3.75 coupe v mark 4 RF

Hi all , thinking of buying a late 3.75 coupe 2.0 / high spec probably sport tech or an early RF 1.5 or 2.0. Like the full open air feel of the 3.75 v the mark 4 .anyone else made the transition from the 3.75 to mark 4 . Any feedback would be welcome , don’t know if it’s worth the extra 4 to 5 k ? Any thoughts welcome

I have previously owned 2 x MK3 and a Mark3.5. I then changed to a ND 2.0 Sport. A very nice car but the seats gave me back problems and I also found the leg room was very tight.

After one year I sold the ND 2.0 Sport and bought a very low mileage mint MK3.5 - no more back problems and more leg room. If your reasonably tall you may find the ND a bit tight. Suggest you have good long test drives in both and see what suits you best.

Not sure where your based in the UK, but this dealer near Saffron Walden has some excellent low mileage MX5’s https://pvctrading.co.uk/

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Likewise I bought an ND and found i had to dispose of it after a few months as I just found it too cramped. I recently tried the RF launch edition that i sourced for a client and realised I was right to go back to my 3.5. Yes they are a lovely car but I just found my NC much more comfortable

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In glad I read this thread, as I have a MK3 (2006) at the moment which is comfortable enough for a small car, but hopefully one day I will buy a newer model and I love the look of the ND, but I would be reluctant to go for something more cramped than the MK3 , as said , as case of a good test drive first.

The ND is compact no question, however I can report at 6ft tall and 14 stone I can fit in comfortably. Because space and comfort are so important the message is clear…try before you buy. If you can fit in the ND is a superb car to drive. I’m sure you’ve read the many motoring reports and they’re not wrong. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with whatever you choose though…

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Done a few long road trips in our 3.75 2.0 Sport Tech across Europe and down to Croatia etc. We find the car VERY comfortable being in it for an average 8 hours a day. No back ache (Having had a back op so able to to give good feed back).
Like others looked at the ND both RF and Soft Top and in our opinion is not as good.
We will stick with our car for some time…
Just an opinion. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Hi,
All of these answers are going to be subjective and may well depend on what your main use of the car would be
We currently have a NA,NC and ND. The NC is the largest and probably most comfortable of the trio and to us the odd one out of the family. Whereas the ND feels more like the NA, just more modern but retains the fun factor.
The ND is my wife’s daily (the NC was previously - for 6 years ) and she would not change it for any other.
I’m 6ft and not as slim as I used to be , but find the ND very comfortable and have no issues on long or short runs. However I can say exactly the same for the NC.
As for space, yes NC has more.
Won’t even go into engine options that can completely change the character :upside_down_face:
Would definitely recommend driving both and try and decide priorities.
Horses for courses :smiley:

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I like my RF but I wouldn’t say no to a nice NC. One thing to consider is running costs, tax and petrol consumption are more economical on NDs (at least for road tax post-2017 models I think), though these may not be such an issue for a weekend toy rather than a daily driver?
Mine is a 2.0 but we’re never held up by poverty spec ND1.5s :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: on the few club runs I managed pre-COVID - I suspect the 1.5 drivers may actually have more fun as they have to work the gears more and this also makes more noise too !

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I love my 3.75 PRHT even though I only have the 1.8 litre engine.
Until recently I thought that the RF wasn’t a good successor to my coupé, because it is only a targa, and therefore cannot give the same top-down-motoring experience.
But I now think it might not be miles off, that with the rear window folding away. Plus, while driving with the roof down, you still have the sky right above your head in both cars.
However, I have read that there’s a lot of wind noise when the roof of the RF is down, and that the over-the-shoulder vision isn’t great.
If you are above 5’11, the 3.75 will be comfier too.

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I was in the same situation as you a few months ago, It was only when I managed to get a good 30 minute+ test drive in an ND that I decided I couldn’t live with the room and bought a mk3.5 (saved myself £6.5k in the process!) BUT, I will say that the ND2 seems to have a lot more room for me, the reach adjustable steering wheel allowed me to adjust my position to have the backrest angled back more. The ND1 seems to have the steering wheel nailed to the dash! (I’m 6’2.5")
I couldn’t justify to myself the extra £5k to get the ND2 over the cheapest ND1’s

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Thanks all for your thoughts , will have another drive in an rf ,it will be an occasional use, weekend car , think I’d be better off with a late NC on space and overall top down experience , had an NC 2.0 soft top for 5 years , but like the thought of the coupe / hard top , for that extra security / piece of mine when parking it / what’s the difference between the 3.5 and the 3.75 / when did they start making the 3.5/.3.75 ? Thanks

3.75 was 2013 I think, facelift front, pedestrian safety bonnet, apart from that ti was rumoured to have some minor ECU tweaks but not much else I think.

March 2013 was the year of the 3.75. (Never seen one before).
As above re tweaks and I also believe throttle response enhancements.
Also front/rear brake balance via servo tweaks to improve braking into bends, (apparently).
In addition mine is the PRHT and if that is your route fit the additional controller, it’s brilliant :+1::slightly_smiling_face: