Reply With Quotegreat car but the previous model is better than the current one imh.
Any of you guys have any experience with one?
My current car, a Citroen C2 which I love and have owned from new, is getting a little long in the tooth and i've been thinking trading it in and picking up something else. I thought about the usual hatchbacks, Golf, Leon, A3 etc but then thought... why not something a bit more fun and started looking at the MX-5. I think I could probably cope with the hairdresser insults :D
A mate of mine has one and loves it but then he does have another car he can put big heavy stuff in if he needs it. This would be my only car and whilst I rarely carry passengers apart from the girlfriend it would restrict that sort of thing a bit. Impractical has been word of the day for me.
Possibly nothing will come of it but it's playing on my mind and i'm going to take one on a test drive tomorrow if I can sort it out.
Any opinions?
great car but the previous model is better than the current one imh.
I drive a Boxster - but have always said after I'm 40 I'm going to buy an MX5 - driven one on a track and they are fantastic fun! Highly recommended.
Current model higher quality.
It's just a matter of time...
I always said I would get one as a second car - the first model - when I get to 40. Everyone I know who has owned one sings their praises. I like my A3 though too :)Originally Posted by Omegamanic
Go for it - current model, 2.0 lt engine 8)
Oh there are going to be some of those without a doubt :D
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=126002&p=1310382&hilit=+roads ter#p1310382
From Sterns link:
:DNope ! Just a sure sign that you are completely gay :DI want an MX-5 roadster
Is that a sign of mid-life crisis? :D
I'd get used to that.
I can cope with the insurance on a 1.8 :D it's only £150 more than i'm paying now.
There's one around the corner with 16k miles on it for around £9k. I'll be doing my homework before I go for it though.
The girlfriend has pointed out that it makes it difficult to take the mountain bikes up to the lakes... hmmmm.
You just missed a peach of you on SC mate
I have a Mk2 1.6 and it's fantastic. It's been replaced as daily driver by a Boxster but I took the MX to a track day at Bedford on Saturday and it performed superbly, and has some upgrades coming. It's actually a lot more fun on the road than the Boxster, easier to throw around and has much better handling. Different cars though. I can't speak for the Mk3 MX though. And yes, it doesn't take too much luggage etc but with the roof down you can easily carry a ladder or banister, something your average hatchback can't do.
"A man of little significance"
I have wanted to get an MX-5 for so long now, every time I have the opportunity to buy one I bottle it because I'm worried about practicality - 2 seats and small boot. I can't have one as a second car as I can't really justify owning two cars. I test drove a Mk. I Gleneagles with a view to buying, but couldn't go through with it. A few years later I tried a Mk.II "Icon". I fell in love with it and the drive was excellent but once again I bottled it and ended up with a Mazda 6! More recently I had the opportunity to purchase one when my Mazda was written off and ended up with a Honda Civic! I guess I'm never destined to own one and I so want to!!
It is gay but if you dont care it displays your confidence
RIAC
Go for it. I have a Mk2.5 and it is lovely. It is my second car though, there is no way I could make it through the worst of the winter weather in one. Snow, ice and rear wheel drive do not go together. Once you lose the back end on a patch of ice I think you'll agree with me!
There is nothing remotely practical about a 2 seater sports car, so just accept the fact. Older ones can be picked up for just a few grand or less so it needn't cost much to run as a second car.
You could alway point out to the girlfriend that she should get her own car :bom:From Sterns link:
:DNope ! Just a sure sign that you are completely gay :DI want an MX-5 roadster
Is that a sign of mid-life crisis? :D
I'd get used to that.
I can cope with the insurance on a 1.8 :D it's only £150 more than i'm paying now.
There's one around the corner with 16k miles on it for around £9k. I'll be doing my homework before I go for it though.
The girlfriend has pointed out that it makes it difficult to take the mountain bikes up to the lakes... hmmmm.
I had a mk 3 2.0 litre model and it was the best car I've ever driven. Makes Audi TT, BMWs etc seem like micras (apologies to micra owners here). I had the same circumstances as you (rarely carrying more than one passenger) but found my practical requirements were more frequent than I predicted. Still manageable though, and if wasn't a case of an old guy driving into the back of me (apparently to busy thinking how he would like one!) and a new job with a 60 mile a day commute I'd still be happily enjoying it. My new Bimmers ok but will never make me smile like the mx (sorry if it sounds cliched but it is the truth).
The handling is that good it's worth every one of the gay hairdresser jibes too!
if you want a fantastic car that puts a smile on your face and is a joy to own and drive rather than an image or a dream or a substitute for under endowment in other areas it is really hard to do better than an MX-5.
Nope, the MX is excellent fun in the snow and ice. And when you lose it on a patch of ice you're a) driving too fast for the conditions and b) in the best car to catch the slide and make it look as if you planned it!
"A man of little significance"
Hi Rob
My GF has a Mk1 MX-5 as a daily driver which is effectively my weekend car :wink: . We picked up a fresh import from a specialist in Merseyside (forget the name, Sports Car Classics?) who had about 14 in stock at the time, and had a full service and timing belt right away. Since then it's had a new roof with glass window, and more recently a full set of wheels and tyres (optional, but the black wheels on a white car look fantastic!). Oh, and we had a Cat2 immobiliser fitted for around £100 when we picked it up.
Apart from that it's had nothing and runs like a new one. It's hard to put my finger on, but within a minute of driving I always start smiling. It's nippy, but feels/sounds faster, it makes you feel like a hero on roundabouts and is the safest modern way to learn rear-wheel drive without any driver aids (at least on the Mk1).
Seriously, if I didn't have access to one I'd be buying one myself as a stepping stone to Mk1 Elise or something similar. They really are fantastic cars.
Pick my brains on Sunday and I'll see if I can answer!
Ant
Sounds like you're looking at a MkIII, and I haven't owned one. But based on ownership experience of the first two models, and a current interest/test drive in a MkIII I'd say the following:
MkIII does feel like a more modern car to me: it's the one I'd buy if I wanted to spend 7-9k. And if so I'd buy one with leather etc. They are great value I think. But you do need to be sure that you can manage with the relative impracticality - a mistake will cost you a used Speedy or so if you buy from a dealer and then want to sell again....
MkII: the later, Mk2.5 is better I think, and I'd buy one of the 1.8 limited editions with leather - cabin is a bit dull otherwise - and the limited slip diff, which wasn't standard on a MkII I had, and it was a bit lurchy. ABS is a must too I think. If the car is going to live outside I'd look for one with a hard top too. Lots are too expensive though - no point paying 5k+ when a new model isn't that much more. But loads of good ones privately in the 3-4k range. And you do need a good service history. They do rust a bit - have a look under the boot lip and the wings/wheel arches. Graunching from the front end is a common, and irritating, problem too, so listen for that.
MkI: for me the best of the lot to drive and to look at. Just had a charm that somehow eluded my MkII. I had a fresh Japanese import (Eunos) years ago and it was brilliant. When we changed the cambelt the original one looked like frayed rope, but it didn't let go - and I think this is a non-interference engine anyway. But I certainly wouldn't buy the 90bhp 1.6 that was UK spec for a while late on, and these are all old cars now - the youngest is well into its second decade now. Could you live with that?
TBH I think these make brilliant second cars - we couldn't manage with one as our only car, but YMMV as they say.
Best
Richard
The Mk3 has a much higher quality interior than the Mk2, which in turn is a lot better than the Mk1. The Mk1 is lightest by far, over 100kg lighter than the Mk2, which is 30kg lighter than the Mk3. There's the age issue, the Mk1 is getting on a bit now and the ones I've driven have all been quite tired in different ways. The oldest Mk2s are now 13 years old. If the roof is receding over the windows, or has tiny cracks in it, it's time for a replacement, which costs around £400. The Mk3 does have a trump card, which is the coupe with the retractable hard top. I wouldn't worry so much about keeping your car on the road with a soft top, as long as the roof is good. If it's old, you'll get condensation inside and the seats will get wet when it rains. Of course the trick is to take off the roof wherever possible, and get it replaced the first time you get in it and sit on a wet seat. My friend's car is the same age and has the same mileage as mine and one has lived its life in a garage, the other on the road. The roofs had the same amount of shrinkage and wear when we had them replaced at the same time. His is a 1.8S, mine a 1.6, and there's no difference in performance, my engine revs that little bit faster than his and I suspect the extra bhp in the 1.8 is offset against the extra weight of the electric windows, air con and whatever other rubbish is in there. Eunos models (which are the imports) tend to come with lots of toys on them, the Japanese loaded them up with spoilers, wooden dashboards and different wheels etc.
I took my car on a track day on Saturday and aside from having dampers and springs which are 90k miles old, and knackered brake discs (took the precaution of changing the pads first!), it performed impeccably and outhandled a lot of other stuff. I had the pleasure of watching a couple of FWD cars spin off behind me thinking they could take the same lines/speed as me through some of the corners. What it does lack though is speed, so when I can afford it, mine will get the 210bhp turbocharged conversion from BBR, along with some new springs, dampers etc. They do turn-key cars for £8k or so, they will build a Mk1 or Mk2 to your specification but the base model has seats retrimmed in leather, body resprayed to colour of your choice, chassis stiffened, bigger wheels and tyres and the uprated engine. That might include uprated brakes too, can't remember but I'd be amazed if they didn't do that. There are then various other options. 0-60 drops to around 5.5 seconds and all the people on Evo and Autocar are raving about it.
"A man of little significance"
I had a mark 2 1.8 litre back in 2001-2002 when we lived in Sydney. I never bought a convertible in the UK and decided that if ever there was a place to own one, Australia was it. We had so much fun zipping around the Blue mountains at weekends with roof down in the bright sunshine, picnic hamper in the boot. Such a joyful little car and I will have one again one day. Not now though, not good when you've got a 1 year old and a 3 year old!
Just wanted to add my two-peneth to all the positive comments so far. I'd become a biker over the last 5-10 years, rarely driving until a change of circumstances made us need a 2nd car.......so enter the Mini Cooper S. That car re-invigorated my love of driving but I sold it to buy a bike and car.......enter the MX-5 mk2.5 1.8i Sport.
One of the best cars I've ever owned.....just a joy to drive.....such great handling. I even did a track day in it.
Sadly it had to give way to my need for a bit more power......I now have a Boxster as after my first taste of a convertible in the MX-5 I wouldn't have anything else. I still miss the little MX-5 though.........I suspect one day I'll get another one. Go for it.......life's too short :D
I've never owned one (too old.. too fat.. too poor to warrant a second car and the bike) but my brother raves about them. He reckons it's everything the Triumph Spitfire should have been and a bloody good car if you accept the limitations of space inherent in a 2 seater sports car.
Another strong point in this car's favour is residuals. If you buy a used car which has salrerady sufffered its major depreciation it will retain a decent percentage of its value on resale, provided it is properly maintained and not abused.
Rob
Used to have a Mk3 and went to France for a week with the wife and even brought a case of wine back
I've run a Mk2.5 and currently have a Mk3. Great cars both of them.
The Mk2.5 was the purer driving experience but to live with day to day and especially if you do motorway miles the Mk3 is the way to go. Watch the pre-Mk3 cars for rust, especially the sills which can get water inside if the roof drainage holes get blocked and rot from the inside out... :shock:
This is mine which I'm going to start advertising soon now the weather has bucked up.
PM me if you have any specific questions about mine or just MX5s in general. :)
The pictures alone are making me want one more :love4:
I had a bit of a look and it seems the Saris Bones bike rack is a decent fit if I was desparate to take the bikes somewhere.
I'm going for a good look at one tonight. It's silver and i'd really prefer a black one but, Optimum, your red Mk3 looks perfect.
The number of people who have mentioned that the rwd makes it a bit more difficult in snow and ice is putting me off it. I spoke to a guy in work today who said that was why he got rid of his last year but then he does do a lot more driving than me to get here. He did say that it was still the most fun he's had behind a steering wheel though :D
Seriously, how difficult is it to cope in the snow with one of these? My current car is very sure footed but then it's small with a wheel in each corner and the engine keeping the weight over the driving wheels. Am I going to struggle?
I've had one of each, but always with the larger engine.
Had a late MK1 1.8 which was fantastic fun, and TBH still the best to really drive full chat.
Then moved onto a MK2.5 1.8se, much of the same but with a little more refinement.
Finally moved onto a MK3.5 (aka MK3 facelift) 2.0se, chose to stay away from the sport as TBH I found the ride a bit harder than the se and I live near a lot of bumpy roads. Much more refined than the mk1/2 but still keeps most of the mx5 magic. I haven't driven the pre facelift MK3 which I've heard is a bit too soft and doesn't quite work as well. Facelift was in Mid/late 2009 btw.
+ves
Absolutely fantastic to drive, simply nothing I've been near comes close. Z4 etc, are a different type of car.
I've been surprised by the positive reaction they get from almost everyone. Very few hairdresser comments rather surprisingly.
-ves
Always be slightly disappointed by the mpg on these. I very rarely get better than my 328i BMW for example.
Practicality, The MK boot really irritates me. Not the size as that's OK, its more the shape any decent size sports bag strggles to get through the small opening. :evil:
Overall
If your even considering it a little bit... DO IT!!!!
Never met anyone who's been disappointed.
In standard trim it's absolutely useless...
But....
...with a few clever modifications it'll be fine.
This year I added winter tyres and 3 bags of sand to the boot. All was fine after that.
Winter tyres were took off last weekend btw.
IMHO winter tyres are all you need (oh, and a gentle right foot :wink: ). A chap near me has a set on some cheap as chips steel wheels with winter tyres that he throws on for the worst of the winter - job's a good 'un! :thumbright:
I had mine on snow socks this winter when it snowed, was great fun. Don't have pics of them on but here's my girlfriend's Fiat 500 wearing some:
And here's the MX out in the snow, before I bought the socks
I did think about winter tyres but the MX is more fun when it slides around a bit. If that's of concern, look for a Mk3 with traction control or go on a skid pan course ad learn what to do if it does oversteer
"A man of little significance"
I'd agree with this you really do need to understand oversteer before getting a mx5.
The TC works great on normal tarmac but really can't cope with snow. On summer tyres your wont even move. :D
Well, i've been out and tried two today.
A mate let me take his Mk2 for a spin then I went to the dealers and had a go of a Mk3. I was very impressed with both and can see they are tons of fun.
They are very small and there isn't a lot of space inside but then they are softtop roadsters and that's pretty much what they're about.
I'm going to have to give this some thought. :?
You guys have been a great help so far, by the way. Thanks for all of the comments.
You might be best to understand oversteer before you get an MX5 but this shouldn't scare you. The MX5 is the ideal car to learn how to control and enjoy oversteer in - there are few more benign and controllable RWD cars for the beginner. Mk3s are a bit trickier than the earlier models because they have more power. Trust me, its not a case of the back swinging out at the slightest provcation. Don't forget millions of hairdressers have owned MX5s without all ending up backwards in a ditch. :)I'd agree with this you really do need to understand oversteer before getting a mx5.
The TC works great on normal tarmac but really can't cope with snow. On summer tyres your wont even move. :D
Not really necessary but another postive vote here.
My wife has a late mk1 1.8 with nearly 100k on the clock. Bar one little bit of sill rust we dealt with the body is perfect, it is reliable and huge fun.
In four years we've just had it serviced and I put in a replacement radiator (less than £100) when that went. Oh and the origianl exhaust finally expired and I put a stainless system on.
And the best bit is that we paid £3500 and it's still probably worth £2500 if not more. I'd be surprised if maintenance wise we've spent much more than £1000 in four years.
The 710 has come up with an idea. She says that she might consider buying my current car from me at the price that he garage has offered to take it in PX. That would give me a bit more practicality as I would still have the other car to carry stuff if I needed to and I could possibly buy myself a toy.
It's still a bit up in the air since she's going to think about it and i'm going to have the car MOT'd on friday. While that's being done i'll ask my mate the mechanic if it's likely to have anything major need doing in the next year or so.
If he says it's ok then it could be the 710's new car. If he says the bottoms about to fall off it then it might be time to trade it in for something more practical :(
Previous generation Civic Type R. Brilliant car and it's practical!
"A man of little significance"
You are talking about the car here...? :lol:
My earlier post made me reminisce about mine, I'm feeling rather tempted to start searching autotrader and ebay now.....
(Someone said nobody's regretted buying one, I bet lots of us have regretted selling one!!)
Anyway as part of my reminiscing I found this....
Same registration number, both mine.
Two great cars but the Mark 2 was better
scooter
Where's that picture been taken?Anyway as part of my reminiscing I found this....
I've got one very similar, and possibly the same place, of my old Mk2.5 I need to dig out.
To me the only consideration in your position would be the lack of carrying ability for big / lumpy items, or stuff for the dump. Fine if its a second car, but as an only car...
Forget about handling worries, it really is about the most benign RWD experience you can get. Unless you are being very very stupid, it is a doddle to hustle along and incredibly easy to catch should you want to have a play on a greasy roundabout.
Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the bike rack issue... I managed to rig up a bike rack on the FIA roll bar of my Caterham 7 and carried two MTB's on it for a holiday to the Lakes... so MTB's on an MX5 should be a doddle.
MK3 is the one to go for.
It's just a matter of time...
Surely she just sits in the passenger seat?
"A man of little significance"
Had a last of the MK1's with 1.8 engine. An absolute scream, and got into some serious "shapes" in it.
Highly regarded.
I had a beautiful blue Mk1 1600 - Japan import Eunos roadster rather than UK model. The g/f (now wife) made me sell it because there wasn't enough space for her clothes and shoes in the boot :wink:
As others have said, very few people regret buying one but most of us regret selling them.
One tip - if you do want to play with the grip, don't fit wider wheels. The previous owner of mine had done so and it did wonders for the looks, but not so much for the fun-factor.
Chris
Very few road cars benefit from the fitment of wider wheels, you may get more grip but it rarely improves the handling.
I went up to 15" wheels, which are an inch wider and taller than the base alloys fitted on my Mk2 1.6. The grip has gone up by a lot and the ride and steering are less fidgety (which I suspect would be of interest were someone like my mother be driving it, I have a feeling oversteer would not be an option!), plus I have a greater choice of tyres, but it's less 'darty', has lost a lot of the life in the chassis and steering, tramlines more and you have to make more effort to oversteer on greasy roundabouts. If you do like the tail to be lose, a brake bias switch/dial thing is a very good addition, in conjunction with uprated front brakes. I think I'll keep the bigger wheels/tyres for track use but will probably get my original wheels refurbished and put them back on for normal road use.
I would actually swap over to the MX for this weekend and leave the Boxster in the storage place but forgot to bring the keys. MX5s are addictive, very few other cars come close for driving experience!
What Jeremy says is right in general, it's very rare that bigger or wider wheels are an improvement over manufacturer spec.
"A man of little significance"
Surely she just sits in the passenger seat?
Best comment in this thread so far :D
My wife had a Mk2.5 1.6, awesome car, she had it for 2 yrs and HAD to be parted with it because you can't put babies in the boot! Buy one, you won't regret it, there's nothing like a sunny sunday morning driving through the country lanes with the roof down, either in the summer or winter :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
I you go to view any make sure to check the sills carefully. A pal was looking last week and apparently theY have drain holes which can easily become blocked leading to rot. He ended up getting a Merc SLK.
F.T.F.A.
You can easily tell when they are blocked, you can hear the water sloshing around in the sills.
The aerial is designed to be removed and can be used to rod the drains (I kid you not). The 5 and SLK and very different kettles of fish.
Yeah, the SLK is a hairdressers car :D
"A man of little significance"
Posting Permissions
