Very much hoping to buy my first MX5 in the next few months, and will be booking a first test drive next week. However, there’s one issue that may stall things here… There’s a significant difference in height between my wife and I, and some cars she just can’t drive.
So, just in case, I’m considering what I’d get if I couldn’t get an MX5. It’d be my first car in over ten years, and above all else I want it to be a fun car to drive. I do a lot of driving on rural roads, probably about half my mileage with the rest mostly urban/A roads.
I’m curious what experiences others have had, and what they’d recommend if they had to give up their 5; My budget would be up to about 8k or so, and there’s no real limit within that range. I’d had vague ideas of maybe getting something like a Fiesta ST, but nothing much beyond that once the possibility of getting an MX5 took hold!
Make sure there is an adjustable height seat for the driver as well as back and forward and backrest angle, and an adjustable steering column. There is a seven inch height difference between SWMBO and me, and we both enjoy driving our NC.
Not all of the later cars have the height adjustment on the driver’s seat, and most of the earlier ones don’t have any movement available on the steering wheel position.
I’m guessing you are considering modern cars. For me it would be a 2-8 injection Capri. Had a few Capri’s back in the day but never that model. Nice long bonnet, 2 doors,rear wheel drive. Now what does that remind me of
Sorry not much help to you but for me giving up the MX5 is never going to happen, I have gone through nearly 40 cars in my driving years from an old MK1 Escort to a new VX Sportline Insignia estate with various french cars and the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes in between and nothing compares to an MX5 that is why I have two.
Ideal for your kind of driving, an excellent fun drive, good performance, good handling, comfortable and fully loaded as standard. I suggest you try one, you won’t be disappointed. And of course Japanese build quality and reliability.
Would suggest you read up about it on various web sites.
Thanks to all for the replies - plenty to consider!
As for what fun is… Something that handles well and is robust enough to deal with being my day-to-day car. A GTI or Swift Sport could certainly be fun, as it would seem to fit both categories. The convertible aspect of an MX5 is a wonderful bonus, but not essential. In the main I’ve driven sensible hatchbacks and superminis since passing my test almost 20 years ago, so my idea of ‘fun’ as it applies to cars is fairly unformed!
We’ll definitely make sure any 5 we get has the adjustable seat and steering column. I think we should be fine; It’s a smaller car, so if anything should fit her better than me, but you never know.
One other thing I forgot to mention, and which was the other prompt for this discussion, was that I was out with my friend in his Astra a few days back. Happily doing 60 or so along an A road when his turbo blew up, apparently shredding enough of the rest of the engine that it was written off by the insurance company. So I’m feeling a tad paranoid about my similarly aged car (albeit his was a diesel, mine’s a petrol) and if something should happen so I have to replace my car before the budget stretches to a 5, knowing what the alternatives are is useful.
If I wanted a more practical but still fun car I would probably go with a BMW 3 series. Rear wheel drive, lots of fun, but immensely practical. They even do a rag top.
Of course if practicality was not an issue then the other car I would personally want if I had to replace my MX-5 is an RX-8. Cheap to buy, but damned expensive to operate and maintain.
Well, discounting a lottery win, and the dreamed-of collection of classic cars (big Healey, E-Type Jaguar etc), or perhaps a couple of supercars, in all honesty, I probably wouldn’t bother.
Let me explain.
I don’t actually NEED a car at all (I work for myself, from home), in fact I have not owned a car of my own for over twelve years, because I have been lucky enough to have had the use of my wife’s company cars. Regular readers of my wafflings, will know that I have long-since stopped being a boy-racing petrol-head, and now simply enjoy pottering around in my MX-5 with the lid off as much as possible. After falling in love with the MX-5 because my wife had one as a company car a few years ago, last October, we bought another one as a second car - basically for me to play with ! So, the only reason I have a car at all, is because I love the MX-5, and if I couldn’t have one, I wouldn’t want anything else (except the E-Type Jag, an AC Cobra, a big Healey, a Triumph Stag…).
A car I wish I had kept was a Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9 which was one of the best cars I have ever owner - never tried one but I would think the Peugeot 208 GTi would be fun.
Alternatives for fun drives would probably be the Subaru BRZ/GT86 (The facelifted ones just came out so you might be able to get a bargain on a nearly new or approved used) or the VW Sirocco. The BRZ is probably closest to the MX5 in handling while having more headroom.
I am going to be getting rid of my MX-5 later this year, I quite like the look of Fiesta ST. Focus ST would be nice but much more to run. Same goes for Civic Type R, Leon Cupra etc.