Mx5

[Guest DGAV]

Due to the high cost of Kits in Austraila ,i am thinking of buying a MX5

 

is there anythink Good / Bad i should keep eye out for ?

 

Cheers

 

Duncan

[Guest lewthepoo]

Look out for rust in the sills, pretty much the only place they rust.

 

I had a MK1 eunos import which I was particularly fond of untill someone drove into the side of it.

The 1.6 is a smoother engine. There really isn't much that goes wrong with them, I think there was a problem with the clutch on some MK2 models where it would cause the exhaust to 'bonk' on the chassis when pulling away.

The hoods tend to be expensive to replace so finding one with a new hood would be ideal.

They are fantastic little cars, best production car i've ever driven for sheer enjoyment. I've driven MK1, 2 & 3 and personally think the MK1 was the best, very light and small, felt like driving a go kart. They are also very tunable, from a simple induction kit to full blown turbo & it's all very simple and easy to work on...think i've just convinced myself to get another one.

[ibrooks]

Over here - rust. Leaks tend to have been the culprit and they tend to be down to blocked drain tubes - the roof itself tends to be very good at keeping the rain out.

 

Early 1.6 MkI's have a problem with the crankshaft that rears it's head when it comes to timing belt time (research short nose crank problem).

 

Apart from that general condition - they are old so things wear out or break depending on how they have been used/abused. Hydraulic tappets can be a problem if the oil has been allowed to get dirty - sometimes proprietary engine flushes and new oil will cure them but sometimes they need to be removed and cleaned out (about £30 in gaskets for reassembly and time consuming but not hard).

 

I find my late-ish 1.8 MkI underpowered. It's not really but they are revvy engines whereas I prefer low-down grunt. This has the power but I always feel I need to go looking for it up near the rev limiter.

 

Iain

[Guest Ian Marr]

We have had our first MX5 for a few months now and well Impressed. It is mark 2.5 1.6. Needs a bit more umph, but sure a few wee tweaks will help. Clutch has a judder ... Common fault apparently and rust on rear sills near wheel arches is the bit to look out for. When the hood is down you can see two plastic trays with plug hole/tube draining to under the car ... Apparently these block up and water draining from hood overflows and gets inside the sill panels ... Hence rust problem.

I can see use either keeping this one for a while or getting another one ... Nice everyday car which brings smile to face ... Hood is a doodle to drop so gets used loads .. Event on good winter days

[Guest red7]

I've had two MK1's and a Mk2. Lovely little cars. Rusting sills are the main thing to watch out for. I think they must have recently got some street cred because after years of being branded "Hairdresses Cars" I see lots of young lads driving them. There is a Mk1 near were I live with an awesome exhaust note, roll bar and japanese stickers on every panel?

 

Get a good 1.8i and you will love it.

 

Cheers,

 

Steve

[chris27]

Seen a new kit at stoneligh rebodying an mx5 into a gt 250!

 

Take a look here

 

http://tributeautomotive.com/

[ibrooks]

Those (or very similar) have been around for a while in America. Personally I much prefer the MEVX5. I think they do miss a trick by losing the soft-top. MEV apparently do a version of the MEVX5 that retains the soft-top which I'm very tempted by but I want to see one first - they have some photoshopped pictures on their website. Stuart Mills has also suggested that he could modify the roofline to incorporate a targa that could be stored under the rear window (sort of X1/9 style) which I could also be seriously tempted by but for the moment I've got two other projects to complete first.

 

Iain

[Guest chris brown]

I'm with Red 7 on this I love my 1.8 mk1 and yes they do like revs so once out on the open road keeping the revs above 4000 (rev limits at 7000) and watch out for cameras. BTW the rust at the back end of the sill isn’t as bad as people think as it is in fact the rear wing not the sill which is in fact about 1 inch behind it

New hood can be got from about £200 upwards and isn’t hard to fit (well it can’t be I did mine)

Also parts are easy to get hold of and not expensive most on Ebay or just google MX5 spelialists

BTW use 5W30 and change regularly to stop tappet rattle on start up

[Guest scrabster]

her indoors has had an mx5 mk1 for about 3 yrs now and loves it,i keep nagging her that it would make a good donor car for another project but she's having non of it.its a 1989 1.6 eunos and i can honestly say there is no rust what so ever on it,just a couple of tiny dinks on the boot and the usual dull paintwork on the front and rear bumpers being plastic and red.starts first turn of the key even after standing in the garage for months on end.all in all a great little car.

jess.

[Guest DGAV]

Thanks everyone i will save up some more $$$

$ then have a look at one for the summer (Nov)

I