I’ve been having a mental battle about whether or not to sell my black 2006 MX5 2.0 SE for the following reasons.
Although not uncomfortable, at 6ft 3in tall I’d prefer something with more room and a bigger boot. The car shares a single garage
with my new Kawasaki Z1000, a lawnmower, storage racks, work bench and the detachable hardtop which hangs on the wall during
the summer months. (The garage is 4ft longer than standard)
The car must be kept garaged at night for both insurance purposes, also protection from the worst of the weather.
I’d like something that will fit in the garage to work on now and again, not as mandatory insurance requirement.
I don’t want another boring family saloon, I live alone, prefer sports cars, coupes and wouldn’t mind an auto. Two contenders spring to mind…Mercedes SLK (preferably a 350) and Audi TT Coupe (preferably a 3.2). Both have roomier interiors, more boot space, automatic and will stand living out better than a rag top.
The problem is I’ve heard SLKs suffer from premature timing chain wear as well as a host of electrical sensor failures. Audi TTs suffer with DSG gearboxes, road spring breakage and various instrument issues, all of which are ridiculously expensive to fix.
If I was to get an SLK350 it would be with the manual box, drove one when it first came out and it was fantastic, 90%of the AMG for 70% of the money, no silly bodykitand a proper gearbox, but I guess you have your reasons for wanting the auto, bear in mind this is the era of comparatively slow gear changes where the autos are slower than the manuals.
Nissan 350 Z springs to mind along with the Toyota 86. SLK’s are more of a cruiser but are very easy to get in and out. BMW Z4 coupes are also a possibility. So many cars to choose from and so little time. As a general rule the MX5 is reliable but prone to rust. The German built cars are not prone to rust but are very costly when they go wrong as i have found out .
To be honest I haven’t come across a 350 with a manual box for sale, or not reasonably locally. Apart from that, I’ve had lots of autos before and like them.
Ahh, a simple practical solution. This was my first thought but the lawnmower isn’t the problem, it’s the bike, MX5 hardtop, storage racks and work bench. The shed would need to be pretty big and would cause other problems.
Also, as my post says, I’d like a sports car with a more spacious interior and a bigger boot
Depends on your budget; Fox-shape Mustangs are cheap, and cheap to insure. Parts are cheap. £6-7k will start getting into Monaro territory. £7-8k will also get a Jag X150. The later BMW 6-series is overlooked somewhat; now maturing in looks. Horrendously complex to maintain though. Basically, right now will be your one and only chance to own a V8 coupe of some kind.
Thanks. I’m thinking more series 2 Merc SLK, I know the first series have a tin worm problem, especially the wheel arches. I’m seeing 2005 and 2006 350SLKs in the £5000 - £6000 bracket which is where I want to be. Monaro, Mustangs and Jags - tasty but too big and saloonified for my liking. Yes I’d love a V8 but not the high fuel consumption and road tax.
GT86 too small, no more room than a 5, in fact @ 6’ 4" I had to recline the seat considerably to not hit the roof. My 5s all had better head clearance.
That’s because I would like something bigger than my NC. Not having to store the hard top would save a bit of garage space but not enough to make a difference. Besides, and no offence to your PHRT, I don’t care for the roof line with the roof closed.
My Jag V8 returns over 35mpg, and £300 PA road tax… You want a sports car with a big boot. Aside from Z3M survivors, doesn’t exist. What does “saloonified” mean?
An Audi TT isn’t a sports car (and hasn’t got a big boot). A SLK is certainly no sportscar. Z3M if you can bear the need to weld up the torn boot floor and cracked subframe.
However, the fact you are continuing to show an interest in the SLK and TT suggests that you’ve more or less made your mind up, and the most useful answers will be gleaned by asking SLK owners if they thing their cars are any good, and TT owners (series 1 or 2, you don’t specify) is their cars are any use.
Give this thread a couple of more days; posted in wrong section and breaks the rules, unless you go back and edit your opening post (non-OC members cannot announce selling of their cars, under the guise of “how much is my car worth” etc).
If you want a V6 SLK with a bigger boot (rather than the boot that ends up filled with a folded rook), then Chrysler Crossfire; built by Mercedes in Germany, with second generation SLK mechanics. Hatchback. But you might think thats no sportscar, but the SLK is. Even though they are basically the same car.
Allow me to change the words 'sports car ’ to ‘Sporty’ and / or GT car. I don’t mean a sports car in the true sense. Both the TT and SLK have a MUCH a bigger and deeper boots than an MX5. .
Saloonified = Saloon car / hot hatch etc.
I’m not advertising my MX5 for sale on here and probably won’t. If I was I’d put it in the correct section with a full description with photos and price. More likely I’ll put it in part exchange than sell privately.
I’m asking members if they have owned a TT, SLK or any other similar cars and their impressions of them.
My sister had a couple of E46 M3s (one manual, one SMG); when they get to 100k, the bills are horrendous, because of the amount of parts that have to be replaced (ball joints etc), and none of them are (thankfully) standard E46 parts. My E46 ranks on the list of the Worst Cars I Have Owned Ever, thanks to a cooling system made from recycled ice cream pots. And rust. Painful seats, never had that in a car, a seat that caused pain.
Then she went to an E92 coupe, with the 3.0 engine, purchased from Sytners, with a manual box. It was hopeless. The engine started using a lot of oil at 100k, BMW thought that was pretty normal (!). And it was slow for a 3.0L. She ditched it for a MINI.
