Wise Buy: MX-5
The third generation of Mazda’s affordable sports car for the masses is now entering the classic realm
A bona fide classic to buy now.
When the original Mazda MX-5 arrived in 1989 it breathed new life into the affordable roadster segment, which was in danger of disappearing. A hefty facelift in 1998 brought us the MX-5 MKII, then an all-new third-generation car hit the road in 2005.
The most accomplished MX-5 yet, this third take on the formula is arguably the best buy of all as it’s just as fabulous to drive as its forebears, it’s surprisingly usable (for a two-seater convertible), plus it’s got modern safety and comfort tech to make it easier to live with on an everyday basis.
Why you want one
If ever you needed proof that bigger, faster or more powerful doesn’t necessarily mean better, the MX-5 is it. This isn’t a car that’s especially fast but it’s quick enough. What makes it so appealing is the weighting and precision of all the controls; the gearchange and steering along with the pedals are all sublime to interact with. The engine is freerevving and of course the power goes to the right end – the back. But this is no one-trick pony as the Mazda is utterly usable as it has a decent boot, it’s properly weatherproofed and that manually operated soft top is the work of a few seconds to raise and stow; the coupé-cabriolet’s roof takes just 12 seconds to go up or down, and thanks to Mazda recalibrating the suspension to account for the extra weight, there’s no dynamic penalty to pay.
Why now is the time to buy
The original MX-5 has become collectible, so values of good cars have risen – partly because many survivors are in poor condition because of corrosion or crash damage. Many MX-5 MKIIS are in even worse condition as they rust badly – and crash damage is another potential issue. That leaves the MKIII, which is currently in that sweet spot; there are lots of affordable examples about which are in good condition as they’ve yet to terminally corrode or be crashed, although these cars are far from immune to corrosion. The key is to buy the best car you can afford and get it properly rustproofed – even better if you’ve got a garage for it.
Tatty and very high-mileage cars start at a shade under £2000, but really you need to spend at least £3000 to have much choice of decent examples. You can still pay up to £12,000 for the newest, lowest-mileage runout cars from 2014, but the sweet spot is around £5000 for a 40,000-mile 2.0 Sport. Incidentally, the coupé-cabriolet accounts for one in three of the MX-5S available.
Which one?
The MX-5 MKI is the NA, the MKII is the NB and the MKIII is the NC. The NC was launched in the UK in August 2005 and buyers could choose between 1.8 or 2.0-litre engines and soft top or (from October 2006) coupé-cabriolet bodystyles; the latter proved especially popular, with the plastic roof adding just 37kg while improving refinement and security. In 2009 the Mk3.5 (or NC2) brought a larger grille and leaf-shaped fog lamps, plus a more free-revving engine with a higher red-line, and recalibrated suspension to reduce on-limit nervousness. There was also the option of a Powershift transmission, a sequential manual unit with paddle shifts; such