Below is previous posting to UK email list

Hope this helps

Malcolm Gray-Stephens

'94 Eunos again.

1. If you are mechanically competent and do not worry the Eunos is a good deal.

2. If the garage does all the work normally the risks is probably not worth it - look around a bit more, some of the UK MX5s are really quite cheap but not if you want the dealer supplied blarney (you could buy repair insurance for a lot less than the slimy salesman charges you!).

Reasons are that some parts are different (not many (power steering belt, catalyst, air conditioning, non collapsing steering column, toughened windscreen, radio useless, Engine management different)). However;

1. Mazda dealers will not give you the time of day - so for example if engine management goes it is hard to source/pin point without them

2. Some parts may give you the run around - people on this list waiting 6 weeks for the power steering belt (drives the rarely fitted in UK air conditioning) when a visit to a motor factor would have sourced it – you need imagination not resignation.

So if you are intrepid and a petrol head a Eunos is cheaper and fun (and like to be different!).

For non petrol heads it can be expensive in garage time/worry and the resale will always be lower.

My 0.000001p worth

Malcolm Gray-Stephens

'94 Eunos

Thinner front windscreen (not to UK spec) that requires a new surround rubber to fit a replacement UK windscreen

Non collapsible steering column ..??? I could not see any difference

Limited to 180 kph /112mph .. easy to fix

Radio needs frequency shifter

No rear fog light

Speedo in kph – needs to read in mph

Oil gauge metric units not in psi

Different Engine management computer – but cross compatible in most cases

Sealed beam headlights rather than nice H4 bulbed ones

No dim/dip on headlights (headlights raised and dim when sidelights on with ignition on)

Red reflectors on bumper corners not orange

Rear numberplate surround is square – difficult to get a legal UK plate but not impossible

Front numberplate surround wrong – get UK spec one for 20 GBP

The badges front/rear

Interior boot carpet in black – grey on UK shows dirt less.

Some Mk1 1.8 still have 1 part seats where UK are all 2 part after ’94

Catalytic converter overheat warning light in dash (instead of foglight symbol) this also means the cat has an extra hole in it for the probe; remove it if required

A ’94 1.8 had a 1.6 cat fitted; so front exhaust downpipe is different to UK 1.8

Air conditioning is standard .. only ever fitted to one UK car (in Mk1 model)

Chassis number is shorter by several digits

Someone tried to fit a UK radiator to a 91Roadster but it was missing the a/c mounting points… of course someone with a ’92 UK car has retrofitted Roadster a/c and found the missing mounting points! (UK rad 189 GBP, 197 for Roadster from Mazda)

The correct terms are Mazda MX-5 and Eunos Roadster - Eunos is a make (brand
name) not a model name (the model name is Roadster)

Roadsters not fitted with a hard top were not supplied with 'Frankenstein'
bolts - all UK cars have them. ("Frankenstein Bolts" are the extended
pillars fitted to the front of the hinge mountings just forward of the boot
lid) Also the side hard top mounts were not fitted to Roadsters unless a
hard top was fitted in production
Roadster seatbelts are not E- marked.

Fuel filler restrictor not fitted to Roadsters. This is a legal requirement for cars first registered on or after 1st August 1992. It prevents a leaded pump fuel nozzle from being inserted into the fuel filler. Note that leaded fuel is no longer on sale in the UK.

Auxiliary fuse box (by the drivers legs) is marked in Japanese on Roadsters. Same layout as UK cars, though. Different models have different layouts.

Roadsters fitted with a catalyst temperature sensor.

Sun visors on Roadsters carry a label in Japanese about the temperature sensor on the catalyst.

Instrument panel warning lights on Roadsters include one for catalyst over temperature. (instead of fog light)

Instrument panel warning lights on Roadsters include one for seat belt not fastened - and there's a buzzer for seat belt not fastened.

UK cars have a hazard flasher warning light and a 'rear fog light on' warning on the instrument panel - these are not fitted to Roadsters.

Oil pressure gauge reads in Kg/cm2 on Roadsters. Note that after 1994 all models are fitted with a non-calibrated gauge which does not actually indicate oil pressure but acts instead like an oil pressure warning light.

Some early UK cars are red-lined at 6500 rpm - Roadsters are 7250 rpm.

Instructions for manual operation of the headlamp retractors are in Japanese on Roadsters.

On Roadsters, manufacturer plate is in Japanese, and say it is a Eunos product - made by Mazda Motor Corporation.

Vehicle ID is in a different format. (10 or 11 digits on Roadsters, 17 on UK cars)

Double DIN radio was fitted to Roadsters

Roadsters have the speed restrictor (112mph), but it is easily removed. (At least on 1.6 litre cars)

Wheel centre covers carry Eunos badges. (if original style alloys)

Automatic gearbox is available on Roadsters - it was never offered in UK. There are a lot of specification differences with automatics - radiator, camshafts, etc are different, apart from the gearbox.

Some people believe that air conditioning is fitted to Roadsters and not to UK cars. In fact the status is the same - it is/was an option in both UK and Japan. But very few cars were ever fitted with aircon in UK, whereas most
Roadsters are fitted with it.

In 1994, a bigger (1.8 litre) engine was fitted. UK versions of this have EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) fitted. Roadster versions do not.

None of these differences matter a jot! Roadsters cost less, but can be more expensive to insure and get serviced by Mazda dealers