Just a thought (off thread!) about parking with the hood down. Apart from security/insurance aspect think “corvid”. If you park where there are Magpies or Crows etc., there’s a good chance they will get in the car to explore the trim and shiny bits! Be warned!
I vote for more humour. You just carry on Tom. My reply was light hearted.
I do know how you feel though. I once referred to the front tow hooks, sorry, holding down points, on a Mk2.5 as “Chassis Test Points.”
Did I get stick over that. I was told that, “Nothing on an MX5 should be joked about.”
Paul G
I bet you don’t say ‘flipping’…
I do when I got my roof down - they could hear me if I shout loud enough!
Good point…
…and isn’t it strange that people in other cars or on the pavement forget that when the top is down you can hear their comments; some good, some not so good!
Have to confess about having the roof up for a 25 mile drive a few weeks ago in fairly nice weather. It was at the request of my other half as she had already done her hair so will get that excuse in. Agree with getting it down where possible though, takes a second in my car to get it down and similar to put it back up.
Did a 20 mile round trip this morning with roof down all the way, bliss.
The reason we bought an MX-5 was so my wife could drive with me and choose to have the roof up if needed.
My other car doesn’t have a hood… or side windows, or a rear screen. My wife complains every time I take her out in that one, for some reason or other. Her hair gets blown in her eyes and/or whips her face until it’s sore, she gets rained on from all sides and from behind, she doesn’t like the noise, or the smell of the exhaust, the legroom is too short, she gets sunburned, or cold etc. Four years ago I did just about three thousand miles in it in a week (Northern Spain and over the Pyrenees, full length of France) and I didn’t complain a bit…
But having the roof up is personal choice and whatever other folk do with theirs is up to them.
Worse when it’s singing…!
Even worse for us country bumpkins when its “smellyvision” when they are speading …
Merde!!! I have a heap the size of a small hill in the field next to me! (There should be a “Smiley” holding its nose here)
Nothing annoys me more than someone calling a sportscar “A Convertible” - It provokes thoughts of owners driving around in any old hack, with a drop down roof. (could be a WWll Jeep, or a Landrover Mk1.)
Calling it a convertible is ignoring totally what the car really is, which is also an indication of a non petrol-head IMHO. Buyers who are attracted to the car because “It’s a cheap convertible” is an indication also of no real driving talent, so unable to ever realise what the car is capable of. Often spoken by flash females who are demanding attention, while driving at 25 mph in faster traffic - now that IS REALLY ANNOYING. Same goes for some male equivalents, especially those old enough to know better.
Motto - for the OP - NEVER use Caps. in a post header - it’s classed as a rant. (Unless it is really important!)
My car details (below) says all I have to say.
I’m seeing lots of posts about hair getting messed up with the roof down. Have people forgotten the art of the headscarf?
Tippi Hedren in an Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupé, in “The Birds” (1963) Pure class.
My oh my I’m regretting this thread now. My use of a reasonably commonly used word to describe a non-permanently roofed vehicle has now rendered me a non petrol head.
A motorsport mad (spannering regularly in Formula Ford, degree qualified in motorsport Engineering, previously worked in F1, never missed a Grand Prix since I was 9) automotive engineer (working in the advanced vehicles area of a major UK oem) who works on all his vehicles (spends ages on forums like these to learn as much as possible about the cars we all love), advanced driver trained non petrol head.
Please dont judge me, or others, for the use of a word you may not like. I would have put that in capitals but I’ve recently learnt that is rude! :-p
Once more I must stress, this was intended as a light hearted jokey thread. Ok it seems I got the tone wrong but I quickly clarified it! No intention to offend, no intention to shame. Apologies if its done so, was not the intent!
Was following a muck spreader the other day for many a mile, should have put my roof up!
With “country smells”, sure, you smell them quicker and more strongly than with a hard-topped or otherwise closed car, but the smell dissipates more quickly too. Most farm smells aren’t too bad IMO (although pigs do take it to another level).
Pretty much whenever I take my 5 to work, I have to pass a sewage works. Now that can smell sometimes. 
I take this post in the spirit in which I am sure it was intended - humour.
I have my hood up or down depending on the circumstances already stated but am more likely to wonder why someone’s hood is up when I have mine down! - human nature I suppose.
I do wonder more though about the Porsches, Ferraris, AMGs etc. Sitting at 65 mph in the slow lane of the motorway - there doesn’t seem to be much logic in owning these cars if only ever used on the UK road network particularly in the heavily congested South. Clearly it is illegal to drive over 70 mph on the motorway but we all know that a large percentage are doing over 80 mph and it seems to me a disproportionate amount of these speeding cars are standard saloons rather than the more high performance vehicles even allowing for there relatively greater overall numbers. The beauty of the MX5 is being able to push it quite hard and still stay on the right side of the law.
Cheers
Matt
I walked to the village today to enjoy the warm sunshine and have my hair cut, wearing my Zoom-Zoom T-shirt.
During the five minute walk I was surprised to receive waves from two oncoming MX5s, one a new RF, one an NC, both with lids UP but still alert for any hint of MX5! There was also an SLK with lid up. The only car with lid down was a classic old white Mustang going the other way - heard before seen.
Just to clarify the difference between a convertible and a roadster.
A convertible is a closed car with a roof which can be opened in good weather.
A roadster is an open car with a roof that can be closed in bad weather.
H’mm - with that type of pedigree, I would have expected more sense, and politeness. I don’t tell other owners what to do, unless they need help. Normally I don’t criticize them either, but you provoked an outburst. We may be different, but most of us love our cars, and comments about what we do in them, or what we do with them is taboo. Exceptions are breach of what we regard as protocol, with Capitals regarded as shouting - though I do use Caps sometimes as an emphasis within a text reply. Large text is also frowned on, but we do have the odd member who struggles with normal text, so they tend to use large text size - we forgive them, once we know them.
I have no desire to offend you, with that experience behind you, you are a welcome addition to the Club, and I will withdraw comments about non petrol heads, as they are obviously misguided. Perhaps we tend to behave differently to other clubs, but once you get used to us, you’ll find a lot of humour kicking around, coupled with occasional banter, between those who know each other, but overall we are a friendly bunch, so rest assured, now you what is, and isn’t accepted (see the forum rules by the way) we get along quite well.
Couple of tips - the site uses an American spell checker, most of the time we can get along with it, but If you find it a PITA (as I do) then with a right click, add it to the dictionary, it helps for the future. Most annoying is the letter ‘s’, where the Yanks love a ‘z’, so if you object to Americanisms, add it to the dictionary.
Also, we have had a long period of slow speed, resulting in the impression to many that a click on POST has not been registered, whereas in many cases it has been, so don’t keep clicking on POST, or your intended message will register several times. ‘404 error’ messages have been common, and so has 503, best bet is log off, come back after a couple of minutes, and see if your post has been registered. Many of us have complained, but so far it get’s us nowhere - welcome to the Club!!
That’s a lovely picture Classic looking lady in a classic drop head car. I used to live next door to the David Brown factory in Farsley, West Yorkshire, many years ago, where that car, or part of it would have been made. Unfortunately, not at a time when the factory was still producing.
Barrie