Six or seven year old MX5 - good idea?

[Dr Zoidberg]

We are considering replacing my GFs Punto at the mo, and as she only does 2k miles a year at the mo, fuel consumption isn't an issue so we are looking at something more fun.

"Everyone knows" you can't go wrong with a Mazda MX5, but how true is that? £5k buys a nice low mileage Mk3, so what are the likely issues on a 6 year old car? How realistic is it to expect it to just need a service every year plus tyres and fuel for a while?

Anyone for a trim?

[Fabia00]

The Mx-5 is really nice to drive and well screwed together not had a MK3 did have a MK2 though which was brill apart from the rust which was a nightmare think that MK3's aren't the best at resisting rust but thats the most major issue with them in terms of starting etc mine never missed a beat. Unless its been really badly abused it should be fine with just normal servicng and tyres but do check extensivley for any signs of rust.

Very close to purchasing a MK3 MX-5 myself but ended up going for Smart roadster coupe instead.

[combi31]

Again not had a mk3 but bought a 1991 car as a cheap runabout in 2005, it was very reliable and actually very good to drive too.

[Blanes]

Yep I got an MX5 mk3 - It's a lovely motor for the right day and so here's some qualified advice for you to look out for.

 

1.8's sound better, 2.0's go better, in fact they fly but will only do about 30mpg on a good day compared to 39 ish of a 1.8!

2.0' have a limited slip diff and traction control. To be honest you don't need it unless you are really pushing it and it's something else to go wrong,

The 1.8 is rated at 0-60 in 9.4 which is strange as mine will do 0-60 in 7.9, so don't think its a slouch it's almost like Mazda have taken their time in official figures to distance it from the 2.0 litre. Youtube clips will confirm this!  

 

The 1.8 in the Mk3 is different than in the Mk2. It s a Ford/Mazda derived unit (originally designed by Mazda) and used in the Focus too so is tried and tested.

Both 1.8 and 2.0 are chain cam engines so no need to splash out on cambelts hooray.

 

The Mk3 suffers from alluminium corrosion under the bootlid and the chassis it is not well undersealed underneath at all. Spray waxoil in all the little boot lid holes to help this. Get as late a model as you can, put it up on a ramp and waxoil/waxoil spray everything underneath to help form a protectve barrier, you can't go wrong then. There is a lot of talk how rusty they appear underneath online and would recommend you do it for piece of mind and longevity. 

 

There are mk3's (upto 08 plate If I remember) and 3.5's (08 onwards). 3.5's have the smiley grille on front and look a bit better probably.

Importantly they also have revised geometry to make them sharper on the road, but not much different to the average Joe.

 

The mk3 was imported with tall suspension, an extra 40mm if I remember. This was apparently something to do with ride height regulations and means a lot of Mk3 cars have big gaps under the arches. Google some Mk3 images and you will see some cars that look like they sit low and others that seem to ride high. This can be rectified with eibach springs for better handling, however if you live in pot hole and speed bump areas like me, leave the suspension standard. The car still handles well and will out handle pretty much everything else around bends if you want it too, unless your being followed by an Elise! 

 

Try to go for the spec with  "Option Pack" with leather heated seats, they are well worth it and mean you can use it on colder days comfortably. If you dont buy leather seats you will regret it as they make the car feel special and are readily available with low milage cars on the 2nd hand market at the same price. You will also get built in fog lights and wind deflector.

 

It's not an S2000 but the good news is it wont cost you £450 in Tax which is what some s2000's cost now!   5 spoke alloys are easier to keep clean than the multispoke ones and take your time when buying. There are plenty out there. Look down the doors at all angles to look for blemishes and dents, no need to settle for he first one you see if it looks a bit rough.Get one with good tyres to save yourself £400 all round. Check the roof action and for any cloth tears, especially stitching over the windows. The roof should be a deep black and not a washed out grey colour if it's been looked after. Look at the seat bolster as you get in the drivers side, a 50k car will probaly show a bit of wear to the leather, but can be reconditioned with boot polish! yes boot polish!

 

Colour wise, a lot of people say Red is the nicest colour. Personally mine is storm blue, which is a good mans colour and will help distance you from it being a hairdressers car! Black will require a lot of cleaning, White looks really good, silver is a little bland, Gun metal grey is very nice too!

 

Check out Mazda Used cars and you might be able to get a good one from a local dealer. It might cost you a few quid more, but they will usually give you a nice warranty and set you up for mx5 ownership. Many owners keep these cars Mint, so try to go for one of these or at least a completely unmodified version. 

 

Servicing is kept on a digital logbook record by Mazda, so if you get it serviced at a dealer the milage and work is all logged.

 

In the drivers side door there are intrusive drink holders on mk3's. Be wary if your a fat bloke like me as it will annoy at first until you get used to it. It is a design fault that was rectified in the mk3.5.

 

Spare wheels are not included, so make sure your new car has an mini air compressor and tyre foam in the back, If it does'nt, use it as a bargaining chip to lower the price. These will set you back about £30 in a motor factors. 

.

Servicing once a year and thats it, its totally faesible. A work colleague has an 06 (which he swapped for an MG) and has had it problem free for last 5 years. My old MK2 never let us down for 7 years. It never needed a thing but just got a bit rusty in the end... So yep the big thing is rust treatment and prevention, other than that happy motoring .

 

Enjoy and  good luck

Edited 3 October, 2013 by Blanes

[Dr Zoidberg]

That sounds like just the ticket. It won't be driven at all hard, so a 1.8 with heated leather seats and no mods is well worth a look.

[Yeti_Man]

Yep I got an MX5 mk3 - It's a lovely motor for the right day and so here's some qualified advice for you to look out for.

 

1.8's sound better, 2.0's go better, in fact they fly but will only do about 30mpg on a good day compared to 39 ish of a 1.8!

2.0' have a limited slip diff and traction control. To be honest you don't need it unless you are really pushing it and it's something else to go wrong,

The 1.8 is rated at 0-60 in 9.4 which is strange as mine will do 0-60 in 7.9, so don't think its a slouch it's almost like Mazda have taken their time in official figures to distance it from the 2.0 litre. Youtube clips will confirm this!  

 

The 1.8 in the Mk3 is different than in the Mk2. It s a Ford/Mazda derived unit (originally designed by Mazda) and used in the Focus too so is tried and tested.

Both 1.8 and 2.0 are chain cam engines so no need to splash out on cambelts hooray.

 

The Mk3 suffers from alluminium corrosion under the bootlid and the chassis it is not well undersealed underneath at all. Spray waxoil in all the little boot lid holes to help this. Get as late a model as you can, put it up on a ramp and waxoil/waxoil spray everything underneath to help form a protectve barrier, you can't go wrong then. There is a lot of talk how rusty they appear underneath online and would recommend you do it for piece of mind and longevity. 

 

There are mk3's (upto 08 plate If I remember) and 3.5's (08 onwards). 3.5's have the smiley grille on front and look a bit better probably.

Importantly they also have revised geometry to make them sharper on the road, but not much different to the average Joe.

 

The mk3 was imported with tall suspension, an extra 40mm if I remember. This was apparently something to do with ride height regulations and means a lot of Mk3 cars have big gaps under the arches. Google some Mk3 images and you will see some cars that look like they sit low and others that seem to ride high. This can be rectified with eibach springs for better handling, however if you live in pot hole and speed bump areas like me, leave the suspension standard. The car still handles well and will out handle pretty much everything else around bends if you want it too, unless your being followed by an Elise! 

 

Try to go for the spec with  "Option Pack" with leather heated seats, they are well worth it and mean you can use it on colder days comfortably. If you dont buy leather seats you will regret it as they make the car feel special and are readily available with low milage cars on the 2nd hand market at the same price. You will also get built in fog lights and wind deflector.

 

It's not an S2000 but the good news is it wont cost you £450 in Tax which is what some s2000's cost now!   5 spoke alloys are easier to keep clean than the multispoke ones and take your time when buying. There are plenty out there. Look down the doors at all angles to look for blemishes and dents, no need to settle for he first one you see if it looks a bit rough.Get one with good tyres to save yourself £400 all round. Check the roof action and for any cloth tears, especially stitching over the windows. The roof should be a deep black and not a washed out grey colour if it's been looked after. Look at the seat bolster as you get in the drivers side, a 50k car will probaly show a bit of wear to the leather, but can be reconditioned with boot polish! yes boot polish!

 

Colour wise, a lot of people say Red is the nicest colour. Personally mine is storm blue, which is a good mans colour and will help distance you from it being a hairdressers car! Black will require a lot of cleaning, White looks really good, silver is a little bland, Gun metal grey is very nice too!

 

Check out Mazda Used cars and you might be able to get a good one from a local dealer. It might cost you a few quid more, but they will usually give you a nice warranty and set you up for mx5 ownership. Many owners keep these cars Mint, so try to go for one of these or at least a completely unmodified version. 

 

Servicing is kept on a digital logbook record by Mazda, so if you get it serviced at a dealer the milage and work is all logged.

 

In the drivers side door there are intrusive drink holders on mk3's. Be wary if your a fat bloke like me as it will annoy at first until you get used to it. It is a design fault that was rectified in the mk3.5.

 

Spare wheels are not included, so make sure your new car has an mini air compressor and tyre foam in the back, If it does'nt, use it as a bargaining chip to lower the price. These will set you back about £30 in a motor factors. 

.

Servicing once a year and thats it, its totally faesible. A work colleague has an 06 (which he swapped for an MG) and has had it problem free for last 5 years. My old MK2 never let us down for 7 years. It never needed a thing but just got a bit rusty in the end... So yep the big thing is rust treatment and prevention, other than that happy motoring .

 

Enjoy and  good luck

Im not even in the market for one but have to say thats a great little buyers guide!

[Aspman]

Neighbour claimed in 10yr and 120k the only thing that went wrong with his was a lightbulb.

 

He called it "Dougal" because it was "magic on roundabouts".

 

They seem to be a reasonable buy whatever the age.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

My Mrs has a Mark 2.5 (2002) that has just tripped over 70K and apart for the usual service wear and tear items all that has gone in that time is 2 X 501 bulbs.

 

I do keep an eye on hers for rust, but it is garage every night so everything looks good.

 

I'd love her to upgrade to a Mark 3 as there is more room for the driver.

 

Good luck with your quest.

[loskie]

we had a 2007 2l sport in 2008 for a couple of years.

I think only the 2l sport not 2l Option Pack has the lsd.

We only had ours as a 2nd car so did few miles(10000 total) but did spend 2 weeks round Europe(Belgium, France, Italy, Switz, Germany, Lux, Belg) and lovd it. I am 6ft2 and 16 stone and found it very comfy for long trips. Surprising how spacious for luggage too.

One thing I did like was driving after dark on our deserted rural roads, the starts above and smell of wood smoke from houses,

The hood is a doddle to use, ours was a soft top the hard top did not appeal to me. Easy to clean and re proof if required

I would think we got about 35mpg.

I think it is a car that behaves quite differently on different types of tyres so choose carefully.

Vices: some prone to leaking where bottom of windscreen meets scuttle. As mentioned some set up high, I do not see this as an issue but correct steering geometry is.

Look on MX-5 forum and you could be bored silly or well informed

http://www.mx-5.com/

 

You may also see more of my comments there under same user name. 

Sport had Bilstein Shocks(yellow) LSD 6 speed box over Option Pack. I did think the 6sp un necessary and actually harder to use than the 5sp.

I think Option pack also has cloth NOT leather seats.

Edited 3 October, 2013 by loskie

[Royston]

I had a 2007 2.0 sport for a while. Fantastic little car I still find myself pricing them up on auto trader for fun. One day....

I had the eibach springs fitted for about £400 by the dealer and whilst they didn't totally transform the handling, the car definitely felt more natural and stable. The increased ride height on Euro models was to conform to pedestrian collision regulations.

I also went for a custom stainless steel exhaust which added all of 10bhp to the power but seemed to smooth power delivery at the top end. A bit of a waste to be honest.

Look out for corrosion on the alloy wheels. This was a big problem for Mazda at the time but unlike BMW, they were pretty damn good at replacing them under a recall.

Edited 4 October, 2013 by Royston

[lfc958]

My son's G/F bought one, a soft top, and managed to get a hardtop for a half decent price, They put the hard top on & soaked it to check for leaks - No leaks so she now has a hard top for winter.

 

He was so impressed, he sold his MK 1 Octy vRS & also has a soft top, is in process of sorting out the exhaust to get it through its MOT.

[skomaz]

i canr comment much on the mk3 but have had an 18 yr old mk 1 for 15 years now and wouldnt swap it...

 

its been totally reliable and i think the fact that i still have it says somthing about just how good they are.

 

and remember mk1 2 and 2.5 are all pretty much the same underneath. the only real changes were headlights, interior trim and vvc on the top end