mx5cartalk.com

I currently am the happy owner of an NA6 and my wife is now looking for an NC to replace her boring Mitsubishi ASX. She wants a model with the electric hardtop, as she has pointed out that if she goes for a soft top, due to her short stature, putting the roof up and down is a hassle. Can anyone give me some ideas on things to watch for in the NC please? I had the car my wife wants for about 12 months (near new NC with Recaro seats, Bilsteans shocks, electric hardtop etc), but sadly had to trade it in for a more practical daily driver. I kept the NA as my toy, but I really miss the power and road-holding of the NC. It was a fun beast to drive!
As these models have now aged, I would be really curious about any issues I should be looking out for.....

The NC seems to be pretty bullet proof. Mine (soft top) is now 9 years old with 117,000 km. Apart from routine maintenance, the only things that have been replaced are the serpentine belt tensioner and idler pulleys. I had to repair the plastic trim panel at the bottom of the driver's seat cushion because a plastic clip that holds it on broke. Manged to fix it - see the tech guides.

It has been tracked, hill climbed etc. and dríven all over Eastern Australia to Natmeets etc. Is now sitting on new Tein suspension with Whiteline sway bars and 17 x 7.5" wheels.

Manual gearboxes make a horrible growling noise when hot and under load below about 1800 RPM and rumble and growl when idling in neutral with the clutch pedal released (up) - nature of the beast.

I don't know of any PRHT problems but you can get one of these modules to make it more practical http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42884

Thanks for that..... The 3.5 I owned briefly was great, but I did not have it long enough to get a real impression of ongoing issues. The powered hardtop was brilliant, so I can understand why it is my wife's preference. Now I just need to find one at a reasonable price.

Cracked expansion tank on the early NC for some: viewtopic.php?t=52789
Mazda TSBs also provide some insight to issues: https://www.miata.net/garage/tsb/index.html

Thanks for the info.... All appreciated!