Practically Classics Forum

Hi, I'm thinking to buy a 1990 Mazda MX-5 with full kit and bumper as a future investment. In your opinion, Does it make any sense to buy it as a future investment? Does the fact that it's with full kit and bumper effect the future price? Do you suggest any better affordable option?
Thanks .

Welcome to the forum.
As a general rule, cars make poor investments. If you don't use it, it will deteriorate. If you use it, it will devalue.
If you want an MX-5 to drive and enjoy, they are good fun. If you are looking for an investment, things made out of bricks do much better.
Bodykits are a matter of personal taste. Factory bodykits in some circumstances makes a car more valuable. If it is an after market bodykit then it will devalue the car.

It's not exactly as an investment for money. My son will get the driving licence in 6 years , just in time to pass this car as a classic.
I should have asked it this way : Will this car will be a nice classic car that I can buy cheaper today than when its classic in 10 years time?

6 years is quite a long time in advance to be buying a car for someone. There is no guarantee that in 6 years time they will want the same first car they want now.
Saying that MX5 values seem to have bottomed so they can only go up from here. It's impossible to say how far they will rise versus how much you would need to spend on maintenance / insurance over the 6 year period to keep the car in good order.

If the real question is "I want a fun 2 seater and my other half won't let me. To get over this, I am saying it is for my son so i can have 6 years of fun before they pass their test. Is an MX5 a good bet" then yes

There are also kits you can buy to put a v8 in one if the 1600/1800 isn't quick enough for you.

We have a couple of MX5 owning members who I am sure will be along to offer some useful advice

Thanks.
30 years ago,my father in law had a motor accident and he ended in a wheel chair. 3 years I bought a Spitfire , and he had done the last 2 years doing a complete restoration ( with the help of my wife) . It's nearly fully restored now and he do hours staring proudly at her.
She have declared that this is just a show car .
The Mazda will give me an affordable 2 seater car that a can have fun with , but hopefully will still be appreciated by my son when he gets older.

i wanted to but my girls an mx5 each for when they pass their driving tests, but as they are 5years old 3years and 7months wifey said no

TerryG wrote:As a general rule, cars make poor investments. If you don't use it, it will deteriorate. If you use it, it will devalue.

I take a slightly different view. Buy a new car and it will depreciate. Even a modest hatchback will cost you about £2000 pa. Buy a classic and depreciation will be zero or negative, although you will have to spend money on repairs/maintenance/restoration. The MX5 has been the only mass-market traditional sports car around for some time and its popularity should ensure support for some time to come. While not wanting to get into a debate about what is a classic, I believe that anyone buying a good one and looking after it will not lose money in the long term.

20 years ago before we had kids we had some spare cash, some was invested as directed by the experts the rest I used to buy my lotus elan +2, the elan has roughly doubled in value , the investments..... we only just about got back what we put in, I should have bought a few more cars. My advice is to get one, we have just bought a late mk1 mx5 and it is great, just watch for rust particularly if it is hidden behind a body kit.

Thanks for your opinion. I live on an island and we only pay a hefty registration fee when it enter the island. For classic cars we do not pay any yearly fees and only pay 1 insurance ( irrelevant of how many cars you own). Hpoefully,Buying a 1990 MX5 will soon be a cheap to run classic car for my son.

where is this island dreamed of by many of this forum...

And is it a lot warmer than the uk?