Mazda MX5

Can't actually answer the questions, but I was thinking along the same lines myself last year. I didn't try any in the end, but even when looking at other things in dealers, they invariably said nothing but nice stuff about the MX5: reliable, not real issues, and above all fun.

AFAIK the mechanicals are all beyond reproach and the bodywork no worse than any other car (I hear rusty sills are a problem on mid-90s cars now!!)

But, and the big thing that puts me off such a car, is the pasting that UK weather must give to the roof. It's not that we have extremes, but everything outside seems to spend about 4 months permanently damp. It rains a bit and then everything takes about a week to dry out. Upon which it will rain a bit more. You're luckier being in London though as the UK is drier the more east you go.

I had one (1992 model) for three years 94?97. A fun car and reliable. If kept outside year-round and you have storage space (in summer) a hard top for winter might be a good idea.

I would have a drive of one before you start looking horribly cramped interior and driving position and can suffer serious rust underneath having said that my wife has had one for 5 years, mechanically totally reliable not one single fault and she loves it.

Sills go (Mk 2), at the back, where the hood is supposed to drain. Hoods age, obviously - £500 for a non-original replacement. Expect front callipers to go after 15 years, and exhaust catalyst (but still passed MoT).

Plenty of room under the bonnet, very little road clearance. Several near here spend all year outside in Lancashire.

I've had a NC ( mk3) Hard top sport for 6 years and nothing has gone wrong really. Might be selling it soon and it's still worth up to £7k apparent ly. They do keep their value quite well. Definitely a lot of grin factor (i f you can get out of the traffic of course). Also they are much cheaper on Petrol , tyres and insurance than a big engined German equivalent.

Mk1s rust. There are 2 kinds of Mk1 - those with rusty arches and sills and those which have been properly fixed. It's 600 quid a side to do the job properly.

Mk2s rust even worse than Mk1s - with the addition of front chassis leg rot to the rear arch rot.

Not sure about Mk3s, they're still relatively new, but I believe do still have some issues.

I had a bit of a love / hate relationship with my Mk1 - it was worth nothing, so great on track, it was also great when you got a sunny day with the roof down, and mechanically they're very solid. But... and this is quite a big thing, really - the engine is pretty awful in Mk1 and Mk2s. It isn't particularly characterful and sounds very harsh when revved. It's no Alfa or Lampredi twin-cam.

I sold mine and bought a Boxster...

Don't get me wrong, the MX5 is a good car, but the rot is just too much hassle these days. A facelifed BMW Z3 can be had for not a lot more than the price of a decent MX5 now, so I'd seriously consider looking at those.

Oops.

Pre Mk3 MX5s are non-interference, so not a big deal...