In July I drove in my 2022 MX-5 RF from Vienna, Austria, where I live, to Ilkley, Yorkshire, where I was born, and back. Driving on the German Autobahns (at 100 mph plus) was great fun, on the M25 and M1 much less so. The UK motorways seem to be grossly overloaded with traffic, and there is a section of the M25 near Leatherhead that made me think I must have punctures in both rear tires! The car’s automatic lighting adjustment to driving on the left was much appreciated and I was surprised to note that speed limits were displayed in mph in the UK. I also drove in thre M4 to Melksham, Wilts, and was shocked to note how many road signs were completely obscured by overgrown trees/bushes. One roundabout had absolutely zero signs in place to indicate which exit to take! But I survived all that and it was fun!
Even though I was alone on the trip I was made acutely aware of the lack of space in the boot for luggage. I put a small case in the boot, and had to resort to two large bin bags for clothes (dirty, clean) around the passenger seat.
Regrettably, I decided that I needed more space, and when I arrived home I exchanged the car for a 2015 Porsche Cayman 981. This has two boots: front and rear.
The other reasons for abandoning the MX-5 were the irritation of all the “mod cons” that come with today’s vehicles, e.g. the bells that ring if you cross a dotted lane-line. I am also not interested in having my attnetion diverted by a computer screen on the dashboard.
I do sometimes wonder how I managed to drive since 1966 without TPMS and a navigation system (including 250k miles all over the USA in my Porsche 924S), which I consider a waste of money. The functionality of my 1949 Riley 1.5 litre would be quite adequate today. I am too old to be excited by the prospect of a BEV, and in any case, living in an apartment in a large city, I have nowhere to charge one.
To end on a positive note, I would like to thank the members of this club for putting up with me and extending friendly and helpful hands! I wish you all a Happy 2026 and beyond.
Yes the distractions are getting ever worse on modern cars. Wouldn’t be quite so bad if they all actually worked completely reliably .
As you have done, the only way to avoid this is to get an older car - in your case going backwards in time from 2022 to 2015. Sadly all new cars have to have much of this stuff now due to legal requirements. Just read, for example, that all new cars sold from 2025 in the UK apparentlt have to have adaptive headlights - though that’s actually a feature that’s better than not having them in my opinion.
I’ve had a few Suzuki Swift Driver Assistance toys deleted by the Dealer…after checking with Insurance it’s OK. I’ve had 51 years practice staying in lane thanks…and I check tyres every Sat/ Sunday….etc etc.
Good luck with the Porker. Nice, and valid, choice.
Mine’s a 2020 ND R Sport, first thing I do when I get in is to switch off lane assist and stop-start, takes 2 seconds. I was a passenger in a Cayman a few years ago. Lovely machine. Quite wide I thought. Very quick of course. A different beast to an mx-5 which trades on lightness and agility. Horses for courses. Hope you enjoy it.
I swear that the M25 must have been built as part of a study to determine what the worst possible and noisiest road surface was!
I see where you are coming from, I love my NC2 but I might trade it at some point for a 987, 981 or maybe even a 996. In a perfect world I’d keep the NC as a fun summer car, but sadly I only have one parking space.
That said, I love how analog the NC is and that it has none of the modern “safety features” that you described, I just drove a modern Renault for a week and it was driving me insane with it’s relentless and mostly useless beeps and bongs, it also got the speed limit wrong 20% of the time, rendering it useless since you can’t rely on it and even worse, it kept beeping even though I was doing the speed limit.
Wasn’t one of the reasons pop up headlights were discontinued in the NB’s to do with them possibly going out of adjustment? Now we have cars driving down the road in the dark doing a passable impersonation of Twentieth Century Fox.
A frivolity still topped by daytime driving lights. Another own goal with cars driving around in the dark with no tail lights.
Good luck with the Porsche. I sent my son around Croft in a Cayman for his birthday. He loved it.
2.7 litre PDK. I think the 6-cylinder flat engine is the best. There were limitations in what was available here in Austria (importing is a messy business, despite the EU). There is actually much less cargo space in the Boxster. PDK is said to be reliable, and I find 6 manual gears one too many. With PDK you can engage a manual mode, which is sometimes useful, but mostly I find the system makes intelligent choices. I think the idea of having two gearboxes in one, like a pre-selector, is brilliant.
The other advantage of 2015 is that it comes into the EU6 emissions standard: earlier than that is not a good idea, as you cant now get into certain cities in Europe. The MX-5 adaptive headlights are actually worth having!
Many recent model Porsches are even wider. My MX-5 was 173.5cm, this is 180.1 (without mirrors!), which is only 6.6cm wider. Some of the “cars” I see here (a lot from Ukraine) are wider than a bus. I watched the driver of one negotiate his way into an underground parking space, and then finding that he couldnt open the doors enough to get out!
It was the NA that had the pop up headlights and I think they were discontinued due to EU health and safety for pedestrians in case of a crash, albeit I could be wrong.
I still remember my 1.6 NA Eunos Roadster (in red of course) very fondly. What a raw, fun, revvy car that was.
I’ve since had an NB2 and my current ND1, with a Merc E320 W210 and a BMW 5 series in between, for family reasons. Now the kids have grown up, i’m back to two seats only, which makes every trip a pleasure, and not a chore.
I did test drive a Boxster several years ago but instantly found it heavy, cumbersome and uncomfortable compared to my then NB, albeit i’m sure they’re great cars.
Ahh yes that section of the M25 I thought my suspension had failed - just loose teeth now , many years of no investment in roads… didn’t mention all the rubbish … compared to Europe especially Germany the UK is a dustbin
For perspective, the Porsche weighs in some 25% more with nearly double the power of an NB. The handling is a very personal interpretation of chassis and feedback and it sound like the OP has found his idea car.
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