mx5cartalk.com

I recently got my red Ps and I have decided that I really want an Mx5 as my first car since they are fun to drive, easy to work on and I can upgrade parts in the future easily. I really like working on cars by myself.

So is it a good idea to buy an MX5 as a first car and if so how much should I spend on it.
I only probably have a budget of $5000.

Don't spend anything you don't already have on the initial purchase.
If you have 5k spend max 3.5k on the car. 1200 for rego and insurance. New parts and fixing stuff will need to happen regardless of how clean the car may be. They're not unreliable but they are more expensive than a budget fwd commuter (mainly because they're rewarding to drive on the limit which causes more wear on components )

Budget 50 to 100 a week on repairs/minor upgrades. Yes they're awesome but there's so many used and abused ones (your price bracket) which will require some tlc.

MX5s are awesome as first cars. They are super reliable and economical to run and own. I would say they would be as easy and cheap to run and maintain as any front wheel drive car, even more so if you are prepared to do the work yourself.

Best of all you will get so much more than most cars can give you in return.

Cookie is right that you of course should make sure that it either has enough registration or budget for it as well. $5000 should be you a decent early NA. You might have to forgo AC or PS to get one though.

Also if you can wait till the heat of summer or the beginning of winter to buy it will make it a bit cheaper.

Get third party insurance from a company that allows you to pay by the month.

Once you have more money you can do some work to the car, which is very easy and rewarding to do, or you can sell the car and upgrade to a newer or better model.

Best of luck