Newbie question

[racingline]

HI
Been looking around for a while and doing research on this forum for my mid life crisis car :p .
I have decided to go for a NB8 Series 2 or 3 - a few have come up , but already sold upon contacting the seller.
I have found one that I will be looking at this Saturday,2003 NB8.3 - Red , 37,500 Kms $13,500, no mods,
I have spoken to the guy, only owner since new - regular servicing but the timing belt has not been changed - is this an issue?
I understand that log book advised 5 yrs or 80-100K. The seller doesn`t see it as an issue, as the car has had a sheltered life, always garaged , weekend driver.
I guess at the years , I would feel more comfortable if it is changed sooner or later. Whats the job worth apprx $800???
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[ManiacLachy]

The timing belt on these cars is non-interference, so if they go, they don't take the motor with them. The job will cost about $1000 and you'll want to do the water pump while you're at it. In this case the age of the car is the factor, not the mileage, at 12-15 years old the belt might be getting a bit tired so you might want to replace it sooner than later.

Will this be a daily car or a weekend fun car? If it's a daily, get the timing belt job done as if it goes it'll leave you stranded and car-less for a few days. If it's a weekend fun car, you can might decide chance it for a while, if the belt goes out you'll have another car to get about while it's sorted.

Another thing to look out for is the radiator, it should be dark green/black. If it's looking brown, then it's on its way out.

Check out Automotive Plus, they're the Brisbane specialist, and a Forum Sponsor.

[StanTheMan]

I think you are pretty close on the $800 for the belt change.

you can do it yourself for around 150-300 if you are that way inclined

37K km is a low mileage car. $13500 is not a ripp off but not cheap either. you're almost in SE territory with sub 100k km. No lets not get into the discussion SE vs NB8B.....I'm just saying

Hasn't even been run in yet.Probably needs a good long run to get the cobwebs out of it.

400K km is not going to be uncommon for these engines..... even though there is perhaps not that many with that amount of k's on it at this time. but seriously these engines are strong. Mine has 310 on the chassis the engine has been raped & pillaged over the years. You've almost got to be negligent to them to break them. I'm talking in stock form. If you were to add a hair dryer to it and 250 whp & get a bad tune you may have seconds before it breaks.

Its all relative

I paid a fe3w thousand too much for mine 20 years ago.....but who cares..after all that time

[racingline]

Thanks guys , this will be the 3rd car in the house, more of a weekend driver.
Ok will check things mentioned, I would like to try and get the price down to cover the belt job.
The NB8.3 all seem to be about $12k with about 100k km on them.
I was assuming as the car had very low Ks thats why the price was as is.
There is an SE about for $13.500 with 107k km , the low Ks on the NB8.3 appeals to me.
Are the Turbo`s as bullet proof as the NA cars?
The past 10 yrs I have had Meganes, but the Megane convertible is not a nimble creature.

[StanTheMan]

The discussion here with enthusiasts about the SE is that it just doesn't go to its potential. SE Is potentially problematic if you do decide to modify the existing turbo. Drive ability only.The engine is good. If you were to go down the modify turbo route down the road it would be cheaper to get the NB8B as you'll be throwing out the turbo bits from the SE to make it go to its full potential.

If your going to enjoy it for what it is in stock form its a little better steering & has a LSD for those spirited drives. Much more like the NA6 than any of the previous NB models. But that's just my opinion.

a car which has done a reasonable amount of Km per year is better than low km. In theory at least. It all depends what type of KM they are. on the other hand the engines are strong and perhaps nothing to worry about if you really want a low km car for weekends.and a low km car really appeals to you.

NB8B seats are crap. They start wearing out very quick. Compared to say The seats in my Honda. The honda civic has done 350K km and seats are perfect. I mean yes they have some stains from old age but not much wear from all the driving. The NB8B seats in my NA6 which have done maybe 150K km are worn through

make up your own mind go & drive an SE. don't take my word for it. If I was to go down the NB route without going to 300 whp.....I personally would consider a SE if it was just a few grand extra.

horses for courses.

[racingline]

thanks. I am not really a `mod` car type - in a perfect world - would love to - just dont have the time and my kids are still young .
Really looking for affordable fun which is why I opted to go this route with the MX5, looked at a few 2001 alfa spiders , etc but too heavy for the type of car they are unless you go for the 6cyl. which is not that affordable if it goes wrong.
Thanks for all the tips , greatly appreciated.
Hopefully be sitting in one soon !

[93_Clubman]

understand that log book advised 5 yrs or 80-100K. Whats the job worth apprx $800???

Believe Owner's Manual only says replace every 100k kms, or that's certainly what the NA8 Owner's Manual says, so no time limit indicated.
However, think Mazda Factory Workshop Manual might indicate 10 years, which I think did eventually emerge in a six page thread on here on timing belts a few years ago:
https://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 29&t=65220
http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24111
Know of some MX5 NA6/8 that are well over 20 years on the original factory timing belt, that said know of a few that have had them replaced & they've broke shortly after. Anyhow, it's easy to remove the cam cover & rotate to inspect the full length of the timing belt for condition if you're concerned & want some piece of mind.
Some places that do lots of timing belt & water pump replacements charge $500-$600 these days, but many places charge high hundreds as already indicated above.
Also already mentioned above, when replacing the timing belt always replace water pump. Aforementioned timing belt replacement prices include replacing the water pump at the same time.
Re SE versus NB8B/C/D, agree with STM, however would add that there's currently more NB8B/C/D for sale than NB8 SE.

[Mr Morlock]

yep I reckon 93 is spot on. I would not be replacing the belt.

[racingline]

thanks for the clarification on the timing belt, think what i had read was about low km cars and the age, like what I am looking at , but more than likely have it incorrect - I have read alot lately, might not have even been an MX5 I was reading about !!!!
I was just wondering how accurate that was , thats all. Thanks , I have no experience with these cars.
Makes the decision easier that I am heading in the right direction.

[Ted]

racingline, I have a 03 NB for sale which doesn't fit your criteria but I am happy to let you pour over it and ask questions if it helps you in your quest. Just yell if you are interested.

[billybunter]

i think it depends upon if you want to pay a bit more for a low klm car or go higher klm. sellers with low klm one owner cars usually ask for more because they think its special if your only talking about 1000 to 1500 $$$ more that's play money - I'd shell out the extra cash just so I could say it reads low on the counter but that's me and I think differently to others again!

I have bought 3 low klm one owner European cars and all were lemons a bmw z4 comes to mind - a slk Mercedes and a crappy Porsche boxster. id take the risk buying an unchecked mazda any day compared to high price euro lemons.

just days back I had a bird buyer in the yard with a new bmw m4 convertible and S200k price tag on the road. I wouldn't swap my crappy lotus for it!

overall the mx5 is a very good car and with those low klm you will have it for a very long time and it will be years before you hit the magic 100k BUT if you think further down the track and car mods come to mind - i'd go SE and spend a couple of thousand $$$ on a few go faster bits.

i'd start reading the garage threads now and see what you are getting yourself into. if you can honestly say - standard car for me - buy that car

not many cars on this forum last long as standard or factory. I use to have a factory standard car....well I use to have a lot of things once.....LOL

[Mr Morlock]

I reckon I can agree with just about everything Billy said and he has the experience of these cars.

[racingline]

thanks Ted, Billy and everyone else.
I am open to look at standard and modified cars, I am still in the `educating myself` stage , and from what i can gather the MX5 is a very reliable car if looked after and it has put to rest the tunnel vision of ultra low Km cars .
My budget ($11K) will ultimately dictate the type of car , like everyone , I am out to get the best quality of car I can for my money .
Plenty of resources and great places like this forum. I have seen a 10th Ann. NB for sale which I will look at .
All the SE around here seem to be in the $13k + area with 100K + on the clock.
My list of what i want includes a roll bar & LSD, and I maybe barking up the wrong tree with my budget , but will see.

[Mr Morlock]

You would want to check carefully the differences between 10th anniversary 1999 and the later P1 car - they are not the same. LSD may also not be std on P2. As for roll bars not everyone sees them as desirable on a road car and they take up space.

[StanTheMan]

the 10th anniversary came with torsen LSD, 6 speed & maybe even ABS brakes ?
I think it was the first one with a 6 speed and perhaps even the first with ABS in AU?

The Heritage came out a bit later. Can't recall specifics .

from 2001 or NB8B they all had 6 speeds.


I hope my memory serves me correctly....