Alright chaps.

Right, i did this last year around this time (i get bored over xmas) But i have ALWAYS been a hardcore dubber. Had dozens of cars over the years and they have ALL be VW (or at least VAG).

This time last year i started day dreaming about a Honda Prelude, and then quickly changed my mind... Its that time of year again,

And i keep seeing Mazda Mx5s that i like. As Standard they look crap. (and yes, kinda girly) But I've seen one around town that is low and wide and i just think they could be great fun!!!!

There is one in this months Fast Car mag that has sort of got me as far as keeping an eye out for them on EBay. And you can get a good project base well cheap!

What do people think... Am i just going mad!? Anyone owned one? Are they nippy? Handel well?

I'm currently in the process of saving for a 944 for when i turn 30 (in two years) but an MX5 could be fun, right???

I'd personally love one, but as a second car kind of thing (weekends) a lot of my friends think that they are just gay no argument but I disagree strongly.

Less of this

More of this

But as I havnt owned one I can't help.

Sorry

I wouldnt mind one, but with some mods that didnt make me feel as if everyone was judging me for my hair styling abilities.

I'd personally love one, but as a second car kind of thing (weekends) a lot of my friends think that they are just gay no argument but I disagree strongly.

Less of this

bloody hairdressers.......

buy one, I don't regret it.

mine is a 1.8 mk2 its comfy, reasonably swift (140hp), handles well because RWD sports car and has a Torsen LSD for bare slides blad. there is an image problem but fuck everyone else, I bought my car for to enjoy, not everyone else. also I use mine daily so it's not a weekend car, it can take everyday use in its stride. only thing to remember especially this time of year is to not drive it like you would a polo.

Edited 29 December, 201213 yr by Leon

When i was a teen i read lots of car magazines, saw someone had taken one of those new Eunos Roadsters in california and put a V8 in it. We'd just got the car here as an MX5. It was unreal at the time, really special there was nothing like it really. But everyone wanted to hate it because the new FWD Lotus Elan was advertised everywhere in a union jack frenzy (even though it was probably more japanese than the Mazda..).

I remember predicting the tiny Eunos was gonna be popular abroad with silly engines, and Mazda would probably sell a rotary version. We'd have fast turbo Elans. I was hopelessly wrong.

The Elan failed, the MX5 was a huge hit here - and silly engined versions have always been few and far between.

Such a waste we still have so many of these things, all with little four-pots in them. So much potential. Maybe it's because speed isn't everything, and they're reputed to be great fun as they are..?

they are indeed good fun as they are, the steering is a little numb but they handle great and though not designed for straight line speed they do ok as standard. to be honest it could do with a lighter engine but too much power and you can't properly explore the limits safely.

I want one so bad but I can't have a two seater, I carry passengers too regularly. Do it.

I get these hankerings for other cars too, looking at early Subaru Impreza wagons right now.

See, that little red one with the black wheels.... that right there is why it needs to be done.. low and wide they look freaking mean!

I think they are a bit hit and miss, a lot of people bang on about how amazing they are but I found my mates one pretty dull, just didn't have the balls to give me the sort of fun I look for in a car. That said I can imagine the boosted ones are a lot of fun, I just couldn't live with the standard engine, having some kick under your right foot isn't important to some folks tho

I'd say get a test drive first to see if its for you or not before rushing in and buying one, it seems to be not too uncommon for some of these to be up for sale again not long after being bought. I think my mates lasted less than a month before it was back up for sale

This was his, was pretty much sorted bar the engine tbf

they are indeed good fun as they are, the steering is a little numb but they handle great and though not designed for straight line speed they do ok as standard. to be honest it could do with a lighter engine but too much power and you can't properly explore the limits safely.

..but too much power and you can't properly explore the limits safely.

properly explore the limits

safely

Eh..? What car can you safely explore the limits..?

Inb4..

There's a couple of cool build threads in the Non-Polo gallery section. Some can look proper mean! I have a soft spot for S2000's.

mx5's are brilliant and can be addictive little cars. I've got the polo to learn stuff, have fun and wean me off mx5's - not easy.

not feeling any VAG love so far - when was the last good car they made? corrado? I loved my mk4 golf gt tdi but it wasnt cheap to keep on the road and my wifes beetle has problems.

mx5's

fantastic reliability.

Fuel consumption is poor really.

Watch for rust on rear arches - and the fake sill before the rear wheels and the sills.

can go in other areas but your mileage may vary- dont be put off by imports, came of the same line, often with more spec.

Hoods can be an expensive point on a cheap car - if you see what i mean. Probably looking at £300 minimum if needs doing - they first tear over the side windows and it raises over time - the more window seal you can see the less life in the hood.

Will show up bad rubber in a second - essential you have a suitable tyre and they are at the right pressure. (if you are thinking anything below upper medium brand tyres this is not a good car for you)

I've had that many 5's and wheel and tyre combo's I can usually tell when they are slightly out.

Very sensitive to the full geometry - a bad one means the car feels crap, but unless you have driven a few you wont know. Ill post up a couple of geometry readings.

I keep getting them, telling myself ill keep it standard and enjoy iot for what it is then £xxx pound and time later.......

Cheap coilovers are for getting low, not for handling.

the standard 4 pot can be made faster easily and fairly cheaply - which is why the engine conversions didint really happen, think i did my last one for about £1100 to get it eaton Sc'd and on a ecu and intercooler injectors etc etc- reliably for about 230bhp. couple of KLDe/ZE V6's appearing and a few of the V8 from the lexus more recently.

a few shots of my ones:

This one we put an awesome coldside charger set up on - amazingly responsive to drive.

Didnt do too much to the mk2 as it was a rare RS from japan which also had a full mazdaspeed breathing system on it.- drove fantastic with change of springs to better suit the shocks and a good alignment and some breathing mods.

My first one - back in the late 90's when we didnt have car forum's - email lists anyone????

went to an mx5 meet yesterday in the country, roof down reminding me what that car is all about.

26 of us there.

I have one and it just reaffirms how well designed and built VWs manufactured 20 years prior are in comparison.

I'm sure they're fun and they handle well blah, blah, blah but I've had infinitely more fun in my mk1 Golf.

The thing that really does impress me about the MX5 though, is how amazingly bulletproof the engines are Rag the bollocks off it from cold before the starter motors barely had a chance to disengage, and it laughs off the abuse!

You don't need much more power than standard. A properly piloted MX-5 with the standard engine will outrun a lot of much faster machinery because you can have your foot nailed to the floor the whole time. Not fast in the slightest in a straight line but it's all about the grip with these, and tbh that's more usable in the majority of real-life situations.

I'd like one, but I wouldn't chop in the G40 to buy it.

i have never wanted one until i seen & read this

http://www.edition38.com/forums/index.php?...3692&st=140

local lad in louth is currently selling his, absolutely lovely car and had a bit of a motorsport theme added to it aswell as a bit of euro....he loves driving it and seems to be good fun

I do think it's ironic when people buy an MX-5, drop it onto its sills and fit negative offset wide-ass wheels, only to bang on about having bought it because it handles so well, not because of the looks.

The word you're looking for is "handled". Past tense.

Not saying there's anything wrong with stancing one, but it makes you as image obsessed as the hairdresser brigade not some chassis-obsessed driving enthusiast.

Thats basically it. dont know if anyone on here read fast car. i dont tend to. but i got this months one.

There is a black mk5 in there that made me wont one!

Kinda like the one above,

Standard they look cack!! I'm no 'all about' the speed, but I'm sure a 1.8 in a car that size aint to slow.

Basically, I'm thinking that 9 out of 10 of them look to soft. But with the right changes. i think they can look wicked. dont think i would be able to drive one standard tho

Not saying there's anything wrong with stancing one, but it makes you as image obsessed as the hairdresser brigade not some chassis-obsessed driving enthusiast.

I'd put some of those "driving nuts" in the same same image obsessed category tbh, it seems the in thing to do these days to show how much you know about cars is to buy a cheap mx5 and start spouting shit about handling

The hairdressers may of long since moved on from the mx5, but they have been replaced with the amateur handling guru.

standard car vs standard car the 1.8's are quicker than any polo aside from the 6r GTI. its not the most precise handling tool, the steering for example is lacking in feel. is it good fun? yes. does it make me look like a driving enthusiast? no in nearly standard trim I look camper than dale winton and alan carr on a shoe shopping trip. I accept I'm not a decent driver and like many people I know, I bought one to learn more about RWD in a cheap car that doesn't cost the earth to insure. more plentiful and fun than a sierra, more accessible in money terms than a nissan silvia, easier and less fragile to drive in the country than an MGB, The mx5 is many things and may not be the best at everything but nothing is really perfect, if like me you want one to tool about in daily in relative comfort, go for a roof down drive in the coiuntry with the girlfriend, drive like you stole it, drift it a little (LSD as standard) and generally enjoy dicking about at low speed the mx5 fits the bill. ince you get into modifying them then the game changes. They are EASY to turbo as the engine is essentially a 323 turbo engine minus the turbo whack one on and you can add nearly 100hp whilst still being conservative, add coilovers and additional bracing you are well on your way to a silly quick little car point to point.

it seems the in thing to do these days to show how much you know about cars is to buy a cheap mx5 and start spouting shit about handling

Don't forget, you also have to compare the performance to a completely different type of car like a polo 6n, and call everything front wheel drive crap.

it seems the in thing to do these days to show how much you know about cars is to buy a cheap mx5 and start spouting shit about handling

Don't forget, you also have to compare the performance to a completely different type of car like a polo 6n, and call everything front wheel drive crap.

Yeah good call

Gotta say tho if this is true...

standard car vs standard car the 1.8's are quicker than any polo aside from the 6r GTI.

I've never been in a standard G40, but having driven a standard (engine wise) 1.8 mx5, every one that bangs on about how the standard G's are quick must be talking out of their arses

Gotta say tho if this is true...

standard car vs standard car the 1.8's are quicker than any polo aside from the 6r GTI.

I've never been in a standard G40, but having driven a standard (engine wise) 1.8 mx5, every one that bangs on about how the standard G's are quick must be talking out of their arses

Depends how you define quicker. Around a track or down a challenging A-road, definitely. In-gear acceleration, not a chance.

G40s are handicapped massively by their inability to corner or stop properly.