Beschreibung
As I am changing job and moving house at the same time, I am regretfully selling my R-Limited Eunos.
The car is in good condition for its 28 years and 170000km. In the 3 1/ 2 years of my ownership I have thoroughly enjoyed the car and would trust it to take me anywhere - it was primarily bought to be enjoyed on weekends away and used only in sunny weather conditions.
Complete with a substantial service history from Japan as well as from its time in the UK, the documentation includes various Eunos literature (amongst which is an amusing safety reminder rendered in Japanese cartoons & lettering!). I would be happy to go through this with the buyer.
In February this year I had both rear arches and outer sills replaced by respected specialist, Total MX5 Repair. Mark has handled hundreds of these cars and consequently the metalwork & paint finish along both flanks is outstanding. I have a receipt totalling £1400 for this work, which should give the next owner some peace of mind for the immediate future.
The car comes with the original factory hardtop which will be included in the sale if the asking price is met - I am not willing to sell it seperately, as it belongs to this particular car. The tonneau cover is also present, as is the spare wheel and full R-Limited interior. The blood red leather seats still hug and support, but no longer look as brand new - there is some creasing and separation on the passenger seat seam, however this doesn't affect comfort in any way.
I would describe the cabin as original - the beautiful thin Nardi wooden steering wheel is a delight to use, as is the wood trim of the gearstick & handbrake. The car also benefits from a high end modern audio system, which has been wired into both doors and the driver's headrest - the quality of music is far superior to that of the original factory fit.
These R-ltd came highly specified for the time, and pleasingly both electric windows work (albeit slightly slowly!). Air conditioning was also a factory fit, though I drive with the windows down or roof down almost constantly, and haven't used it - consequently this would need regassing, should the buyer wish to make use of it.
Further recent maintenance includes installation of new Exedy clutch, spigot bearing & slave cylinder. Both headlight bulbs have been upgraded. The car sits on Michelin PS3s which have adequate tread remaining, but I suspect they would be due a change come spring next year. The MOT is valid to February 2023 and has never failed on a single item in my ownership. Prior history reveals a good pass rate.
The underside is in good condition for the age, and benefits from a recent installation of a Cobalt exhaust system - this does not drone, nor is it antisocial - it discretely amplifies and improves the sweet 4 cylinder engine note under acceleration. A new Bosch battery was installed in May of this year.
Mechanically the car is outstanding, and huge fun to drive. The gearchange is crisp and precise thanks to a recent (February) oil change. The diff oil and engine oil were replaced in the same month. All four BBS centre caps are present and the wheels in great condition with only very minor curbing noticeable on the rear right wheel.
In the interest of clarity there are a couple of very minor defects, these being:
- A slightly loose passenger side soft top clip - requiring a single screw to remedy, which I keep forgetting to order.
- The hard top is waterproof but there are some paintwork blemishes adjacent to the glass seal, the largest of which is around a 5p in diameter - the previous owner had a go touching this up with a pen, with limited success.
- When starting up on a cold morning there is a brief 6 or 7 second 'belt squeal' which application of WD40 ought to remedy.
- The idle control valve could do with a reset as when starting the car from hot, the revs do dip to 600rpm - until the clutch is depressed or the car is in motion & above 1500rpm. This does not affect power delivery or driveability in any way.
- Pinhead size dent behind roof cupola where someone may have dropped the hardtop (?) - hardly noticeable.
- The ugly red reversing light has since been removed, but in doing so, 2x 2mm holes are visible in the rear surround.
- A 5p size area of bubbling is present on the passenger side wing - I have had the driver's side wing replaced due to a similar issue, but unfortunately the offside is beginning to show - it is a common mud trap in these cars. I have priced a replacement wing into my asking figure - approx. £250 - in case the buyer wanted to carry this work out in the future.
Overall the car will make an excellent weekender or even daily for those who can live with the size limitations of a roadster! One of the rarest MX5 models which was only available in Japan at the time, very few exist in the UK. Mine retains all the iconic and distinctive features - I especially enjoy looking back at the car and appreciating the diamond cut BBS alloys, which instantly transport you back to 1995 and those wistful, optimistic days of yesteryear. Driving this, you can hear the vaporwave music faintly in the air as you pop the headlights and cruise through neon Tokyo... Or your local B-roads.
I will happily entertain test drives from serious enquirers with the correct insurance in place and am willing to travel a short distance out from Bristol if requested, but please, no tyre kickers or test pilots.
Please get in touch if interested. Finally - I am in no rush to sell the car and will continue to use it occasionally on sunny days for short trips.
