1989 Mazda Eunos MX5 1.6 - Early Car in Lovely Condition

I have this Mazda Eunos 1. 6 for sale. Its an early car with the chassis number showing that it was first registered in Japan in 1990 and was probably built in the last quarter of 1989. It has the 'one hole' radiator slam panel which geeks like me know was only found on early cars. Finished in Stone Silver with black cloth seats and trim, its covered an indicated 102900 km (around 64000 miles) and has a excellent MOT history. And yes, before anyone feels obliged to point out, it has a UK rear number plate panel fitted but I can confirm its definitely a Eunos Roadster.

Before I tell you more, let me tell you about Goodwood Sportscars and why should you buy from me:
While I'm a car dealer, I consider myself to be a car enthusiast above all else. I'll only sell cars that actual interest me as an enthusiast. I live and breath quick cars and have sold literally thousands of performance cars over a forty year period. I have competed in various forms of motorsport including the Scottish Hillclimb Championship (in an MX5 of course). I've had many thousands of MX5s through my hands and know their strengths and weaknesses well and I'm pretty good at spotting a good MX5 and at making one work to the best of its ability.

Good cars always look terrific but more importantly, you can just tell by the way this sits and drives that its a nice one. Its had a couple of well thought out tweaks too. Firstly, it has Bilstein suspension all round and the shocks have been fitted with poly bushes too. Its definitely a firmer ride than a standard car and its sits a touch lower too, The trade off is pin-sharp handling and the ability to carry a daft amount of speed through a bend. The brakes system has been converted to take use larger 1. 8 discs and certainly feel significantly better than standard too. We have fitted new front discs and new pads all round as part of our sales preparation and it also has stainless steel braided front brake pipes too.

Bodywork is very good indeed with no rust anywhere - in fact you can still see the original spot welds on each of the rear wheel arch lips. Its equally solid underneath too with solid sills, floors and arches. There is no rust on wheel arches, sills, wings etc - its just a very clean solid car. If you run your finger around the inside of the inner rear wheel arch ( a well known trouble spot on these) its beautifully clean and feels as it should. There is the odd very minor scratch or stone chip (one on the rear bumper, a couple on the rear mudflaps and one that hasn't been particularly well touched in, on the windscreen surround). In any case, it looks terrific and is so much better than most MX5s.
Its sitting on 15" Mk2 five spoke alloys and these are fitted with a matching set of Toyo tyres all in good order and with plenty of tread. Spec includes electric windows, power steering, Momo steering wheel and a black vinyl soft top.

Inside its clean and very presentable. Carpets, trim and dashboard are all in good order. There are a couple of very small blemishes on the base of the drivers seats (no rips or tears though) and it still has its lovely and original Momo leather-rimmed steering wheel. The electric windows have just been cleaned and lubricated and work well too. It has a decent stereo fitted complete with Bluetooth and AUX facilities. The heater works well though the air con system has been removed (it rarely works on cars of this age anyway so no great loss).

The boot is smart and clean and has its original toolkit, jack and space saver spare wheel. The engine bay is all pretty standard and in good presentable condition and with no leaks or untoward noises. It has a set of double silicone spark plug leads fitted and its just had a full service with new oil, oil and air filters, new spark plugs, coolant etc. Its had its timing belt replaced at least twice in its lifetime with the last change being in July 2024 (4000 miles ago) when it also had a new set of tappets fitted along with a new water pump and a big service. Total cost for this was just under £1000.

So how does it drive? When I collected the car from our workshop, I had a brilliant 160 miles drive back home: the car was excellent on the motorway but even better on the quiet A and B roads I chose to use for the last 50 miles where its handling meant I could make proper progress. Performance is strong - this is easily as quick as a good 1. 8 and it loves being revved hard. Gearbox and clutch are just as they should be too. There are no leaks, no odd noises and it holds its temperature perfectly in all conditions. Its happy to sit on the motorway at 90mph if you really must but even happier blasting around the country lanes where its lovely handling mean its so much fun. Underneath the car, all suspension components are in good order as are ball joints, track rods, subframes etc. The exhaust system is in good condition too. Whenever I prepare a car for sale, I use my own MX5-based checklist which covers 80+ points and ensures that even the detail stuff is checked and any issues spotted and attended to. This includes all sorts of things such as hood catches, drain holes, electric windows, door locks, condition of coolant hoses right down to the state of the cigarette lighter. It means the car is fit for purpose and should behave and drive just as a good MX5 should.

I have a folder full of old receipts, two keys and its just had a full check-over and will have a new MOT. In fact its worth taking a look at the online MOT history as its particularly good. This really is the painless way into classic/ fun car ownership. The car looks terrific and drives exceptionally well. Price is £5350 and its ready to be used and enjoyed with no other significant expense required.

I'm based in Berwick on Tweed, near the Scottish Border and I can collect any prospective buyer from the local train station or I can arrange to have the car delivered by a trusted transport company at extra cost. I’m well known in the MX5 world and know these cars well. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions – if you are genuinely interested, you’ll have plenty and I’m happy to talk about MX5s all day. I'm also happy to give you an honest description and if there any faults or issues with the car, I much prefer to tell you up front, so you are clear about what you are buying.