Well... I got a phone call from my sister tonight saying that she took her MX5 for an MOT and the guy condemmed it. He said it was so rotten that he refused to fix it

I know what he means... I looked at it a few years ago and it was as rotten as hell underneath.... I begged her to sell it but she refused.... she had spent a fortune on it since she bought it.

Soooo...... I'm now going to try and convince her to let me buy her a Barchetta, she has never seen one and wants another MX5 but can't even afford the fuel for one.

How do the Barchettas hold up to the salty roads in the uk? is rust an issue??

Other than variator problems can anyone give me any idea what to look for?

What insurance group are they in?

Have seen a couple on ebay including KC3's the 29K miles appealed to me but is out of my price range.

Anyone know of a good B for sale?? preferably from someone that would be willing to drive it up to yorkshire and accept a wire transfere for the funds.... and just pass her the keys and tell her to make them coffee / dinner and drive them back home......

not asking for too much am I??

Hey DR, excellent - another MX-5 driver converted!!

If I can help out let me know, cheap rates!!! (I helped Rosso Racer find his - took a while be but did manage to get a good one.........talking of Rosso Racer not seen him on here yet..........)

Rust can be an issue but not so much on the body, places to look are wheel arches, under the headlamps, top of the inner rear wheel cavity, wheel arches in the engine compartment and the inside of the sill 'lip' on the floorpan. Don't get me wrong, they are not generally too susceptible to rust when compared to other cars of a similar age as they are galvanized.

Things to look for are the usual, full service history, panels line up, hood condition (including rubbers), exhausts have a few weak spots, look for a dry engine and gearbox.......if you want a more comprehensive list drop me a pm...

What is the budget? Shame you cannot go for KC's, I have seen it and its a very clean original car - I would buy it if I had the cash!

Insurance is group 19 but mine costs me £280 a year fully comp at 35 years young........

Let me know if I can be of help, I am a long way from Yorks but if I cna help I am glad to...............

Shouldn't you be decorating your hall instead of helping others out?

Just noticed zoeh's old b on eBay..........

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/97P-FIAT-BARC...oryZ9843QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I must confess to 'hairdresser' tendencies..Our local Mazda dealer has a brand new 2.0L top of the line MX5 in black, with leather and all the bits. Looks nice. its also €7k cheaper brand new than the Fiat dealer down the road who's still trying to flog a base B (steel wheels, cloth, no aircon) at €30k.

That price is utterly insane. A good six thousand pounds over the brand new asking price before the production line stopped.

My guess is that will sit on his forecourt until its a 'brand new' classic and will attract a 30k price at auction.........

Hello,

What is your budget for the car



Regards,

Phil

LRB thanks for the points to look at.... will maybe contact you again if I can persuade her to go for the B. Have just spoke with her again this evening.

Her old MX-5 was a 1.6 so was in insurance group 12. the step up to a 19 is causing her some concern and unfortunatly she is stuck on keeping an mx-5.

She at least has come to sense on the fact that hers has to go, either with an mot or as parts.... (she has had lots of mods done to it) which at least is my first step...

She is still refusing to accept help but I have told her I will get someone to park a car outside her house and if she uses it it will be up to her...

My origional budget was around £3000 but after looking around I would be now willing to go upto around £4,500 ish. I don't want to buy another rust bucket for her....

The best I have seen is a 2002 MX5 advertised for just under£5000. have emailed them and i'm hoping they would be a little flexable with the price.

Looking around it seems that the b's are no cheaper than the mx5's which is quite a surprise....

Phil.... see above for my general budget.... things are of course flexible.. well for me anyway.... still just gotta convince my sis.... looks like I have to spend more than I wanted......... but it will have to be for the right car

DR,

If you are still considering the barchetta, and I think you should, please let me know.
I am probably going to sell mine.
It has MOT and Tax until August and does not go out in the winter.
It is a 1997 metallic blue and has had 4 new pirelli tyres, new rear pads and discs and rear hubs and bearings amongst other things.
I also have amassed a host of new replacement parts such as disc brake calipers, discs, engine bits, clutch, brake pipes, front shocks, radiator etc etc.
It was my intention to replace all these eventually but I am unable to find the time.
I have had the car three years and only covered 3000 miles if that.
I have serviced the car myself.
The car has around 62000 miles on the clock and in the past had a variator replacement and has a dealer and DTR service history up to 50000 miles.
The car was originally imported by Autohaven UK and I am the 4th owner.

Hope this convinces you