Only just joined the forum, Ive had a company car now for Nearly a year (VW Tiguan) which is great but miss not having a convertible for the odd blast around when the sun is out.
Basically all the following is saying is should I buy a 2.0 Sport MX-5 Hardtop convertible!!
Ive set a budget of up to £7.5k, I’ve recently had a back operation to remove part of a lower disc so need something fairly comfortable although recover is going g well.
My question (to all you slightly biased MX-5 owners Lol) I’ve short listed the Merc SLK, Audi TT, BMW Z4 and Mazda MX-5.To be honest I wasn’t looking at an MX-5 until I met someone recently in my local pub whose other half has a 57 plate Hardtop convertible with only 34k miles on the clock who said I could have it for ”around 5k”… basically his wife like them and he bought it of someone he knew so good history with the car. This guy has 5 cars including a new Aston with only 1200 miles 9n the clock so money has been no object, I saw the MX briefly and had a 2 minute passenger ride in it but was shortly after my operation so couldn’t go any further. It has 4 ritually new Bridgestone tyres and looked extremely clean to say the least.
So do I get this MX5 or should I go SLK or TT,have ruled the Z4 sort of out as not quite so keen on it, TT was my favourite due to the remap options on the 2.0 engine to make it fairly rapid especially compared to the MX!!
So my plan is to have a longer trip out in the MX shortly to see how I get on, but is the MX-5 fairly comfy for a longer journey, will I miss the performance of the TT or does the MX-5 provide the grin factor?
Any help appreciated, I’ve read the buyers guide but any other tips would be handy on what to look for.
I can’t speak about the Z4 or the SLK but we have both a TT and a MK3 MX5 so I can give you my take on it.
The TT. More grown up,comfortable, not as entertaining but looks great
Ours is the MK1 V6 so not as tunable as the 2.0 but plenty quick enough in a straight line. It feels solid and comfortable, jiggly over rough surfaces but the extra weight the TT carries means it rides pretty well. My wife loves it and it was very cossetting for her on a long drive recently. It’s a GT car. Very complicated to the extent I have yet to work out how to jack it up properly despite having it 2 years. When things break, they will cost you. Very low and tricky to get out of
The MX5. Likes to be chucked about, fun. Not as refined.
The feel of the car is very different to the TT. Everything feels lighter. Where the TT has the solid feel of a golf the MX5 feels much more like an old fashioned sports car. It’s much more alive in your hands, not as fast but fast enough to be fun. Noisier roof up or down but far more protection from the cold with the roof down that the TT. Sub 10 degrees is too cold in the TT, just a jumper in the MX5. Comfortable enough for long journeys, I did 500 miles in a day recently and I felt pretty good. Just as hard to get out of. Parts are significantly cheaper especially if you can get the Ford versions. Example the Mazda thermostat is 80 odd quid, the ford version which fits just as well was about 15-20.
I had a 2.5 Z4 and a 170 2.3 SLK. The Z4 lasted 6 months and needed expensive repairs. Build quality excellent along with A/C heating system, powered roof and no rust, electric heated seats with multi positioning. Would I buy one again ? No electrics are a nightmare. The SLK was an older girl, great on motorways, split level air conditioning but numb steering. The 171 will be better but really the car is a cruiser, a bit like sitting in your arm chair. The MX5 compared to the german cars is very small car which means you can get through smaller gaps and do things you cannot do in the bigger cars. The quality of the fittings and materials is not as good in the MX5 as it is a much lighter car. I now have a 2006 2.0 which I have had for 18 months and apart from rust proofing products and servicing has not cost a penny. On short journeys it is a blast, on longer journeys a bit noisy.
Hi Wayne, I’ve always found mine to be absolutely fine on a long trip (I’m 54 so not exactly a spring chicken either). I’ve done a number of trips comprising 350 miles in a day & had no aches / pains at all.
Yes it is a bit noisier (with the folding hardtop roof up) than a normal car but I’ve never found that to be a problem - I got used to it very quickly & don’t notice the bit of extra noise until I travel in somebody else’s car & realise how quiet that is!
I’ve had one of each of the alternatives, but three MX5 hard tops and I would say that aside from the comfort of the others, the 5 is just so much more fun.
Personally i would pass on the 57 plate as if you have a larger budget I would go for the 59 onwards model (mk3.5 or 3.75) as the car and engine are greatly improved in these revised models. But yes go for the folding hard top.
Same as you, I had back surgery some years ago. I have had a mk 2 for a couple of years, then my last mk 3 on a 55 plate for nearly ten years, just changed it for a 2011 sports black in spirited green, which is better than the earlier one, heated seats good for bad backs as well. We have done three tours of Ireland, twice to Scotland, been to jersey. We did over seventy thousand miles in ours, wouldn’t have anything differently. Never been let down, cheap servicing , great fun. Do it.
Thanks for your replies, I went to see the 57 plate 2.0 Hardtop 2.0 sport and it’s a very very good one, full Mazda service history few options although not Bose ?? under 35k.
So I’ve gone for it, will mainly sit in the garage and probably only do 2 or 3k miles a year.