Sadly the time has come to part company with our trusted and much enjoyed Mazda MX-5 Montana. Fiona bought the MX 13 years ago instead of buying a VW Polo or similar and over the years of ownership the car cost us precious little to keep on the road and is great fun to drive.
Now that we are both retired, we no longer have the need for 2 cars; the Honda has done fewer than 12k miles in 2 and a half years, the MX has done 500 miles in the last year.
We knew the car needed some work to keep it on the road, but the MOT in October 2021 exposed just how much work. Due to its age, the car would probably fetch about £1000 if roadworthy, but the quotes for the MOT work were for a minimum of around £750. The car was far too good to write off as scrap and could provide reliable and enjoyable transport for years to come. After some umming and ahhing, we decided to sell it as an MOT failure suitable for a home mechanic to restore over the winter.
Having placed an advert on Gumtree, within 20 minutes, we were inundated by responses. The one we opted for was from a gentleman who restores MX-5s. After a brief phone call, in which he divulged he was based 260 miles away, he had agreed to pay the full asking price, placed a deposit on the car and promised to have the car collected with the balance, the next morning. Meanwhile, some chancers were messaging on Gumtree, offering a derisory £250! By 11:00 the following day our MX was on its way to Bradford to a restorer and the full sale price was safely in the bank.
All in all, the car was advertised, sold, paid for and collected within 24 hours. A good result.
