Consumer974
Member
Hello! I’ve posted a couple of questions and bought bits from a few of you, but thought I should finally do a proper introduction post.
I changed careers a couple of years ago and, having lost the benefit of a work car and needing something that would keep me off the motorbike during winter, I thought I’d spend a few grand and buy the newest MX-5 I could, as a fun cheap car. I’d owned a Mk1 years ago and loved it. Looking at Autotrader I quickly realised that unless you’re spending £6k+, you’re likely buying a bit of a problematic rust bucket. Apart from the very latest gen, I also think they’ve somehow become worse looking - as well as more rust-prone - over time….
So I then considered a Z3, assuming the newer Z4 obviously more expensive… before realising what a bargain the early Z4s had become. I picked up my 2.2 for just under £2,000 nearly two years ago and thought: “Yeah, it’s a risky old BMW, but even if it gets me through a single winter, it’s paid for itself.”
And it’s fair to say it has really surprised me. It has now had two MOTs in my ownership and passed both without a single advisory. It has just passed 100,000 miles and, given that pretty much everything under the bonnet is still original, I’m getting the cooling system overhauled next month as preventative maintenance, as I intend to keep it for the foreseeable.
I’ve done a lot of the usual maintenance and mods - mostly OEM+ stuff - and tackled anything that didn’t require a lift myself.
The biggest visual change was swapping the original lights for clear facelift front, rear and side units, which I think takes a good few years off the car. I fitted a non-OEM red third brake light to replace the clear one, as I thought it looked a bit anaemic against the silver bodywork once the clear rears went on.
Inside, I ended up with a Storm Motorwerks gear knob and handbrake, which suits the straightforward design of the interior really well. The previous owner had already fitted a chunky retrimmed steering wheel, which feels great.
Other bits and pieces include:
I’ve currently got an intermittent split-second loss of power that I’m looking into - possibly the crankshaft sensor - and there are a few age-related marks here and there. The car is coming up on a quarter of a century old - mine is an early 2003 car, built while the original VW Beetle was still in production! But overall nothing is broken/damaged or particularly unsightly, and the heated seats, air conditioning and everything else still work perfectly.
It has been a huge amount of car for very little money, and I feel lucky to have found this forum, with its years and years of advice and how-tos from helpful members - it helps that the car is easy to work on too, so I can actually put the advice into practice!
Overall I think the E85 remains one of the best-value ways into a proper straight-six roadster. In a lot of ways, it feels like the old MX-5 experience I was trying to recapture - just beefier, more planted and ‘grown up’.
I changed careers a couple of years ago and, having lost the benefit of a work car and needing something that would keep me off the motorbike during winter, I thought I’d spend a few grand and buy the newest MX-5 I could, as a fun cheap car. I’d owned a Mk1 years ago and loved it. Looking at Autotrader I quickly realised that unless you’re spending £6k+, you’re likely buying a bit of a problematic rust bucket. Apart from the very latest gen, I also think they’ve somehow become worse looking - as well as more rust-prone - over time….
So I then considered a Z3, assuming the newer Z4 obviously more expensive… before realising what a bargain the early Z4s had become. I picked up my 2.2 for just under £2,000 nearly two years ago and thought: “Yeah, it’s a risky old BMW, but even if it gets me through a single winter, it’s paid for itself.”
And it’s fair to say it has really surprised me. It has now had two MOTs in my ownership and passed both without a single advisory. It has just passed 100,000 miles and, given that pretty much everything under the bonnet is still original, I’m getting the cooling system overhauled next month as preventative maintenance, as I intend to keep it for the foreseeable.
I’ve done a lot of the usual maintenance and mods - mostly OEM+ stuff - and tackled anything that didn’t require a lift myself.
The biggest visual change was swapping the original lights for clear facelift front, rear and side units, which I think takes a good few years off the car. I fitted a non-OEM red third brake light to replace the clear one, as I thought it looked a bit anaemic against the silver bodywork once the clear rears went on.
Inside, I ended up with a Storm Motorwerks gear knob and handbrake, which suits the straightforward design of the interior really well. The previous owner had already fitted a chunky retrimmed steering wheel, which feels great.
Other bits and pieces include:
- GapTech for remote roof operation, although I now realise some of that functionality could have been coded using NCS Expert.
- Gearbox and differential oil changes. Both appeared to contain the original oil, so replacing it instantly made the shifts slicker.
- A “Sport Button Mod”… but without an actual Sport button. It’s basically a module fitted where the Sport button would normally connect, all hidden beneath the trim, which forces the car into permanent Sport mode. Cost less than getting hold of an actual button and less stressful than nervously drilling a hole in your trim.
- Fitting the OEM sound generator, with the forum-approved two-thirds of the foam removed!
I’ve currently got an intermittent split-second loss of power that I’m looking into - possibly the crankshaft sensor - and there are a few age-related marks here and there. The car is coming up on a quarter of a century old - mine is an early 2003 car, built while the original VW Beetle was still in production! But overall nothing is broken/damaged or particularly unsightly, and the heated seats, air conditioning and everything else still work perfectly.
It has been a huge amount of car for very little money, and I feel lucky to have found this forum, with its years and years of advice and how-tos from helpful members - it helps that the car is easy to work on too, so I can actually put the advice into practice!
Overall I think the E85 remains one of the best-value ways into a proper straight-six roadster. In a lot of ways, it feels like the old MX-5 experience I was trying to recapture - just beefier, more planted and ‘grown up’.
North West Surrey