You are obviously do not want to know about any serious accidents etc that your radio can advise you of 1/2 mile up the road.
???
Eeeh Gerryn, I think I may have been misunderstood. I agree totally with Paul’s comments and I am sure I would be as proud of his car as he is. There is no doubt that his “pocket rocket” is much more exciting to drive than an road going MX5 if not a little bit impractical! I once built a Davrian (now called Darrian), which if you follow club motorsport you may have come across. My Davrian had a 998cc Hillman Imp Sport engine, to which I fitted a high lift cam and gas flowed the cylinder head and ports. As I did not have access to a rolling road (which I would not have been able to afford and which where not as easily accessible then, even if they existed), tuning the car was a matter of trying out different needles and different viscosity oils in the dashpots of the twin Stromberg carburettors. Testing was a matter of seeing which combination gave the best 0 to 60 mph times (a lot of trial and error). Unlike the Hillman Imp, the Davrian had a front mounted radiator with a manually switched cooling fan which was rarely needed as the cooling system was so efficient. Neither did it suffer from water pump failures as there was no great big unbalanced cooling fan fitted to it to knacker the pump’s bearings and cause engine overheating, which was yet another weak point of the Hillman Imp. The car only weighed only 9 CWT (in old money) so it was pretty brisk (faster then my mates stage 2 tuned MGB) for a car in those days yet regularly achieved 60 mpg on a run. The road holding was incredible but the handling could be a bit Porsche like in the wet! The car was enormous fun and there was nothing I could not fix on that car including the pretty complex gearbox. So yes I do understand and appreciate Paul’s comment.
My point about being critical about the MX5 was not aimed at Paul but at Davyo who seems to have something against the MX5’especially the ND even though he did own an NC.
I’m pretty sure that by the time the info reached the radio other factors, such as traffic flow, flashing blue lights and helicopters would have made anyone with any awareness of their surroundings (and not on auto-pilot whilst listening to to radio) wise to the fact that there was a problem.
PS: Another reason where possible I avoid motorways and M class A roads, because if there is a problem you can’t turn round and go back, you have to wait for the next left hand exit, which could, and sometimes does, take hours.
Well,
This thread certainly grew some shouty arms and legs! Quite amusing really, albeit many valid points made. Must be a “blokey” thing.
Some female owner/driver opinions would be useful, but it’s likely our women folk are using their time more practically…like bargain hunting on Amazon!
What defines a petrolhead? I thought I knew till now. I thought I was one given my intepretation (of me) was simply a person mad keen on cars, and a proper “driver” as opposed to a “steering wheel operator” Simples.
The Mx5 and what has become of it? Frankly, it has evolved over 30 years as it needed to unless it faded into history. It has “presided” over decades of when nobody had PC’s, mobile phones, and you actuially had to get up off your backside to shop. Shock horrors.
As many know, we own 2, a Mk1 and an an old 2002 Sport, in which we invested a huge amount of cash to have restored, as is going to happen to the Mk1 in a few weeks. And, I mean a ground up body and mechanical refit to see it over another 25 years and 140,000 miles. My life is not the same without it as it’s a basket case MOT fail at the moment. Retiral lump sum will easily take care of it. Does this make me a petrolhead or simply eccentric? Probably both.
Over the years, to include being a guest at the pre-launch ND Mazda UK VIP day ( I ain’t no VIP in my mind)…I drove several…or rather caned them senseless over a back-road 30 mile circuit pre-planned. In their own ways, be they 1500cc or 2,000, they were hugely competent on several degrees way above my Mk1…but for me…too good,refined, and “feel-less” especially as I found the steering frankly dreadful.
I did not know they were fly by wire till later. Too light, too nervous, but mechanical grip was ruddy epic and the mills spun round to the limiters like they were on crack. But, not for me.
Zero evidence of “old school” twin-cam thrash…which I like.
Nor do I give a hoot the Auto Mk1 gets down to around 14/16mpg on S mode kickdown back road hooligansims.That’s called fun.
I’ve been in many Mk3’s, again, much more competent than our 2002 Sport on a few levels, but far removed again form the visceral Mk1…as they had to be through evolution, safety, and NVH developments. Better cars, and Mazda take a bow, but not for me.
It’s a different market from Mk1 days, even from Mk2 etc eras. It seems to me, the ND is the darling of the last of the Fat Pension Lump Sum Mohicans in many cases where toys for the boys are paramount, rather than than the likes of me who will always hanker after “That” TR4a or Triumph Gt6…whichever we used to salivate over back in the day.
This does not make me wrong, nor does it make 5 “weekenders” who meet up for a cream tea or calorie laded Sunday roast, then cruise back with one eye on the fuel gauge and the other on some cow pat wrong either. They bought their ND for their reasons. I prefer to drive the Mk1 as I have done on my own, hood down, and whack the thing as designed through the local twisties. The Mk2.5? It has it’s place for SWMBO related different driving. LIke Garden Centres and visiting. 2 different cars, each with a purpose.
So that’s it for me. I guess, in my own personal way, I’m a petrolhead who gives not a whit about ICE, cup-holders, ruddy MPG figures for Heaven’s sake, or dodgy Sat Navs. However, good on everyone who still buy Mx5’s and keep the marque alive. They are whatever you need it to be, have been for decades, and with over a million sold, we’ll never see the likes of them again.
But think on this. Will, in the future of say 10/15 years will people shell out getting Mk3/Mk3.5s or ND’s rebuilt? I do not think so.
Will people, as thousands do with various historic marques seek to preserve the shakey old Mk1? Yes…for a host of reasons that are happening as we speak.
That’s what makes them petrolheads…or a bit mental like me.
So here’s the basic facts we need to consider.
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Gerry is grumpy.
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When something raises his grumpiness level he makes this known.
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He’s just had to give up driving and is really missing it.
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Because he can’t get out and drive he’s spending more time forum surfing.
Rather than finding tales of people having fun driving their MX-5s he’s coming across ‘I can’t pair my iPhone to my car’ threads.
Time for a little slack cutting me thinks.
Fair points Scottishfiver. I have an ND because I love driving but do not have the facilities to own and maintain an older car. I would have to sell my house to do so as I do not have a garage (which I can fit my car in) and I have a gravel drive (nightmare for jacking cars up on). Unfortunately my car lives outside. I don’t think that my wife would take too kindly to a request to move houses for these reasons . I would love to own a NA, NB, Triumph Spitfire or a TR6
but I would not be able to maintain one now which is a great shame.
@ First Rider off.
Exactly my point…yours is what it needs to be for you.
Good man.
Enjoy. You like me have the roads to exploit it.
I consider myself a petrol head for the same reasons as Scottishfiver’s previous post. I would however like to point out that although I own a nb,I’ve never driven it to any garden centre
It’s SWMBO’s mate. It was her home-to-school trusty steed for many many years.
She won’t even drive outside our town limits.
This is such a shame.
I am required therefor to take it out once every couple of weeks…for an…erm… Falkirk to Tyndrum or similar Italian to keep it sweet.
And, I ain’t talking pizza.
The great thing about these controversial(?) posts by Gerry is that whether you agree with him or not they certainly stimulate discussion above the level of the inane, “the seat belt/airbag warning light comes on when I sit in a seat but don’t use the seat belt, what’s wrong?” sort of post. Carry on buddy, that’s what life and the forum is all about!!!
And long may it continue
I agree with Countryboy here.
Gerry may have had his grumpy head on when he wrote the original post, but it does promote interesting discussions when he does.
On the subject of technology inside a car, for my part, I have found that the older I have become, the less I like to listen to music when driving on my own, but the wife seems to like to have something to listen to ! And I have to say that I have become accustomed to, and appreciate, power steering, electric windows, air conditioning / climate control, heated seats (makes sitting on leather in frosty conditions a little more bearable !), and the PRHT on my 5 is terrific.
Fun, when driving, I find is a rather personal thing. At my age, I do not particularly want ‘excitement’ every time I take a drive - my idea of ‘fun’, or should I say ‘enjoyment’ these days is simply having the lid off and sensing the wind in my hair (yes, I still have some !), and experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of the countryside, along with the muffled roar of my 5’s exhaust.
I find my NC a very civilised sports car. As much as I like the sports cars of my youth (Midgets, Spitfires and MGBs etc), at my time of life I would rather have my little Mazda - much easier on the old bones !
A story from the days of my commuting round the M25, J8<>J16, 38 miles each way each day, as a regular one learned the best lanes at the right times. That car was bought with (then) optional extras of ABS, Central locking (by key), and RDS radio. The ABS paid for itself three times in 205,000 miles, the RDS on a daily basis.
Sitting homeward-bound at the end of a tiring day in a clockwise queue at about five miles an hour midway between J12 and J13, my passenger and I were each breathing a sigh of relief that the artic beside us had slightly jack-knifed away from me, recovered, and somehow also missed the cars in the slow lane, and then we were able to chuckle at something on the Drivetime Radio2. Happy relaxation, brains approaching neutral. I still remember noticing that the traffic on the other side was flowing freely at a steady seventy-plus, and wishing my side was as fast.
Suddenly in the other fast lane a big red car (Merc?) that was being tail-gated by a Xantia swung towards me (AAARRRGGHHH!!!), hit the concrete barrier in the central reservation, spun around to hit the front and the passenger side as well and ended up parked beside me facing the right direction again, slap bang in the middle of the fast lane. The driver slowly got out, walked once around the car and then sat on the concrete barrier shaking his head, obviously glad to be still alive.
Meanwhile, the Xantia had not piled into the back of the red car, but taken evasive action and ended up on its roof somewhat further on facing the wrong way straddling the middle and slow lanes, front wheels still turning. One of the biggest guys I have ever seen eased out through the driver’s window and stalked across towards the red car, clearly intent on murder. In my mirror I could see him suddenly realise that he was lucky to be alive, and he also sat on the barrier several metres away from the other driver and didn’t say anything.
About now the RDS chimes in saying that there is an incident on the M25 between J13 and J12 near Thorpe, less than half a minute after the incident. My passenger and I looked at each other and both of us said ‘Impressive’ meaning how quick the announcement was to us engineers who had been loosely involved in the initial planning for RDS.
Meanwhile all the other traffic on the other side had dropped anchor and at least half a dozen men were sprinting towards the scene. In my mirror I saw them flip the Xantia back on its wheels and ease it to the hard shoulder, and shortly afterwards they also pushed the red car there as well, and then all sprinted back to their vehicles, and the traffic on that side set off again.
This was about when I could no longer see in my mirror what was going on. About now, maybe two or three minutes post bang, as we approached J13, an illuminated Police car rocketed down the J13 slip road to attend the scene. We both thought this was even more amazing. And then the RDS said that the traffic was flowing freely again, before the Police could have reached the stricken vehicles.
That incident was remarkable because of the hardened commuters doing the right thing almost instinctively. If it had been left to the Police they would most likely have closed the M25 for an hour or two even though nobody had been hurt.
A plethora of modern electronic devices don’t come high on my list of priorities when it comes to cars.
E.G. Yesterday I was VERY tempted to make a high offer on a very nice, restored Morris 1000 Traveller instead of the more modern car I’d just agreed a deal on (it was tucked away inside the garage, I’d not seen it until I went in to do the paperwork). The look I got from my wife told me to “zip it”. Her first car was one of them - obviously sentimentality of the type wasn’t her main priority!
A great post by Gerry which has generated lots of interest. I don’t mind the radio on personally sometimes but each to their own.
Well done to a Gerry for posting it - really interesting views by all.
Hi,
Someone said that some female owner / driver opinions would be useful!
Well, I am female - I drive a MK3 2 litre Sport as my ‘every day’ car - and no, I am not interested in listening to the radio! I would rather be ‘in tune’ with my car!
My current MX5 is the fourth one that I have owned over the previous fourteen or so years - and I have loved them all.
I do also have three other cars - two of which are open sports cars, and do not even have radios - much more fun listening to the engines - especially as one of them is a V8!
Hope this helps!
Don’t have anything against any of the 5’s other than the ND.The radio’s the best thing about it.
Hi JMK.
Respect.
Would love to know the contents of your garage.
Hi Roadie,
Well - to whet your appetite - the V8 I mentioned is an early Morgan Plus 8 - fitted with side exit exhausts - which sounds great - and you can forgive it just about anything because of the fabulous noise it makes!
I also have a big vintage sports car - with a 4.5 litre straight six engine - I like decent engines!
Oh, and I have a classic Mini Cooper too.
(The Mini is the only one that has a radio, but it doesn’t work, and I have never bothered to fix it - who needs a radio anyway?!)
You are right about the awful steering. But I have no idea about the ND demographic as I rarely , if ever, meet other owners. FWIW I am no stranger to hardcore sports cars and whilst I have done enough miles in GT6s not to be too fussed about doing any more my wish list would encompass quite a variety of stuff - ranging from Elans via Alfa 105GTV to narrow bodied 911s and more eclectic stuff like Gordon Keebles .Lottery permitting
But my ND is mainly fit for my purposes- as a second car it does most miles going to and from the 30odd motorsport events I attend every year . It also does some journeys purely for fun - and they are indeed fun , if not as much fun as ones I have made in 100k miles of Sevens - and also stuff such as my Clan Crusader , Midget( despite , or because , having almost zero grip ) and the fun a mile hoot that is a 2CV .