why buy a mx5? |
"Border MX5s run our BRSCC Mazda MX5 race car, without them it wouldn't have been possible for us to compete. In our bid to be competitive we have replaced almost every component on the car. In the end we managed an overall 3rd place (out of 60 cars) as well as numerous top 10s - not bad for a rookie season!"
E. Milne |
If you are thinking of buying an MX5, you can be sure of two main things;
1 You are going to have lots of fun - even if the weather is not too good. These cars go back to an era when cars were basically simple and fun to drive. You can put the top down in seconds and when it's up, very rarely do they make any wind noise or leak in water when you are driving along.
2 If it ever does go wrong, parts and repairs are normally very inexpensive. The engines are virtually bullet proof, and for this reason, good second hand ones can be bought for around £150 (as nobody ever needs them) and you can buy a used gearbox for around £45. An engine is good for well over 200,000 miles. We have had examples where a car has does over 250k and is still as sweet as a nut and accelerates as a new car.
Fresh Import or Ground up Restoration?
If you are wanting a car that is in 'As New' condition then it has to be a ground up restoration as opposed to a fresh Import.
Why?
Fresh imports always look good underneath as they have not been exposed to any salt unlike a car that may have been imported 5, 10 or even 20 years ago - however, we have had many freshly imported cars into our workshop that customers have paid lots of money for but need a great deal of work to bring them up to the standard of our fully restored cars. As an example, a few months ago we had a customer that was not happy with the brakes on his fresh import that he paid £8k for and after looking at the brakes, they had the worst worn discs I had ever seen on a MX5. Also the water pump leaked and the cam belt was the original belt even though the car had done over 120K miles. . We have seen other fresh imports that have sustained impact damage, others that have had obvious paint touch ups that have been done to a very poor standard.
All our ground up restorations uses completely original shells that had had no welding or modifications and are as good as they left the factory. We completely strip the bodyshell therefore when the shell is undersealed, every square inch is covered. We also do complete cavity wax oil spraying so the inner sills are protected as much as possible against future corrosion. If you consider these points along with the fact that the complete shell is painted inside the boot and the engine bay, the car is probably better than it was prepared in the factory.
Weekend Toys
When the sun does eventually come out in the UK, they are the most fantastic car to go out for a drive in, bringing the old 'motoring pleasure' back into your life. There's no feeling like cruising through British B-roads, with the roof down and the engine singing.
Everyday Cars
The MX5 is fast enough to have some fun in but are still very useable as an every day car, in fact thats what most of our clients buy their MX5s for - an every day, reliable car that starts first time. Even if we do not start our cars for a few weeks, they will be almost guaranteed to start on the button. The MX5 is guaranteed to put a smile on your face after a long day in the office.
Track Day Specials
You could not get better; especially one of the limited edition cars that have everything already on such as TorSen limited slip differentials, stiffer Bilstein suspension, fully lightened and balanced flywheels, strut braces etc. - just strap on your helmet and go!
Classic Motoring
They are cheap to insure now as the Mk1 is classed as a classic car and as such can be obtained on 'Classic Car' insurance. The average cost of this insurance is around £150.00 sometimes with limited mileage, depending on which company you go with. My personal insurance through SAGA is £92.00.
With the Eunos (imported from Japan), the specification is normally much higher on a standard car than that of UK car. Most Mk1 Eunos's were imported in the early 2000's therefore they have spent little time in the winter salt. Quite frequently , we get low milage examples. some of which have never been used in the winter. They can be as good as new and if you are lucky enough to get one, can last you for many, many years. Normally they do fetch a premium price but they are well worth the extra few hundred pounds.
Buying Recommendations
Over the years we have seen many poorly looked after MX5s. Our recommendation to you is to do your research and take the time to find your car; or come to us and let us take the pain out buying for you.
There main point to watch for: The MX5 is very susceptible to rusting on the rear sills and wheel arches. Luckily you can still get replacement panels for them and if the repairs are done correctly, using the panels, they can be as good as new, if not better as the new panels these days are much more substantial than the originals. Most reputable companies will photograph the work whilst it was done so you can see if it has been done properly.
All of our cars go through rigorous checks before we buy them so that you can be assured that if you buy one of our cars then it will be as close to 100% as possible. One has to realise that most of our cars are between 15 - 25 years old, so you will expect to see the odd stone chip here and there and the odd little scuff mark that one would expect from a 25 year old car.
GO ON.............Treat Yourself !!!
1 You are going to have lots of fun - even if the weather is not too good. These cars go back to an era when cars were basically simple and fun to drive. You can put the top down in seconds and when it's up, very rarely do they make any wind noise or leak in water when you are driving along.
2 If it ever does go wrong, parts and repairs are normally very inexpensive. The engines are virtually bullet proof, and for this reason, good second hand ones can be bought for around £150 (as nobody ever needs them) and you can buy a used gearbox for around £45. An engine is good for well over 200,000 miles. We have had examples where a car has does over 250k and is still as sweet as a nut and accelerates as a new car.
Fresh Import or Ground up Restoration?
If you are wanting a car that is in 'As New' condition then it has to be a ground up restoration as opposed to a fresh Import.
Why?
Fresh imports always look good underneath as they have not been exposed to any salt unlike a car that may have been imported 5, 10 or even 20 years ago - however, we have had many freshly imported cars into our workshop that customers have paid lots of money for but need a great deal of work to bring them up to the standard of our fully restored cars. As an example, a few months ago we had a customer that was not happy with the brakes on his fresh import that he paid £8k for and after looking at the brakes, they had the worst worn discs I had ever seen on a MX5. Also the water pump leaked and the cam belt was the original belt even though the car had done over 120K miles. . We have seen other fresh imports that have sustained impact damage, others that have had obvious paint touch ups that have been done to a very poor standard.
All our ground up restorations uses completely original shells that had had no welding or modifications and are as good as they left the factory. We completely strip the bodyshell therefore when the shell is undersealed, every square inch is covered. We also do complete cavity wax oil spraying so the inner sills are protected as much as possible against future corrosion. If you consider these points along with the fact that the complete shell is painted inside the boot and the engine bay, the car is probably better than it was prepared in the factory.
Weekend Toys
When the sun does eventually come out in the UK, they are the most fantastic car to go out for a drive in, bringing the old 'motoring pleasure' back into your life. There's no feeling like cruising through British B-roads, with the roof down and the engine singing.
Everyday Cars
The MX5 is fast enough to have some fun in but are still very useable as an every day car, in fact thats what most of our clients buy their MX5s for - an every day, reliable car that starts first time. Even if we do not start our cars for a few weeks, they will be almost guaranteed to start on the button. The MX5 is guaranteed to put a smile on your face after a long day in the office.
Track Day Specials
You could not get better; especially one of the limited edition cars that have everything already on such as TorSen limited slip differentials, stiffer Bilstein suspension, fully lightened and balanced flywheels, strut braces etc. - just strap on your helmet and go!
Classic Motoring
They are cheap to insure now as the Mk1 is classed as a classic car and as such can be obtained on 'Classic Car' insurance. The average cost of this insurance is around £150.00 sometimes with limited mileage, depending on which company you go with. My personal insurance through SAGA is £92.00.
With the Eunos (imported from Japan), the specification is normally much higher on a standard car than that of UK car. Most Mk1 Eunos's were imported in the early 2000's therefore they have spent little time in the winter salt. Quite frequently , we get low milage examples. some of which have never been used in the winter. They can be as good as new and if you are lucky enough to get one, can last you for many, many years. Normally they do fetch a premium price but they are well worth the extra few hundred pounds.
Buying Recommendations
Over the years we have seen many poorly looked after MX5s. Our recommendation to you is to do your research and take the time to find your car; or come to us and let us take the pain out buying for you.
There main point to watch for: The MX5 is very susceptible to rusting on the rear sills and wheel arches. Luckily you can still get replacement panels for them and if the repairs are done correctly, using the panels, they can be as good as new, if not better as the new panels these days are much more substantial than the originals. Most reputable companies will photograph the work whilst it was done so you can see if it has been done properly.
All of our cars go through rigorous checks before we buy them so that you can be assured that if you buy one of our cars then it will be as close to 100% as possible. One has to realise that most of our cars are between 15 - 25 years old, so you will expect to see the odd stone chip here and there and the odd little scuff mark that one would expect from a 25 year old car.
GO ON.............Treat Yourself !!!