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Anyone got any tips on buying a Eunos for use in the UK? And how are they for insurance?
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Have a look at:-
www.fizzindi.demon.co.uk/eunosmyth.htm
(selected archives of the mx5 mailing list).
www.mx5oc.co.uk/
(mx5 owners club)
Now is the time to buy - First sign of summer bumps the prices up.
Import insurance isn't as bad as it used to be, but some of the big cheapies still view them a bit oddly. Some Mazda garages make life difficult for spares (which are identical) as they use VIN numbers to identify variants and can't always identify non-UK VINs.
I paid around 20 quid a year more for a UK mx5 than my old Renault 5
(ancient git, rural postcode).
Martin
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Japanese Eunos/MX-5 is usually a better speced car than the Euro/UK MX5,a/c,pas,e/windows etc.The condition of a fresh import will usually be much better than the car that has spent all its life in the UK.A/C might sound daft for a open top car but makes all the difference to keep the windows clear.Loads of info out there,no need to bother with UK dealers for parts there is a thriving 'cottage industry' out there supplying everything you need.Tesco are very good for insurance.There are insurance co's that will refuse cover,they are going the way of the dinosaurs.Saying all that though,wereever your Eunos/MX5/Miata came from you will have great fun for not a lot of money.I think if you buy right you can just about eliminate depriciation,if you keep the car in good nick.
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Forgot to say i can still get £4999 for even the earliest Japanese MX5,but they will be prepared to a good standard,new roof/tyres/cambelt and ageless plate etc.You will of course be able to pay a lot less or buy a lot newer than that.
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T Lucas is spot on.
Go ahead and buy I say.
Great fun and virtually bullet-proof.
Before you buy:
Check Pop-up headlamps and roof OK
Insurance rates - especially imports.
Accident damage.
Prices vary widely and can be colour dependent - shop around for a while. I once saw a P-plate for £5,500 ono.
After you buy:
Take it easy in the wet. Mazda lost 4 on the first day of launch in wet conditions!
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Hi EG:
When I bought my imported Eunos, I found that
the quality varied quite a bit --- this was
over 4 years ago, and it seems that the importers
have now been forced down to offer lower quality
vehicles.
Insurance used to be a pain, but now most of the
big insurers recognize them, and it's the same as
a UK car. Parts etc not a problem, even Mazda
main dealers are happy to service them. The
biggest plus is that you can high spec cars that
were not sold in the UK.
Oh, and if you really want one, then feel free to
buy mine (BRG 91, leather+wood, 70k) since I now
have an Elise and hence have one too many sports
cars! Email for piccies, or advice.
Cheerio, D.
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Just for info. - Two Eunos for sale in Haslemere surrey this week,- 93 'L'MX5 SS 1.6 Eunos and a 93 'K'Eunos 1.6 both at £5995 each.
Over the odds?
Regards,
P.
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Thanks for all the info guys, as someone new to this site I am impressed. Thanks for the offer DPM but I am just doing the research at the moment with a view to buying after Christmas.
(By the way is it possible to have one too many sportscars? I have one too few.)
Since writing I have heard that Eunos rustproofing is not as good as for the UK cars - is that right? You would think they need it in Japan, afterall has anyone seen a Japanese Grand Prix that wasn't wet?! However they do not have the raod salt that we do.
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The MOT Test equivalent is so mean and nasty that very few cars are kept on the road after their three years, hence much less need for rust-proofing.
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Different seemingly well-informed sources (including importers) say different things about the rustproofing. Some say they are the same and adequate, some the same and inadequate, others say Jap-sourced cars are inferior.
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When you look under a Japanese MX-5 the rustproofing looks to be to a very high standard,and if it is fresh in it will look like brand new.I think the thing to do especially if you plan to keep the car a long time is to waxoil and rustproof the car yourself and because the car is rustfree you can forget about worrying that it will corrode away.The cars fresh from Japan,and some that i bring in can be 12 years old really do look like brand new underneath,even down to the little blobs of yellow paint on the nuts and bolts.I recently had a 1990 Pajero in,my people in Japan told me it was in 'very nice condition-Grade 4'well it was better than that,it really did look as if it had come off the production line earlier that day,really nice to see when they are like that.A UK MX-5 from about 1990 with about 100,000 miles may well be cheaper,but it will most likely have the start of some rust after 10 UK salty winters.Once you have got rust in a car you can never economically get rid of it,best to start with a rust free example.
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I'm not in the market to buy right now, but if you have a website including cars for sale, please post here or email me.
Thanks
Andy
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Someone recently posted a link on the MX5 mailing list to some pictures of the underside of a recently imported 12 year old Eunos - very clean. (No connection etc)
www.spmotor.co.uk/eunospic1.htm
Toad mentioned cambelt changing problems - I didn't find any, couple of hours is mentioned for those in the know, I did mine in an afternoon (read book, fiddle, read book etc)
There is a known problem with chewed keyways on the crank/camshaft pulley on early models, sometimes put down to incorrect maintainance, but on the '90 there is no reason to disturb this when changing the belt. However, do your own research/assesment on the potential problem. A guide to what to look for can be found here:-
www.miata.net/garage/crankshaft.html
www.miata.net/faq/usedmx5.html
Don't let the crankshaft problem put you off if you come across a good car - 99% will be ok. If you worry, you can do a loctite preventative fix, and a repair has been developed by a loctite engineer.
There is a huge amount of info on these cars on the above site.
Martin
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Andy S:
You asked anyone with a likely Eunos for sale to
post here --- I shouldn't really since it should be
in the classifieds. However, mine is up for sale
either (a) if anyone wants it then now or (b)
when the weather gets better in the new year.
But you can take a look at:
malroy.econ.ox.ac.uk/dpm/MX5/
Same to EG as well, and at least you can see what
the imports look like relative to UK cars.
On another topic, I forgot to say, for any Eunos
buyers please be aware of additional costs when
buying a directly imported one. I found that almost
all direct imports had very poor tyres --- lifted
tread mainly. So if you buy one direct from a dealer,
add on a set of tyres plus the alarm/immobiliser.
Sorry to mix tips with a sales plug . . . moderators
feel free to tell me off!!
Cheerio, DPM.
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I'm glad someone else has noticed this.
I have looked at plenty, using the gift of my own eyes. I have only ever seen 1 which could be described as rusty and that was UK spec.
As the oldest are 13 years old, this leads me to believe they are all adequately protected. Or am I missing something?
As no-one else has mentioned this I will. The MX5 came top of all cars in the 2002 Autoexpress ratings for the gearbox (3rd for steering and 8th for reliability IIRC). So go for the manual.
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I know that this discussion is eight months old but I have only just come across Honest John! The husband is looking at getting an MX5 and in the process of looking came across the Eunos and there now seems to be two camps for/against UK version, for/against Eunos version. Everyone in the latter camp says that the Eunos is a higher spec and that he should go for a J plate because anything after that doesn\'t perform as well because of EU regs on emissions blah blah, but the UK version seem to have a wider variety of colours (inside and out), interior finishes and have spoked hub caps. Also he was told that the 1.6 is better than the 1.8. So would he get more for his money with a Eunos or is he being dragged into a purchase of a car that has been pushed to the limits?
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You cannot beat the little Mazda,whatever badge it has on it,MX5,Miata,or Eunos Roadster.The Japanese Eunos always has power steering,air conditioning,and electric windows as well as lots of other nice finishes/extras.99% of drivers would not be able to tell the difference between a 1.6 or a 1.8 and they are of course just about totally reliable.A fresh import will always be rust free and i think you will find there are more colour variations and specs from Japan.
Again what ever model you buy will be great fun,but as always if you don't know what to look for pay for professional help.
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You cannot beat the little Mazda,whatever badge it has on it,MX5,Miata,or Eunos Roadster.
Words of wisdom indeed. Don't get too caught up in the hype about Japanese or UK spec. Try at least one of each within your price range from a dealer. If you're nervous about buying, the dealer is the best way to go. It's not that easy to go wrong because the cars just don't.
There have been some helpful tips posted about what to look for, but these are as basic as pop-up headlights/aircon working (if applicable), accident damage & hood condition.
If buying from a dealer some history of care is good. if you're buying privately and the car hasn't been pampered, walk away. There are 250,000 to chose from!
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