Advice from the BCF Mazda MX5 mafia

[Kickstart]

Hi

Looks like I am going to need to get a new car soon. I am trying to decide between buying something sensible and cheap on petrol, buying something fairly sensible but sporty (probably another Alfa 156) or buying a small sports car. Choice of sports car would seem to be an MX5, MGF / TF (head gasket worries, not as sporty), Alfa Spider (floppy chassis), Fiat Barchetta (lhd) or MR2 (storage space is just about the glove box).

So MX5 questions. If I buy one it will be an NC and it will need to be an everyday car. Budget is about £6k, which counts out one with the folding hard top.

As petrol consumption is a factor, in real life use what kind of difference is there between the 1.8 and the 2L? What about the difference the 6 speed box makes?

What is the real life performance difference between them?

All the best

Keith
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[Bendy]

The 6 speed is only in the 'sport' (or it was when I bought my 5 anyway) and the general opinion was actually that the bigger wheels on the sport ruined the handling.

I doubt there's a massive difference between the 1.8 and the 2l in the real world, but I went for the 2 cos it's a bigger number :-B

[P.]

[mistergixer]

Keith doesn't know something.



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[P.]

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

[Ariel Badger]

Keith= Newb.
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[Frost]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/HondaS2000-004.jpg

https://www.motortorque.com/res/images/car/vauxhall/vx220/roadster-(2000-2005)/18281_539.Png

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Alfa_mito_2011_andrea.jpg

Or are they out of your price range?

[Kickstart]

Hi

Plenty I don't know.

As to those 3 Frost, the S2000 might be within budget if I want an old high mileage clunker, and could put up with it drinking more than an alcoholic at a free bar. The VX220 is out of budget. The Mito is out of budget and doesn't appeal having driven one - my stepmother has a 1.4, and on a dual carriageway / motorway I find the steering (not handling) quite horrible; feels like you have a tiny bit of steering wheel movement with stuff all assistance then it suddenly turns.

All the best

Keith
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[Frog]

I've got a 60 plate hard-top. It's not fast, but it is fun. Doesn't seem to be a massive amount of grip, which means you can play a little on the roads without doing speeds which will get you jail time

I get around 35 MPG ish.

Before that, I had a 55 plate soft-top (pre face lift version). Felt slightly faster, but still fun.

Most fun, however (mainly for the noise ) is my mate's mark 1, although I wouldn't want to crash it
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[Frost]

What about a caterham? or is that just stupid?

It'd probably be low enough to drive under the security barrier at work

[Ariel Badger]

Could you not find another couple of grand and go for a Lotus Elise Keith?
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[Kickstart]

[Shaft]

Any reason you're set on a later model?

As with all manufacturers, Mazda say they keep improving the breed, but for me they've sanitised it a little bit, with each successive revamp.

I'm in a very similar position and I've come to the conclusion that a 1.8 NA is the one to have; a third of your budget buys you the top end of what's available, possibly with some desirable mods, leaving plenty of change if you want to alter anything.

Having said that, classics keep sneaking into the foreground of my thoughts, so I'm just as likely to blow a shedload on a TR6
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[D O G]

MR2, the cute one. Get one of them, innit.

[G]

As with others, from having driven both of Bendy's; the mk1 was the most 'fun', partly due to being a bit scarier, maybe. The mk3 was the nicer 'daily' car, more modern generally with ABS and TC etc.

Still fancy a MK1 sometime, but absolutely no justification any time soon, certainly.

[Bendy]

I've remembered the other reason I went for the 2.0 over the 1.8 - the 2.0 has a limited slip diff, the 1.8 didn't. (I'm talking the mk3 models here, circa 2006, dunno if that may have changed since they got the big smiley facelift for the mk3.5).

And yes, the mk1 is the most fun, but they're getting quite old now and you are a lot more vulnerable due to the lack of crash guff (and they're so small that no bugger ever sees you). Pop up lights though....

[P.]

Think its just the Sport Tech with the LSD. That was the one loaded with goodies

[arry]

[Bendy]

[P.]

[chris-red]

Those MG's with the head gasket issue can be sorted by using the land rover gaskets apparently. A mate at work did it to hers.
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[Wave2k]

I had a MK2 with an aftermarket turbo

loads of fun.


Ran it everyday and was reliable, although spending 6k and getting something newer i doubt youll suffer from the problems i had like leaking soft top seals making it damp in the cabin.

Scraping the inside of the windscreen when frosty isnt fun.

Great cars though, boot big enough for my weekly shop.
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[Bendy]