ND Owners seem very reluctant. I see a white one most mornings, and after several weeks of him not waving, I actually got a response last week. Perseverance!
3 Likes
I am an RF owner in NE Derbyshire and I always wave to fellow MX5 owners. Sometimes I even wave to S2000 and F Type owners for good measure!
6 Likes
@Mike-MX5-Racer imho it’s nothing to do with which model you drive, it’s whether you’re an enthusiast or have preferably a sunny disposition. I always wave, assuming I see someone in time. But I’m convinced the people that don’t probably haven’t even seen you, or don’t even recognise your car as similar to theirs if it’s not the same generation. They’re the same ones that have there roof up when the suns out (my pet hate) Personally I’ve been blanked more times by NCs but not the sort that graces this forum, the sort that has missed a few oil changes in its life if you get my drift. Please continue to wave at us ND owners we’re not all the same 
ATB … Rich
7 Likes
I must have given an enthusiastic wave to at least 10 MX-5s of various mks I passed over the weekend, and not a reciprocal wave from any of them. One was another middle-aged baldy in a Sunlight Silver NB - it was like driving towards a mirror image of myself - thought he’d be a slam-dunk for a wave back, but not even so much as a raised eyebrow of acknowledgement. Gutted.
4 Likes
@willp 
!
Actually I’m tempted to start a thread of pictures from my dashcam with passing owners, waving or not as the case maybe… not sure if it’s high enough quality.? Would be funny though
3 Likes
The police in the oncoming car with blues and twos were waving and hooting at the unthinking Healey who turned right (filter said he could, bags of room) across in front of them. See how the front of the police car has dipped on very heavy braking.
The girl in the ancient Porsche had the good sense to wait, even though she could have gone on the green.
A cropped photo from my Dashcam after the first lockdown last year.
1 Like
You’re going nothing wrong and in my experience it’s an age thing. Many might feel it’s ‘maturity’, but others can say it’s (the ignoring) miserable and condescending.
I’ve had a number of ‘boy racer’ type of cars and typically the drivers are much younger. I’d get flashes and waves all the time, even winding windows down and fist pumps at lights etc.
Got an MX-5 and that all changed despite my attempts at warmth to fellow drivers. Get ignored most of the time. Interesting how SO MANY Mx-5 drivers I see are middle aged or older gents, especially in comparison to the ‘boy racer’ type of cars I’d owned, whose drivers invariably used to greet. I’d say 95%+ positive greetings in the boy racer type of cars,driven typically by a younger driver, compared to 10% positive (at best) by the MX-5 driver, typically driven by a middle aged/older gent.
Any connection?
To do a nice woke, politically correct, BBC-like virtue signal, which now means adding the caveat ‘I’m sure it isn’t such a sweeping generalization’, which may be so, but like my mummy used to say, ‘go by your own experiences, not someone else’s.’
1 Like
A lot of it is reaction times.
Younger drivers are much more alert, have better all-round vision, and have quicker reactions to allow a response, so long as they are paying proper attention to their driving. This sweeping statement is only a general rule with obvious exceptions, but over many years and from both points of view I’ve noticed it still has relevance!
Unfortunately as we grow older so most of us also slow down mentally and lose the multi-threading thought capacity, or at least I have. So I might miss a wave because I’m making sure my driving is safe and I’ve seen all the road conditions and other driver intentions, leaving little time to recognise what kind of car it was, or wave.
The younger 5 drivers around Furness have never waved back at me, but as I mentioned in another post, I got to chat with one of them 10 days ago in Greenodd (BBR enhanced RF), and he was very friendly and happy to share his experience of the car.
He didn’t seem to know about the wave. And I gathered from our chat that his MK4 is another car in his car history, however great a car he thinks it is.
So maybe that is it: we all love our 5’s, but some of us drivers do believe that we joined a community when we bought one, and others do not.
I am still waiting for a female driver to wave back… They do when they are passengers.
2 Likes
I wave to MG’s, Morgan’s and once a TR4, got responses back.
The biker who decided to overtake on a blind bend and caused me to take evasive action last week didn’t like being waved to, probably too concerned about the state of his underpantage after the event.
3 Likes
Just the other day (first one out in the NC in weeks) I was blessed by yet another wave from the young blonde in her powder blue SLK. Naturally I noticed, and responded.
The two cars are almost the same colour, both top down, both local, and I’m obviously harmless. I just wonder who she is.
1 Like
My partner’s first SLK was powder blue, sold for a black one, which got replaced by an SLC in Fire Opal last month.
They are the closest thing to a hardtop NC when it comes to versatility. That lady might have owned a 5 sometimes ago.
1 Like
She was probably a temptress 
the same one that waved and tooted to me, I had the missus with me too.
1 Like
Two waves ago I was also being supervised, and she asked “Who is that?” as we exchanged waves.
Which is how I know the attractive SLK driver is not one of her friends I’ve forgotten (happens too often now.)
I’ve noticed recently I am getting more waves. Must be the sunny weather cheering people up! Usually I find NC owners to wave back the least but I got a wave from a blue one yesterday. Also got a wave from a grey NB at the end of my road in Southport today👍
3 Likes