An Immaculate, 1900-Mile NA Mazda MX-5 Is For Sale – For £20,000
Contrary to the old saying, the answer isn’t always MX-5. But if the question is “what’s the most terrifyingly expensive 21-year-old car on eBay right now,” then MX-5 wins you the jackpot.
We stumbled across this Sparkle Green 1998 MX-5 Berkeley, the last of the NA series’ many special editions and one that was limited to just 400 units for the UK only. You’re looking at unit 357, as denoted by a centre console plaque. Standard Berkeley kit included a Momo leather steering wheel, dark burr wood trim, the boot rack and floor mats. New, it cost £17,600 - over £30,500 in today’s terms.
It has covered just 1899 miles, according to the seller, across two formal owners and himself – he seems to be a trader. He has recently serviced it with genuine Mazda parts, he says, and items like the brake discs certainly look new. It starts reliably and quickly, runs perfectly and still has its original tyres and exhaust.
It also comes with its original manuals, service book, two original keys including one with the supplying dealer’s key ring, and the original number plates. The seller describes it as ‘virtually as new,’ having spent relatively little of its 21 years out in the open. It’s clearly among the very best unrestored examples anywhere in the world.
A further claim is that it has never been driven in the wet, which the seller can’t possibly substantiate, but the condition of the car certainly suggests a dry life. There’s a caveat in that it has never been MOT’d, so it’s not currently road legal. The seller says an MOT can be arranged if a buyer wishes. It should surely fly through the test.
Still, he’s asking £19,995 for a car that, at best, is worth two thirds of that in the current market – or so you’d think, anyway. Sometimes in these scenarios a seller will try to seize the next 5-10 years’ worth of appreciation in advance. The truth is that a car like this is worth what someone is willing to pay. Will anyone be happy to hand over this much at this time?
Comments
19,995 is just insane for an NA MX-5, a literally fresh from the factory ND is 500 less and has all he creature comforts that come with a new car. Contrary to what a lot of people on CT like to believe, modern cars are objectively better than old cars. Older cars might be cooler (in the case of an NA MX-5 I wouldn’t even be too sure about that to be honest), but modern cars are better by objective measures.
The objective measure is part of the reason why people don’t always appreciate cars correctly, there are subjective aspects, the way the controls feel, the way the cars character makes you feel whether that be an eager engine or a playful chassis. I’m fairly sure Tiff Needell had more fun balancing a Morris 1000 upon a roundabout at 17 than I did in an objectively better 1.9 tdi Seat Altea at the same age.
Although I do agree this is a disgusting price for an NA MX5 I don’t think the correct way to reach that conclusion is by an objective comparison with the ND
The flaw in your argument is that objectivity does not mix to well with passion and nostalgia. If this is the best unmodified NA on the market then a lot of people have passion for this particular model. Speaking objectively you can buy an ND whenever you want. You can sit on your phone and do it online and you’ll be able to do that for years to come. You can’t walk down to your local mazda dealer and order a brand new NA which this car practically is to all extents and purposes. So my feeling is that it will probably sell at full asking price and quickly. 20k isn’t millionaire money. Any one of us could probably afford it or at least get the credit for it. Someone will bite.
Let me disagree with you, new isnt always better.
If you say safety lets take the autonomus handbrake example, you like it cause of safety, i hate it cause i work in a garage, so you cant push te car if shut down, and i hate being assisted.
You can talk about safety again with airbags, a perfect option, but why a necessity ? If i want to eat my steering wheel its my choice, it wont hurt the guy i hit in front of me, and that said, i dont want to be kicked in the face by a 20+ years old airbag.
Now lets go faster:
Park assist ? Please learn to drive
Rear camera ? Please learn to drive
Yeah this guy is way off the mark. £11-12K is probably much more in line with the value of the thing at this time. The internet has a lot of people dreaming up big numbers on these cheap sports cars. They are just not there yet 10 or more years and there are a lot of other MX-5s you’d have before this model.
Hey, his car, his price
At least there’s no visible rust 😂
If it truly is the best unmolested available in the world then it doesn’t seem like an insane price given the NAs cult like following. Smart move buying this car. I wonder how much he paid. Personally I’d look for the 2nd best. Same reason I don’t buy brand new cars when the same one with a handful of miles is much cheaper. But someone will have both the money and the passion of that I have no doubt.
I dont know how people let cars sit I would put 10000 miles on this car in the first week. lol
Buyer proceeds to fit an eBay turbo
Cool and all, but ain’t that the NA6 dash on what’s at least supposed to be an NA8?
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