Is the mazda mx-5 a classic yet?

niceirishfella

I saw a real nice 92' one today. Real tidy example and got me thinking? Is the mazda mx-5 a classic yet?
And does any insurance co. do classic insurance for them? just a thought?

unkel

niceirishfella wrote: »

Is the mazda mx-5 a classic yet?

In my view it is

Ring all insurance companies and brokers to see what kind of deal they'd have for you

Even if you can't get it insured as a classic car, insurance should be reasonable enough if you come up with the goodies (NCB). Great car. It's Japanese so by definition it could not possibly be a true invention. But let's skip the pedant mode and you'll find that it is the MX-5 that single handedly revived the small open top sports car segment once dominated by 60s British companies

Note to self: I really should drive one myself soon!

green123

i think the car has to be 20 or 25 years old to be a classic
no way a 92 is a classic

--amadeus--

It's what they all call a "future classic", whatever that is. If prices have bottomed out or are starting to rise then that's a sign that the market considers it above the general run. Personally I would hesitate to call any car still in mass production a classic but it is certainly collectable.

My Dad had an MX-5 (mid life crisis!!), it was a 1.6 original Irish car and I took it for a couple of short spins. Great gearbox, great ergonomics, nice feeling car with good communication. Felt faster than it was and didn't deserve teh "hairdressers car" tag.

I recently bought a 68 Elan (the +2 rather than the roadster) that the MX-5 is based on and the resemblance is uncanny. The feel and positioning of the controls is absolutley identical. I knew that the MX-5 was based on teh Elan but it really felt like someone had simply re-skinned an old Lotus (or re-skinned a new Mazda, depending on your POV!)

Dades

--amadeus-- wrote: »

I recently bought a 68 Elan (the +2 rather than the roadster) that the MX-5 is based on and the resemblance is uncanny.

I'd take the old-school feel and noise of your Elan any day.

But maybe an MX-5 another day.

niceirishfella

i'd like one for the hassle free reliablity as i dont want to be doing repairs etc as i'm busy like all of us.

There defo are a future classic, and the prices are beginning to reflect that. There's one on a site thats 1991 and a price tag of €9500.......crazy!
An investment me thinks as you can get one from €3500 upwards.

Henry Ford III

You can get classic insurance on some 15 year old cars. Shop around.

hi5

Ive been seriously thinking about buying one as a daily driver in the not too distant future,been looking at the UK 1 Euro=74 pence at the moment.A 90/91 Eunos can be had for £1300-2000,VRT around €700,its winter so low demand and these cars get 5 stars for reliability in Parkers guide.

niceirishfella

hi5 wrote: »

Ive been seriously thinking about buying one as a daily driver in the not too distant future,been looking at the UK 1 Euro=74 pence at the moment.A 90/91 Eunos can be had for £1300-2000,VRT around €700,its winter so low demand and these cars get 5 stars for reliability in Parkers guide.

and it could be the Ultimate DEPRECIATON FREE daily use car............a thing I thought i'd never see in rip off ireland Hi-5!

Landed and reg'd, a uk mx-5 could be 3grand apprx, you could drive it for 2 years, and sell it for 3k - as its a future classic. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm............still have'nt got an insurer tho to do classic insurance on one.

unkel

niceirishfella wrote: »

Landed and reg'd, a uk mx-5 could be 3grand apprx, you could drive it for 2 years, and sell it for 3k

I'd say that's entirely possible if you buy a decent one. Their reputation for reliability is excellent, so indeed, a reliable every day sports car with no depreciation

niceirishfella

unkel wrote: »

I'd say that's entirely possible if you buy a decent one. Their reputation for reliability is excellent, so indeed, a reliable every day sports car with no depreciation

wow- we've finally found the depreciation free motoring solution.

question - are there any other near to be or soon to be classics that could rival the MX5 depreciation free concept?

Toyota Mr2 perhaps?

alastair

niceirishfella wrote: »

question - are there any other near to be or soon to be classics that could rival the MX5 depreciation free concept?

Maybe not future classics, but the Nissan Pike retro cars (Be 1, Pao, S-Cargo, and Figaro) all seem to be depreciation free and provide a bit of hassle-free style/character. Not to eveyone's taste, but given that they're all at least 17 years old at this stage and their value seems to slowly rise each year, they'd be a safe bet for cheap motoring.

galwaytt

well, with all due respect - based on an Elan it may be, but the Elan doesn't hold a candle to it in terms of practicality, quality of build, or reliability.

I have a '90 one, and now have it for..........ooh, 8 years? As to where does it fall in the scheme of things - take a look at the attached. The '5 is the only one I didn't sell, the other two - and several others - have come and gone, but the '5 is magic. My only criticism is the 2 seats - I really need a 2+2, so it doesn't get much use anymore. Even my sig car is going, and I'm still keeping the '5.......

Oh, they're not that light on juice (relatively speaking), due to their low gearing.........but they feel, and sound, like they're doing 50mph more than they actually are, which is a good thing.

Never had to fix it - bought a new hood about 5 years ago for €199 on the internet - and it's still perfect.

Have promised the car a coat of paint this year, though.............

Oh, and if you bring in one from the UK, note this:
After July, current ones will cost Eur 1k p.a. to tax...........pre-CO2 cert ones will cost..........Eur 2k p.a. to tax. !!

An awful lot of UK ones are, in fact, Jap imports.......which means they all came from Dublin anyway (this is where UK jap imports come from.........), so why not buy it here in the first place, at least we don't use any salt on the roads.......

As for insurance - actually it IS a problem. Because it's a soft-top you may find it very, very difficult. Despite the fact that some cars are 'classic' rated for insurance at 15 years, the '5 isn't one of them. Even if it only does have 90bhp. You may find your existing insurer will transfer cover, but walking in off the street, cold, you may find it impossible, or affordable - that's one reason why they're reasonable to buy - there are more aspiring rather than actual, owners out there...

--amadeus--

galwaytt wrote: »

well, with all due respect - based on an Elan it may be, but the Elan doesn't hold a candle to it in terms of practicality, quality of build, or reliability.

Nice looking car!

I'd agree with you on the quality of build and (in the general run of things) reliability. Elan+2 beats the MX-5 on practicality though!

My major worry about buying one would be that there seem to be few "honest" older ones left. Even my Dad - a fairly sensible driver usually - spun his out and ended up with a hefty repair bill. Of those that haven't taken a dive in a ditch a lot have had "tasteful" aftermarket cosmetics done which totally ruin the look of a very clean design.

If I were on the lookout for a "future classic" in the 8 - 10 yr age range that might offer depreciation free motoring I'd be thinking:

1. Lotus Elise
2. Audi TT
3. MX-5
4. Jaguar XK8

Jag will cost a fortune to tax but the others are cheapish, small engined, fun, usually reliable and (depending on your background) vaguely sensible to insure.

niceirishfella

Great answers so far..............and I forgot about the Nissan Figaro. Most certainly a car you'd loose very little money on if any.......maybe it'll even appreciate.....a rare thing in modern cars.

Thanks for the insight TT, great to get it from a mx5 owner himself. Good points and tghe 2k tax if you import will be a pain in the rocks for anyone unlucky to own one that applies to.

Still, i'd like one. Garage it all winter, tax it for 6 months of the year and have some fun. If i could get one classicly insurance I'd be laffing!

galwaytt

amadeus - you're right. Original - anything - is hard to get these days, without a chequered history. And 2+2 would be great.....mmmmmm

OP - I agree about the TT - am selling my sig car, and looking at going back to a TT - for a while, anyhoo.

Or an RX8

I tried the Lotus, but it makes the '5 like an SUV, such is it's singlemindedness.

Jag - too high maintenance, too much tax, etc etc.


Hey, what about one of my neighbours just did - Smart Roadster? Only 1100cc ?

niceirishfella

Good idea TT, but would a Smart Roadster Depreciate over the next few years?

Itsfixed

niceirishfella wrote: »

wow- we've finally found the depreciation free motoring solution.

question - are there any other near to be or soon to be classics that could rival the MX5 depreciation free concept?

Toyota Mr2 perhaps?

If you want a reliable and practical daily driver, the BMW e30 3 series, especially the Touring versions, are climbing in value. Definitely future classics so get a nice one, (STG1-5k depending on version) look after it, and probably sell if for more in three or four years time.

galwaytt

Itsfixed wrote: »

If you want a reliable and practical daily driver, the BMW e30 3 series, especially the Touring versions, are climbing in value. Definitely future classics so get a nice one, (STG1-5k depending on version) look after it, and probably sell if for more in three or four years time.

I thought OP was looking for a classic ??











btw petrol BMW's are NOT appreciating - where on earth are you getting that - that and 1k p.a. tax from July for most of them......and not much less for original irish ones.......

galwaytt

niceirishfella wrote: »

Good idea TT, but would a Smart Roadster Depreciate over the next few years?

Like the '5 it's a niche machine. But affordable, and low tax means it'll always find a home for someone looking for an extra vehicle. Can't say that about buying both bigger, and more expensive stuff.

I wonder what they're like to drive...........mmmmmmm? Brother rented one in Italy, and said it was great.

niceirishfella

Right, well - I've got a few grand buring a hole in my pocket............and still fancy an mx5.....but want to get into a scene for meetups, the craic etc...and I really want to buy a convertable as i've never had one and always fancied one.

is there much of a scene in the mx5 owners club. I know the have a website - but is it the wrong car to get into to meet new friends etc?

carchaeologist

Id agree that its a future classic alright, and its a real sports car,2plus2 just you and the road, with no electronic wizadry to get in your way.I havent driven one yet , but id like to!!

RichyX

Had the pleasure of driving a 93 imported 1.8 MX5 last week.

It was a high mileage model (180KM roughly) and had a sticking rear brake, but it was still by far the best car I've ever driven!
Lovely handling and quite comfortable for such a low car (I'm a 6 footer).

In a few years I'll definitely be looking to get myself one!

carchaeologist

Yes, small RWD cars seem to be the way to go, i know it isnt really a comparison, but my chevette is small,basic and RWD, it its a hoot to drive on through the twisty bits, i can only imagine how much fun a proper sports car like the MX5 is to drive.:p

niceirishfella

Da latest on the mx-5 insurance -

called Carole Nash today and got their clssic ins. dept, nice girl told me that the mx5 will not be eligible for classic insurance till its 20 years old. So, a 1989 version will be good for next year!

i'm starting to shop around for a nice one already:D

RichyX

Any rough ideas as to how much the 1.6 will cost to insure once it hits official classic status?

niceirishfella

RichyX wrote: »

Any rough ideas as to how much the 1.6 will cost to insure once it hits official classic status?

Yes, i did ask and she told me 3 or 4 hundred euros! Only pity is it will not qualify for classic tax and nct exemption till its 30 years old.........but still, its all good in my eyes.

anyone with a good tasty one for sale, Pm me!

galwaytt

niceirishfella wrote: »

Da latest on the mx-5 insurance -

called Carole Nash today and got their clssic ins. dept, nice girl told me that the mx5 will not be eligible for classic insurance till its 20 years old. So, a 1989 version will be good for next year!

i'm starting to shop around for a nice one already:D

Cool ! ........mind you, they'll have to go some to beat our current FBD cover of €390 approx...........

niceirishfella

galwaytt wrote: »

Cool ! ........mind you, they'll have to go some to beat our current FBD cover of €390 approx...........

BBBBBBBbb......Bargain! wow - thats a deal! Tell me, do you tax her all year round? or just for 6 months and park it up for the winter?

Saabdub

MX-5 a definite classic. It's featured in every book on classic cars I own and it's credited with single-handedly reviving the open top sports car after it died in the early 80s:D

Saabdub

niceirishfella

Agreed! Thats why I'm trying to buy a good one.

Heres the latest.........Looked at 2 last weekend, one was a 90 eunos,90k on the clock, Auto which i did'nt like,
had a respray, rough tho', and dirty inside and out, and the owner made no effort to prep it for my arrival and he had plenty of nitice. Was up for €3950.Burning a hole in his pocket tho and wants rid and was dropping the price as i was walking away.

Another i looked at was a 92, eunos,rough roof,tired body,good engine tho', crap alloys and it was totally molested with naff amp,speakers and the dash hanging out of it.....rough.....

I'm watching 2 on ebay......We'll see what happens? Question - does anyone know - do some of them run a bit hot? for instance, i emailed a guy on ebay and he told me in a return email this -

" The car runs well but had an overheating problem last year due
to a fan failure. The dealer wired in an auxillary fan which isn't as strong
but does the job. This means the car still runs warmer than average on long
trips (such as back to Ireland) but it hasn't affected the performance."

Thoughts anyone on this?


my search continues.........its hard to find a good one, for decent money as I'm willing to go to 5k for the right car. Anyone with a nice one for sale, pm please - as i cant wait to hit the back roads with the hood down!

Rgds,

NIF.

Saabdub

Have you looked at Autotrader UK? There's an 92 1.6i 96k with mot for £1950 which works out as €2,573 + VRT of €605 = €3178. And that's not the cheapest on the site There are about 900 for sale within 100miles of London.

Saabdub

--amadeus--

Second the idea of an import. there are enough of them out there that I wouldn't be touching anything that had any alarm bells attached (like an overheating problem) and an auto totally misses the point of an MX5 surely??

niceirishfella

Saabdub wrote: »

Have you looked at Autotrader UK? There's an 92 1.6i 96k with mot for £1950 which works out as €2,573 + VRT of €605 = €3178. And that's not the cheapest on the site There are about 900 for sale within 100miles of London.

Saabdub

Thanks Guys - yeah - importing is the way to go, and gotta be done before july.
so, jap import or english import? what do yis think...........also, Saabdub, can you pm email me that link to that car? thanks,
NIF.

Saabdub

Try http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/MAZDA+MX-5/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-4294967229-4294967256/advert.action?R=200808304435249&distance=96&postcode=EC1A+1AH+&channel=CARS&make=MAZDA&model=MX-5&min_pr=&max_pr=&max_mileage=

There's 2014 MX-5s on the whole website so you're sure to find something that suits you. If you're buying from a dealer and you don't have a trade-in you can probably negotiate a discount. Make sure you check out the mechanicals before you buy in Uk, its a long way to go to get a refund:)

Saabdub

niceirishfella

rang the owner of this car.........a typical english tosser.....
did'nt want to pick me up at the airport if i flew in, didnt want to sell the car over the weekend, blah blah blah.........and when i pushed him on the phone over the mechanicals, the tbelt is overdue and there's a gearbox problem......ARGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH...............

my search continues........

Saabdub

People are odd. My wife tried to buy an MX-5 from from a certain North County Dublin Dealer but he wouldn't give her the book value for her sparkling 03 trade in:mad: Sometimes I wonder. But on the plus side a friend of mine bought a Porsce 911 in the UK last year. Picked it out on line, flew over, picked it, no hassle. he loves it:D

Saabdub

VWPowered

niceirishfella wrote: »

rang the owner of this car.........a typical english tosser.....
did'nt want to pick me up at the airport if i flew in, didnt want to sell the car over the weekend, blah blah blah.........and when i pushed him on the phone over the mechanicals, the tbelt is overdue and there's a gearbox problem......ARGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH...............

my search continues........

better to find out now rather when on your way back home

carchaeologist

niceirishfella wrote: »

the mx5 will not be eligible for classic insurance till its 20 years old. So, a 1989 version will be good for next year!

Im feeling old, a 1989 car nearly eligible for classic car insurance!!its a strange concept!!:p

ambro25

Ours (98, mk1, 1.8, ltd edition) is already cheaper than a 'classic' to run/insure, now that it is based in France and insured for 2,000 miles max p.a.

Before 'moving it' over there, we bought it while we lived in the UK (it's an original UK car) from the supplying main dealership (the dealership that sold it new to the 1 previous lady owner) at 14,000 miles in 2000.

We moved to Ireland in 2004, at about same time as baby came along. Of course the '5 "was staying", baby or not. So it was put on Irish plates. Turned out that it cost us about triple to run it over here (with maxed-out NCB :eek:), compared to the UK.

For what we were paying (>€2k a year between ins. tax & service), what use we were getting here (about 1.5k miles a year) was just far too uneconomical.

Still, we wanted to keep it - just not outside on carport under a tarp/untaxed/etc. So now it's in our place in France, where it's being driven about as much, but it costs a third of what it used to cost to run it in the UK (so, literally, pennies compared to IE: no road tax, servicing about a third to half of Dublin prices, and €200 TPFT). Gotta love that Europe thing

Oh yeah - today, it's 10 years old and sports 45,000 original, fully-documented, fully-verifiable miles - and it ("she", actually - temperamental bugger on the wet ) looks as if it's only done a third of that.

So, in summary - and totally echoing galwaytt - OP if you're a "car person", take your time and choose well, you could end up picking a family member i/of just a lump of metal on wheels

EDIT - pic (not ours, but identical in all respects)

The last 400 RHD Mk1s to roll off the chain and make it to Europe, before the facelift (which removed the pop -up headlights).

carchaeologist

Nicely done, i like it!!:D

Dunmoon

I drive a '92 MX5 Irish car, 138,000 mls on the clock. Use it as my daily commute to work and pleasure drives in Spring/Summer. Have owned it for the past two years covering 30k miles. Have to say that its among the most reliable cars I have owned (the last three have been Mazda 626's from '86 to '01) never a bother with it.
Took it to France/Italy/Switzerland last year on a 3,500 ml holiday, never missed a beat and turned more than a few heads in Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes land.To me its the essential modern classic, easy to drive, easily serviced,cheap to run, a great drivers car, puts a smile on your face on a twisty road.
Roll on the sunny days so I can remove the hard-top....

niceirishfella

Dunmoon wrote: »

I drive a '92 MX5 Irish car, 138,000 mls on the clock. Use it as my daily commute to work and pleasure drives in Spring/Summer. Have owned it for the past two years covering 30k miles. Have to say that its among the most reliable cars I have owned (the last three have been Mazda 626's from '86 to '01) never a bother with it.
Took it to France/Italy/Switzerland last year on a 3,500 ml holiday, never missed a beat and turned more than a few heads in Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes land.To me its the essential modern classic, easy to drive, easily serviced,cheap to run, a great drivers car, puts a smile on your face on a twisty road.
Roll on the sunny days so I can remove the hard-top....

What a lovely post about a great car!

Ferris

My mate got a new roof fitted to his e30 convertible and the guy who fitted it said that the MX-5 was the only 90's convertible that didn't leak. He actually had one himself.

galwaytt

RichyX wrote: »

Had the pleasure of driving a 93 imported 1.8 MX5 last week.

It was a high mileage model (180KM roughly) and had a sticking rear brake, but it was still by far the best car I've ever driven!
Lovely handling and quite comfortable for such a low car (I'm a 6 footer).

In a few years I'll definitely be looking to get myself one!

not an import, you won't - 1000 p.a. to tax for anything imported after July. Buy now, or buy Irish, later..........

hi5

galwaytt wrote: »

not an import, you won't - 1000 p.a. to tax for anything imported after July. Buy now, or buy Irish, later..........

I read on the sunday paper that Gormley is back tracking on this,you will pay the current tax rates on all future imported cars first registered in their country of origin before July 2008.

Saabdub

hi5 wrote: »

I read on the sunday paper that Gormley is back tracking on this,you will pay the current tax rates on all future imported cars first registered in their country of origin before July 2008.

That's what's great about this Government they set out clearly defined policies and stick to them, NOT:mad: How is anyone supposed to make an informed decision in this maybe this or maybe that environment.

Saabdub

ambro25

Saabdub wrote: »

That's what's great about this Government they set out clearly defined policies and stick to them, NOT:mad: How is anyone supposed to make an informed decision in this maybe this or maybe that environment.

Saabdub

Well hey, you get what you pay for

Honestly, were you surprised? It was entirely predictable, as it would make the whole VRT / road tax / emissions for 'imported vehicles' appear exactly what it is: an import tax (as if only privately-imported vehicles are 'imported': all vehicles are imported on this island FFS :rolleyes:). Whereby GVT's abusive practices in the matter (double taxation/import tax) would again fall potential prey to EU Comission scrutinity... but on much shakier grounds this time

hi5

niceirishfella wrote: »

rang the owner of this car.........a typical english tosser.....
did'nt want to pick me up at the airport if i flew in, didnt want to sell the car over the weekend, blah blah blah.........and when i pushed him on the phone over the mechanicals, the tbelt is overdue and there's a gearbox problem......ARGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH...............

my search continues........

Niceirishfella

I'm flying to Heatrow early tomorrow morning with the sole intention of buying an mx5,I've pinpointed 11 in the autotrader within a 20 mile radius of heathrow(TW6 3AA) all for less than £2000.
Theres 4 or 5 around the 1500 mark which I hope to see,Ive booked a single flight and a return ferry at 2.45 Sunday morning so its s**t or bust:eek:

I'll let you know how I get on.

niceirishfella

nice one..............jezzzzz, pity i did'nt know, I would have flew over with you and we'd come home in convoy with 2 mx's......and I'm not messsing.........there is 1 on ebay that I'm watching......and its got a buy it now for 2250...and I'm tempted to hit the damn button as i'm getting pissed off looking.

pm me your mobile and lets have a chat and stay in touch!

RichyX

hi5 wrote: »

Niceirishfella

I'm flying to Heatrow early tomorrow morning with the sole intention of buying an mx5.

Good luck.

I look forward to hearing how you did.