When it comes to owning a car, any level-headed person will tell you it's
not worth it in Singapore. Yet, when the time comes, they'll give a hundred
reasons why they need it. I don't need a hundred reasons. I look for only one
thing in a car: it must be a convertible. Only a convertible can capture the
feeling of "one-ness" with the road, just like riding. Unfortunately,
convertibles are treated as lifestyle cars here, so they are priced way
beyond my means.
Enter the MX-5. It's the cheapest convertible around. There are three
generations of MX-5: the NA, NB and NC. NA is the '91 model and is a COE car
now. They list at $26k to $35k. NB is the '97 model. They list at $50k to
$75k, depending on their age. NC is the '06 model and is too new for the
secondhand market. The lowest entry model lists at $83k, including COE. Also,
in the course of researching the MX-5, I realized that it is quite a classic
car; it's not just another convertible. That's enough for me to like it.
How did I end up with this MX-5? It's old (15 years), with possibly hefty
repair bills and unavailable parts. It's not really practical in this hot and
wet climate. It has high running cost: high fuel consumption, road tax at
150%, insurance under the high-performance car category (60% higher premium)
and annual inspection required. Also, it is a soft-top, which may be more
prone to vandalism.
I did a back-of-the-envelope calculation that I could afford it ($6.5k
depreciation/year and $600/month running cost) and went for it. Better get it
before I become rational again!
When it comes to old cars, you need three essential things:
- Manual transmission. It lasts much longer than auto and is easier
to repair or replace.
- A gearhead friend. You need someone who is familiar with cars,
especially the engine stuff.
- In-depth inspection. Final inspection by workshop to uncover any
possible engine problems.
As for me, I'm very superficial and go for the looks only. Four things
that caught my eyes:
- looks very well kept; I'll rate it 8.5/10
- don't need to unzip the rear windscreen before opening the soft-top
- leather seats
- "new" Michelin tyres
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The final step of the transfer of ownership. If the seller owns the car (no
outstanding loan) and the buyer pays in full, the transaction is simple and
straightforward.
Key dates
| 7/2/2007 | First viewing |
| 10/2/2007 | Detailed lookover |
| 11/2/2007 | Made my offer |
| 13/2/2007 | Signed agreement |
| 22/2/2007 | Inspection and transfer of ownership |
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A bunch of busybodies. :-D
I don't have the decal that allows me to park at the (sheltered) red lots
at my office, so I parked at the outside lots. The word is that there's a long
queue for the decal. Owning a car is no big deal these days.
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Always look good with the top down. Too bad about the p-plate.
The front p-plate is just placed on top of the IU. It stays there without
any problem. I pasted the back p-plate on the driver's seat, but it falls off
very easily.
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Mike is the official tester of this car.
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Test drive. The car is rated to go 0-100 km/h in 9.4 seconds on its 116 bhp.
Unfortunately, the speed humps get in the way.
9.4 seconds is pretty respectable even today, but straight-line performance
was never MX-5's forte. It is famed for its handling — it doesn't have
to slow down when navigating bends. But the driver has to be skillful too.
This driver is not. :-P
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Passed! Or not? Mike is much more particular about the engine/transmission
than I am. He's not as attracted to this car as I am. :-)
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Leong Kim sees something he doesn't like.
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Are they looking at the spare tyre?
The spare tyre is stored within the boot. The NB does it like other cars by
putting it below the boot. The solution for NA is simple: remove it. There's
no need to have a spare tyre in Singapore.
One attractive feature of the MX-5 is the boot: the soft-top, when it's
down, doesn't take up any space in the boot at all. This is often overlooked
for people not familiar with convertibles. This allows you to drop the top
any time, not just when your boot is empty.
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First day only, but I've scrapped against the kerb in the MSCP (multi-storey
carpark) already.
After navigating the tight MSCP turns a few times, I realized the position
to start turning is exactly the same as the driving school's crank course. So
that's what it's for! Unfortunately, parking is not quite the same due to the
car's smaller dimensions.
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Must park well away from the other cars.
The top unsheltered level tends to be empty. I like to park the car there
overnight, because I can see it from my flat! When the sun comes up, I drive
it to the levels below.
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Something wrong already on the second day. Notice the rubber at the top of the
window?
Mike is well acquainted with this car, having owned one before. Well, I'm
glad I learnt how to dismantle the door frame so quickly!
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A little oil never hurts.
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Problems
From mild to serious:
- Broken catch for the center console
- Glove box doesn't close fully
- Rattling from something inside the glove box
- Rattling somewhere around the IU
- Rattling from the soft-top
- Passenger-side window is squeaky
- Passenger-side door requires additional strength to close properly (even
so, you don't have to slam it!)
- Parking lights are not working
- High beam is not working (no light)
- One of the headlights' aim seems to be out
- Left mirror is partially non-reflective
- Brakes seem slightly soft
- Can be quite hard to shift into gear, especially the second gear
- Something is leaking from the engine
- Car steers towards the left
- Car vibrates periodically during idle when shifted into a gear, but only
if the air-con is off (when the air-con is on, the idle rpm is higher and it
dips lesser)
- Car seems to "slip" for a split second sometimes. It is most noticeable
when you let go of the accelerator in high gear above 70 km/h. Happens 1/5th
of the time.
- Shift stick vibrates excessively in third gear at around 2k rpm when you
let go of the accelerator
- Can have grinding sound when shifting from fourth gear to third above 40
km/h
You can't possibly catch everything before you buy the car. If you
really want to nitpick, you can find a few more faults:
- Spots on the dashboard.
- Bumper is misaligned. The gap is slightly bigger on the left side. First
thought was to check for accident.
- Soft-top is misaligned when closed. There's a gap on the passenger
side.
- Passenger-side window doesn't flush fully with the rubber seals. Possible
to leak in heavy rain.
Rating this MX-5
I'll rate this MX-5 at 8.5/10 (absolute scale, not relative to its age).
This is a very high rating considering its age. It certainly looks very
well-kept. The things that prevent me from giving full marks:
- No full servicing records. I don't mind high mileage (236k) or number of
owners (7), but there should be a full servicing record.
- Non-original keys.
- Incorrect owner's manual. I was passed a photocopied owner's manual for
a UK 1.8L model. I consider this to be very good already, but having the
original one (in Japanese) would be icing on the cake.
- Non-stock rims. Having the stock rims (in good condition) would show the
previous owner(s) care about the resale value.
- Non-stock steering wheel.
- Faded seat belt buckles. For an owner who seems to take good care of the
car, it seems strange to me he didn't change them to new ones.
- No toolbag. I suppose the car should come with a simple toolbag. Again,
this indicates how the previous owner(s) take care of the car and its parts.
I've put all the issues on a separate page
to make them easier to follow-up with.
Driving the MX-5
The conventional thinking is that the MX-5 is not suitable as the first
car, especially if you are a p-plater. You're getting used to driving, and on
top of that, you are getting used to this car. First, it's manual
transmission. Second, it has many blindspots when the soft-top is up. Third,
it is lower than other cars. Luckily, I'm fine with manual, even in start-stop
traffic. Controlling the clutch is second nature to me. As a rider, I'm also
well aware of blindspots. As for the car's low profile, well, you got to keep
your distance and drive more defensively.
Driving with the soft-top up is just like driving another other salon car.
The ride is noisy from the engine and the road, but this is the nature of the
car. People used to quiet rides may not be used to it, but I like it —
noise is a part of riding! The ride could be harsh, depending on the
suspensions. This car is described by my friends as "soft", meaning it is
somewhat un - sports car - like, but this is good for day-to-day travel. Even
so, it is harsher than a normal car.
Driving with the top down is extremely good, weather permitting. It
is the closest you can get to riding in a car! In the local context, it's only
enjoyable with the top down before 8 am and after 9 pm, or after a rain, when
the air is cool. At other times, it's only for show only. It looks cool with
the top down, but that's all it is — looks. It's really warm in
the seats.
Running cost
There are two things that make the MX-5 expensive: road tax and insurance.
The road tax is 150% of a normal 1.6L car due to its age, so I need to pay
$1425 instead of $950. The MX-5 is categorized as a sports car, so my premium
for TPFT, as a p-plater with 0% NCD, is $2071 instead of $1216.
The official fuel consumption is 10 km/l for city driving and 14 km/l for
highway driving. I seem to be getting 8 – 9 km/l for city driving (too
early to tell). It's definitely not suitable as a daily transport.
Getting an old car
Cars generally have a short lifespan in Singapore. The 2006 Annual Vehicle
Statistics from LTA shows that 80.9% of the 472,308 cars are under 4 years
old. 7.1% are over 10 years. The general impression you get is that people
don't keep their cars for very long, so they don't usually maintain them very
well, especially engine-wise.
Most people will raise an eyebrow at the MX-5 when they see how new it
looks. It's amazing how deceptive a new coat of paint can be. But most of them
will drop their jaw when they discover it's already 15 years old!
Beyond looks, it takes some risk-taking to buy such an old car. That's
where your gearhead friend and the inspection comes in. Make sure the car is
okay first. Subsequently, you got to do regular maintenance to keep the car in
good shape. There's definitely more wear-n-tear, but that's the trade-off if
you want it cheap.
One thing I like about old manual cars is that they are very simple. The
good thing about the MX-5 is that the repair manuals are still available. I've
bought two already and am buying three more! I'm trying to hands-on as much as
possible, for both learning and saving cost!
I heard rumblings behind my back about getting such an old car. At such
high depreciation too. Why not get newer cars? I like the NA model the most,
so if I have a choice — and I do — I will choose this one. How
about a cheap salon car, say, Toyota Vios at $48k then? To ask that question
misses the point. A convertible, hello! It's completely different.
Best time to buy
If you like the NA MX-5, I believe the best bang-for-the-buck time to buy
is two years later, when the car is left with 2 to 2.5 years of COE. Since the
car depreciates at $6.5k, it would cost $15k to $18k. That's very
affordable for a convertible. Get a good one, extend the COE for another ten
years and you've yourself one dirt cheap classic convertible. However, since
everyone know this, it may be hard to get one at a good price!
To sum up
The MX-5 is not practical for everyday use. However, it is great as a
second car, one that you use for fun drives. I treat it that way, just that I
got it first.
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