Having seen all the positive talk about MX5s

That's nice. Go and drive a couple..

Mike P

It just seems totally out of proportion with things that a car I couldn't almost fit in my boot if I fold the seats down is dearer on tax than a Passat/Superb/Toldeo diesel, or even the 3.5litre GS450H hybrid.

I admit, the MX5 is about £100 a year cheaper on insurance than a Superb, so it kind of balances just in my favour, but it will use more fuel.

I've emailed Stratstone anyway to find some details to make sure it is a genuine Conran and make sure it does have a hardtop.

I'm begining to think the fun factor of the MX-5 is well worth the difference in tax :-)

You might get insurance cheaper still through the owners club. I did. I came out about £20 better off in the end, after taking the £25 club joining fee into account.

Mike P

That would be worth it. That was just the first comparison site I did. Bound to be able to get better and find a cashback site that will do something.

Are you a driver or an accountant?

If you like it, buy it and drive it ffs.

I'm just just trying to avoid every thing that might cause me to need to get rid. After all my whinges, and worries about what it might need for the MOT,the thing that eventually killed off was fuel consumption.

I know the petrol for an MX will be affordable, the tax was a bit of a surprise as Tim says he can tax his germanic luxumatic for less, and at least it doesn't have complicated climate to break as it is a uk car I'm looking at. I'm going to try and piss off a local dealer by blagging a test drive in a similar one to make sure I fit ok and like the position before making an excuse about having others to see and walking away leaving him without a last sale before the new year.

If it doesn't have climate, does it at least have manual air-con?

You'll hate it in the summer if it doesn't.

Summer? This is Carl we're on about. It'll be gone by April, for half whatever he spends on it. "I love the MX5, but I miss the vibrating rear seat / turbo / auto box / boot space / cruise control / rear engine / sound system / plastic wood"

I'm not much better, but being fussy about cars isn't a major priority in my life at the mo. Drive whatever turns up that isn't shit and replace it when something less shit comes along. No point in complaining when you don't get everything you want, I've not found my perfect car yet (although the ZT-T 260 is damn close), but the little E30 does what I need it to and does the job just fine until I bugger off in a few months.

AFAIK, uk cars didn't get aircon or auto boxes until the current NC model.

Then it's not the car for you.

Sitting on the M60, doing 20mph or less, when it's 30 degrees, with the roof down and no air-con will be really nasty. It'll be even worse with the roof up.

Probably not the car for Carl, as you say. For me, I can't see how it'll be worse than wearing leathers on a bike in summer though, and that never bothered me, even crawling along.

Mike P

Easier to just buy a Eunos.

Very true

Is the suspension set up differently on Jap cars? That blue one I had was

*very* stiff compared to this UK car I have now. So stiff that I'm 100% sure it contributed to the crash by bouncing on a bumpy bend and catching me out (still my fault, but the red car doesn't bounce on the same bit of road at all)

Mike P

Looks like it wasn't an option even on the car I'm seriously considering.

I'm waiting for Stratstone to get back to me, to make sure it is still available, what number it is and it has a hardtop like the photos look like.

I'm not driving 50 miles to find out it has gone, it isn't genuine or doesn't have a hardtop. Best part of £4k is a bit steep for the age/miles unless it has the hard top (about £500's worth) and isn't a genuine one of the 400. All the better if it has the accessories too.

The Eunos is normally softer than a UK spec car. The red one I had was mega-grippy at the back, a combination of LSD and softish rear shocks meant it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to get sideways...

MX5s are one of the few cars any real petrolhead cannot hate. They may want something else as well for carrying wardrobes, washers, kids etc but they're impossible to hate.

Take a trip down here - it's worth the trip.

The driving position is almost perfect, only issue is for people over 6 ft it can be a little tight but me and my mate (who's taller than me and the same "build") managed a trip to london and back without any issues. Other risk is from stone chips as the top rail of the windscreen is quite low if you're tall - he's had the occasional bleeding forehead...

If you're not fitting a smaller steering wheel could be the answer.

Roof up will be awful - the windows aren't big, the blower is noisy and the rear window is opaque (although it unzips) - try and find one with a glass rear window.