Hello everyone,
Firstly let me introduce ourselves.
I’m Nathan and I am on here thanks to my son Sam.
I am a car enthusiast myself but never owned or driven any MX5 before or any 2 seater roadster come to think of it.
But Sam my son has been into MX5’s since he was about 5 years old.
After buying him an MX5 book a few years ago he has read it front to back several times over.
Since he got a phone he spends most of his allowed screen time on e bay motors or classic car sites looking and researching MX5’s for sale.
I knew the question would come one day
“ dad can we maybe see about getting one so I can learn about it, how to look after it and use it when I can drive?”
Knowing it wasn’t just a whim or a schoolboy fantasy I said well let’s see but we haven’t got the money just to go and buy one.
He kept doing the research and would bombard myself and my wife with facts and figures and prices I think in the hope we would give in.
He did so much leg work and kept telling me how a Eunos would be better because of this that and the other and some of the special editions he really liked would be too expensive in years to come.
He started putting a plan into place to sell all his expensive lego to put towards it and to be fair he started building up a fair amount.
Long story short and fast forward to this year our three kids were left a small amount of money each in inheritance.
We knew what was coming “ can I invest some of mine in a car?”
After much discussion my wife and I decided that he’d done so much research and it wasn’t an unrealistic car he wanted we would let him.
It will be something we can look after together and hopefully by the time he can actually drive it he will know it inside out. Even looked at insurance and it wasn’t too bad for a new driver.
So Saturday saw us driving 5 hours to Kent from Liverpool to look at and hopefully drive home in a Eunos J- Limited.
To say he was over the moon is an understatement when we signed on the dotted line.
Now is probably a good time to add that Sam is nearly 12 years old.
I’ve spent the last few months reading about the cars, what to look for and speaking to a few owners at car shows etc.
So we have 5 years to get up to speed but I’m sure it will be an enjoyable 5 years for us especially for me as I’m the lucky one who gets to drive it.
So thanks for having us here I am sure we will be learning a lot on here over the years.
Welcome both, enjoy the experience of the MX-5.
At Sam’s age I was tinkering with Lambrettas then when old enough to drive tinkering with a VW camper van, no MX-5’s then.
Looks a decent Mk1 there, enjoy.
Hello Sam, and Nathan, That was a great story and really made me smile.
You have got yourselves a beautiful looking MX5, well done, worth the wait and all that research.
I will keep a look out for you in Liverpool.
Wonderful story, thanks for sharing.
You two will not only enjoy the car but the unique opportunity to have a shared interest while Sam is growing up.
As an older dada to older kids I only regret that those times come to pass. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy
[How Tall Are You…Can You Reach the Pedals …If You Can…Then Tell Dad to Find an Off Road Area so He Can Teach You to Drive…You’ve Not Heard That From Me]
Seriously Nathan…What a Spiritually Uplifting and Heartwarming Storey
Just What We Need in These Times of ‘Doom and Gloom’
Great to see. Last December we bought a v spec eunos for my son and me to enjoy and work on together, he is 16 in February next year, so a little older. We have done work on the interior, changed the suspension and over the last 2 weekends replaced the front upper wishbones. More to do over the next months, years but great to do together.
An MX5 for his first car? He’s a lucky boy.
A similar story when I was a boy although it was a Ford Anglia 100E my dad bought for me. No such things as smart phones those days so it was just car magazines and yearly visits to the Motor Show at Earls Court. We did live at Silverstone circuit as dad was a farmer there and we often met all the early Grand Prix drivers such as Stirling Moss, Graham Hill etc.
After rebuilding my engine with dad I often drove around the circuit and local village roads, no one batted an eyelid back then at a 13 year old driving a car.
Hope your boy gets to drive it somewhere safe at an early age, he’ll be a petrolhead for the rest of his life.
So am I right in saying the J2 is the one from 94?
Black windscreen surround?
If I have absorbed the information Sam my lad has drummed into me over the years?
That would make a nice pairing a J and a J2 limited.
We will hopefully be getting along to some local events so we will no doubt see you about.
I do like to try and attend some club events, we like to see other peoples cars and learn off other owners, also hopefully getting Young ones involved from an early age will keep clubs like this alive in years to come.
Ah…. The slippery slope.
Next…
Dad, can we try some track days?
Dad, can I have a go at racing MX-5s?
Dad, can you loan me some cash to buy an ND?
(Speaks from experience!)
[How Tall Are You…Can You Reach the Pedals …If You Can…Then Tell Dad to Find an Off Road Area so He Can Teach You to Drive…You’ve Not Heard That From Me] 
I hope to see you both and J-Sun at an event soon.
