g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
Apr 10, 2014 13:21:50 GMT
|
The hardtop went long ago as it was a pain to store and didn't make that much difference over winter. I have kind of come to the conclusion that I might aswell run it till the wheels fall off, then break it for parts when it becomes no longer worth fixing. I run the car every day, 40 miles of largely traffic free A roads, it has been as reliable as any car I have ever owned. The rear arches have a bit of grot on the arch lip (rather than the whole arch) but my new mig welder will be getting delivered soon, so i can sort that out myself. Cheers for helping me decide what to do with the car!
|
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
hygiene if you are a bit OCD. Steering wheels tend to be rather grubby things. My neighbours MGF has sat all winter and the amount of mould forming on the steering wheel and seatbelts was pretty shocking!
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
Recently I have been thinking about thinning my collection of cars and have concluded I have a couple of options. 1. Sell my polo g40, but this has no mot currently, so is worthless without one. 2. Sell my mx5 3. Sell my mx5, get the polo back on the road, then sell the polo too. 4. Fix up the mx5s rusty arch lips and ignore the costs as tbh it has been mega reliable 5. Run the mx5 till it fails the mot on rear arch rust, then use the running gear for a kit car and finally part company with the polo 6. break the mx5 for spares (it has pleanty of goodies, highlights being the really nice condition red leather seats. Everything on it is good bar the rear arch lips) Now the problem I have is that I don't know if the mx5 is worth selling. It is a great little car, but it has a pretty huge mileage of 173k and need a bit of tidying to the rear arches to make mint (nothing too serious, but you would need to respray the rear quarter panels after welding arch repairs in, which if done by a pro rather than diy would be around £600 worth of work and clearly not worth investing in such a high mileage car). I have recently just had the cambelt and waterpump done, along with a fresh oil and filter change, also taxed it for 12 months, those things alone tot up the best part of £600. I think I would want to get somewhere close to £850 for it as I think I could get that back for it in bits, but I can't help but think most people will be put off by the mileage.
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
A few years back I sold a tigra, which in my wifes ownership had been perfectly reliable. Only reason for selling it was that we were expecting our first child, so it had to go for a more practical car. A rough looking guy turned up with his daughter to view it. Test drove it. I told them they were welcome to check anything they liked on it. They seemed happy and handed over £500 for a rust free tigra with 80 something thousand miles on the clock and everyone was happy. A week or so later I got a call from the girl stating the engine had blown up. I told them it was tough luck, they got angry and sent some pretty abusive texts. I used my brain rather than my fisty cuffs. Took the texts to the police and didn't hear from them again. I gave them every chance to check the car and was 100% honest with them. Really puts me off ever selling a car on scumtree ever again! In this case though, I can see a couple of points of view. 1. Looking at the sellers feedback (or lack of being able to view their feedback) would ring alarm bells with me. Their advert would worry me too. It does give a case to think that the seller knew what they were doing when punting the car on. 2. On the flip side, you as the buyer have every chance to check the car if viewing in person (a bit different to buying blind). The car was clearly working for 30 miles, so from that apect I would say you don't have any arguement for complaint. Your only hope would be if you could demonstrate that the seller knowingly sold a car on its last legs without informing you of the issues.
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
Mar 31, 2014 19:56:31 GMT
|
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
Mar 30, 2014 21:35:53 GMT
|
15x7j et39 4x100 pcd mazda mx5 centrebore Made by an italian firm called fomb. Model of the wheel is carrera sport. These were supplied with the limited edition (run of 400) mx5 berkeley, so are pretty rare wheels and a must have if you own a berkeley. They are in very good condition, but do have some light scuffing to the outer lips. They are all straight with no dents. Tyres are a mixed bag, but all road legal with around 3mm of tread on all tyres. I used them over winter, but have now reverted to my other alloys. Collection only from chipping norton or oxford airport
|
|
Last Edit: Apr 17, 2014 17:37:19 GMT by g40jon
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
Ditto. I am using windows 8.1 with firefox and no issues
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
From what I have read they are prone to cracking the head. The same had happened on my 325 (thankfully whilst under the care of the previous owners). Cracking engine when it does work though! Will be looking forward to seing the boost aspect of this build!
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
As per title, std bmw 6.5" speakers. 3 lug fixing, from memory they were out of an e46 3 series, but I am fairly sure they will fit other models. No idea on power output, the magnets are pretty small, so I would imagine they will be around 20 watts. They are 4 ohm.
They are in great condition, look like new. I don't have any use for them, so they are free to anyone who collects them or I can post them at cost.
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
If there is any chance you could post them, I'd be interested in buying them. Sadly you're too far away for me to collect in person. I'd only really want the front springs as the back of the car sits fine, but i just want to drop the front down a touch. Totally understand if you don't have time etc.
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
Strangely I kinda like it on the big fox alloys. Big wheels normally look a bit poo on mx5s, but those look pretty decent.
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
If it is as rare and significant as you say, surely a car museum would take it, even in a rotting state, not all cars in museums are mint or restored. Has to be better than breaking it up and more achieveable than trying to get people to essentially give you money that they will never see back to get you a working car (I've read a lot of threads and know your intention isn't so you can get a free working car, but more so you can save an old car, but most people won't see it that way imo). People with the kind of spare money to help you save the car will want a return on it, that is the main reason they have spare money in the first place. i.e. they like making it rather than spending it. Having said that, maybe if you specified that the car, once finished would be donated to a museum for all to see and that you would make no profit from it, it might pull on a few heart strings, maybe......
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
Mar 20, 2014 11:36:36 GMT
|
tatty, but complete, might have the odd oil mark, but all pages secure, complete and legible. £4 collected from chipping norton or can post for an extra fiver.
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
Mar 20, 2014 10:43:21 GMT
|
ttt
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
Mar 20, 2014 10:34:13 GMT
|
bump
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
There's a warning on ebay to not resolve sales outside of the auction - you won't be covered for any refunds because of it. I think it's your duty to check before you buy, and if you can't then don't buy them (I always put this in any auction ad) - sold as seen. It's a risk you have to take sometimes, and it can go messy, as it has here. Sorry! TBH it is no worse than buying off of a forum. Providing you pay through paypal (and not as a gift) you still have a level of protection (precisely why I paid via paypal). I have bought and sold hundreds on items on ebay, forums etc. So I am not a newbie to the buying/selling game. It is just infuriating when someone doesn't play fair. I am one of these old fashioned types that likes to treat others as I would like to be treated. Thankfully I have managed to mostly straighten the wheels out. They still aren't perfect and I am yet to actually run them on my car. I all honesty I will just try and punt them on in the hope that I can get a reasonable percentage of my money back. I guess if they fail to sell I will be left with two or three options. 1. scrap them 2. spend more on them getting them pro straightened in the hope I will be able to sell them for more 3. the option I have currently gone for, relisting them on ebay as damaged wheels
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
Feb 26, 2014 21:17:07 GMT
|
1: Don't buy one that needs, or has evidence of the sills being done. By the time they are rotten outside, the inner structure is LONG GONE and you'll be unable to jack it up. Repairing it is a job that would take weeks. 2: The mechanicals are bulletproof enough to not be an issue. 3: Don't buy a late 1.6, they are gutless. Early 1.6 ok, 1.8 OK. Neither very fast 4: Absolutely do not buy a rusty one. I wouldn't exactly say it takes weeks. Me and my workmate (neither of us are car mechanics btw) managed to repair the rear of the sill on my mx5 in under ten hours. It wasn't a quick plate over job either. All rot was cut out, pretty much all of the rear 1/4 of the sill was replaced, floor pan side, inner and outer. Re-designed the jacking point to include some box section, so it is far stronger than the original structure and the whole of the sill was also cavity waxed to prevent it happening again. I took pics of each stage too, so I can show it was done properly. Any welding work, with photographic prrof would not put me off buying an already welded mx. One welded to mot std with no pics on the other hand would. Neither the 115bhp 1.6 or 1.8 are exactly slow, granted they aren't break-neck fast, but they are reasonably nippy, they just need to be rev'd to get the best from them. The fun factor makes up for the lack of out and out pace.
|
|
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
In going to be looking at a mx5 soon it's almost out of mot and very faded red paintwork. Apparently there is rust on the sills. Just wondering what to look out for and what it's worth. It apparently has the following issues - Electric windows are slow to open - Electric locking does not work, so need to open with the key. - Doors are also hard to open from the inside. - Rubber seals on the windows are letting water into the car. - Paint work is faded. - Front wing damaged by someone reversing into it. - Rust in sills. leccy windows are always slow. you can clean them, re-assemble with silicone grease to improve them. leccy locking, if mine is anything to go by, they use similar stuff to those diy kits you can buy for around £20, so again an easy fix. doors - there is a little return spring which needs to work properly to be able to get out from inside. if it snaps you won't get the door open from inside or out (I know this from experience!) The spring can snap which causes the locking mech to go out of sync. Fix it whilst the doors still sort of work!!! Getting in via the passenger side is tricky and removing the door card with the door closed is even harder. The rubber seals do squash over time. two options. 1. replace them, or 2. try adjusting the window height up a little. There are two stoppers which have a bit of adjustment on them (you will need the door card off to do this. wings are pretty easy to change. You are supposed to remove the nose cone, but you can do it without. Rust on the sills is pretty major. If it is showing on the outside, you can be sure inside will be 100 times worse! The sills on mx5s are tripple skinned and a pain in the to fix (again I know this from experience) Engines are bomb proof with regular oil changes. The are non-interference, so even if the cambelt snaps, the engine won't get damaged. Downside of this is that people don't bother getting them done. You need to watch out for crank pulley wobble on some models with the 4 slot crank pulley (this csan kill the engine). The ones with dodgy crank pulleys are know as short nose and the good ones have long nose cranks. Water pump csan leak from the gasket (if this happens it is a cambelt off job, which can be a pain if the crank pulley won't come off) Watch out for later 1.6s which are only 90bhp compared to the early ones which are 115bhp (applies to mk1 shape, but unsure about mk2 onwards) Rear diff can be weak on 1.6 models if abused. easy enough to swap out though and pleanty of cheap upgrades available Rust is the main thing to watch for on them. The mechanical side of them is good, electrics are also fine. arches, sills, chassis rails (you'll need to look under the car to see them) and the boot are the main rot points. If there is dampness in the cabin it will most likely be down to blocked roof drains. Unblock with a length of thick electrical cable or similar. These getting blocked can often be the cause of rust issues at the backs of the sills. Great cars if you can find a rot free one. There are still enough mk1s around to hold out for one which doesn't have rotted sills. They are also pretty cheap, so you will find you will spend just as much doing up a dog, as you would buying a straight decent one to begin with.
|
|
Last Edit: Feb 26, 2014 7:36:51 GMT by g40jon
|
|
g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
|
|
|
People seem to still be in the dark ages with car mileage. 100k is nothing to a modern car (by modern, I mean anything built within the last 20 years) The 100k thing dates back to when cars would be rotted out within 5 years of rolling off the production line. In the past 13 years I have had maybe 3 cars with less than 100k on the clock, all the others have had well over 100k on the clock. All have been fine. My current line up of high milers includes an mx5 with 170k on the clock which I drive 30 miles a day going to and from work, the wifes seat cordoba 1.9tdi with 156k and a my polo g40 with close to 170k. All have previously been well looked after and all have been reliable. Had a dizzy fail on the polo, and a few minor wear and tear issues, but nothing major. I would sooner buy a well looked after car with percieved high miles (I'm of the opinion most modern cars are good for 250k without having to spend ££££) No way would I even consider a low mileage oil burner, it'll no doubt be clogged up, modern diesels need to be driven to work properly.
|
|
|
|
|