Alas, the time has come to part with my loyal companion "Gunther", a MK1 120PS 1.6 manual Eunos Roadster (Japanese import Mazda MX5 to you and me). It's the NA6CE chassis number which ran from (1989-1993) and according to the MOT this is a 1992 model but from what I've found online I think it was actually made around January/February 1990. It was imported to the UK in 1999 and has covered just over 150,000 km (around 93,000 miles).

Anyway, let's cut straight to the chase with the photos and good/bad points.

High-res photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/willjdashwood/GuntherSForSalePhotos

Good points:

Ready to drive away with no mechanical problems in need of immediate attention.
MOT until January 17th 2012.
Taxed until February 28th 2012.
I have the V5, registered to myself and has lots of receipts and paperwork. I have all but 1 of the MOT certificates going back to 1999.
Nice 15" after-market alloys fitted with fantastic YOKOHAMA PRADA tyres! Amazingly grippy tyres with plenty of tread left all round and I also have 2 spare sets of the original 14" alloys in OK condition. Ideal if you want to alternate between a summer and winter set of boots or just prefer the look of the original alloys. All tyres on original alloys will need replacing but hey, they're included for free! Worth quite a bit as scrap if nothing else.
Power Assisted Steering (some early UK models didn't have it so worth mentioning).
Mohair hood in fair condition (approximately 6 years old) with no leaks.
Brand new (not recon) radiator, fitted by myself just a few months ago.
Diff replaced a couple of years ago.
Sills welded last winter (it's common for them to rust at this age on MX5's).
Interior in surprisingly fair condition considering age and mileage. Can't see any rips or tears in fabrics, just wear on the foot well carpet as to be expected.
Small amp behind spare wheel in boot instead of stereo. You can plug an MP3 player directly in to it and by not having a stereo on view, I felt that it made the threat of thieves attempting breaking in less likely.
2 keys and maybe another if I can find it.
Workshop manual which is invaluable if you want to do repairs yourself.
It's going really, really cheap!

Bad points:

Paintwork. There's no getting around it, it's patchy and flaking off in places (see photos). I bought the car knowing that if I wanted it looking great, it would need a complete respray. But it's never bothered me at all. I think most people would agree that it's better to spend a couple of grand extra for a mint MK1 than go to the hassle of respraying this model.
Crack/tear in rear plastic window. Entirely my fault, always unzip the window before lowering the hood when cold! It's taped up with transparent tape for now which does the job really well.
Bit of greenery on the base of the hood, needs a good clean with anti-fungal stuff that's all.
Handbrake doesn't really work. Brakes seem fine and it got through this year's MOT in it's current state so it doesn't bother me.
There's a minor leak coming from the water pump. It's been like this for a year, I just always keep it topped up with water. I don't know if it's the water pump itself or just the seal but you'd replace both at the same time anyway if you so wish.
A few chips in windscreen. Nothing that has caused a problem getting through the last 2 or 3 MOTs and doesn't bother me when driving at all.
Corrosion on the nut of the air valve for alloys (see photos). Strange they didn't use a material that wouldn't rust for that nut.
Just a few minor scuffs on the alloys, only noticed while I was taking close up photos. Also a couple of the tyres seem to slowly loose pressure but I can't find the leak. Maybe they just need reseating. Otherwise they just need topping up every once in a while.
Air con doesn't seem to work, probably just needs gassing but really, who uses air con in a car like this? Pop the roof down if you're hot! Tis the Yorkshire way.

General Information:

I've been a named driver on various other boring cars but this is the only one that I've owned, hence I'm quite attached to it. Gunther never fails to put a smile on my face every single time I take him out for a spin. The handling and grip is fantastic, partially thanks to those Yokohama tyres and although it's never been the faster car compared to other convertibles, that was never Mazda's intention. It still feels very quick up until the point you're breaking the speed limit, thanks to it's low ratio 5 speed gearbox. It loves to be revved hard and makes a great guttural sound too. But unfortunately Gunther just doesn't get used so much these days due to my girlfriend's dislike of having her hair restyled every time we go out in it, coupled with my objection to going out in a convertible and having leaving the roof up! To be honest, a second car is surplus to requirements anyway. I've had a wonderful 4 years use out of it and I hope someone else has at least another 4 years of fun.

Gunther has never let me down and always started first time despite. It's been used little and often all year round rather than left stood for months at a time. I had the cam belt changed when I first got it and I haven't really done many miles since. The differential was changed a couple of years ago as I noticed the tail end becoming quite unpredictable and this solved it completely. I personally changed the radiator earlier in the year to try and stop the minor water leak only to discover it was actually coming form the water pump itself. Oh well! The engine is absolutely fine and you'd never guess it had done 93,000 miles (reported as 150,000 km on the odometer). I had the sills welded last winter as they did have a fair bit of corrosion which needed addressing before the MOT. The only other thing worth mentioning aside from all the stuff above is that when cold first and second are usually a bit stiff to select on these old MK1 gearboxes and mine is no different. You just have to wangle it a bit sometimes when you first start the car up and then it's absolutely fine. I did change the gearbox fluid when I first got it to see if it would help and it did a little but not a lot. It's just something you need to be aware of on old MK1's.

When I bought the car, it was intended as just a weekend toy but circumstances changes and it became my primary vehicle. I would have no hesitation in recommending it for this use. It's surprisingly comfortable and easy to live with for an old convertible.

I've tried to be as thorough and as detailed as possible about the car but I would highly advise coming to see it in the flesh. Test drives are fine so long as you bring ID and proof of insurance. I live in Thurcroft which is 5 minutes from junction 1 of the M18 or about 10 minutes from junction 31 of M1. I work from home viewing the car at any time should be possible with advance notice. Weekdays after 5:45pm would be ideal.

I'm asking £800 but I'm realistic and open to sensible offers for a quick sale. Cash only. Thanks!