Right. I may have a buyer lined up to take the 406 off my hands, and I've decided that I want an MX-5, as I've always been a big one for originality. MR2s are too complicated what with having the engine in the middle.
So, I want probably an 1800, an LSD and a hard top if possible. Given that I'm likely to be spending £2000-£2500, what variants / years should I be looking at?
What about spending less and seeing if you like them first ? ;-)
oh that aint bad money, imports had an LSD i think? only UK sport models did hear, try one of the owners clubs or wikipedia to see the differences is probably best place to start. imports tended to have air con as standard and i think had better suspension too. personally i'd go for the 1.6 as it is a bit more revvy and more suited to turbo/super chargers at a later stage if tempted.
i don't think they changed to much although later MK2's came with a 6 speed box which is actually really nice, although that may have been on 1.8 engines only can't remember. i've always fancied a jap import RS model but that's probably out your range but they came with a nice factory kit on them and i think the 6 speed box.
Cheers.
As I understand it, LSD is not a case of Import/non import. Mazda fitted them to different variants in all markets but it's more common on JDM spec variants.
There are are fourteenty three different variants. Owners club websites and forums often have lists of specs.
The spec of the engines is a minefield too. Early jap 1.6s are OK as there only was a 1.6 when it came out and they are quite zingy, around
120bhp I think. However, there's a period when UK spec ones make something silly like 88bhp because of emissions and the release of the more powerful 1.8 with about 130bhp.Engines are generally very difficult to extract extra meaningful performance from without Forced Induction and more kit exists for this in 1.6 form.
Jap ones seem to mostly have aircon as you say.
After about 2001 you could get one with a 6 speed box. The 6 speeder is widely regarded as not being as nice to use as the 5 speed, not that the
6 is bad, it's just that the 5 is excellent.The 6 speed's top gear is similar to the 5 speed's so it just means you have to change gear more.
My 2003 1.8 Sport has about 143bhp IIRC and a 6 speed box. A 2001 car in similar spec might be approaching Doki's budget these days. I've watched asking prices plummet over the last few months.
Adrian has a JPEG of that.
%steve%@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
Is this the one you're thinking of?
If you can stretch a bit higher there are some really nice cars out there. And the gearshift is amazingly short. More like a switch than a lever.Very short, very tight, very natural.
I really wished I could have fitted in one properly.
Yeah, it is lovely.
Bah, you just need better painkillers.
Performance-wise there isn't much between a 1600 and 1800 Mk1, the latter has a little more power on paper but is also heavier.
Find a car with a good body instead - you can always put in an LSD (just stick on the whole 1.8 torsen assembly - they're not that hard to find) if you really want one later.
The best Mk1 you can find for that sort of dosh.
Heh. Bastard.
I've spent all day driving to and from Leeds (more than once, obviously) in a 4.6 Vogue. I may just have to buy another P38a and take that to Czech. Fuck LHD...
Cheers for the advice. Unfortunately I sat in a MK2 today, and I only fit if the roof is down. P'raps an MR2 would be roomer. If not, I may be heading to E36 or hot hatch territory.
Hmm. How tall are you? I have no problem fitting a Mk1 at 5'11", JackH does fit one too and he's taller than me.
Aftermarket seats in these can rob a lot of headroom but you should fit one with a standard seat.
Mk1 MR2s aren't much roomier inside, Mk2 are to a certain extent.
6'2" but with relatively short legs and a long back.
Christ, how tall are you? :-)
I'm 6'1". My MKI has standard seats and I fit in with headroom to spare. I've got a quite short, 30" inside leg.
Fed up with my Mazda now. Not the car as such, it's wonderful when it's on a smooth road. Unfortunately there aren't many round here, they're shit and I'm bored of tramlining and being thrown all over the show by small bumps.
Mike P
Aye, I had no problems at all fitting in the one I briefly had, and I'm
6'3".
They're actually a lot more cramped.
I agree with that though.
"JackH" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
Only MX5 (Mk1) I've ever sat in - roof up - was definitely "cosy" (to the extent there was no way I was going to be able to drive it), and I ended up having to exit the damn thing by "walking" my hands along the ground.
6'2", 15.5st.
I couldn't drive mine either... hence why it ended up dented. ;-)
But no, I fitted fine.
The Mk1 MR2 T-Bar I had on the other hand was extremely cramped... bloody good fun to drive though, bar its knack of skipping under hard braking.
A bag of cement under the bonnet helps with that, mind.
Mk2 MR2s that aren't turbos are crap - if you want a performance / weekend fun car, you'd have more fun back in a Ka. Seriously. Buy one of those Ka's that's had a pro engine swap for a 2.0 or something (nothing with a CVH turbo or not, or any bits shared with a CVH), I bet they're a right laugh.
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