Used Mazda MX-5 1989-1997 reliability

A well-maintained MX-5 can be very reliable, despite its age, but any skipping of regular maintenance and servicing will drastically shorten the engine's life, so look for signs of regular maintenance.

A rattle on start-up is quite common with the car's hydraulic tappets, especially if oil changes have been neglected, but this is not especially worrying in itself. The cambelt should be replaced at 60,000 miles or six years but luckily it is non-damaging if it fails. Early 1.6s with a small-bolt, short-nose crank pulley can suffer from a broken crankshaft – check the pulley isnʼt wobbling. Poor running can often be cured with a new airflow meter.

Head-gasket failure is not uncommon, usually caused by overheating from a clogged radiator – so check coolant and oil carefully. Also, check for white smoke from the exhaust on start-up; blue/grey smoke indicates the engine is worn. The MoT history on UK cars will often flag up past corrosion and mechanical issues that may or may not have been repaired properly.

Check for signs of a car that has been thrashed on track days – it may have repaired accident damage and worn-out dampers. High mileage isnʼt necessarily bad if maintenance has been meticulous – a cared-for MX-5 can top 200,000 miles with ease. Infrequently used cars suffer other issues, especially sticking rear calipers.

MX-5 electrics are generally reliable, but ensure that everything works, including the pop-up headlamps and electric windows, and especially air conditioning (if fitted).

Check the soft-top material and plastic window for damage and clouding. A full replacement is expensive.

Look at the radiator and coolant condition: an original unit will be silted up by now, and overheating can lead to a failed head gasket.

The revvy and lively twin-cam Mazda 1.6 was detuned from 1994 when the 1.8 was introduced, so later 1.6s are more cruisers than sprinters, but still great fun to drive. Check the engine number matches the records, look for signs that it has been well maintained and check the service history for cambelt replacements.

Assess seats for wear (especially cloth on outer bolsters) and carpets for damp from soft-top leaks.

Rust

The biggest killer for all old MX-5s. Check the obvious areas starting with the sills, especially the rear closing plates, and also look at the floorpans, wheelarches, chassis rails and the boot floor.

Engines

Check the service history thoroughly and visually check the condition of the belts: the MX-5's cambelts should be replaced every 60,000 miles or six years. Look out for signs of overheating and head-gasket failure (oil in the water, water in the oil); also check for rattly hydraulic tappets, oil leaks and a smoky exhaust.

Brakes

Seized rear calipers are quite common on infrequently used cars and can be costly to repair or replace.

Gearbox

Check for clutch slip and listen for grumbling/whining from the gearbox, and from the differential and the wheel bearings.

Electrics

Ensure the pop-up headlamps, electric windows and the air-con all work as they should.

Originality

Upgrades and mods are common at this age and not always very desirable; alloy wheels are often swapped so try to find one with the original wheels fitted.

Generally, the Mk1 is considered to be one of the better classic cars for reliability. This generation hasn't been subjected to our reliability survey, but the present model has.

In our 2023 used car reliability survey, the present-gen Mazda MX-5 Mk4 was 10th out of 15 cars in the most reliable used sports car class. It scored 89.7%, a little down on its performance the year before.

Mazda performed well in our manufacturer table, too. With a 92.8% rating, it was our 13th most reliable used car brand out of a total of 32 manufacturers. It finished above Porsche, Renault and Volkswagen, but below BMW, Honda and Suzuki.