I love mine to bits; its not as much fun as a mini with the roof up, but roof down I could drive round all day, RWD = scary slidey corner fun too. The steering is unbelievably sharp. Im not sure how a car thatll drift so nicely is hairdressery. Better to be a hairdresser than have a chavmobile or a door-to-door-salesmobile, imo.

Its the most reliable car Ive ever owned, thats not saying much I know but its better than anything my family has owned and parts arent too dear anyway. I think theyre lovely looking cars with the right colour & wheels & spoiler.

Whats your budget? If you go for an early car you should get one low mileage with nigh-on perfect bodywork & interior for Ã,£2-3k. Chances are an early car will have already had a new roof and stuff so theyre probably a better buy.
Theres so many around you shouldnt go for a crappy one. Mine is a 90 and apart from a tiny scratch its almost perfect, I saw loads of rubbish ones for the same price too. The roof should not leak at all, a lot of people say that a slight leak is normal - thats bs.

Check it has been serviced regulary and itll be fine, make sure its got good tyres!

edit: afaik its fairly normal for 1st gear to be slightly sticky when the engine is cold, but all the other gears should be smooth from the go. Make sure the carpets are dry. Make sure the clutch is good - start it up, put it in third, keep the handbrake on and footbrake on and dump the clutch - the car should stall straight away. If you get one be gentle with the clutch; no 5,000rpm starts

kms on the odo is definitely import. If its an Eunos itll be an import. Another easy way to tell is look at the writing under the bonnet or on the drivers sun shield (Japanese). Itll say on the v5 too.  They can be more to insure, but the AA didnt seem to care and apparently you tend to get more toys (ac, nicer interior) on imports and they wont have much rust at all.


Id look at the mr2 as well but the ins for me on a 2.0 was silly.

Quote from: Clockd 0NeIve high hopes for this as despite its age, it has only done around 55-60k.  

Pschaw, the motors barely broken in! Time for the first spark plug change. If its got the original plug wires, Id change those first thing. $50 should get you a generic silicone covered set. Remember, change them one by one, or youll end up with a creative cylinder firing order.

Just check all that stuff that goes cheesy in your drippy clime. Poke the insides of the wheel wells with a pokey thing, check the belts for rot, etc. TBH, the undercoat and paint on that eras Jap cars is fantastic. They tend to fade and flake long before you get any actual rust.

if its an import arent u meant to check for underseal?

Quote from: Eddoh serious no1 cares about a 50 something year olds opinion about cars, youre part of the rover/volvo/vauxhall omega brigade

Rover? I hate the things.
Volvo? Perhaps something like the 480es but nothing much else and definitely not a tank on wheels.
Vauxhall? You have obviously got the wrong person mate

BTW put your nappy back on... :mrgreen:

Quote from: Eddif its an import arent u meant to check for underseal?

All of the Eunoss had underseal as standard from the factory.

Go for the MX5 The insurance for a basic spec MX5 around a H Reg for me is still only Ã,£900 with 3 years NCB and 21 years old

A lad I know has had his MR2 Mrk2 for a month now and its being in the garage more than its being out. Tho I think he just jumped into a dodgy purchase, having the clutch go, the HeadGasket has blown and needing new Shocks on the rear....

I was waiting for you to post sdp, thanks for the tips.

Im going to check/purchase it this week at some point. How will I know exactly what model it is, as in how do I tell if its a Eunos or whatever?

Insurance on this will be dear enough, I cant afford an MR2.

eunos usually say eunos roadster on the back, so should be easy to identify as an import

With that said, dont be put off on the import status, unless you have specifically rang up and quotes on imports are hundreds more, you will find an import is usually better looked after, and can have stuff like a/c (as someone else mentioned)


Again to highlight what has already been mentioned, the whole hairdresser japes tend to come from those not comfortable with their sexuality, or those who must drive something uber masculine

Square number plate holes and aftermarket looking fog lights on the rear usually give it away as an import.

Buyers guide - http://www.webcars.net/roadster.htm

Dont forget the normal car checks - black smoke, gunk under the filler cap etc.

Good online parts shop - http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/

Awesome links man, cheers

mx5 vs. greyhounds if  you havent seen it. :mrgreen:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/74370/car_vs_greyhound/

So have you got this car then?

Am looking to get it tonight! Stil trying to sort out insurance... if the reg plate doesnt begin with Q as the car has been converted its not Q-registered is it?


Right Im off to get it w00t w00t! Pics to come

It wont be a Q

Good luck, dont buy a duffer.  

btw the paint on the lower half of the door should be textured slightly - its a coating that stops stone chips.