only ?40 each refurbed.

Don`t worry too much about a cambelt service on a low mileage car like that one as it`s a non interferance engine so all being well no damage if it snaps. It`s worth having done but no need to worry straight away IMO.

Anyway better luck with the next one!

Do you think I should have made him an offer then? The other thing that bugged me but i suppose it is because it has low mileage theres only one service recorded in the log book, he bought it last year at 14,000 miles. I am thinking about when i sell it on. Also i cant really repair the deep scratch in the leather, and it doesnt have a hard top. Am i being too picky? The first car i looked had had the alloys replaced under arranty after being recalled for pitting.

 

[TheDinkyToy]

Hi Lara and welcome to Nutz.

I was lucky in the fact that the first Mk2 I went to view was the one I brought (I went to East London for her though and it was well worth the drive), but I did spend months looking on the internet to no avail. But my Mk1 took me ages to find. There is nothing wrong with being picky and setting a standard for what you want. However don't get caught up on wheels and hardtops these are nice but easy to get in retrospect. As are most extras for the Mk2 or 2.5. The Mk3 though may proove to be a little more challenging and more expensive to get bits secondhand as there isn't as much floating around.

I wouldn't worry too much about recent servicing as the Mk2's are dead easy to service if you drive to me I can do a basic oils and filters service in an afternoon for the price of the parts (I'm in Tidworth during the weekends Hayling Island at weekends). Cam belt, well it is nice to know it's been done and can get expensive if you want the waterpump etc to be done at the same time but it's a bargaining point if it needs doing.

Mileage isn't an issue on the Mk2's as the engines seem to run forever. I can't honestly say that I know anything about the Mk3. As others have said they don't float my boat. I just don't like them.

You will fall in love with the right car and know when you see it. Good luck with your search I'm sure the right one will come along soon.

 

[Roadsterchinsk]

Lara, what the others have said.

body condition and the way it drives are more important.
Servicing on a such a low mileage car isnt a big deal as you can very cheaply service it and update the history. A potential new owner after yourself will see immediate and regular servicing form that point so I think youll be fine.

Wheels can be refurbished and although there is a cost involved just factor that in to your offer.
Bodywork is a bit more important as its expensive and potentially can open you car up to rust etc if its too deep and then it gets very expensive. Doesnt sound like such a problem from your description.

Id give him a cheeky offer and give him a few days to think about it if you liked it. Carry on searching in the mean time.

Early mk3's are coming down in price and they are great cars so consider getting a mk2.5 sport which is a nice model as a push for a bargain.

Good luck

Jonathan

 

[nursecroft]

Thanks guys

Ok thats given me stuff to think about, i was just thinking perhaps the lack of service history may effect the value when i come to sell it further down the line. Mazda told me cam belt on the '04 reg i saw should be done 54,000 miles or when its 8 years old. I just dont want to buy myself a load of hassle, im a district nurse too locally so will be using it everyday justr around town. The other thing that bothered me about the last MX 5 i looked at is when i drove it the gears didnt seem as smooth as the '02 reg, i dont know whether it was the car or me having been driving my astra round all day and then getting into that. 5th gear didnt seem very easy at all.

 

[waveydavey]

Are you called Lara Croft and you're a nurse?

Bit of a hi-jack....but I'm curious

lol no I'm just called Lara, my nickname at uni was Crofty for obvious reasons and yes i am a nurse.
[/quote]

Sorry, that's not very helpful but it had to be done...

 

[nursecroft]

Are you called Lara Croft and you're a nurse?

Bit of a hi-jack....but I'm curious

lol no I'm just called Lara, my nickname at uni was Crofty for obvious reasons and yes i am a nurse.
[/quote]

Sorry, that's not very helpful but it had to be done...

[/quote]

If you guys help me find a car and i buy it, then i will post a pic of myself

 

[waveydavey]

Careful you don't get trampled in the stampede to help you out!

 

[nursecroft]

Careful you don't get trampled in the stampede to help you out!

Really even if i a 20 stone, hairy 60 year old lady/man?

Oh im in love with this one.... going to see it now...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201013355686394/sort/priceasc/usedcars/maximum-mileage/up_to_60000_miles/maximum-age/up_to_7_years_old/price-to/8000/model/mx-5/make/mazda/radius/60/postcode/so410fn/page/1?logcode=p

 

[DavesBRG5]

Are you called Lara Croft and you're a nurse?

Bit of a hi-jack....but I'm curious

lol no I'm just called Lara, my nickname at uni was Crofty for obvious reasons and yes i am a nurse.
[/quote]

Sorry, that's not very helpful but it had to be done...

[/quote]

If you guys help me find a car and i buy it, then i will post a pic of myself

[/quote]

Tis the law don`t ya know!!!

http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=14

 

[nursecroft]

OMG Ive bought it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just loved it from the second i saw it, its in lovely condition all up together and really been loved.... collecting it this evening!!!!!!!!!!! Im soooooooooooo excited!!!!!!!!