When is an NA too old (or too high kilometres)

[mekros]

Howdy all,

I'm back again tossing up whether or not to get an NA. My questions is as above, when would people think that a car has done too many kilometres or has reached a point where it's too tired to be considered a fun toy and it's just a static money pit ( instead of a fun money pit)?

I'm considering a NA that is creeping up to the 300,000km mark that would realistically be used as a fun toy, but I don't want to use all my hobby funds on this. I would rather spend a bit more and get a newer vehicle.

Cheers

[hks_kansei]

It really depends on your own mechanical skills, and how fussy you are.

If you're the kind of person who wont do any mechancial work yourself, and can't stand a car that has rattles, buy somethign newer than an NA


With regard to km though, a looked after NA will still have plenty of engine life left at that stage, but you'll be wanting to replace a lot of body stuff like shocks/bushes/etc

Conversely, a non looked after NA may be ready to crap the bed by 300,000km and need an engine rebuild.


It's really a hard question to answer.

buy the best looked after one in your budget.

[StanTheMan]

My chasis has done 325k km. It gas been parked on the northern beaches for the past 21 years. Its never seen a garage in its life. On one hand its been raped & pillaged. On the other. Its always got maintained & washed and taken care of. Im
starting to get rust in her now. But everything along the driveline apart from the gearbox has been replaced. Upgraded or whatnot. Including akl suspension bushes. Its now at an age.....where things just need to be replaced. Purely due to its age.
Ive found more regular maintenance was required when the car hit just a little over 20 years.



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[apsilon]

It really depends on your own mechanical skills, and how fussy you are.

i think this is a huge part of the answer.

i only recently bought an NA again and I bought one that's in great condition but it still has some things that need attention. Some for my own peace of mind but others simply because they're due at that age. One of the big attractions to coming back to such a old car is the lack of electronic systems. There's no traction control, ABS, stability control, electric brakes, throttle and steering, emergency braking, lane keeping, cruise control, blind spot monitoring etc.

These system on one hand are great, some more than others, but once they act up out of warranty they're expensive to fix if they can be fixed at all and the car quickly becomes uneconomical to keep. Simple cars like the NA on the other hand have little other than EFI and if the computer dies there's aftermarket options to keep it running.

I don't think I'd want to daily one (I work in an area of Sydney that has some of the worst drivers imaginable) but as a fun car to enjoy on weekends and tinker with i think it's perfect for me.

[StanTheMan]

My original shortnose engine was sold with 200k km. It now lives as a turboed engine in another car.
I replaced that engine with one that had been dríven on weekends only. By lady driver.

40k km in prduction sports. LMFAO.
It had seriously had i hard life. I installed that engine exlecting it to last a few years. That was in 2004. I did another 125k km over 13 years. It died last year. I drove it like i stole it.
But if racing miles are 10 times as hard as normal miles..that engine did equiverlent of about 550k km
Provided they are maintained. I send mine to the grave with big cams & high compression. It proved to much for it. But when she was opened. The cylinder walls were mirror polished.
In ghe end it was just game over. If it can be proved that the enging had religious frequent oil changes. Has not been overheated too many times....she would be goid to go. Get a compression check.



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[93_Clubman]

question is when would people think that a car has done too many kilometres or has reached a point where it's too tired to be considered a fun toy and it's just a static money pit?
considering a NA that is creeping up to the 300,000km mark, but I don't want to use all my hobby funds on this. I would rather spend a bit more and get a newer vehicle.

Unfortunately it's not as simple as your questions suggest - it's a very individual thing, ie individual to the buyer (buyer expectation & tolerance) & individual to the vehicle (how & where it's been dríven & maintained). There are 500k km NA6/8 on here which the owners are happy with & which are reliable. And a newer used vehicle isn't necessarily going to be without fault. However, if you're open to an NB as opposed to an NA (ie you don't have to have the pop-up headlight model), then NB8As (& some early NB8Bs) can be had cheaply. How much your budget is probably a better place to start if an NA isn't a must.

[bruce]

Easy answer; when it is falling apart. Can happen with a 10 yr old car or a 30 yr old car.

[mekros]

Thanks for the feedback, insightful as the forum has always been.

I'm more partial to a NA, the only thing that would sway me to a NB would be an SE but I wouldn't be able to look after it enough to justify buying something like that.

I would have limited time and facilities to do the mechanical work, but I do enjoy doing the simple things well. I would not be expecting it to be new car quiet, some of the rattles and squeaks would add to the character of the car (I have an Italian bike so I know about "character") and it gives you something to get to know the car better.

I'd like to hear from someone that has racked up 500k km to see what their thoughts are.

My chasis has done 325k km. It gas been parked on the northern beaches for the past 21 years. Its never seen a garage in its life. On one hand its been raped & pillaged. On the other. Its always got maintained & washed and taken care of. Im starting to get rust in her now.

Ive found more regular maintenance was required when the car hit just a little over 20 years.

Where has the rust started appearing and can you elaborate more about the more regular maintenance? What was the additional burden and frequency?

[hks_kansei]

Where has the rust started appearing and can you elaborate more about the more regular maintenance? What was the additional burden and frequency?

Most common parts to see it on an MX5 is around windscreen, especially bottom corners where the frame joins the body.
Usually because of previous windscreen changes causing the paint/metal to be scratched and scraped in those areas, removing the rust prevention.

And behind the bottom of the front guards, since that's where leaves and crap collect and stay damp.


By the time Mazda were building the MX5 it was pretty much standard for the bodies to be rust proofed (zinc gal dip if I recall)

[hks_kansei]

I'd like to hear from someone that has racked up 500k km to see what their thoughts are.

My GF's NA had 400,000km on it before she pulled it apart for a resto. (I think it had 150,000km when she got it)


Engine had never been opened, it had just been serviced religiously, and not thrashed too hard. (it had however done a few trackdays and a season of motorkhana)

Shocks had been replaced multiple times in that life
Clutch done once or twice
Tailshaft replaced once
Brake calipers rebuilt
and the usual consumables like brakes etc.


On an older car the main things that will need doing are all the bits made of rubber, bushes (granted, the 400,000 old ones on hers looked fine), hoses, belts, brake hoses, clutch lines, and probably others like the door belts etc.

[mekros]

Thanks, all good to know. Nothing sounds scary, time consunming and niggly.

[Ross]

My Daughters has 440,000km on it.
It has had new shocks in the last 100,000km.
The original motor was replaced at 400,000, through no fault of its own really.
One of the small cooling hoses leaked and she kept driving it and overheated it.
Car still drives well, despite getting very minimal attantion now that she doesn't live with us.
Its really been a very reliable car.

[StanTheMan]

Where has the rust started appearing and can you elaborate more about the more regular maintenance? What was the additional burden and frequency?

Most common parts to see it on an MX5 is around windscreen, especially bottom corners where the frame joins the body.
Usually because of previous windscreen changes causing the paint/metal to be scratched and scraped in those areas, removing the rust prevention.

And behind the bottom of the front guards, since that's where leaves and crap collect and stay damp.


By the time Mazda were building the MX5 it was pretty much standard for the bodies to be rust proofed (zinc gal dip if I recall)

all the above, Ive also just been fixing the seat rail bots, where they bolt into the chasis.

it is perhapds from flooding too often when foot-wells drain gets clogged

[Mr Morlock]

I often wonder why people keep on driving cars for mega KLMs. Part of it is they reckon driving it into the ground before buying another car is a good philosophy. An NA with high K's is not worth much and these days you can buy really competent late model cars for little money, An NB late model is a better car than an NA and safer- arguably an NC better still . These days, valuing life and limb, on congested roads why regularly drive a without important safety features.I do understand a limited use car e.g. CP - that makes sense up to a point because its limited use and Klm will be nominal per year.

Also all components wear out and getting them repaired often costs more than buying a later model . Just take a look at used car values and also come to grips with the cost of repairing old cars. Some people just drive them with dud everything and reckon that's good.

[NitroDann]

They enjoy it.

Perhaps enjoyment is something you don't understand..