Buyers Guide - Part 1 - Mk1 Mazda MX5 Rear Sills

A look at how to spot a good car from a bad car

[@ChrisJones-os3jl]

Excellent Advice, Really informative just watched before and again after viewing a Car for Sale, thanks for the Video

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Glad it was helpful!

[@toshibavoodoo]

I SUBSCRIBED!!!! With the hope that you make a million Miata / MX5 videos, I'm looking at purchasing an MX5 and will enjoy anything you put out. Knowledge is power.

[@jacksomb1]

Thanks for this. I Found this very useful, and now know where the panels are supposed to start and finish. I look forward to watching you go through a repair in as much detail

[@martinplant2755]

This has given me the insight I need on my search for a MK1! Cheers!

[@courtneyrager2166]

Awesome video! So informative, the comparison makes it so much easier to take in. Many thanks for this!

[@Typhoxtv]

This video was actually really great to watch. I got myself a mx-5 back in may this year and loved it since. I bought it from a family friend so I had no reason to not trust him and from basic inspection it's all good. It's an 90' import so I heard they generally hold up pretty well with the right care. Unfortunately don't have a ramp to check properly but I'll be sure to check out those other signs of rust you spoke about. Thanks for the video

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

+TheG0ku thanks, I'm glad you find it useful, I will be doing more in the near future

[@neodonkey]

Excellent - very informative video. My MX5 is now in scrap heaven and just about everything was rusted to oblivion.

[@robinforrest7680]

This is great, in half an hour I learnt almost all I need to know in my search for an mx5. Many thanks. Ive subscribed too, so looking forward to all your future videos. All I have to do now is sell my french Renault 4 to finance it.

[@wimitoevel]

Now I find this video , nice comparison between the 2 cars. Pity I did not find this video 5 months ago. Very well explained. I bought a MX5 from 1992 . The car is nice but found some repairs done , I did not see when I bought it.

[@kanatsizkanatli]

Really helpful thanks. I managed to get a 1994 eunos with original spot welds, original sills but there is a tiny bit rust on the sill edge. Only paid £1100. I was so frustrated before that on missing out on even viewing the only potentially descent mx5s in my area, that I just said f it, I'm going to buy the first cheap one I see as long as it passed its mot! When I saw it was original, that was a big surprise! Thanks for the guide.

[@MiataMods]

Very informative video, thank you for making this!

[@Actingskint]

I have watched this very very carefully indeed .I purchased a Harvard about 8 years ago , and loved driving it . However when it had a respray and some work done on both sills a few years back , I was confident it had a lifetime of driving left in it . Oh dear , how wrong i was . I had sill rust come through . I took it to another Mx5 garage to access and repair it for me . I was told in no uncertain terms to expect a` bill of £1200 , to rebuild a section of the drivers sill , which in the second garage owners mind , was an utter bodge . He said although he couldn't 100% prove i was ripped off by the person who did the previous work , he could near as damn say it was the cause of the dire state of my car . I got the work done , and have driven the car daily .This video highlights the dangers of rust , and without any real knowledge of Mx5s , you can end up , like i did, with a huge unexpected bill . It has been the only blight on my otherwise thoroughly enjoyable journey with MX5s . Watch out for the rust , it will get you every single time . Thanks for this very informative video . I am off to look at a v spec . Anybody want to buy a reasonably tidy Mazda harvard ?? Its got a few miles on the clock , but im pretty confident it hasn't got any major rust issues ......now

[@LonesomeToast]

Or just learn to well...

[@pcdoodle1]

Thanks for putting this info out there.

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

+PC DOODLE no problem, thanks for the comment

[@A1DJPaul]

Many Thanks. I'm watching in June 2019.

[@NekroStevo]

Great upload. Really helpful; thanks.

[@MrCYCLESMITH]

Great video. Subscribed. Thank you!

[@TexMexThe3rd]

Very nice guide! Nice way to check if a car is all original! Will you ever make non rust related buyers guide? I know that rust is a major problem in the UK, but in several other countries it is not. A buyers guide that teaches how to assess the body of an MX5 would be great!

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

+David Texugo thanks David, we will be making lots of other videos that will include other parts of buyers guides, so not just rust

[@CzechEngine]

Great video , thank you .Very useful

[@michaelstreets7816]

Your long shot sound has a lot of echo but an excellent video. Thanks for posting this, will subscribe.

[@larbag100]

wow.. this is an amzing vid... i absolutly love it :D great info and help :D i've subscribed and i hope you will make many vids like this :D i've also shared it in my mx5 clup for anyone who considers buying one because this was a great video

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Excellent! Thank you for the feedback and for the share, what is your mx5 club?

[@larbag100]

+Lights go up Lights go down the norwegian one its called "for oss som kjører mx5/miata" on facebook

[@larbag100]

+Lights go up Lights go down and its not "mine" im just a member

[@larbag100]

+Lights go up Lights go down Hi again :P since i saw this video i checked over my car :) on the right hand side my rear quarter/sill has that ''filler flare'' shape to it... i've also checked underneath and it looks to be good with no signs of rust there... and it just has a spot of rust... (surface) around what looks like a rubber plug inside the arch (poked it with a screwdriver and it did not go thru)... would you recomend to sand that quarter down to see how the repair was done or just do something about that surface rust spot and leave it? it has no signs of rust like bubbles or anything like that on the sill or quarter... i feel abit scared because i feel like the repair was just done with filler as it has that flare to it... if you say it would be smart to sand it down and check i'll do it.. and if i find rust i will continue to use it in the summer as my learner car and when i get my licence (1,5 years) i'll roadtrip from norway to you guys and have it brought back to 100% rustfree condition... i really love this car... it's my first car ever, i saved up money for 4 years to buy a mx5 and i want to keep it on the road until the world runs out of oil for petrol...

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

+larbag100 hi, it's a little difficult for me to visualise what you are describing to me, can you email me photos to [e-mail]

[@endot5418]

Tjanks,I think I have a similar problem with my mazda 323 lantis at home!! I'm sure of it now because of you!!

[@harryc7225]

Really helpful mate thank you, off to look at 2 mx5’s tomorrow

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

How did you get on? did you buy one?

[@harryc7225]

@@lightsuplightsdown3018 yes I did mate green mk2.5 Montana in green. Decided against mk1 sadly due to safety and often worn interiors

[@Marine475]

Good to know how it should look given I'm rebuilding one using only sheet metal.

[@SacUnDruz]

After I watched this video, I ran in panic to my '93 Miata an checked most of the recommendations you gave in this video. I bought it in January this year an it is my "daily". So I checked all of it and it seems that the sills seem to be mostly like the ones from the red one in this video, but there were also a few spots where there are visible "bubbles" from the outside, where rust seems to form under the rubbery protective coat on the underside of the sills... Also I just cleaned the drainholes for the softtop and there was a lot of gunk inside and water seemed not to flow through as it should at the beginning, after the cleaning it was just fine, but I don't know how long this stuff was sitting in there... So would you recommend getting a camera to look inside, just to be sure?

[@AdjePatatje]

Great guide!

[@TheGinger1]

Awesome video. Would the things to spot on an NB be similar? Keep up the good work.

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

+Ben Hallam thank you, yes the nb would be similar, it's just a bigger area really, but you should be looking for the same features

[@Smittyschannel]

lol so if the car has ugly spotweld marks, uneven seams & looks like it's cheaply made with water trapping areas everywhere, it's an original

[@Typhoxtv]

Hey man i noticed a lot of background noise in this video. I programme I used to use when i had a poor quality microphone was audacity. It's a free audio programme and you can place audio files into it and remove a lot of the background noise from your video. There are lots of guides online to help you out including how to extract the audio file from a video file. Hope this helps

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

+TheG0ku Hi, thanks for that, I will look into that, I will also probably get an external mic

[@odgeUK]

In 2021 it's less like looking for rust on these, and more like trying to find one with the least rust, or one that's already been done properly recently. Do original MX-5s with no Sill and rear arch rust still exist?

[@Stevenrogers274]

Could you do one on a mk2 mx5 This is so usefull

[@eatthisvr6]

is there a vid for general buyers advice? i might be looking for a VERY CHEAP track slag/toy and mx5 is my 1st choice

[@01Jelen10]

Amazing knowledge about MX5's! Thanks for video. What would be a price of Mx5/Eunos (I would prefer it cause of aircon) in condition like the red one nowadays? I bought UK 91 MX5 about year ago, it was very cheap (500GBP) and runs really well so I was ok with some rust on the rear wheel arches and starting rust on sills (at least I thought it is just starting to rust). I was surprised when I discovered all the rust some months ago. Sill on the driver's side isn't really there anymore. The passenger's one is bit better but there is already some rust as well. I don't need to mention rear wheel arches. But what surprised me that all four wheel wells are rusted out - in few months time some wholes from front wheel wells to the engine bay developed and in rear one's wholes into trunk and into rocker panels. Front fenders where poorly repaired by someone in the past, rusted in the upper part. Down where there is space between front fender and car body fenders won but unibody lost - big whole rusted out so I was able to see inside firewall (even bigger whole was from one front wheel well just few inches next to that "fender" one). When lifted car up I noticed that bottom of the car is not rusted through but seems like frame and bottom of trunk is very weakened by rust. Also windshield frame is rotten a bit as well as very poorly repaired (more like someone tried to hide it) place up there when you open doors. Only common parts for rust that are rust free on my car are the footwells, under the metal fuel door and shelf where roof is resting when folded down.

[@Belindaxtz660]

Are you talking about the car as a whole or the HOLE in the the car...?

[@01Jelen10]

I’ve meant hole. Drunk English. Sorry. 😅

[@danr1920]

Here in the salt belt in the U.S. (Minnesota) Mazdas do a poor job at preventing rust. Most car companies had made major improvements by the mid '90's. Japanese brands in general took longer, but ten year old rust free cars up here are the rule. 15-20 years it becomes serious.

[@briansumner4551]

very very helpful. I am indeed looking for a MX5 and I cant believe how easy it is to buy a load of trouble. Does this apply to mk2.5 as well Many thanks indeed

[@robertoferreira6368]

for the mk2 look for rust on the chassis rails at the front which is very common and can be quite dangerous

[@HDMediaUK]

If you are serious about continuing videos like this I would suggest you invest in a lavalier (Lav) microphone to curb the issue @TheG0ku pointed out. The problem is your mic is auto adjusting it's sensitivity to pick up your voice on the long distance shot. (Issue not present on close shot). A lav mic will avoid this by being attached to your shirt. Hope this helps! :)

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

+JoshDOTPlay yes, I agree, I think that is the way forward, the problem is I am using a Sony nex 5 which doesn't have an input, so I think I'll need to use an external device to record sound, I guess the good thing about that is that it will all be at the same level

[@3500P5]

Great vid , I'm going to look at one today , very useful

[@roop298]

I think the paint job gives you all the signpost you need.

[@craighoward8204]

I’m trying to buy a mk2 or mk2.5 sport or iS and nearly every mot history mentions front chassis corrosion. Cars all from 99 to 2004! Mileage doesn’t matter. Are there any good ones left?! I’ve had 3 mx5s in the past and took an 8 year break to find they’re all compete rust buckets now!

[@blinderb853]

What kind of cost should one expect to get work done like the work that is being done on the silver Miata?

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Well that silver car isn't one of our repairs, ours are much better, so I can't comment on how much that sort of repair would be, but perhaps email us with some pictures of your rear sills and arches, I will then be able to give you an idea of what we would charge to repair. You can email us through the website www.themx5restorer.co.uk

[@zefrem1]

the silver mx5 mines the same as yours for rust in that area what sort of price for that repair wielding only and parts

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

HI Jamie, the best thing to do is contact us via our website for pricing, you can email us directly form there www.themx5restorer.co.uk

[@taffy047]

Having watched part one and two, To be fair the repair on the silver car was done pretty neat okay yes there is filler in there. But if they would have repaired the inner it would of been a decent repair. don't really see the problem with the outer repair they haven't carried out? unless you are after a concourse mk1 don't see the problem.

[@ScottPC]

14:50 is your problem.. your gonna need to replace it again!

[@aca2081]

Hi can the same logic be applied to Mazda MX5 NB (MK2) model?

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Yes it can, things are a different shape, but the same logic can be applied

[@aca2081]

Lights up Lights down Thanks :)

[@TheOklep]

This is not a video how to spot a good car from bad car. This is video how to spot a collectible factory car from normally used car. To be fair, how many mx5 out there are in that condition like red one? Like 1%? Or even less? And how much they cost? Yeah, much much more (at least outside of UK). Sills are totally common weak spot of mx5. Repaired sills =/= bad car! Try running the red car in the winter and rain, and try to not clean your drain holes. And then spot the difference

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

+TheOklep hi, thank you for your comments, Just for the record, the red car was a well used eunos roadster, importd to the uk around 1998 if memory serves me correctly, not garaged and in daily use, we had it for sale on our website for £3000. MX5s can be repaired correctly, I do it every day, they can also be repaired extremely badly, like the way the silver car had been repaired. I agree, the red car is a very good example, but they are out there, this video has been greated to help people spot the details that are noticeable on an original car and what to look out for on a badly repaired car, hopefully they will be able to take that knowledge and use it when looking at buying a car, and hopefully find something that falls somewhere in the middle, and if they are lucky find one like the red car.

[@ayeapprove]

Is the silver car a complete write off then? What is the alternative if no more rust free Mx5 are available? I can get a B6 with a gearbox for way under 700 EUR, but rarely do I see any good chassis. I have a rusted 97 Classic with a 4.3 diff but I don't know what to do with it since I can't get it street legal with easy fixes anymore. It drives to well to write it off though. I can get full rear panels (including the arches) for both sides ~200 EUR but if it looks anything like the silver one beneath the sills I'm fucked.

[@koenjonker1283]

Wow the inner sill rust is shocking. Im planning on buying one.. but this is alarming.

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Hi Koen, If you are in the UK, we have a mk1 coming up for sale in the next few days, keep an eye on the cars for sale section of our website www.themx5restorer.co.uk

[@rangegod98]

4:40 shat myself.

[@flipflop7577]

We all know they can be rustbuckets, rust is not my prob....I just don't fit in cause I'm 1,85m tall x::::( and I love the mk1

[@olliebonugli8881]

You’ll fit no problem. You could grow quite a bit more and still fit

[@ROGUESPIRIT_]

Fucking hell my mx5 has rust in the rear arch is it going to be all rotten up inside as well? Jesus christ i think i just had a heart attack

[@hamaadmahmud4552]

Hi, I am looking to buy an MX-5 and would like some help with it. Can you send me your e-mail so i can send you some pictures?

[@lightsuplightsdown3018]

Hi, you can send an email from our website, www.themx5restorer.co.uk