I have got 2 bikes as well as the vRoomster and last week nearly bought (again) a ZZR1400. However, my Z1000 is mint and I would be back to square one at modding it again, plus it's to much hassle to whip off all the go faster bits etc.

I was then going to part exchange the vRoomster against another mk2 vRS, but the vRoomster is a hoot and just tooooooo practical, so I got thinking of a 2 seat sports car.

I could possibly lay my hands on around £2.5k of cash and am thinking if I do it, MX5 is the way to go as the only other thing is an MR2 and they are probably still out of budget.

I am only home at weekends, so don't want a project car, I just want to be able to say "sun is out, jump in and drive" with minimal fuss

I know there are some MX5 owners here (eh Pete?) so are they a good buy, can you get a good one for that kind of cash? and are they an entertaining drive? are they solid enough or rusting heaps . I could find an MX5 forum, but there is a range of expertise to be tapped here before hand imho

PS, I am not taking bookings for hairdressing etc .... just yet

You can borrow mine if you like, it needs running.

Terrific cars. They handle superbly, and the 1.8i ( like mine, ahem ) is certainly fast enough.

Ulrimately reliable, and not too bad on juice.

Will you fit in one :P:P

I know I would struggle and your about my dap.

What no MGF in your thoughts? Brother bought a Trophy 160. Not had a chance to drive it yet but out of the month hes had it he's only had it less than a week. Yes you guessed it. HGF went. Good job he got it from a dealer (ex Rover garage)

Guy in work had an MR2 with the stupid flappy gearbox. The box was awesful but nice little car. Not good however if you want to carry more than a packet of crisps. lol

Will you fit in one :P:P

I know I would struggle and your about my dap.

Good point ....... I must speak to an MX5 owner in my area to test one. (Pete .... wake up)

You can borrow mine if you like, it needs running.

Terrific cars. They handle superbly, and the 1.8i ( like mine, ahem ) is certainly fast enough.

Ulrimately reliable, and not too bad on juice.

I had yours in the back of my mind Graham, I am off to Iraq for a couple of weeks, any chance of a nose round yours and try it on for size? No tyre kicking ...... could even lead to a deal

Guy in work had an MR2 with the stupid flappy gearbox. The box was awesful but nice little car. Not good however if you want to carry more than a packet of crisps. lol

The MR2 has an automatic clutch in that box doesn't it, almost as hideous as the SMART gearbox As a manual though, I can imaging them being a hoot.

MGF ........ no no no and thrice no

How big are you fluff?, I'm 6'1" - 2" a little large arsed, but the Mk1 is easily big enough, mk2, 2.5 too small and the mk 3a little tight but worth the effort

How big are you fluff?, I'm 6'1" - 2" a little large arsed, but the Mk1 is easily big enough, mk2, 2.5 too small and the mk 3a little tight but worth the effort

I'm a shade over 6' and 18 stone so we may be cast from the same mold

As an ex-owner, perfect for what you have in mind. An early NB (Mk2) should be in budget, although values do vary wildly especially with some of the more sought after NA (Mk1) editions. Whether Mk1 or 2 I'd definitely go for a UK car, with 1.8 and iS spec (with LSD) if you can. I personally found the NB to be more roomy than the NA with more elbow room and a better dash. The boot's also a little bigger and you have nice touches such as a heated glass rear screen.

I would say contact Pete by phone, on the other hand - maybe not

I'll have another one, one day as a weekend car - hopefully that tells you all you need to know

Steve

I can't comment on the older cars unfortunately, but the NC is plenty big enough for me, and I'm 6'0" with me hair spiked up! (see the hairdressing link there?)

Mine's always been reliable, and for the money, they offer tons more enjoyment than your average car.

[ebay]AAAAAAAAAA+++++++++++Would highly recommend![/ebay]

As an ex-owner, perfect for what you have in mind. An early NB (Mk2) should be in budget, although values do vary wildly especially with some of the more sought after NA (Mk1) editions. Whether Mk1 or 2 I'd definitely go for a UK car, with 1.8 and iS spec (with LSD) if you can. I personally found the NB to be more roomy than the NA with more elbow room and a better dash. The boot's also a little bigger and you have nice touches such as a heated glass rear screen.

I would say contact Pete by phone, on the other hand - maybe not

I'll have another one, one day as a weekend car - hopefully that tells you all you need to know

Steve

oh thanks for that phone crack steve , still not sorted by the way , im on a payg at mo.

tony just ring me anytime your available and have a flirt about.

giz a shout and i will go up to grahams with you , just not gonna park near shelaghley tho.

I still need to come round for a look at it as well actually. It's not been officially signed off until then

I had yours in the back of my mind Graham, I am off to Iraq for a couple of weeks, any chance of a nose round yours and try it on for size? No tyre kicking ...... could even lead to a deal

Iraq - Take care buddy.

In regards to the money - I'm more than happy to take it from you and put it to good use.

Wouldn't you just love to help a university student

sorry to crash in on this thread - sat in one at the local dealers recently- I liked it but it seemed a tad small.

Just wonder how it compares to the skip Mr. Grumpy? (As you have the luxury of comparing it to a madly-modded Fab vRS in more depth than most others)

[EDIT] and what kind of modding toys are available for it:D

Cheers

Bas

Edited 15 April, 200917 yr by Basil

Different animals altogether Bas.

They are both easy to drive quickly, but need competely different driving styles ( as you can imagine )

I have nearly come a cropper several times after jumping out of one, and into the other, straight away.

( But then again, I am a crap driver, and very old.......)

Different animals altogether Bas.

They are both easy to drive quickly, but need competely different driving styles ( as you can imagine )

I have nearly come a cropper several times after jumping out of one, and into the other, straight away.

( But then again, I am a crap driver, and very old.......)

Sounds interesting mate - please do go on - how are they different? (I'm also old, and pretty crappy at driving - still enjoy it though)

a quick google turned up this gem: Amazon.com: Mazda Miata MX- 5 Performance Projects: Keith Tanner: Books

No, mustn't, temptation....

I'd just back up the comments above - yes they are in your budget but it is likely to be an early one. That shouldn't be a problem though as they are generally pretty bullet proof if looked after (ie regular oil changes) and are pretty reliable.

I've had mine for nearly eleven years now and it was used daily for nearly nine and a half of those. In that period the only time it let me down was when the battery went flat because my wife left the lights on (don't ask me how - they're pop-ups!). Since then it has been used over summer and very occasionally over winter and has always started first time. Maintenance has generally been easy cheap and regular with only consumables needed up until last year when I had new suspension on it.

Certainly in the fun factor I don't think they can be beaten. My mate has an MGF and having driven that it was nowhere near as "connected" or responsive. I certainly wouldn't trade mine ofr much else at the moment.

Yes you can get a bad one and they do have a couple of common problems (such as rust just in front of the rear wheelarches on the sill and a propensity top need new HT leads every 20,000 miles) but none of the problems are usually terminal and are easily repaired.

So I'd say go for it but buy wisely and get one that has been looked after and from an owner who knows somthing about them. If you are in any doubt walk away - there are plenty out there with owners who have cared for them but need to sell them fro one reason or another.

And if you ultimately feel the eed for speed the engines were based on the FI Mazda Familia 323 Turbo unit so readily take to supercharging or turbocharging!

[EDIT] and what kind of modding toys are available for it:D

HUUUGE Amounts - from a variety of specilist suppliers!

Basically anything from cosmetic to high performance and handling including both types of forced induction! It all depends on the size of your pockets because in terms of modding potential and availability they blow most other cars out of the water!

Sounds interesting mate - please do go on - how are they different? (I'm also old, and pretty crappy at driving - still enjoy it though)

a quick google turned up this gem: Amazon.com: Mazda Miata MX- 5 Performance Projects: Keith Tanner: Books

No, mustn't, temptation....

steering is a revelation , its instant and roundabouts make you want to keep circulating just for fun , had a mate drive ours last week and he just didnt stop grinning .

really recommend em bas. instant roof up or down and the feeling of actually being there as opposed to looking through the window is brilliant

big difference to the vrs where flexing your toe makes the car pick up speed tho , cant understand why im not getting anywhere till i think use the pedal more and rev it.

jackie keeps finding a reason to just nip out somewhere , never seen her do that before tbh. she just drives because she needs to:thumbup:

Rear wheel drive and a well balanced and sorted chassis are the main factors in adopting a different driving style Bas. ie do you want to drift round the corners and stick the tail out at every roundabout

Tony, just go for it, you will not be disappointed. Just check the cam belt change, but even that will

not be a disaster if you get the 1.8 as there is clearance with the valves if all goes t!ts up

Had one over 150 MPH but they will struggle to get above 120 with the roof down

The car I saw here is a 2L with 166bhp apparently. Salesman apologized as I looked at it 'cos it was a manual tranny, lol (making it harder to sell apparently- wallies!)....

"Forced induction" always sounds somewhat naughty, in a really nice kind of way, :lol

(Turbo in hand - "Come on baby, you know you want this.....")

Kinda a tight fit though...

Really nice car anyways