I'm prepraring to fullfill my dream and get one of those. That video was very usefull, thanks.

cheers and thx for this....i am currently looking into getting a mx5 maybe 2 to 4 years old here in germany.....and as you said...not a bad time to get one....although it looks like there won't be a 2 litre one soon, i shall look for one with the bigger engine....cheers.

Hello there. recent 2016 1.5 soft top owner here. I love my car. But main Mazda dealer sold me the car with "full service history" but the gear oil had never been done. It was shifting not very nice, especially when cold. So I agree about just saving money privately, Mazda used dont check correctly or spend money on the cars they sell, they always fit unheard off cheapest budget brand tyres on too. (I have a big list of Mazda dealer complaints.) But I would buy new if I had the money lol. Off your list only the brakes I dont think I have had issue with. Different ones maybe on the lighter less power 1.5. I got Mazda to give me new belts as its a known fault in design. They try cleaning them first but it didnt work for me at all. I got the touchscreen fixed on warranty. And also the rusty window guide. They lubricated my window regulator. My bushes dont look great and have purchased bit by bit a whole rear end of uprated bushes and new link arms etc to be fitted sometime. very expensive. I couldnt face complaining about that so doing it myself. The car is softly compliant, ok for potholes and speedbumps I suppose. Handling fun but scares me a bit, I can lose the rear on roundabouts, I dont think it can be normal so I think its bush related. Although its quite similar on the simulator. I need your rear spoiler. My tip for future owners is if you park on the busy packed town streets like me try find a car with rear bumper camera or parking sensors. Both ends difficult to judge. You can buy seat lowering kits if you feel too high up, havent fitted mine yet (will make parking even harder though!). Also an expensive steering wheel spacer with electric loom extension to bring it closer. Later models have telescopic reach wheel.

Would never buy an ND1 unless I was supercharging it. Pony up for ND2.

16 of us stayed at dreams in June 2023, it was horrendous, food was cold, staff were rude to my child, he said he was mr pussy lover to her, she was 15 at the time, 1 towel per day, small rooms, slow service for drinks, only pool bar open in the day and very understaffed, we will never use this hotel again, absolutely disgusting value and service.

I’ve got a 17 plate Skoda fabia when I bought it 4 years ago I sprayed the subframe and suspension with black aerosol wax I recently gave it a pressure wash and it was as good as when I did it so I just gave it a bit of a re coat. My springs are still shiny black but I do make sure I clean them once in a while. If you want to get rid of all that rust I would use a drill on a wire brush then treat it all with bilt Hanber detox gel It cleans and gets all the rust out of the pits then treat it with hydrate 80 then either spray it black or just coat it with spray wax. I painted all of my suspension on another car and 2 years on no sign of any rust

I always want a good gym to workout in when im on holiday. 55 years old and lifting for over 40 years. Booked this place on the strength of this vid. Thnx mate..

I really don't know how you even think about comparing this to an mx5 !!!!!! ?????? Totaly mad. I've had both and they are like comparing a spitfire to a mig

Sir what's the matter about Japanese car I see you point out a couple of time?

The body roll was something that i also didn't like (even though the car still handles very well). I put Eibach Pro springs and Eibach anti-roll bars (sway bars for the Americans) and it's much better without compromising compliance on British b-roads and no grounding issue with UK speed-bumps.

How often do rf owners replace their batteries? Just bought an rf 2017. Didn't drive it for 1.5 days and the battery was completely dead. Hopefully just bad luck!

Thanks for this, exactly what I needed. I replaced it in 30 seconds

If your thinking about an ND, IMHO is imperative you get the 2.0L ND2 due to a massive factory engine upgrade. The update to the 2-litre engine is fairly extensive with lighter pistons and conrods, revised camshafts, exhaust valves, fuel injectors (operating at a higher pressure), throttle valve and a new free flow air intake assembly. This was carried out to allow the engine to rev much more freely. Although as a consequence the power output also increased significantly. The ND3 has a slightly improved steering rack and a larger info screen but no real improvements.

Yep got one and very happy with the speed looks and quality in such a small car. Only 3 door hot hatch you can get now I think

I was considering moving from my well sorted NB model to an early ND but the gearbox issue alone put me off. Factor £5K to sort the 'box made of cheese' issue. No wonder these can be had for sub £10K now. Add the body roll, which requires lowering and stiffer A/R bars, the electric steering, the rear bushes, the dodgy paint etc - I'm looking at an Abarth 124 as a much better buy. Pity as the ND looks fantastic.

The fix for the noisy top panel is have the radio on louder.... your welcome.

Enjoyed your video. As a long term 2016 ND1 Club BBS Brembo owner, I was surprised about your heel toe comment as I find mine ideal, coul be mine is a left hand drive model. I do agree the power upgrade on the ND2 is somewhat overrated. Some well respected magazines have testing showing a modest 0.1 second improvement in 0-60 mph improvement in acceleration. I do take issue with the MX-5 not being a good track day car. A set of lower/ stiffer springs and sway bars in addition to upgraded pads and brake pads are all you really need. The low cost of track consumables make track time affordable for those of more modest means. Cheers

Liked & subbed. 6'3" - too tall?

I love your thoughts on why you love the car.

The rear bushes are the lower ones. The further forward one gets all the spray from the rear tyre. The seals arent great , which allows water and dirt into the bushes, corrode and destroy. I checked mine on my ND1 ( 20k miles) and using a bicycle grease gun, stuck the nozzle under the seals and squirted waterproof grease , to prevent water increase. I hope this will just make the bushes last longer. The brakes will probably be the sliders are gritty and just need a strip off the calipers and clean up. All easy to do. Subframe and rot. See Bilt Hamber products. The first thing I did before agreeing to buy was lie on my back in the dealers shop with a torch and looked underneath. Any excessive rust and I would have said no. If you do rust protect yourself its a hateful job. Also note that the side sill covers fill with mud and dirt and you need to remove these to clean them out and then spray wax to protect the sills. I was surprised on how much was in there. Same with behind the wheel arch liners. Roof drains are a nuisance to do, but our sponges were pretty grime filled , so never been done. We usually put a hat on the screen to stop it baking in the sun, to hopefully help against delamination,when parked up. When moving its obviously cooler. The cars are great for a weekend car to tinker. Still pretty analogue as a whole. Mine has the BBR super 190 conversion , including the full exhaust . There is other perfomance trinkets on it but not to make major HP, thats not the point Also the BBR springs which lower in and does prevent the body roll . Any Eibach or BBR springs that are progressive are much better than standard. I am looking at anti roll bars next. They arent a fast car. They are a fun , roof down and nippy car. We are heading round Scotland in ours in April next year, which is a 2000 mile trip away. Yes, its small and cramped, but part of its charm. Happy we bought it early this year. I have changed the diff oil and have the gearbox oil to do as yet, which is a winter ticker job. Happy to own this one and keeping it protected from rot is always a good selling point should the time come to move it on. I have seen other cars which are loved and cherished, but the underside can still be pretty rough. If you arent sure when buying, then be wise and have an inspection. Owners clubs are good in some ways , such as runs out with like minded powered cars, but they do entice keyboard warriors which can be off putting. As a whole clubs are pretty helpful with discounts as well.

Re your heel/toe difficulties, Verus Engineering have a product that raises the height of the accelerator pedal. Works a treat.

Just a question, would i fit in ok at 6ft 3? Thanks.

As a Mk3 owner, they suffer from the sticky seat belt retraction and rusting window pillars as well.

A great review of this model. You have accurately noted all the good points as well as the quirks, and I agree... heal'n toe is not an easy task.

Getting my rear bushes upgraded to the spherical third party units. £300 including the tool. It'll be off to the mechanic to fit them. Mid 2018 car with 30k miles and a knocking offside rear. I may as well get all four done as a preventative measure.

Have you drove the 1.5 before? just want to see what’s your thoughts on differences between your mx5

Mazda 3 2016 does same with brakes. 1st dab is dull. 2nd dab puts u thru the front window.

Nights suck d i k

It’s really bad that Mazda doesn’t take rust protection seriously. I’m put off from buying one.

Thanks for your review and information. The best car ever ! MX5 Must have a soft top ! Nd2 better than nd1 Nd3 better than nd2. So , must soft top And for the suspension Eibach pro plus kit spring and sway bar.

I was going to buy one of these but they seem to rot very quickly. I won’t bother now

Well done for spending the effort to narrow down everything for mx5 lovers to know! As you said I think these problems are pretty minor and only mechanical problem apart from the info screen. Easy enough to look after them. Super reliable car makes you feel you're the owner of the car but not the other way round😂

8:35 I don’t understand why you say that it’s only torque that matters, not horsepower. I’d go further and say that there is widespread lack of understanding on the whole subject. Torque and horsepower are both quoted as peak figures at a particular rpm, which means very little because the engine doesn’t operate at a single rpm. What actually matters is the power curve vs rpm (or the torque curve vs rpm if you prefer - they are different ways of presenting the same data). Absolute torque value is not important in itself because it is converted to power by the gearbox. Interested in your thoughts! Just to add, power = torque x rpm (scaled for units), so if you have the torque curve you can calculate the power curve and visa-versa.

Excellent report thank you. Topical as I’ve been looking at these as a replacement or addition to my 2004 R53 Mini. I just fancy lying on my back playing with the rear wheels as a bit of a diversion. I’ve only so far sat in two showroom Mk IVs ND2 and ND3 and ‘passengered’ in an NC3. For me, I’d have to have the RF with Recaros, which are only standard on the UK ND3 Homura. So in current market at the mo’, minimum £30kish for a pre-reg. Then there’s the body roll. You are one of the few reviewers that comes straight out and says you’ll need modified suspension. Just springs maybe, but what a hassle, especially on a young car with warranty. There’s literally nowhere else to go though on the Caterham to Cayman performance/comfort/price continuum (ok, plastic boy racer GR86 maybe). I’ll probably have one next year when the lightly used ND3 Homuras are down to £25k.

Id get a light 1.5 plus they don’t have exploding gearboxes

I’d get a super light 1.5 rag top

I just bought an ND1 RF 2017 launch edition. Beautiful car. Main things I noticed is the pedals are slightly to the right vs other cars which takes a bit of getting used to. Takes a bit of time to learn to drive it smoothly. It's quite sensitive to pedal and clutch movements as it's so light and quite a bit of torque low down. Recaro seats are only suited for reasonably sized people. Otherwise it's too tight on the side and leg bolsters.

I'd love one, sadly I'm slightly too big for comfort having tried one. Great video again! Would love to see you to do an AMA or Q and A. Keep on going, dude!

They are great little cars, I had a 30th Anniversary soft top and it brought joy every time I drove it. It is a worry about the drain holes blocking and causing internal water ingress when the rain is heavy over a few days and the rust was also a worry. However, roof down, heater on and you could have an enjoyable drive. I've since sold the car and own an Alpine A110S, that's a great car for different reasons but I miss my little ND, thankfully I get to borrow my son's MX5 NC every so often :) Cheers Kevin

It’s great to have your comments on this car! Especially as you’re in Scotland with all our challenging weather. I’m still after one for my retirement in a few years, so I’m delighted you’re still enjoying it.

Saving my pennies so I can buy an mx5 rf after the new year, cannot wait 👍👍

Great video, thanks! A few comments, my Mazda dealer here near London quoted around £2300 for the spherical bearings to be changed. Checked with the guys at MX5 Restorer near Eastbourne and they use a Whiteline kit which costs £400 all in. The window guide and it going rusty was subject to a TSB, not sure if they'd change it for you. Lastly the tyres, I went from stock Bridgestones over to Michelin PS5's and the difference in grip is night and day, way better in the wet. Keep the videos coming, they're great 🙂

I'm surprised at your comments on heel/toe. I've got an ND2 2.0 and the pedals are well set for it, just like my NC Roadster was. I agree the steering feel is not top notch like my NC was and that's because they changed from a hydraulic to an electric power steering rack for the ND to enable Lane Assist (the car has to be able to operate the steering if it senses you've left the lane) and you need electronics and an electric rack for that. But Lane Assist is the one feature on my ND that I have turned off all the time! It may work well on motorways but on fast A & B roads where you use both sides of the road when pressing on it gets in the way.

Enjoying a bit of daylight 😎 Any other owners/potential owners out there??

I wouldn't mind a petrol only. Don't want a hybrid

Somehow 10 seconds into the video and I knew it will be straight to the point no BS video.

Enjoying your videos - did you upgrade the exhaust in the end?

Nice guide but you should always opt for exact-fit wiper blades for better performance.

I what size is the cover please would it be ok on a soft top you do hear a lot of horror stories about scratches and swirls have you had any thanks Lee

Still really enjoying your channel! Keep up the good work!