Mazda MX-5 Miata by Brian Long

Author:Brian Long
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781845845032
Publisher: Veloce Publishing Ltd
Published: 2013-11-20T05:00:00+00:00

Japanese advertising for a number of American conversions.

In early 1995, Car & Driver carried an article on the PFS Miata SC. PFS stood for Peter Farrell Supercars, a Virginia-based company run by Farrell, an ex-racer who became heavily involved with Mazda’s competition success in the States. Apart from selling the occasional 360bhp RX-7, Farrell also commissioned Craig Neff (who built rock group ZZ Top’s famous Cad-zilla) to build the supercharged Miata SC. With 185 horses under the bonnet, the 0-60 time came down to 6.9 seconds, while the top speed was now around 130mph (208kph). Naturally, the suspension was uprated, and the Miata SC actually pulled a full 1.0g on a 300 foot skidpan. Production models were priced at $30,000.

Buying hints & tips

There’s no doubt that the MX-5 has caught the imagination of the motoring public. In March 1996, Auto Express said: “This roadster is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It looks great and provides the sort of driving pleasure few cars can match.”

However, popularity like this always breeds plenty of opportunities for making money. While the vast majority of people dealing in the MX-5 and its aftermarket add-ons are as straight as the day is long, the same journal highlighted a new problem that every potential buyer should be aware of – secondhand cars imported from Japan which have either been damaged, or are no longer able to pass the strict tests carried out in that country after a car reaches its third birthday.

In mid-1997, Auto Express found that a large number of cars were coming into Britain with service histories in Japanese, and several had previously been involved in accidents. The engine management systems are different, and all home market vehicles are fitted with kph speedometers, giving an ideal opportunity to alter the mileage once it is replaced with an mph speedo. More recently, it has been uncovered that many of the cars stolen in Japan end up in Britain. Buyer beware!

Despite the flood of ‘grey imports’, the MX-5 will hold its value pretty well, regardless of whether or not it’s a limited edition model. In fact, Mazda UK issued a press release which referred to an in-depth study to find the lowest depreciating cars in the UK carried out by What Car? magazine. The release read as follows: “The What Car? survey, in the July 1991 issue, was conducted to advise its readers which new cars would suffer from the smallest amount of depreciation within the first 12 months of ownership. A total of 20 vehicles were assessed, with the Mazda marque taking three places.

“The Mazda MX-5, currently What Car? magazine’s ‘Sports Car of the Year’, was judged overall winner with the judges commenting: ‘It’s appealing on the road for all the right reasons – steering accuracy, delightful gearchange quality, great handling ability and carefree wind-in-the-hair motoring.’ The What Car? panel determined that the Mazda MX-5 would depreciate by just 15 per cent in the first 12 months.”

Placed in the under £17,500 category, the

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