Mx5 rescue

[cjaw96]

For months, I had been on the hunt for an MX-5, my dream car. I kept coming across the same listing, but it always seemed just out of reach. Time passed, and there it was again, but this time the ad mentioned a noisy engine. Curious, I reached out for more information, but my inquiries went unanswered. 

Then one night, while scouring BCA, I stumbled upon the MX-5 once more. At that moment, I felt a surge of determination—I had to make it mine. On February 16, 2025, I embarked on a three-hour journey to collect my new treasure. The drive back was filled with excitement as I towed it home, eager to uncover its secrets. A few quick searches revealed that this car had once belonged to a member of an online community and had been well-loved. I couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong and who might have mistreated it.

Fast forward to today, February 21, 2025. I pulled the engine out, preparing for a much-needed heart transplant. The MX-5 had some frame rail rot, a common issue for the MK2 models, so I ordered a repair kit online to fix the rails. The sills were still in decent shape, just a bit of bubbling, so I decided to tackle that later. With each step, I felt a growing connection to this car, determined to restore it to its former glory and hit the roads again.

[outlaw118]

There's a few of these on here I believe, @gm particularly springs to mind, as he's built a kit out of one!

[cjaw96]

@outlaw118 funny enough the car use to belong to @gm many moons ago. 

[sdkrc]

Handy link for GM's Japanese crack cocaine addiction thread

[jon.k]

I had one for 10 years, I loved it.

[stuboy]

4 hours ago, cjaw96 said:

what engine is that? ford? i 

[gm]

right then...

a brief history of AY02KCV 

way back in April 2021, I received a link from @Mi30n with a tidy looking green mk2 mx5 for sale. He already had a silver mk2 which was suffering from tin worm so was looking for a replacement.

I checked the mot history online and saw it had covered very few miles over recent years

and just look at all of that green !

 

I joked with him that if he didn't buy it, I would. 

His response was that I should buy it and he would buy it off me when I'd got bored  

so the next day, I jumped on a train to Batley and went to pick it up 

and what a cracking little car it turned out to be - hadn't been out in the rain in seven years, a total garage princess - I felt guilty driving it home in the pissing rain.

 

 

[gm]

as the Exo was taking up the garage, I parked it up on what the neighbours lovingly* referred to as convertible corner  

it came on original mazda 14" alloys

the interior was immaculate

I brought the Exo out to join in the fun

 

[gm]

a set of freshly refurbished 15" alloys were located

which set the car off a treat

then a month later, needing the cash for the Exo build, I sold it  

 

to @aldo135 from Edinburgh who took it home for his mrs to have fun in

 

approx 70,000 miles as of may 2021

[gm]

so in may 2021, I sold the pretty green car to @aldo135 who kept it until June 2023 when he put it up for sale. I wasn't quick enough and @RetroShite snapped it up  

but he's a big laddie and mx5's generally aren't the best cars for big laddies so when he mentioned he was thinking of selling it on a couple of weeks later...

well, this is April 2021 

and this is June 2023

yes, two years and less than 5000 miles later, I bought the bugger back !

 

[gm]

[gm]

[gm]

and in October 2023, I sold it again

this time to a young lad from Washington, Tyne and Wear. 

the car had picked up a few battle scars by now, there was a small dent in the offside rear arch and a patch of lacquer peel on the front nearside wing. and the clutch was high, so high 

the lad was desperately keen and didn't even try to haggle but I gave him a few quid off as that clutch was going to need doing pretty damn soon

I saw him out and about a few times so knew the car was doing well

until I spotted it advertised for sale on new years eve 2024

(the original ad is long gone)

with a bronze wing, a black door and a "knocking from the engine"

clearly this car had fallen on some bad luck - I pondered buying it back for a third time as it was cheap and local but had other projects to worry about

so ignored it until in feb 2025 it appeared again, this time in Bradford? with a video of the engine "running" 

this poor little car, once so well loved and cared for was ready for the scrappies  

I ignored it until earlier today when a curious post appeared in the Twixfest chat

yes, that bloody car is stalking me !

but great news that it has found a new owner and will live on

good luck @cjaw96 and welcome to AS, it sounds like you will fit in here just right  

 

[cjaw96]

@gm I wonder who crashed it. It's a cat d now and frame rails are rotten i heard u make frame rail repairs?? I could do with some I was about to bite the bullet and buy some but if u can supply them I can buy them from you? And I'm going to make the car immaculate again. Engine is currently out and I'm going to clean the engine bay tomorrow in work. It has a new clutch exedy clutch it could do with wishbones front and back as they are rotten. And I have a friend who owns a paint booth i will repaint the door and wing and pull out the dent in the sill. And in offside rear quarter.

[cjaw96]

@gm in regards to the lad in Washington, Tyne and Wear i still have the log book in his name!

[gm]

1 minute ago, cjaw96 said:

i heard u make frame rail repairs??

not sure where you heard that but I pay someone else to weld up my rusty mazdas !

those wishbones are nothing unusual on an mx5 but I'm guessing that it has seen a couple of salty winters as a daily driver and not fared well  

the crash must have been the lad in Washington as it had the bronze wing and black door when he had it up for sale in December - so much for him cherishing it and taking it to shows !

 

[cjaw96]

@gm i must of misread a reply  my bad! I do all the work myself including the welding so frame rails be getting done in a few weeks just gota order new gas for my welder used it all welding a land rover back together the other week. I will post weekly updates on here of the car or try my best to do so. The car is going to get put on the track in a few weeks when the new engine goes in on Monday. After that I will start the "restoration" and it will get looked after. I want to give it abit extra to with a turbo kit but that can wait till the winter.

[gm]

it did briefly make an appearance at a show

that's @DVee8 driving it away from the venue near the end, followed by me in the Exo !

 

[cjaw96]

8 minutes ago, gm said:

it did briefly make an appearance at a show

that's @DVee8 driving it away from the venue near the end, followed by me in the Exo !

 

Amazing bit of history the car has makes me more excited to get it back on the road and look after it and keep it always been a dream since I was 16 to own a mx5 im now 30!

[sheffcortinacentre]

Looking for a parts car must be automatic, not bothered about body etc as long as mechanically good & again MUST BE AUTOMATIC.

[gm]

10 minutes ago, cjaw96 said:

always been a dream since I was 16 to own a mx5

I bought my first one back in 2004, I've basically been driving the same car for twenty years ! my story is similar, I read an article in a car mag when the mx5 was launched back in 1989 and I should have been studying for my A levels 

it took me a while but I got one eventually and never looked back

how about that, only £2.00 for a car mag ! 

[gm]

5 minutes ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

Looking for a parts car must be automatic, not bothered about body etc as long as mechanically good & again MUST BE AUTOMATIC.

I'm not too sure but @NorthernMonkey might be able to help there ? 

[sheffcortinacentre]

Cheers will pass it on

[gm]

1 hour ago, gm said:

way back in April 2021, I received a link from @Mi30n with a tidy looking green mk2 mx5 for sale. He already had a silver mk2 which was suffering from tin worm so was looking for a replacement.

I checked the mot history online and saw it had covered very few miles over recent years

and just look at all of that green !

 

I joked with him that if he didn't buy it, I would. 

His response was that I should buy it and he would buy it off me when I'd got bored  

he never did, missed out twice ! and still has a crispy biscuit of an mx5  

 

[NorthernMonkey]

4 hours ago, gm said:

I'm not too sure but @NorthernMonkey might be able to help there ? 

I sold my auto a year or two back. My current one which is sat here with a full turbo kit in the boot awaiting fitment is a manual.

[Fat_Pirate]

7 hours ago, gm said:

I bought my first one back in 2004, I've basically been driving the same car for twenty years ! my story is similar, I read an article in a car mag when the mx5 was launched back in 1989 and I should have been studying for my A levels 

it took me a while but I got one eventually and never looked back

how about that, only £2.00 for a car mag ! 

I really badly wanted a MX5 when they first appeared in the press, but once they reached the UK they certainly were not cheap - they retailed at £15K and many sold at a premium - that's just short of £40K in today's money.  A new one now is £28k.  I was impoverished at the time so had to make do with a yellow Mk3 Capri 2.0S, which of course would be stupid money now.  Didn't actually get one until about 2005 and I loved it, I believe it lives on with @The Moog (though he's had to fix my pocket-money turbo installation).

[loserone]

I am quite intrigued by the new ones, if they are able to capture what was great about the MK1 whilst not being structurally equivalent to an MGB then I can see them being great.

[DVee8]

@cjaw96, welcome along.

As @gm, mentioned we have a monthly car meet that's around 6 miles from us. We generally get there quickly but on the way home we go for hooooon.

The time I took this I didn't give it the beans, it felt wrong it was far too nice like scolding a puppy.

Hopefully, you are the man to return that car. My oldest lad did ponder buying it when it was still up here.

[eddyramrod]

I'd like to point out that Liverpool is within reach of the Lakeland Motor Museum, first Saturday of every month 10-12...   Plenty of MX5s have appeared here.  M6 J36...

[DVee8]

20 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

I'd like to point out that Liverpool is within reach of the Lakeland Motor Museum, first Saturday of every month 10-12...   Plenty of MX5s have appeared here.  M6 J36...

It's only along the A69 from us as well. I have been a 1/3 of the way this morning.