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Hi guys!

I have just had some luck and now get a fully paid company car, woo, which means my daily gets sold - I save heaps on fuel, tolls, rego and insurance! So... I'd be a fool not to finally get myself an affordable weekend car! always loved the mx5 NA so I have been searching for a while for a cheap one to pop up that has a good base to start a turbo build.

Now, I have only seen one come up that I would love to own - as in hasn't be thrashed by a P plater, lovely condition and low Ks. Issue is the old girl is an Auto! Messaged NitroDann for a price on a conversion. My question is what's the general thoughts on the conversion, I believe there are differences in the engines - lower compression??? - but will it be noticeable driving it?
Would the masses just wait for a manual to turn up or go for the conversion? Just after other views and opinions on the matter.

Car in question is this be interested to know what people think of it too.
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/11507707 ... source=sms

Thanks guys! Cannot wait to eventually get one and hand it over to Dann for the good stuff!

I reckon an auto is a waste of time unless you are seeking an auto. Doing a conversion is robbing someone else needing or wanting an auto and its not economic. NA's are cheap and labour is not. You will burn up money and end up with a car thats still not worth much. For a weekender I have no idea why burning more money on a turbo is necessary and chances are you end up with higher or no insurance and a drain on savings. NA's are just brilliant little cars without the need for modification. If the car is considered too boring without turboing then maybe its the wrong car. Incidentally low KLM NA's are bringing quite good prices albeit not stratospheric like 911's and cars that have not been modified are already CP cars in Vic- ideal for weekend users and probably headed the same way in NSW 30yrs?
I dont think there are any cheap NA's- if one wants something done 300,000 klm or worn and abused then the buy price might be lowish but that does not make it cheap.

Totally agree Mr Morlock! That looks like a really nice NA, rare in the colour/trim combination and deserves to be preserved.

I wouldn't be wasting my time/money to convert an auto MX5 to manual, the $$$ you waste making it manual would go along way towards your turbo kit.Just find a manual to start with..
It's not like NA's are amazingly rare and collectors items, they've sold over 1,000,000 mx5s...

Thanks for your opinions - its always good get an outside view into these sorts of decisions (gf decision doesnt count). I was thinking it could be a bit of a waste, but i was just getting impatient with all the beaten up high k NAs that are out there. This one just had so much about it i liked, low K, clean stock standard, great interior - had everyhting for a great enjoyable base. The other nas that come close to the condition of this are wanting $10-$11k, my thought process was i could have this clean car converted for less then an already manual version in the same condition. I was more concerened with the low compresion of the auto engine ( if my ressearch is accurate) and how that translates to real world driving...

As for the if you need to turbo maybe the car isnt for you comment, i think thats a little unfair. If you love the styling and handling but want the power to match why not have the best of both worlds like thousands of other mx5 owners worldwide enjoy?

Daly87 wrote:I believe there are differences in the engines - lower compression???

'The automatic transmission version of the 1.6 DOHC engine has lower compression pistons to 9.0:1 and the camshafts have less duration. These changes were done for the automatic version to gain torque at a lower rpm and minimize detonation from the torque eating trans. The tradeoff is a less peak HP rating of 100'.
'Unlike the 1.6 though, the auto trans version of the 1.8 was not changed at all'.
http://www.solomiata.com/Mx5Engine.html

Daly87 wrote:Would the masses just wait for a manual to turn up or go for the conversion?!

Wait for a nice manual NA to come up.

Daly87 wrote:Car in question is this be interested to know what people think of it too.

It's not a Clubman as per the advertisement, it's a JDM Eunos Roadster, but apparently Gumtree only allows listing of NA8 as Clubmans, which of course it isn't.

Mr Morlock wrote:CP cars - probably headed the same way in NSW 30yrs?

Already implemented.

93_Clubman wrote:'The automatic transmission version of the 1.6 DOHC engine has lower compression pistons to 9.0:1 and the camshafts have less duration. These changes were done for the automatic version to gain torque at a lower rpm and minimize detonation from the torque eating trans. The tradeoff is a less peak HP rating of 100'.
'Unlike the 1.6 though, the auto trans version of the 1.8 was not changed at all'.
http://www.solomiata.com/Mx5Engine.html

Thanks for that! Seems my research wasn't as thorough as yours mate!

93_Clubman wrote:

Daly87 wrote:Car in question is this be interested to know what people think of it too.

It's not a Clubman as per the advertisement, it's a JDM Eunos Roadster, but apparently Gumtree only allows listing of NA8 as Clubmans, which of course it isn't.

Yeah from my reading I think it's a v-special II because of the trim...

Well the voice of reason is leaning very much one sided. Might have to listen and keep sitting, as I really don't want a 200km+, faded paint, ripped seat NA.

Search continues

Look harder just had a look on cars guide in the same price range there is a whit NA with hard top just on 121,000 Ks in Sydney

I have done the Auto to manual conversion. However my conversion was part of a long term build. I did not bat an eye lid depriving a person of an auto. They had the same opportunity to purchase it as I did.

Another issue is that the Auto ECU is different from the manual so it runs a little bit more rich when you convert. If you have a long term plan, then the Auto may suit your plans, if you can get it cheap enough.

However, look for a NB8B as it is a better to base to build from.

That car is way overpriced for an auto! For that sort of money you could get a NA8 manual or a rather clean series 2 NA6.


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I wouldn't get too hung up on number of K's, either. I bought mine with 272,000 on the clock and it's a sweetheart. If you don't feel confident evaluating a prospective car yourself, maybe a nearby forum member can give you a hand. That wasn't possible in my case, so I did LOTS of research before making a purchase, and when I did it was from a forum member.