“I have a feeling everything suggested will be rejected, so there’s no real answer on here for you I think?”
On the contrary, you’ve made some very good points. One suggestion I definitely disagree with is getting of of the bike. NO WAY, it cost £10k brand new this April !!
The replacement car (whatever it may be) won’t be living in the garage, in fact it’s probably safer parked outside as there’s always the risk of a garden tool leaping from the wall onto the bonnet. I live in a rural village where vehicle theft & vandalism is a rarity.
I might have to bite the bullet and face the possible expense of a German car due to little else appealing and/or suiting my needs.
Jaguar - Too big and expensive for me. However, an F Type would be the first in my new quad car garage if I ever win the lottery
Good to come across someone whose been in a similar quandry. I’m at the opposite end of being a young virile stud muffin in my head or otherwise . An SLK is looking more and more appealing. I love the looks above all others, they’re compact, comfy and roomy with plenty of poke. If only I could stop worrying about when they go wrong.
At 5ft 11 I find my mk1 mx5 a tight squeeze, quite uncomfortable. But for me it’s just my fun car, for the weekends or holidays, and it is fun! The NC I sat in (had the folding hard top) felt quite roomy in comparison. The bootspace was small, and the opening even smaller than my mk1. But to be honest, you buy into the mx5 knowing it isn’t a practical car, it was never designed with that in mind so it’s no surprise or disappointment to find it has minimal boot space. On saying that, I have seen cars with worse boots that that!
On the Audi TT, I drove a 2010 quattro 2.0 tdi. It felt quick, seats were comfy, cabin well insulated from the outside world. But as someone else said, there was no real feed back from the car. One thing to note is that at my height, when sitting in the car the one thing I really didnt like was the fact that my eye line was above the side window. So when looking out the drivers side door window, I was looking at the headlining! I had to bend my head down slightly to see out! The front A pillar also felt really close due to the shape of the car. So although plenty leg room and width room, I felt the head room was poor. I felt like I must have looked stupid from outside the car, maybe looking too big for it! If your taller than me, then I think you might struggle with it on a day to day basis. You said you like to tinker with the cars in the garage…there isn’t really anything you can tinker with in the TT. Engine bay space is…well, none existant. So no playing to be had in there. Most things in the car are done electronically so unless your good with a laptop, not much to do there either. And when they go wrong, although some parts can be found at reasonable costs, you won’t be able to fit them yourself. So garage bills will be expensive.
Most of the above are what put me off them, even though I love the style of that year model. It’s just too complex a car to work on, as are most cars in that bracket.
The Mercs are ok, can’t say I’ve ever wanted to own one other than an old 80’s 280SL convertible. AMG? Nice if you can afford it, and have a bank balance to cover any repairs it may need.
For something a bit different, how about a Mazda RX8? It’s a sports coupe, pretty quick, plenty storage space and roomy inside. Only downside to them is the rotary engine often needing a rebuild.
You may have hit a negative about headroom in the TT. I’m 6ft 3" with a long back and a 33 inch inseam. My legs are okay in the MX5 but my head only just touches the soft top and hard top. Another inch would be welcome.
Mazda MX8 - No thanks on account of the rotary engine and I’m not a fan of the weird little rear doors or the overall shape.
I would consider all the options but delay any firm decision until you are enjoying the car properly again in spring Denbow.
Not a good time of year to make a decision on this - quite a few of us have mothballed our cars until spring anyway.
The problem is that the MX5 whilst being far from faultless is so good a package when compared to many other cars that are seemingly more desirable.
It may not have the power but is more fun to drive.
It may not have the prestige but is unlikely to be stolen or damaged. It is not a stressful car to own and drive and should the worst happen you can easily find a relatively cheap replacement.
Cost of ownership is minimal. High repair/servicing costs are a constant drain with other cars mentioned - this takes the joy out of ownership over time.
I talk to lots of people who have discovered the MX5 after driving Porsche, BMW, etc and suddenly realise what it is all about. Others including 2 guys near to me in South Devon have moved on from their MX5 to other cars and seriously regretted it. The 2 guys I refer to opted for Z3 cars and both want their respective MK1 and MK2 cars back.
Of course MX5 ownership is not a drug I would recommend unless I genuinely thought it was good for you and me.
I guess the ideal scenario if you can justify/afford it is two cars and the motorbike. I have a bike and an old MK1 MX5 + a more practical and useful VW Golf. When that dies as regrettable will happen soon and is probably at least five years overdue will likely replace with another similarly rated vehicle but totally different spec, perhaps a Suzuki Jimny.
Good advice Rhino. What you say about the alternatives and the MX5 is true. Time to stand back and wait. Being retired in Winter means I can’t get out on the bike, drive the MX with the top down or tinker, polish and caress them. This must have given me itchy feet and prompted a search of the car ads. It would be a shame to let somebody else have the benefit of the hard work and money spent on the MX over 3 years of proud ownership only to buy something else and start all over again.
Yes mate, I think I would find the TT hard to live with. My head didn’t touch the roof, but you do seem to sit too high for seeing out just down to the shape of the car. Maybe a low bucket seat would solve it but then those are usually not that comfy. I think rhino hit it on the head…deffo best to wait until spring comes as you’ll be able to tinker and drive the mx5 again. Plus if you do decided to sell, you’ll get a better price for it in the spring/summer
Yes, almost five years ago I decided I really wanted a BMW Z4 Coupe. I’d looked at a few but not yet driven one. My wife and I then drove half way across the country with the intention of buying an immaculate, low mileage BMW Z4 that I’d seen advertised for a very good price. On arrival my wife pointed out that it even had my initials as the last part of the registration number, a sign she took as a good omen to buy it.
We took it for a test drive. I was very surprised to instantly decide I really didn’t like it - to this day I still can’t explain why. My wife just couldn’t understand this at all, it ticked all the boxes, she loved it and was certain we would be going home in it.
After only ten minutes or so I took it back to the sales garage and I decided I needed some time to think it over, so we went to a nearby pub for lunch. My wife kept telling me that it really was the car I should buy but I was non-committal. After lunch we went back to the garage. My wife was sure I was going to buy it and stayed in the car we had driven over in. Something told me not to buy it. I was telling the salesman the bad news as I noticed a dark grey, 4 door saloon behind him. I don’t know why but asked him what it was; it was a 330D M sport automatic, a car I actually knew nothing about.
Something just clicked - we took it for a test drive and ten minutes later I was writing a cheque for it and I’ve still got it. These cars are glorious to drive (top speed is artificially limited to 154 mph - I’m sure it will do considerably more) and it will do over 40 mpg on my daily commute. For a saloon it handles extremely well indeed.
It’s probably time I bought something a bit smaller engined and so cheaper to run and tax, but every time I drive it know I won’t be doing so just yet!
I’ve had 2 BMW 3 series which were by and large good cars, apart from the rust coming through on the wheel arches & door bottoms. The best BMW I’ve ever had was a 525 auto, no rust anywhere, only an oil leak and a dicky speedo which worked when in the mood.
When I decided to trade in a Volvo S60 for an open top sports car 3 years ago I considered Z3, Z4, Audi TT and Merc SLKs. I went to look at an series 1 SLK advertised at a local garage only to find a sold board propped in the screen. The dealer was kind enough to let me try the drivers seat for size which I found surprisingly roomy and not far off the Volvo. I’m sure I’d have bought the car if someone hadn’t beaten me to it by half an hour. I viewed a couple more shortly after which didn’t come up to scratch and having read about their electrical problems I decided to go Japanese.
A few weeks later a deal was done for my 2006 MX5. Driving it home in the rain with the roof up I began to wonder if I’d made a big mistake as it was noisy and cramped. The steering felt so sensitive it needed 100% concentration, the least movement on the wheel would have had me in the ditch. Not having intermittent wipers was a shock and by the time I’d reached home 40 miles away my body had stiffened up so much it took 10 minutes to clamber out . After a few drives in the sun with the hood down and an RX8 intermittent wiper stalk I slowly fell in love. The only money I’ve spent on it has been for tyres, servicing, upgrades and trinkets. Never a single electrical issue or any other sort of issues. If it was a bit roomier I’d keep it forever.
I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the dreaded “Fiata” word. No more room inside but doesn’t it have a bigger boot and isn’t it available with a carbon fibre hardtop and auto-gearbox?
Waaay over my budget. If I was going to buy a new car it would need to satisfy a lot more than just a bigger boot. Automatic isn’t a necessity, interior size is. I’ll probably end up with a 3 door hatchback of some description, one with a fold down rear seat to accommodate longer items.
The Celica’s I’ve seen advertised are mostly from the 1990s with prices from £500 for a pile of work to £7000 for nice ones at dealers.
It’s looking like I might have to stick but no roof rack. The reason I’d like a bigger boot isn’t for luggage, I need the length and security for transporting rifles and equipment to and from the club range without having to use the passenger seat.