Background: Like so many other MX5 owners, I loved the concept and looks of the car from the time it was released. Back in '89 I was 21 and couldn't afford one, then I went overseas, got a GF, married, had a bub, bought a house, divorced... the usual excuses (ie life) for not getting into one sooner
Having been involved in a bit of buying, fixing and selling cars over the years, a couple of years back I spotted an automatic 1993 SE Capri XR2 convertible (hey, don't judge me yet, read on...) in the local ads for $1500. In the middle of a Canberra winter, the seller was happy with a grand in his hand for it and I had bought my first convertible. A POS yes, but a cheap POS with potential... having found another complete Capri being wrecked locally with a strong engine and 5 speed manual for peanuts, a mate and I did a heart transplant on it to make driving it slightly better. A new soft top, a bit of paint and polish, and it quickly found a new home with just under $4000 in my pocket for my troubles. I scraped up another $2000 THEN the search for a proper convertible - actually, a proper CAR - began.
For nearly 2 months over July and August 2012 I looked on forums, on all ( I mean ALL) the car selling websites, local ads, eBay, Gumtree etc; set up saved searches, checked emails and listings morning, noon and night. NA6, NA8, NB - it didn't matter as long as I could afford it. Colour not an issue, a/c nice but not essential, originality preferred but minor mechanical, paint and body issues could be dealt with. Hell, I was even prepared to jump on a bus to Sydney or a plane to Melbourne to check out the right car if need be! Missed out on a nice red 92 NA6 in Manly by less than 24 hours (I even had booked a bus ticket for that one) and couldn't get a straight answer from a seller of a NA8 in the outer 'burbs of Melbourne to make it worth my while. Locally, I checked out the NA6 here that Paul F then bought the next day - it had potential (as Paul F has found!) and was the right price, but just didn't do it for me.
So then I took a punt on driving up to Sydney to check out this MX5 at a side-street dealership in the, ahem, ethnically diverse suburb of Villawood (yes, the same one world famous for it's detention centre riots). Bypassing a sudden and overwheming desire for a kebab on the way past a heap of high-mileage and unloved dross, I started to check the NA6 out. A flat battery wasn't the best start (no pun intended), along with el-cheapo front tyres and Bob Jane All-Rounders on the rear so old the sidewalls were cracking. But it was straight and mostly original, the indicated 182,xxx km seemed genuine, the paint would come up well with a decent polish, it had air cond and - the kicker - an original hardtop. I was willing to sacrifice this by selling it for $1500 or so to enable me to get this car if it drove ok. A quick drive around before I got into a drive-by revealed a really sweet little thing - an eager engine, a sweet gearbox and strong clutch, tight body and well controlled suspension. No strange rattles or clunks, and *that* feeling of "yep, this is the one"! So the the dealer, 3 or 4 of his associates/partners/cousins and I did the haggle thing and finally agreed on a bloody good price, including transport down to Canberra. I was a finally a MX5 owner after just 23 years!
It is a January 90 build, still with the original SNC engine but it is rock solid and not a hint of any shimmy. The car also came with the original Owner's and Service books, revealing it had been sold new by Wollongong Mazda in February 1990 to a "lady" from the leafy north Shore of Sydney. Given the general condition and relatively low km for it's age, plus the original spec hardtop and a/c, I'd like to think that it was well loved from day one and the complete set of service stamps from Eurocars and John Newell Mazda back that up. It has been repainted at some stage, probably in the mid-00's just before or by its second owner; it also got a new windscreen at that time and a basic Kenwood CD player. Once I picked it up from the transport depot it passed the ACT rego inspection here with flying colours (twice) - it needed reinspection as i picked up that the first inspector had recorded it as a Sedan instead of Convertible (not quite sure how they managed that!) and the weight as 1280kg (putting it into a higher rego fee category). Not sure if a NA6 could even weigh that much with a full tank of fuel and two fatties on board!
The first thing I needed was a proper new battery - I ordered a vented SSA through the good guys at MX5mania and picked it up from them at the Eastern Creek round of he V8's that weekend. Must've looked pretty dumb carrying around a battery from the Club pits all the way to the public carpark, but needs must! Next thing was to replace the factory MOMO steering wheel (the original centre pad was missing when I bought it, only to be found under the driver's seat - score!) with my own MOMO Monte Carlo that I've had since 1990 on a variety of VLs, a S2 RX7 and a Pulsar N14 2L - same basic design as the factory one but with a lovely, chunky grip. That wheel saw a lot of sweaty palms in my youth... A quick regas of the a/c by Phillip Radiators got that working nicely too. I installed a Sony cd/ipod/DAB+ tuner stereo, an NB wind deflector, JDM folding sunvisors and chrome vent rings. I've thrown a set of Potenza RE001's on the daisies, cleaned the power window switch contacts, replaced the tired gear shift vinyl with red stitched leather one as well as a leather handbrake boot, handle and gearknob. I've also installed a some black (cough, gutter guard) mesh in the radiator intake to reduce the impact of rocks and bugs.
Under the bonnet has been limited to oil and coolant changes, replacing the weepy rocker cover gasket and dizzy O-ring, painting the rocker cover silver and a general check and tidy of everything else. Apart from these enhancements/upgrades, the only time it has needed attention was when the ignition barrel shat itself while I was at a servo around 9 o'clock at night! Fortunately the Forum came to my aid and I picked up a replacement from a Eunos Roadster that I had rekeyed to the original key and other locks. I've also just changed upper and lower gear boots, thrown on some QFM front pads and DBA rotors, and changed the 'box and diff oil. Otherwise (touch wood) over the last couple of years it has been absolutely as reliable as it is fun it is to drive - pretty amazing compared to other 23 year old cars like VNs, EAs, TN Magnas...
The rear window of the original soft top was pretty cloudy and scored a crack when it was staring to get cold here, so I cut most of it out and put in some fresh clear vinyl from Clark rubber. Held in with Selley's Ultra Clear glue, it's survived nearly 9 months now without a leak - pretty impressive but ultimately it's a temporary rescue ahead of a probable glass windowed replacement.
I have had a set of Koni Yellows and standard height pedders springs ready to go into it, but on a rare free weekend day, given the choice between driving it and and working on it , well, there's no choice...!
Hope you enjoy the story and pics. Thanks to all for so many hints and tips,look forward to doing the MX5 wave to you on the roads!
