[Closed] Mazda MX5

😆

1. yes
2. just service parts, battery on my mk1
3. I had the custom rack on mine, worked fine.
4. mk1 - a bit noisey
5. mk1 - tiny boot, I understand mk2 is a lot better.

Great cars!

1) Very reliable
2) Not really aware of anything major. Check drain holes are clear and that water is not resting in doors from failed rain rails.
3) Never tried on the MX5s but I used a Saris Bones (2 bike version) on my RX8 without issue.
4) Fine on the motorway. Not too loud if you put the radio on. Roof down is fine too.
5) You can fit most of a mobile salon in there 😉

I am just about to buy my Mrs one (well ok its for me really) a Eunos 1.8 for £900! only problem I am having is getting a reasonable insurance quote, not many insurance companies touch Jap imports for some reason.

[b]1. Are they reliable decent things?[/b]

Reliable, check for rust on sills and arches with early ones, tatty roofs after a while, easy to fix mind.

[b]4. How are they on the motorway? [/b]

Noisy, but not madly.

[b]5. Is the boot big enough to fit my hair straighteners in alongside my riding gear? [/b]

Aparently the MK1's boot will dent if you stick a bottle of wine upright in it as they are quite narrow, or is it the other way round and its the mk2's 😉

They're reliable. The battery is an Absorbed Glass Matt one, and they're £90 a piece.

They rust on the sills, starting from the front of the rear arches.

They don't leak.

They're reasonably noisy. Noisier than a normal car, even with a hard top. But not at all unbearable.

The boot is rather small, but not stupid. Everything on them is pretty light weight (alloy bonnet etc.), so it's possible that a bike rack could dent the boot. I'd be inclined to get a bike bag and strap that to a proper Mazda boot rack. Or put the bike in the Focus.

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Great little cars though

£70 for my battery IIRC.

I had a ride in one once. The heater was insane. It was like a fan assisted oven. It would burn your skin if you put it on full.

I suppose it was to allow you to drive with the top down on a dry winter's day. That's British design for you 🙂

Mk 1.8 Eunos 94, fsh, 45k on the clock, owned by neigbour for the last 8 years, garaged and polishied, full mot & tax, ok - needs a new front wing & boots soon, no rust (visable) mechanics 100%.

For 900 notes?

I think I can put up with the hairdresser jibs 😉

I think I can put up with the hairdresser jibs

We will see 😉

First time you hit a roundabout in the wet it pays to remember it's a rearwheel drive 🙂

My mate ruined one this way and I saw another out on an icy morning ride in winter having done the same - that was a much newer model too!

First time you hit a roundabout in the wet it pays to remember it's a rearwheel drive

Rear wheel drive is not at all scary.

First time you hit a roundabout in the wet it pays to remember it's a rearwheel drive

One of the reasons I'm thinking about it. 😆

I have wanted a RWD car for ages and this is about as cheap as they get.

FWIW the bike wont go in the focus when I'm transporting it because 2 kids and a mother wont go in an MX5. Well not safely anyway. But I can put one of them in the passenger seat if I need to.

Oh, not all come with LSDs. I think most of the 1.8s did. LSDs are good.

Have a MK1, and would recommend it over a MK2 any day, especially if you want to have it for the joy of driving on winding country lanes.

1. Are they reliable decent things? - Never had a single issue with mine (except a dead battery when I left the lights on.

2. What are the main things that go wrong with them? Sills on my R reg are now rusting, but again never had anything go worng on it

3. Apparently my bike rack will fit on the back of it, and if so is this wise? I believe you can get one to fit, but never tried this as I use the other car for bike portage

4. How are they on the motorway? a bit noisey, but not overly so, you can still hear the CD player/radio. does get a bit shuddery at about 90mph

5. Is the boot big enough to fit my hair straighteners in alongside my riding gear? Have sucessfully managed to pack a weeks groceries in the boot without removing the spare wheel.

As said above, only thing I would say is back end in the wet gets a bit twitchy if you are heavy footed, but to me it just makes it so much more fun to drive.

Oh and from personal experiance will go up almost any hill in the snow, even when Landy's etc are getting stuck

Have a MK1, and would recommend it over a MK2 any day, especially if you want to have it for the joy of driving on winding country lanes.

tinker, curious now, why do you prefer the MK1 over the MK2? Is there that much of a difference?

Ta.

The Mk 1 is lighter and better handling than the Mk2 supposedly. I only ever owned 2 Mk 1s so can't back that up but I've definitely heard it banded about on mx5ocforum.

Had Mk1 Monaco, which was only the 1.6. I'd go for the 1.8 as it was little slow on the straights. Agree Mk1 more fun to drive than Mk2. Avoid imports, despite what others tell you. Top tip, remember to unzip the rear plastic window before you drop the hood. Otherwise it may split as happened on me. Think Mk1's don't have power steering either, so parking can be heavy.

@Ski - what surfr said, the MK1 is thought to be more your "purist" type drive, where as the MK2 was made to be more usable to the general market

***EDIT - consider a singlespeed without rigid forks, it's just not a true singlespeed is it?

You'll feel every lump and bump in the road with the MK1, it's a twitchy as you like, but drive it and you can't help but grin from ear to ear. I drove a MK2 once, and I just didn't enjoy it - I think it really depends what you want from your car.

If you want a toy that will make you feel like a kid again (including the bug filled teeth) get a MK1, if you want a car that's more practical and more comfortable go for the MK2.

second what DD says I have the 1.8 Harvard - and the 1.6 is ok, but I'd seriously recommend the 1.8

Is the Mk1 the one with the pop-up headlights, and the Mk2 the one without?

yes

Rear wheel drive is not at all scary.

Rear - end - happy cars are more fun and controllable than front end happy in my experience.

Recently had to move on Mrs North's MX5 (mk2.5) - we've a child on the way, and I thought it unfair to put it in the boot - and still really miss it.

Reliable
So much fun to drive
Drop the roof sitting in the driver's seat
Bike rack (Saris Bones) fitted easily to the boot (drove to Avignon with the road bike this year)
Boot bigger than you'd think and with the roof down, you can carry all sorts of stuff....

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The MX5 doesn't have enough power to make the RWD scary - they just handle brilliantly and are well made.

Image aside, they are very decent cars.

As is the last (mk3) and sadly missed MR2. One of the best handling little cars I've driven. A bit more power and they would have been much more reliable alternatives to Elises.

MX5's are great cars to drive & in my experience very reliable. Mrs CB had a mk2 for 10 years & this year got a mk3.

You don't need a boot rack to take your bike ....

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Most of the points you were asking about have been covered above.

mine leaks!

I've not tried the bike in it yet (looks like a squeeze). they're not fast but they're nippy enough to be plenty fun. Electric windows often play up, and a bit fiddly to fix, but once its done it's done

mine was £730, with 6 months ticket. Bargin

I had a Mk 3 and was not impressed with it. The handling was at best twitchy, suspension too soft, and overall not that good a drive compared to Mk 1 or 2

A mate who's had a Mk 1 & 2 said the original was the better drive.

As to not enough power to slide, well my Mk 3 with limited slip diff could certainly do so in the wet

my wife used to have a MX5 (mk1)

good fun to drive, esp in the snow

roof leaked, as did the replacement. 3rd one was fine though 😕

Owned a Mk2.5 for just over 8 years and 88k miles.

Great car to drive. Can't compare to a Mk1 but much much better than an MGF.

Had to replace tyres, front disc/pads (3 times!!!), rear discs/pads once hood under warranty, clutch under warranty and number plates. Sills are rusting at the rear - this is a common problem on Mk2's - and difficult to fix properly.

Can carry two bikes on the boot and get plenty of kit in the boot if it's packed well. The rear parcel shelf will take my 3 man tent and kit bag but restricts dropping the hood. Oh and it'll easilt take ALL my hair care products such as a flannel.

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have a 1995 mk1, 130,000miles on the clock. Had it for 4 years - lives in the street, driven in all weathers.

Always starts, keeps going.
I would say - very reliable, but as said, they do rust (doesn't matter the age or the mark of car, the body shop who did mine has already had the mk3s in for rust) - mostly its in the area between the door and the rear wheel, on the wheel arch, down by the sill where the jacking point is.
Its not terminal, costs about £200 per side to sort out properly: but search the owners club forum for past experience of garages, as one who has a good rep for '5 rust fixing will be cheaper and better in the long run.
Battery wise - i'm still on my original mazda battery (15 years old it seems), I had the exhaust replaced when the original rusted through a couple of years ago, suspension replaced after 120,000, clutch around the same time. basically wear and tear.
only failures i've had are - misfire due to HT lead: they are recommended to be replaced every 40,000miles, i never got round to it, and it broke a while later, cheap fix. secondly was clutch slave cylinder leaked - £40 had that replaced (the slave cylinder seems to be a - they all do that, eventually)

if the roof leaks, and it doesn't have any cracks in it - and its dripping from around the point the roof, door and windscreen meet (tis were it happens on mine) try Vaselining the rubber seals around the windscreen and/or make a little adjustment to the tension of the roof (theres adjusters on the roof clips)
roof replacement is a DIY job, and you can get mohair roofs with zip out plastic screens for about £250. (took me about 4 or 5 hours to do... but next time would be quicker, i stripped the car down more than i needed to)

at the end of the day - mine is the ultra basic model; it doesn't have power steering, electric windows, central locking, air bags, abs, stability control. controls are a simple cable between the accelerator and the throttle linkage, firmish brakes... it was everything i wanted - i wanted a basic car with good handling. i did drive an S spec when buying which had alot of the electronic extras, but it wasn't what [i]I[/i] was after

bootsize wise: get rid of the space saver spare (useless thing - i have a can of tyre weld stuffed in a wee gap behind the fuel tank - the space saver says not to put on a driving wheel or a steering wheel... in a 5 that leaves the errrrrr...) boots pleanty big enough.
[img] [/img]
this was taken at the start of a weeks holiday to France - so the car carried tent, bedding, and clothes for me and the missus and all the usual extras you end up taking.
equally we have been away camping at race meetings - so tent, cooking gear, clothes - plus 2 hold all bags with our marshalling gear in. you get good also at finding the little nooks and crannies around the cabin like behind the seats and on the parcel shelf.

on the motorway - they are more noisy that a regular closed car. with a standard exhaust its not too bad, its mostly wind noise. mines a little louder (not by much) as i have a Larini stainless steel exhaust fitted, but its still a case of being able to hold a normal conversation, or listen to the stereo without having to shout. ( a big improvement i made was to get a little fabric windbreaker which is fixed between the seats which reduced the wind in the cabin with the roof down.
and long distance motorway wise - from the above picture - we drove from manchester to dover, then on to Le Mans nice and easily and comfortably.
70mph is about 3500rpm hence why its a little noisy on the motorway.

if you test drive one - remember they are very sensitive to set up - a poor/neglected set up can ruin how the car feels - a good geometry set up will bring feeling to the steering wheel, and feels more planted on the road.

engine wise - there was the original 1.6 which had about 115bhp (this is the one that is used in the mazda mx5 race series) then in 1994 they introduced the 1.8 with 120bhp. the Uk spec 1600cc engines were reduced to 90bhp (these are the ones to avoid - very underpowered) while the 1600cc Eunos imports kept the 115bhp engine.
the 1800cc stayed through the mark 2 variant.

I do like mine - i do find myself sometimes taking the long way home, just for the fun of it, (tho having tasted the experience of caterhams and elises - i want i want i want!)

Wow quite a few fans then.

What are the stereos like will I have to rip it out and fit a quality one or are they ok? I would quite like to fit a head unit that has iPod compatibility and I guess putting some new speakers in at the same time would liven things up a bit.

the stereo's unlikely to be original if you're buying a mk1. My speakers were, but aren't up to much. Worth an upgrade, but also worth considering that a stereo in a convertible is rather theft-prone so don't spend too much

I find the standard stereo fine but then I'm not an audiophile. If you do replace it then I think you'll need - "box" to fit it in the dashboard as the Mazda stereo isn't a standard size, wiring loom to connect the non standard Mazda connections to the standard ones on the replacement unit as well as the unit itself. Other options are to plug in an adaptor via the CD changer port or the FM aerial to run your Ipod..

Dave: in my Mk1 its a standard fitting - i've got a cheap £20 radio/cd/mp3/SD card/USB player from Lidl in mine didnt need any extra fittings.

but the imported Eunos cars had a double radio slot. tho most will have been converted to the standard single slot by now.

http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/index.php/cPath/86

Three essential rules with MX5's:

1. Buy in Winter, sell in Summer.
2. Buy privately.
3. You will have to make two trips to the cash and carry for the Salon.

I think I'm going to buy one quite soon.

I_Ache I've said this before but I passed my test in 10 lessons but I didn't learn how to drive until I bought a MX5. since then everytime I've had oversteer, rear out etc- its never been a drama.

Fantastic cars and none of that 'its one car you should own before you die bollocks' (i.e. reliable (if regularly serviced), easy to work on, non-interference engines on the mk2.5, simple and fantastic fun 😀

I still want another one. My third...

if it's still going and you want a good choice try MX5 city (imports and UK cars I think) somewhere near sheffield/doncaster

Ok not strictly an MX5 question but it is so I can get the MX5.

My wife's Micra is worth roughly 3k, I want to buy a MX5 that costs no more than 2.5k. If I take the Micra to a dealer that is selling the 5 will they PX and give me the £500 or so? Or do I have to sell separately?

have to sell seperatly I'd imagine. You'd be lucky to get what you're expecting in px for any car

In that scenario they'll give you loads of guff to stitch you. Loads of owners are waaay too lazy and chose this way.

Better to price your Micra keenly and trawl the private market within 100miles.

I checked MX5 city and they were way overpriced when I was looking for one. MX5 polish up well anyway.

I suspected that might be the case. Might have to line up a 5 in advance of selling the Micra in that case.

Why is it always a bloody hassle?

Short term hassle. Somepeople bypass this and loose £500-£1,000+.

In normal life you'd jump at the chance to earn a grand. However when selling their own cars people are just too impatient...

Micra for £3k should sell well second hand I would have thought if its clean.

Its a good little car.

PX is always going to cost you.

For what a autotrader advert (£29) would cost you, got to be worth trying selling SH.

Then wave some notes at the MX5 😉

ski, plus what he saves he could have hi-lights added to his hair along with a soft perm. If you get a really good price on the Micra you could buy a few good neck scarves.

I am not going to bite Hora, but I heard the heaters are top notch, so the neck scarf might not be needed 😉

I still struggling to get a decent quote on a Jap Mazda Enous I want to buy.

Lowest quote so far for the Enous is £380 (41 year old, full no claims, no convictions, etc...)

If it was a UK version, simular age and build, I can get it insured for £190!

😆

I had a long look at a new MX5 today as I was picnicking nearby. I have to say that they are far more attractive and look a lot cooler than the older ones.

I look at my mk1 every day. It's easily the best looking.

Disagree completely. Mk1 was the purest and best looking, mk2 (for me) horrible), mk2.5 very nice but not as balanced aesthetically.

Lets face it, its a Japanease Lotus Elan 😉

I was going to say - my insurance on a '5 (27, no no claims (I have 6 years but its on the bike car), and gf, 26, 1 year since her test, parked on the road) is only £310 🙂

if you can, garage it and claim its a classic car. ~£150

ski - Member
Lets face it, its a Japanease Lotus Elan

I prefer the Elans TBF, schmexier styling, boot is mahoosive and they are 50% quicker.

WANTS!

Disagree completely. Mk1 was the purest and best looking, mk2 (for me) horrible), mk2.5 very nice but not as balanced aesthetically.

being tall mk1 has the most leg room, mk2.5 has the worst and is also narrower in the cockpit, plus seats are higher both due to changes to improve crash worthyness over mk2

but lots of mk1 are no becoming rot boxes

missus has a mk2.5 but reckon mk2 1.8litre is the best all round in terms of value, space etc. 6 speed RS version is good if you can find one and has LSD etc

and a hardtop is ace in the winter plus stiffens the car up as well removing scuttle shake

of course mk3 is really nice! slightly bigger car allround

all in all, great cars, simple, easy to work on, reliable main dealer prices for service etc are low. fun to drive

BUT is you have a slaphead get a hat lol!

My wife had 1 for 6 years and about 80,000 miles, no major problems apart from replacing hood which became a bit leaky, brake calipers on front did bind on and have to fixed a couple of times.

There are lots of independent specialists who can service it etc.

Fantastic fun to drive, my wife drove her through all the snow that stopped everybody but needs a careful right foot!

Only got rid as a sprog is on the way and apparently as Mr North said you aren't allowed to put babies in the boot!

If I had garage space I would be buying a cheapo one for fun.

Personally I like the mk2 version's looks over the mk1 and the mk3 my friend has seems too soft and civilised.

Worst thing is looking up at the top of the lorry wheels when stuck in traffic on the motorway. Scary low.

I remember me and some mates having a good look round a blue mk1 in a showroom in Bristol when they first came out. Late 80s (had a Spec Stumpy Rock Combo at the time, so 88??) Wanted one ever since.

Twenty-odd years later, and just got a mk3. Fantastic car. GF uses it during the week, and I blat around the lanes at the weekend. Love it.

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Fun in the snow too...

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True what somebody said about the slightly soft ride - does lean a bit. Not sure if it's true, but been told that Euro spec ones have longer springs than they should to meet our safety specs - a common mod is to get them fitted with what the car was designed for. Supposed to totally sort the handling.

Also definitely don't part-ex. We we're offered £1.5k part-ex for ours, just sold for double that privately.

I was offered stupid money for my Forester to traders 'mate there isnt a market for Foresters due to the low mpg/high VED' (funnily they wanted drove the phone calls). Sold within 2days privately.

They'll tell you anything why the car should get less than trade in value as well- then whack them up on the forecourt and spin the same merry tale to customers.

Mk3. Its not as raw, connected or as involving for me. Apperently there is a shock-fix for circa £300? That transforms the car to its true state. I remember a Jap test driver did a back to back in all three MX5's then retested the mk3 with the shock upgrade and rated it with them.

Jamze - The UK spec car comes with the 4x4 look as standard.

I had my 2.0 sport lowered with the Eibach springs, which does improve handling a little, but then you have the problem of bottoming out on every speed bump!

The most important thing to do with the Mk 3 is get the geometry sorted properly (costs about £100-£120. It will make a huge difference to how the car handles, makes it much less skittish, but the handling is still no way as good as some thing like an Elise, Catherham. Make sure you go some where recommended though.

going off the info from Wheels-in-motion - the mk3 with its taller suspension due to EU bonnet height rules is a problem, because they just jacked up the suspension, and didnt alter the geo - upsetting the camber settings. fitting the Eibach springs gets things back to how they should have been, but if you havent got them fitted, then get a 4 wheel alignment done by a '5 specalist and it'll improve things.

Just revisited this. Miss that little silver bullet even more now. 😥

Though the Mazda 3 (2.0 Sport) we replaced it with is a nice enough car, it really isn't as engaging in any way as the 5. And the brakes on the 5 were so much better - firm pedal, stop on a sixpence.

Might have to start a secret Mr North's Cheeky MX5 Fund....

Will do FunkyDunc. Just might take a trip out to Wheels in Motion (not too far away) and get the alignment sorted first, and then think about the springs.

Our old Golf had a VW lowering kit installed, which as you say, made it a bit impractical with speed bumps and steep driveways. One of the things I love about the mx5 is it's happy being used as a daily driver - wouldn't want it like a track car (Elise etc.) TBH...

Might have to start a secret Mr North's Cheeky MX5 Fund....

Mines already started (hence the Toyota 'taxi' for family duties 😆 )... ready for a dark and dreary 2010 winter purchase when the suns gone and certain MX5 owners think 'sod this, its cramped, noisy and unpractical in the winter...

If (when) we get one it'll have to be a comfy touring car rather than a sporty racing machine, so a softer ride might be better.

Actally who the hell am I kidding? We have a kid. Oh well, VW Scirocco it is then... also available in TDi 🙂

Jamze - Yep wheels in motion are fantastic (so all the forums say) and indeed the owner gave me advice on my car for free !

The geometry will make a bigger difference than the springs. However Im sure Tony @ WIM will talk to you about it.

Anyone do their own servicing?

How easy are they to work on?

Dead easy ski - register yourself on mx5nutz.com (but try and ignore all the 'JDM posers').

We've had 3 now - two minters and an absolute dog I bought blind off ebay for £500. Turned out ok though, despite it failing its MOT dramatically, I split it up and make a load more than £500 back on it!

Last one we had was stunning - hardtop, BBS RS rims, blah blah. Had to sell as the missus needed something with 4 seats to carry our little lad around in. Replaced it with a 6N2 Polo GTI which although is a cracking little car, its no 5.

Definately planning to get another and would definately get another mk1 Eunos over a UK spec car. After owning 3 NA ones though, the next one HAS to be supercharged/turbo'd!

i agree with DaveyBoy. I do pretty much all my own servicing.

the only difficult thing with the oil/filter change is to get to the filter is a bit awkward due to its location: you have to take the drivers side wheel off, and get your hand through a little gap to get to the filter.

Another Mk3 owner here. I can def. recommend the Eibach (Mazda lowering kit). However, if you are having it fitted by a dealer, make sure they don't do the final torque up of the bolts until all 4 wheels are bearing the full weight of the car (in fairness to the dealers, the instructions that come with the springs are, or were, pretty useless). I've also fitted the matching stiffer Eibach anti-roll bars and they bring the handling back to the sort of thing you'd expect in a Mk1 (cornering is mega!). The lowering etc. doesn't come at the expense of ride comfort.

Whatever model MX5 you get and whether or not you go down the Eibach route, the suspension alignment is essential. If you're in the Midlands, I can recommend Chris Franklin at Center Gravity near Tamworth. He's done a lot of MX5's, along with loads of more exotic sportscars and his attention to detail is A1.

FWIW, one of the lads in the local MX5 club changed his Mk1 for an Elise and he reckons he prefers the handling balance of the MX5, as it's a bit more forgiving for road use and/or at the limit (build quality is also generally a lot less shonky on the MX5's - the roof on his Lotus is very comical!).

p.s. DIY servicing is generally a doddle, but there are quite a few decent specialists around if you need.