Hi, new on forum. Looking for MX5

J · Post by J » Fri Oct 02, 2009 4:33 pm

Hi, I'm new to the forum here.
I'm buying a car and saw this miata/mx5 which has club stickers on it so I thought it may be an ex-club car. If anyone knows anything more about this car
http://www.ellisutting.co.nz/display.php?Stockno=D00327
and if it is a good buy for its price please inform me.

Also, if anyone can tell me things to look out for when im looking for a miata.
Much appreciated

Post by **zorruno** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:27 pm

J wrote:If anyone knows anything more about this car
http://www.ellisutting.co.nz/display.php?Stockno=D00327

Hi J, welcome to the forum.

Ellis Utting seem to be pretty reliable dealers, so you shouldn't have too many hassles buying there. They sell a lot of MX5s.

A few things I noted:

1. Colour is a personal preference - I like the blue personally, and although that one isn't a very rare colour, it certainly isn't common either. Common colours are usually cheaper.

2. It is an auto. If you are looking for an auto, that is great, but a lot of people find that a manual MX5 is a lot more pleasurable and fun to drive, and some are even disappointed when they have bought an Auto then drive a manual later. Don't let anyone put you off buying an auto if that is what you want however.

3. Ellis Utting say "the car was personally inspected in Japan by one of the speedo certification engineers before we aquired it" etc so it seems like a new import. This is contrary to the 'club sticker' note. I believe that they may have been given a bunch of club stickers in the past and put them on the cars to help promote the club, so it probably is a direct import, with no NZ owners. I could probably tell if I saw which sticker it was (can't quite see)

4. The NB (or second model) had a facelift in 2002, so this is the facelifted model.

5. It looks to have a fullsized Japanese stereo. It may or may not get all NZ FM stations... and there may be other functions that don't work in NZ? Dunno.

6. It comes with a hard top - this is a bonus as often they keep these and sell separately. Good ones sell for up to $2k and fit the previous model too so you can flick these to recover a few $ if you don't need it. Hard tops are only really needed (IMO) if you regularly park in dodgy areas. Hard tops that are colour matched do give the MX5 that 'coupe' look though, which is nice for a change sometimes.

7. It is a 1.8, which is the larger engine size. Some NB import models are 1.6L (as were the original NA models up to 1993)

I don't know a great deal about the NB model specifically so can't tell you much else. Someone else may be able to check the pics. I also can't really comment as to the price. It sounds a bit high to me, but it is from a dealer and is not... red, and only 5 years old. Incidentally, that is about the exact same price as I paid for my 1994 - five years later...!

Is it at Ellis Utting in Panmure?

There is a FAQ item here (mainly with links) that shows some things to look for with buying an MX5
http://www.mx5forum.co.nz/viewtopic.php?t=2938

Other FAQs of note are here:
http://www.mx5forum.co.nz/viewforum.php?f=27

Hope that helps
Cheers

J · Post by J » Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:42 pm

Hey, thanks for the reply!
Thought I'll just add some more details I found out about the car

1.It's a limited version SV, meaning it's got the same blue as the "Special Edition"

2. Yea I don't know how to drive manual lol and perhaps members of the family will have to use the car at times, so I'm sticking to auto

3. I think Ellis Utting has the same description on the net for every car, but I've asked the salesman. It has a plate, and was owned by 1 elderly couple since it's been in NZ. The couple are MX5club members hence the stickers

4. Forgot to add this, the radio has been modified (band broadened i think?) to receive NZ radio, though sat-nav is for Japan and wont work here

It is at Ellis Utting Panmure indeed, a friend who bought a car from them referred me to them. They seem to be quite reliable, and the people are really nice too. I'll most likely be able to get a 1 year free warranty (covers everything) with them and the car is relatively new so I'm not too worried about reliability.

Just have a bit of a dilemma here really, choosing between a Mazda 3 and a Miata. I like the Miata more and will definitely enjoy it more, but the lack of back seats mean I can't drive many around. There is a Camry at home but will most likely be sold, though I will be living by myself then. I love the 3 too, drives good as well, just prefer the Miata more. Any opinions?

Post by **zorruno** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:02 pm

J wrote:I love the 3 too, drives good as well, just prefer the Miata more. Any opinions?

You are asking for opinions on an MX5 Forum??

Get the MX5. Incidentally, it is only 'mericuns that call them Miatas, the rest of the world have MX5s (in fact i think the NCs are even MX5s in the US now)

Incidentally, I have just realised the other day that in my family of mum, dad, one sibling + her partner we have a Mazda 2, Mazda 3 (SP23), Mazda 6, MX5, and a 626...

Get the MX5.

J · Post by J » Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:34 pm

haha, yea I realised only Americans call it Miata lol. Miata rolls better off the tongue than MX5

yea...of course, what an idiot of me, of course get the mx5! Parent complications.....

p.s people with Mazda's seem to be rather brand loyal- shows that they make great cars! My friend who has a skyline 300GT is complaining now that he should have gotten the SP23 instead of his skyline. He said though the skyline is quieter, more comfortable, more powerful and refined etc, it doesn't deliver the driving feel of a 3.

Stevo · Post by **Stevo** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:55 pm

I can offer advice on both the MX5 and the Mazda3 (SP23) as we have one of each. The Mazda3 does everything well and I class it as one of the best hatch's on the market, however it is still "just a car" and has no real "character" . Its quicker than the MX5. The MX5 will hold its value better.
The MX5 puts a smile

on my face every time I get behind the wheel and putting a couple of hundred km on the clock on a nice day is brilliant.
If you dont need to carry more than 1 passenger, its a bit of a no brainer.
The stereo in the mx5 you're looking at looks the same as mine. Have a look at my photos. It plays cd's, cassettes (does anybody still own these?) and has satnav and tv which both dont work in NZ. If you ever find out how to change the time on the clock please let me know. I wonder if its set to Japanese time and updates just like your cellphone as even after removing the battery for 6 weeks, the clock was still bang on (4 hours out).
Cheers Stevo

Stevo · Post by **Stevo** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:59 pm

By the way, The car you are looking at came into the country in November 2007 and had 59,000km on the clock. Cheers Stevo

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:58 pm

Have a look here for some information on this car:

http://www.carjam.co.nz/car/?plate=EJF267

Grant.

soulfader · Post by **soulfader** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 12:42 am

sorry for hijacking.. is sp23 FWD??

Stevo · Post by **Stevo** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:48 am

soulfader wrote:sorry for hijacking.. is sp23 FWD??

Yes the SP23 is FWD. 2300cc 4 cyl, tiptronic 5 door hatch. Cheers Stevo

J · Post by J » Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:56 am

Once again thanks guys for the replies! I have decided I really really want this mx5, it looks to be very well taken care of, and the colour, transmission, hardtop, stereo all suits my taste. Ss long as parents give the green light (they're paying for half of it) I'll get it. But if I'm not allowed, I've seen a rather nice blue SP23 at Mazda 2nd hand dealer (70,000~Kms), the sedan actually. Except it has aftermarket Advanti rims and Potenzas which I find generate quite some road noise especially in the rain.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 5:03 pm

Here's my suggestion.
Buy two cars. I have an old a/t Pulsar (97) that's now done about 200,000km, and is practically worthless. It always gets left out in the rain, I don't care when old ladies run shopping trolleys in to it, the rims get ground in to the gutter when other people drive it, and the fact that my dog's eaten half of the interior. It's got 4 doors, enough room for 4 passengers, and is dirt cheap to run, and it drives fine I'm happy to let anybody use it any time.

Then go and get the best manual trans MX5 you can with money left over (allow extra for reg/wof/insuring) two cars. With the money you're plannning to spend, you'll get a mint NB MX5. I can't think of a better car to learn how to drive a manual transmission in.

J · Post by J » Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:09 pm

^haha yea that's a good strategy...
thing is, I'm actually only 16 and I'm a girl, so I'm somewhat afraid of a manual. My best mate has a Skyline 300GT he's willing to lend me any time, because he has a manual 300ZX TT (which I can learn manual in...despite having a racing clutch

)

Decision is down to parents, esp. dad lol~
Anyone got good tips to convince fathers~?

Euen · Post by **Euen** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:12 pm

Let him take it for a test drive. No maybe not. You might never get it back. (Not sure about the auto though)

poison · Post by **poison** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:37 pm

Remember most of us here in the forum are kind of fanatics and want the
manual, but you will love the MX5 auto or not, they are a great summer car,
and the hard top will be a big bonus in winter. The tops are a little heavy
but you can buy a lifter kit to help you take it off, they are made here by
a club member I think. They are made of nylon straps and a couple of pulleys
so are not expensive. Enjoy a sports car while you can, a sedan is more
practical but much less fun. The only downside of a soft top is the
possibility of vandalism, some people have had their soft tops slashed, but
then again those kind of people will damage any car not just a soft top.
Also having only two seats and a small boot can be a bummer for long trips
and holidays, but 99% of the time, who cares.

Lastly the MX5 is one of the more reliable cars around.

Dez · Post by **Dez** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 8:06 am

Quoting J <mx5talk@mx5forum.co.nz>:

Decision is down to parents, esp. dad lol~

How about starting with: The car is a fine handling machine as anyone on the
forum will tell ya. It has a fine safety record, reliable as anything, more
smiles per km dollar than any of its rivals. It holds its resale value very
well. You can only take one passenger so you won't have anyone in the back
egging you on to hoon about. There is only so much space clutter up
with stuff.
If you do have an accident, I read somewhere that the MX5 has a better frontal
impact record than the PT Cruiser according to the NCAP test (anyone on the
forum able to confirm this?)
And don't try to convince your Dad when he's tired, at the end of the day or
hungry, or distracted with is favorite sport on tv. But being a female you
already know that............

Have fun!