Mazda MX-5 Eunos Roadster

I bought a Mk1 1.6 Eunos off eBay about a year ago, rust free and in immaculate condition for the ridiculously low price of £800. I'll never sell it.

All the reviews are true - fantastic handling and great gearbox, nothing can touch it on a winding road. As for out and out performance, I've owned three Lotus Elans back in the 1970's and the Mazda feels just as good. Back then, when other cars typically had 0-60 acceleration times of 10-15 seconds, the Elans 7-8 seconds felt quick. Today with 0-60 times of most sporty saloons around 7-9 seconds, the Mazda's 8.5 seconds is less impressive, but you can hardly blame the Mazda for the rest of the world catching up.

If you want a classic sports car for pocket money prices with modern reliability there's nothing else to touch the Mazda.

Well I decided to buy a 1991 Eunos, the plan was to sell it after a few months and get something quicker. Although I found the handling great it did lack performance. I took the air box out and fitted a k&n induction kit, performance exhaust, de-cat pipe, chasis bar plus much more. The car now sounds and goes like it should. I am going to keep it and fit a turbo kit. Best car I have had and the oldest car too. Very addictive once you upgrade a few basic things and well worth every cent.

The MX5 is without a doubt one of the best looking, most affordable, and cheap to run runabouts! Had mine for over 7 years and I fall in love with it every time I get into it....still. If only I can find a partner (a female one that is) that is as reliable and cheap to run....heehee

I have owned my 20 year old MK1 Eunos for 5 years and in that time it has never let me down and gone through 4 MOT's without requiring any work! What more can one say about its reliability! It originally came with an unlined hardtop which used to drip condensation on my head during the winter. I sold the hard top and used the money to buy a mohair soft top with a heated rear screen. This is marvellous, completely dry and gives me the option to drop the hood even in the depth of winter. I have added a perspex rear windbreak which reduces wind noise with the hood down and makes the cockpit a bit warmer.

I have previously owned a British MX5 but would definitely recommend the Japanese imported Eunos for all the extras they come with i.e. aircon, electric windows,stereo speakers in the seat headrests (particulaly good when the roof is down. I have added remote central locking and a bluetooth stereo with MP3 input and am satisfied that I have 'all the toys' that I want in a car. Running costs are low with fully comp classic insurance at £150 means I can keep the Eunos as my fun car, and run a van for my work.

Much has been said in other reviews about the ride and number of smiles per gallon or should that read miles per gallon! In summary a cheap reliable fun car that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and keep it there. Best to own it as a second car if you can afford to as with only 2 seats there will be times when your friends will have to walk!

I have just turned 60 and have had 3 MGB,s in my youth but having always admired the look of the Mx5 I finally bought one for a grand and drove it back from Cornwall to the West Midlands and had a smile on my face all the way. They are just such a unadulterated pleasure to drive, go like clockwork, handle a dream once you have mastered throwing them around the corners and so so cheap to insure under Classic insurance. The Eunos has extras over the UK model and I would have no hesitation in recommending anyone to buy an import. I love mine and you can pick them up with low mileage. These have to be the happiest cars around to drive.

I have a 1994 Laguna Blue Eunos MX5 Mk1s with Torsen LSD and all the underbody stabiliser bars. I have fitted a Mohair hood with heated GRW along with a set of Mazda 12 spoke alloys with Yokohama A drive tyres.The main improvement though, has been binning the Bilstein, hard as a rock suspension and fitting Gaz gold pros, fully adjustable for height and ride comfort along with a 4 wheel alignment,brilliant.Although I am really old (64) I still enjoy every single drive in Maz and even manage to frighten my wife at times when she is misbehaving (Maz, Not the wife)I would really have loved to own a Maz when we lived in Australia, but they are too expensive:equivalent to £6000 for just a basically good one-No sorry it's not viable or cost effective to export them to OZ- Iknow, I've done the homework. Also it's too hot and you would die unless you kept the hood up and the aircon on.So ther are benefits to living in the UK, The summers are OK for MX5ing and airfares to europe and the sunshine are cheap.

Skippy

Chester Le Street

County Durham

I have been looking at two seaters for some time now, had mainly been attracted to the MG BGT only because I knew someone that had a black one with a reg plate of '666'. But seem to remember he spent more time under it than in it. Then a friend of mine told me about the MX5 MK1, told me get an Eunos as they come with extras. After a few months looking at some sheds on ebay I drove past a garage and there was a little black one sitting in the forecourt with a price tag of £990. Not being of sound mind mechanically I asked my friend to come and have a look. He spent about 2 hours looking over the car before even driving it. Told me that at that price it was a steal. Offered the guy £850 and we did a deal at £900. Ive only had the car for two weeks and people who have MX5's say every time you get into them you smile, its so true.

My MX5 does seem to have had a lot done to it, looking at it I think the previous owner had it lowered but thats about it. Everything inside appart from the radio and some horrible stick on chrome looka-like vent covers is as standard. It's such a joy to drive and comming from a Shogun to an MX is quite a shock.

I think of the MX5 as a stupid, impracticle, not family friendly car and I LOVE IT.

Cant tell you how good they are, just go and drive one and you will want one!!!

Our MX5 was the 1.8iS which had a 6 speed gearbox and all the "toys"

I can't complain about it for what it is, a modern take on the classic sports car like the Lotus Elan/MGB etc.

Ours was green with a black interior and it was a bit dark. I'd go for a brighter colour, or maybe the tan interior to brighten it up a bit.

The 6 speed gearbox was awful on ours but I think it was a dud and a one-off as nobody else seems to have had any problems. You don't really need a 6-speed box in an MX5 though.

I did find our MX5 a bit characterless, perhaps a little too "perfect" for it's own good. I now own a lotus Elise S2 which certainly has plenty (of character) but is less practical.

After the MX5 I owned a BMW Z3 2.8 which was better, it had a 2.8 litre six cylinder engine which would wipe the floor with an MX5 but amazingly managed 30mpg.

However they are quite a bit more expensive to buy, and the smaller engined versions are lacklustre.

In conclusion, if you want a 2 seater "sports" car without the compromises of a "classic" car then the MX5 is your car.But before you buy one, if you can afford a couple of thousand more, try a Z3 2.8.

Just brought a MX5 Jap inport last weekend. Wow it was raining on the way home (August... makes sense) and at first I thought it was broken as the back end was sliding around all over the place, awesome fun. Not quite such a handful in the dry but with a heavy right foot in second around a roundabout the back end can be made to slide out. I got mine off ebay for £677, which is probably the best deal I have ever had. When I picked it up the owner hadn't renewed the tax for next month so he dropped off another £120! in the end only £550 was exchanged and I was driving home in a red MX5. It badly needs a tcut as it's pinky in places, but has no rust and a rather old school wooden steering wheel with I've unexpectedly grown to like. I hope to have many happy miles going sideways in it. Don’t think about it… buy one.

I bought my Eunos from BF Imports of Oldham 2 years ago and have never looked back. I was attracted by the the automatic option and simply stated I wanted something that was mechanically perfect, rust free and ready to go. Since then I have used Autolink (UK)Ltd of Upper Swanmore for the odd bit including a spoiler and have been delighted with their professional advice and return post responses. For trim bits I have used Woolies of Market Deeping and have been equally impressed. Incidently none of the above are aware I have written a review. It is a fun car and has been great for days out in the country on our rare sunny days. Performance with

the 1.6 automatic is lacking but who wants to rush on a sunny day.