2003 Mazda MX-5 1.8L Petrol · FH03 MWL

The 2003 Mazda MX-5 passed its most recent MOT on 5 May 2022 at 108,932 miles with no defects recorded, leaving it in a nominally roadworthy state at that time. The maintenance trend shows a stable outcome, with the only blemish being a failure logged on 23 April 2022 at 108,928 miles that carried no listed defects, suggesting an administrative or non-mechanical rejection rather than a worn component fault. Recorded mileage sits at 108,932 against an age of around 23 years, equating to roughly 4,736 miles per year. This is low for the model's age. The history shows just four miles added between the April 2022 failure and the May 2022 pass, and no further tests appear after May 2022, leaving a gap of over four years to today's date of 8 July 2026. Such low use with long static periods typically hides perished rubber bushings, seized calipers, and creeping corrosion rather than high-mileage drivetrain fatigue. A buyer must treat the four-year test gap as the primary risk. The MX-5 of this era suffers structural rot at sills, rear arches, and suspension mounting points when left standing. The tester should lift the car and probe those areas for scaling and through-corrosion before any purchase. In-person checks should also cover brake disc condition, handbrake travel, and tyre sidewall cracking from age rather than wear. The clean advisory list in May 2022 gives no warning of pending issues, so a fresh 2026 inspection is essential to confirm the suspension bushes and exhaust emissions still meet standard after the lay-up.