Hi all,
I’ve only just joined the forum as I am contemplating getting an MX-5 and would like your oinion on the suitability of the car for all year round use or not?
if I buy one, it would probably have to be my main car but am a little concerned for the winter months
thanks in advance
My nc is my daily driver, and I love it whatever the weather.Top down unless its raining.
I use mine all year round, no problem . Surprising how much you can get in it if you pack carefully. Very quick to get warm and snug in winter especially compared to my Wife’s Yeti which seems to take 20 miles to get warmed up inside!
All year round! I wouldn’t use it on icy roads, but I wouldn’t with any car; I’m retired so I can pick my days, but otherwise no problem!
As said by lloydy, you can use them all year round, even when its cold but dry wrap up warm
drop the top and they are great fun, I have NC PRHT and it is very cosy with heater on.
i bought a ND sport nav RF because i wanted a year round car. Many on here will say its not a real MX5, its not, its better. and i have had other MX5’s so i AM in a position to judge. Its just my opinion but i wouldn’t change for a rag top.
It is not a year round car if you live in a cold place like up high in the Peak District or certain parts of Aberdeenshire but neither is a rear wheel drive BMW.
Most MX5’s are a bit dark inside with the top up and not a great place to be. My latest MX5 has a bright interior and is better with the hood up as it does not seem like a coal bunker that my other MX5’s reminded me of due to dark seats and inside the hood
If you live in an area that does not get too much extrene weather they are similar to a rear wheel drive BMW on winter roads.
Do rear wheel drive BMW cars get around OK in your part of the world in the worst of the weather.
A set of winter wheels and tyres are an advantage for a year round car.
Thanks all,
I live near manchester, England, so it’s should be good for all year round.
North west of Manchester and it’s my everyday car whatever the weather
Against general consensus, mine is my toy and will sit in the garage for 6 months at a time over winter, my car my choice.
Icicles hanging down from the hood interior.
Windscreen covered in ice inside and out, though an emergency blanket can help.
Quite cold, wear warm clothes. Especially when the ice goes all over the seats as you scrape your windscreen and interior mirror clean.
This is the trouble with an MX-5 (mk1) in Winter and (at the time) a lack of a garage/cover.
Aside from this I think the car is easily up to all year round use and the crisp wintery air is great with the roof down.
That said if you only use it in the summer then you do save on vehicle tax which considering how high it seems to be getting is a bonus.
I also recently had my tires replaced with Kumho Ecsta’s which are summer tires so I do wonder how well they’d cope in ice/snow.
Mine barely gets used these days, but I keep it taxed and insured for 12 months, so if I do get a chance to use it, I can.
My wife got an MX-5 as her company car back in 2011. It was our only mode of transport for some four-and-a-half years - she had to drive it to Bristol (25 miles) for work every day. In that time, we can honestly count on the fingers of one hand the number of times we thought we needed something else (bigger).
No problem using it through the winter months, but then in the West Country, winters are not generally very wintery !
Personal experience, my first 1.6 Mk1 could be a bit difficult to get moving on an icy slope. My 2.0 NC had superb traction control and ABS. At times when there was a little bit of ice the only reason I knew was that the traction light flashed occasionally. I used both as daily drivers when I was working. Haven’t actually driven my 2.0 Mk4 in ice or snow yet. Why would I now that I’m retired and we have a boxy FWD Nissan Juke as our boring car.
While RWD may be a little more tricky to handle on snow and ice I’ve had many RWD cars over the years from a Ford Anglia to a Sierra Cosworth. I’ve never had one with more predictable handling than an of my MX-5s.
Here’s the rub. If you don’t buy one because you aren’t entirely sure if it is suitable for the winter you will never know how good it is the rest of the year.
Use mine thoughout the year but I look at the weather forecast first. If there is no rain it comes out the garage. Every year I check underneath for rust.
Another NC PRHT as a daily driver here. Don’t even think about it, just jump in & go whatever the weather.
Use my MK2.5 all year round as my only car - my other half has a Mk3 and does the same.
The heater is superb and the handling very predictable - lots of feedback so unless your really not paying attention or are very clumsy indeed then its not particularly tricky in bad weather.
A hardtop aids comfort. improves visibility cutting out a few blind spots and makes the interior brighter. It also really enhances the look of the car. Well worth considering for winter months.
That’s fine, you have a choice. Here I have a car and my wife has a car, we both drive them to our respective employment every weekday. We can’t budget for a third fun car and if we could there would be other higher priorities for the funds. So my MX5 gets used whatever the time of year otherwise I would be on the bus and train every day for three times as long as it takes to drive to work, and wife would be justifiably asking why do I keep a car I don’t use.