A few questions about buying new

[Younge]

Good day,

Recently put down a deposit for MX-5 P 6MAN 2.0L ROADSTER GT and had a few questions before picking her up.

1) Aside from the usual checks, what should i pay extra attention to before driving her out of the forecourt?
2) I noticed Mazda announced more standard features for the MX5. Does anyone have a list of these features and a way of telling if my car has it?
3) Are there any common problems that I need to be made aware off?
4) Do you guys run in the engine, if so, what would you recommend?
5) What was the first thing you changed/added to your MX5?
6) Dealer has told me my car will arrive on the 20th and take 4 days to prepare, is this normal? My current car didn't take this long.
7) how do i decode my vin to find out when it was made? Every decoder I use doesn't detect anything.

[JBT]

It will have a date of manufacture on the build plate.
No need to run-in but, don't "labour" the engine. Use the full rev range but, I'd stay below 5500rpm and avoid harsh braking for the first 1000km.

[davekmoore]

Good day,

Recently put down a deposit for MX-5 P 6MAN 2.0L ROADSTER GT and had a few questions before picking her up.

1) Aside from the usual checks, what should i pay extra attention to before driving her out of the forecourt?
Make sure it's insured. Check your dealer has put a full tank of 95 octane in it. Check your dealer has not put 38psi in the tyres.
2) I noticed Mazda announced more standard features for the MX5. Does anyone have a list of these features and a way of telling if my car has it?
Ask your dealer.
3) Are there any common problems that I need to be made aware off?
Probably none by now apart from the lack of a turbo.
4) Do you guys run in the engine, if so, what would you recommend?
Don't make it pull from too low revs and don't use too many revs or too much throttle for 500kms. Vary the speed on the highway rather than sitting at one speed. Be gentle on the brakes for 100kms.
5) What was the first thing you changed/added to your MX5?
More boost.
6) Dealer has told me my car will arrive on the 20th and take 4 days to prepare, is this normal? My current car didn't take this long.
They are probably giving themselves a buffer.
7) how do i decode my vin to find out when it was made? Every decoder I use doesn't detect anything.
Ask your dealer. Have you bought a 2016 built or a 2017? What does your contract say?

[RBH58]

Take it easy for the first 200km (so you don't break a ring) then drive it like you stole it. If you can run it in at a track...brilliant!

[Roadrunner]

In terms of build date, Ignore the "compliance date".

If the sales rep tells you its the compliance date that matters, it's likely he's trying to sell you a 2016 build car (or a car that is considered 1 year old already in the eyes of the second hand market)

Build date is all that matters when re-selling.

The dealer should be able to confirm the build date once the car is closer to delivery. Stipulate you want a 2017 build

[Younge]

Thanks again for all the replies so far.
The dealer has informed me it is 2017 and sent me the following attachment but cannot provide me any information on what has changed from the 2016 to 2017 aside from BSM.

[Younge]

Good day,

Recently put down a deposit for MX-5 P 6MAN 2.0L ROADSTER GT and had a few questions before picking her up.

1) Aside from the usual checks, what should i pay extra attention to before driving her out of the forecourt?
Make sure it's insured. Check your dealer has put a full tank of 95 octane in it. Check your dealer has not put 38psi in the tyres.
What PSI should i be running in the front/back for every day driving?

2) I noticed Mazda announced more standard features for the MX5. Does anyone have a list of these features and a way of telling if my car has it?
Ask your dealer. Dealer has been useless on this front, I was hoping someone on here had more information

3) Are there any common problems that I need to be made aware off?
Probably none by now apart from the lack of a turbo.

4) Do you guys run in the engine, if so, what would you recommend?
Don't make it pull from too low revs and don't use too many revs or too much throttle for 500kms. Vary the speed on the highway rather than sitting at one speed. Be gentle on the brakes for 100kms. Will keep this in mind, thank you.

5) What was the first thing you changed/added to your MX5?
More boost. Anything else?

6) Dealer has told me my car will arrive on the 20th and take 4 days to prepare, is this normal? My current car didn't take this long.
They are probably giving themselves a buffer.

7) how do i decode my vin to find out when it was made? Every decoder I use doesn't detect anything.
Ask your dealer. Have you bought a 2016 built or a 2017? What does your contract say?

Posted a copy of my contract above.

[JBT]

... but cannot provide me any information on what has changed from the 2016 to 2017 aside from BSM.

Maybe they have fixed the rear brake caliper rattle and the gearbox issue for 2017 build cars.

[Younge]

Can someone please help me deconde jm0-nd2e76-00103531
How do you work out which month/year my car was built from this?

[Nevyn72]

Can someone please help me deconde jm0-nd2e76-00103531
How do you work out which month/year my car was built from this?

It says on your contract above.

Manufacture date: March 2017.

[Roadrunner]

... but cannot provide me any information on what has changed from the 2016 to 2017 aside from BSM.

Maybe they have fixed the rear brake caliper rattle and the gearbox issue for 2017 build cars.

Younge, a lot of the niggles were fixed in production from March 2016 such as the caliper issue, rear spring rattle etc.
Most dealers wouldn't even know about subtle changes except for big ones like BSM because Mazda hasn't even mentioned the changes. Things like the dash cluster being very different with the RF, I assume the ND now gets that too but it's not mentioned anywhere, same with the tool kit tray instead of the velcro strap. Manufacturers seem to add or update little things with zero fanfare or acknowledgement. Not every sales rep will know all the intricate non-mentioned updates made to the same series model ;)
Don't stress, the important part is its a 2017 build.
Think of all the little changes as a fun challenge to find during ownership or for others to point out "hey that's different to my version!!"

[beavis]

...same with the tool kit tray instead of the velcro strap.

Out of curiosity, care to explain more on what they changed here?
I was so disappointed in the half assed velcro strap.

[Younge]

... but cannot provide me any information on what has changed from the 2016 to 2017 aside from BSM.

Maybe they have fixed the rear brake caliper rattle and the gearbox issue for 2017 build cars.

Younge, a lot of the niggles were fixed in production from March 2016 such as the caliper issue, rear spring rattle etc.
Most dealers wouldn't even know about subtle changes except for big ones like BSM because Mazda hasn't even mentioned the changes. Things like the dash cluster being very different with the RF, I assume the ND now gets that too but it's not mentioned anywhere, same with the tool kit tray instead of the velcro strap. Manufacturers seem to add or update little things with zero fanfare or acknowledgement. Not every sales rep will know all the intricate non-mentioned updates made to the same series model ;)
Don't stress, the important part is its a 2017 build.
Think of all the little changes as a fun challenge to find during ownership or for others to point out "hey that's different to my version!!"

Perfect! peace of mind in this reply! Thanks again

[Roadrunner]

...same with the tool kit tray instead of the velcro strap.

Out of curiosity, care to explain more on what they changed here?
I was so disappointed in the half assed velcro strap.

If you look in the boot of an RF, there's a plastic tray mounted where the velcro strap normally is that the tool kit now sits in. Looks far better, though I wonder if it'll get in the way of packing the boot full for a weekend away.



It's available as a genuine spare part. I think it was about $60

[davekmoore]

2017 over 2016 has:

Blind spot monitoring (in the door mirrors).

Rear cross traffic alert (when reversing).

It's a shame the reverse camera didn't happen, especially as the screen is already there in the MZD models.