I've never really had a look at a Eunos before, although I almost bought a friend's 2.0 MX5 with folding hard top pre my 330 rag top.
A pal of mine is selling his '91 1.6 so I took the opportunity to have a good look at it this afternoon. Given that it has lived outside in his 4 years of ownership it really is in nice condition. A fetching dark metallic grey respray before he bought it, space saver, 4 decent tyres, new battery, new hood with heated glass, chrome roll bars and a matching hard top. It has various mods including adjustable shocks, SS exhaust, engine brace, modified 1.8 exhaust manifold and 1.8 discs, and colour matching alloys which remind me of Mini Maglites. On the downside, the ac doesn't work, its a little tatty inside (but might clean up ok) and the drvers window is a manual, the passenger side remains electric!
And a recent new cambelt. It would make someone a nice cheap fun car, although I seriously doubt I could live with something of that ilk as an everyday runner. And I would bet that it rarely exceeds 30mpg.
A very different kettle of fish to another friends classic MGTF which I looked at on Saturday, and is in genuine concours condition, for which he paid as much as a small house in Chorley!
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I think you might need to look out for rust on a car of that vintage, subframes maybe ? Otherwise I understand them to be sturdy and easily repairable.
Depending on your budget I'd maybe caution you not to pay too much over the odds given it's your friend who has perhaps lavished money on it as these are 'sunk costs' which could be used to buy a newer model ? I'm sure I once read that the imported Eunos differed from UK market MX-5s in certain componentry, IIRC the windscreen glass was supposedly thinner. Might have been FUD by the official importers in the days when the UK paid over the odds for cars mind you..... The original 1991 car didn't have a heated rear glass on the soft-top IIRC, this was an innovation with the facelift perhaps ?
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They rot in front of the back wheels, at the back end of the door sills. There's a drain there. The soft-top fits inside the body under the rear window and water's channelled into drains that get blocked, eventually causing rot.
At that age, they make a good, cheap toy. Ask Manatee.
There's plenty of information on the web.
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Judging by his posts on here, they make a shed load of aggro...
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Are the Eunoses are as well rust-proofed as the MX-5s?
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>> Are the Eunoses are as well rust-proofed as the MX-5s?
Can't really be any worse. Most mk1 MX-5s are rotboxes now. Sills, rear quarters and screen pillars
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It was only a passing interest I had...I have other, more considered, options with regard to replacing the 330.
He told me he wants £1k for it...or that is the price he would sell it to me without the advertising hassle. Seemed fair to me, especially with an MOT till late July 2014, which he promised, and tax till Feb 2014. Only saying like...I mean, most people lose more than that the minute they drive their shiny new car out the showroom door.
Last edited by: legacylad on Mon 24 Jun 13 at 12:19
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I had a quick trawl of the interweb and found my friends recent MGTF acquisition. No wonder he was coy about the price! Its is a beaut, if that sort of thing floats your boat. Probably two houses in Chorley, not one!
Now that's what I call a proper toy.
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I'm considering its more recent and considerably more wallet-friendly namesake.
You can pick up a really nice one with the HG properly swapped for a MLS job for very little at the moment. Some time back I test-drove a 160 with the fancy valves. Very, very impressive and I promised myself one one day.
Last time I promised myself a ragtop I ended up driving an MGB every day for 8 years......
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>> I'm considering its more recent and considerably more wallet-friendly namesake.
>>
>> You can pick up a really nice one with the HG properly swapped for a
>> MLS job for very little at the moment. Some time back I test-drove a 160
>> with the fancy valves. Very, very impressive and I promised myself one one day.
I like them too. If I can fall over a good one I'd certainly be interested. It would have to be a TF rather than an F - I can do without Hydragas suspension I think, a pal has a '99, and he's running out of places to get it pumped up.
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>> It was only a passing interest I had...I have other, more considered, options with regard
>> to replacing the 330.
>>
>> He told me he wants £1k for it...or that is the price he would sell
>> it to me without the advertising hassle. Seemed fair to me, especially with an MOT
>> till late July 2014, which he promised, and tax till Feb 2014. Only saying like...I
>> mean, most people lose more than that the minute they drive their shiny new car
>> out the showroom door.
If it's not a rustbucket then it's very fair at £1000. However, it's 22 years old and might have serious rust - nearly all of them have. As an import, the Eunos has supposedly not had the rustproofing that UK cars had - and that's probably true. They were usually very good when imported, and some were properly rustproofed after that.
The rear sills (actually the bit of the rear wing in front of the wheel arch) on mine, a UK 1999 Mk2, have been cut out and a plate welded in twice as I've just had them done. The structural bit is underneath and may also need welding.
Chassis rails can also rust. Some Mk2.5s have been found with severe rust in the front chassis legs around where the ARB attaches, this isn't easily visible without removing the front undertray and can be uneconomic to replace - I'm not sure whether Mk1s are likely to rot there but I'd check.
A hood is c. £500 fitted. Mine also need a new drip rail (pattern one £75) and tension cable.
Have a look at the owners club forums - it's very educational.
There was a chap on there advertising a 'concours' 2002 Mk2 1.6 Phoenix for £6k - professionally rustproofed from new. I wish I'd bought that before I started fixing mine! I haven't reached the point where it would have been cheaper, but it might have been better value!
Mine has averaged 32mpg touring for 900 miles recently, so they are not the most economical things.
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Many thanks for that wealth of information Manatee.
As I said, I really have too many options at the moment.....the grass is always greener scenario, and it will take a fine car to replace the fun I have in my '04 330 rag top which has exceeded all my expectations, which were already high. Sending it to the auctions would be sooo hard.
My preferred option is 'something completely different' about which I hope to find out next week if the price is right. For me anyway!
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>>classic MGTF
Presuming this was the last of the postwar Midget series, before the modern one with the misleadingly similar name, how much was it, as a point of interest? I would guess upwards of 15 grand but then it is one of the prettiest cars ever made IMHO.
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I found the 1954 MGTF by googling...an advert in Classic Car or such. And you're waaaay out on price. Old cars don't do a lot for me. Rather a good new 'un the a good old 'un, with apologies to all those renovating and rebuilding.
I personally know two people rebuilding their TR6 and a Stag.
Give me an 8yo 330 anyday!
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Thoughts on a Eunos - idle_chatterer
