Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

At 3pm i'm going to have a look at a '93 1.8i 5sp soft-top MX5 that my gf wants to buy. I'll be leaving a deposit on it if it all looks good, and possibly pick it up tonight.

Has anyone got any tips on problems or common faults with these models?

Anything in particular to look for ?

This one has 148k on the clock, nice 17" mags, and i've offered 9k over the phone (hopefully bring it down a touch more).

Edited by Munkyb0y

I used to have a 93 but it was a 1.6... i thought that the 1.8 didn't come out til a few years later

things to look for are basically the same as on any car, just pay attention to the roof (old plastic windows tend to tear or be almost non-see thru) anchors. sometimes they are wrecked and you are basically up for a replacement roof...

Other than that they are a great car (a little underpowered) awsome on the twisty bits...

Have a really small boot though....

Good luck

Jdfnq, the 1.8i came out in Nov '93. Will check soft top/anchors thoroughly. It's a girl's car, doesnt need power :rofl:

Thanks for the tip. Do you think 148k is a bit high for those little blender motors?

ctjet, as if i'm gonna drive it, paleeeeeez.

any more tips?

Jdfnq, the 1.8i came out in Nov '93. Will check soft top/anchors thoroughly. It's a girl's car, doesnt need power :rofl:

Thanks for the tip. Do you think 148k is a bit high for those little blender motors?

ctjet, as if i'm gonna drive it, paleeeeeez.

any more tips?

nah the motors are pretty bullet proof.... the 1.6 is anyway, the 1.8 is a heavier motor and therefore the handling is not quite as good as the 1.6...

oh and the 1.6 is quicker (don't ask me why or how, just is)

but if your not driving it i wouldn't stress

148k,s is pretty good.... most of thenm at that age have over 200 on em

yeah i heard that about the 1.6, they reckon it was a better model.

still i'm finding it hard to even find an mx5 for under 10k, besides a few ragged '90 models.

i've been told this one is in perfect condition (yet to be seen), serviced regularly etc.

so for 9k, i think it's a bargain if all checks out ok.

The 1st series is supposed to be the most fun to drive. I have driven the 98 model and that has more power and is a smoother engine. Id probably check the top to see any tears and what not. Check the bolts to see nothing has been removed before (they leave marks if they ahve been removed). Do the usual oil check, water etc. Test for black smoke - rev it to around 3500 or 4 - and keep it there, then hit the gas and let go real quick - that will show if any black smoke is coming out.

Lastly, mechanical inspection - since this is not a turbo normal mechanical inspection should be ok i think....

Test for black smoke - rev it to around 3500 or 4 - and keep it there, then hit the gas and let go real quick - that will show if any black smoke is coming out.

3500 - 4000rpm ???

that seems pretty high to be revving in neutral. are u sure emsta?

Awesome handling on these. My dream is to get a cheap one imported for race and whack a soarer V8 in the front end. ctjet wouldn't ever catch me :rofl:

Ignore everyone else and just enjoy a brief nip out for fun.

But the roofs are the only problem i know of.

How sweet is the new folding lid MX-5???

Oh yeah, agree with Emsta. I'm doing the head on one right now for a mate off a 1.8 MX-5. You can safely go to redline in neutral. Also look for blue smoke on backoff.

My dream is to get a cheap one imported for race and whack a soarer V8 in the front end. ctjet wouldn't ever catch me :)

;)

:rofl:

weight distribution 70/30 might be a problem in the MX with the mighty V8 tho... and munkeh if you see blue or black smoke come out of any car you should walk away

I think I can save you a lot of hassle. A friend of mine has one that he imported and has been used as a second car to his two skylines. It's in awesome condition with nice rims, good paint work and he replaced the soft top since he's had it. from memory it comes with a hard top too which is pretty cool. The best part is he is a mechanic and a very good one. He owns Grey Imports in annandale. The car has not been advertised yet, but i know he is keen to sell as he offered it to me. I would definately give him a ring. 9519 5150. I would have bought it to use as a second car (well 3rd car) but my GF cannot drive manual. price is very reasonable too.

I think I can save you a lot of hassle. A friend of mine has one that he imported and has been used as a second car to his two skylines. It's in awesome condition with nice rims, good paint work and he replaced the soft top since he's had it. from memory it comes with a hard top too which is pretty cool. The best part is he is a mechanic and a very good one. He owns Grey Imports in annandale. The car has not been advertised yet, but i know he is keen to sell as he offered it to me. I would definately give him a ring. 9519 5150. I would have bought it to use as a second car (well 3rd car) but my GF cannot drive manual. price is very reasonable too.

LOL Richard, you are so quick. I just finished sending a pm letting him know about this car also.

Cheers

Jo

I think I can save you a lot of hassle. A friend of mine has one that he imported and has been used as a second car to his two skylines. It's in awesome condition with nice rims, good paint work and he replaced the soft top since he's had it. from memory it comes with a hard top too which is pretty cool. The best part is he is a mechanic and a very good one. He owns Grey Imports in annandale. The car has not been advertised yet, but i know he is keen to sell as he offered it to me. I would definately give him a ring. 9519 5150. I would have bought it to use as a second car (well 3rd car) but my GF cannot drive manual. price is very reasonable too.

what year? how much? i'm about to go see this one now, but will keep in mind. thanks

EDIT: nevermind, have details in PM. cheers.

Edited by Munkyb0y
3500 - 4000rpm ???

that seems pretty high to be revving in neutral. are u sure emsta?

I did that with all the r33's to test for black smoke - they all were fine :). And I also have done that with my 82 civic - which sadly I must say gives out a lot of black smoke :rofl:

edit - yeah if there is any blue or black smoke - say that there is another car you want to check out as well and that you will let the guy know - then just run like hell....

Edited by emsta2003
LOL Richard, you are so quick. I just finished sending a pm letting him know about this car also.

Cheers

Jo

lol, you have to be quick to beat me Jo! :rofl:

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Can you log IAT? Whilst WTA coolers have their place, doing any sort of sustained run is not one of them There are fixes that slow down the heat soak, like ice boxes, which don't last that long, and interchillers, which are fairly expensive, up grades to the WTA cooling radiator, which may require a bigger pump, and upgrades to the reservoir size,  and upgrades to the cooling fans, but, it all still heat soaks, and takes ages to come down in hot weather  For a turbo, that isn't locked into WTA like my PD blower is, can you not possibly swap to a nice air to air intercooler????, it would be better for sustained runs then, and have alot less things that could go wrong in my opinion 
    • So, the other thing I've sorted is a baseline dyno run up at Unigroup's new location. The auto trans was a little unco-operative by both shifting down when the throttle was floored on the dyno (so Mark had to ramp it up more slowly than in a manual) and also by shifting up at 6,000 even in sports mode instead of the indicated redline of 7,000 Still, on a hot day it made 240rwkw at 16psi which seems about right for 300kw (400hp) through an auto at the wheels.  The shape of the curve is not quite right because it was not full throttle to about 4,500 to stop it kicking down, but until I can get a tune on the auto trans control this was the best we could do.....full boost will be well below 5,000 once that is sorted, I'll get some data logs when I can to confirm For comparison, the R32 made 255 at 12psi (at 4,500) on the same dyno with tune, n1 turbos, cam gears, big exhaust but otherwise all standard so the v37 is likely a little better out of the box. One thing that is very clear is that the standard water to air intercoolers are not up to sustained use at full throttle in warm ambient temps. After about 5 runs (so only a few minutes full throttle), it was pulling boost and timing and dropping 10-15% power. Unfortunately I didn't get that printout and the Unigroup guys are away at the moment, will try and get hold of it on their return. So, looks like a healthy engine to start modifying and the only real area of concern is the w2a heat exchangers which the aftermarket has plenty of solutions for    
    • I maintain it actually looked really nice in person. So much so that I thought "No, this is illegal" but there it was, clear as day. I think we can easily call the wing and wheels/height to be transformative. Not saying it's better than the GR Whatever, or the 86, or the WRX STI or anything of that sort (the internet says it all bolts up so you can buy best of all worlds?) but it's still at least a thing and not nearly AS bad as people say.
    • That's less offensive than the previous gen.....except for all that ugly black tupperware around the edges. Blerck!
    • I leant out the window recently and took a picture of this new WRX. It looked real damn fine in person. It's faster around a track (stock) than a (stock) GR Yaris. It's much more practical despite being heavier. It's significantly cheaper. This gen tunes really well, much better than others. .... I think they're probably a lot better than people expect.
×
×
  • Create New...