Mazda MX-5: The Complete Guide

T W White & Sons has been selling the Mazda MX-5 since its UK launch in 1989. In 1990, we accounted for 9% of all Mazda MX-5 sales in the UK. By 1998, we had sold over 500 units in a single year, representing 8% of all UK MX-5 sales.

Since 1989, an estimated 1.36 million MX-5s have been produced worldwide, with over 147,000 sold in the UK. Of total global production, approximately 65% have been manual transmission, with the remaining 35% automatics. The automatic models were typically for the North American and Japanese domestic markets.

Between 1998 and 2007, our team made 44 trips to Japan to source JDM roadsters directly, bringing over 2,000 cars back to the UK. Around 70% of those were automatics, typically one to two years old. Manual models remained the choice of enthusiasts, often equipped with a Torsen limited-slip differential and Bilstein shock absorbers.

That long-standing relationship with the model means our team has first-hand experience of every generation and every facelift, knowledge that is reflected throughout this guide.