Mk1 or mk2 MX5?
 

Always read such great things about these little cars. Anyone had one or atleast driven one ? I know they are old, low powered cars and have a bit of a girly image but i just cant help but fancy a tidy one for playing about in. If anyone has had one, are they cheap to run? Fuel mpg? Any good generally?

I run a MK2 on track for the missus... she didnt like the look of the MK1, so that was the reason for choosing that one.

Slightly more to run on track, but its been relatively cheap so far. Not sure about road use, but I am spoilt car wise.

Heres mine:-
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/a...pscastspdr.jpg

I've always fancied one as a cheap toy but never bitten the bullet. From the small amount of research I did, the JDM ones are the one to have as they come with an LSD and a few other better features.

Mines an Arizona edition so comes with a Torsen diff ;)

I've got a Mk2 MX5 and it's a great little car, but rust can be a big problem around the sills. Mine had been fixed when I bought it and so far no more rust. Fuel consumption is not great, 30 - 35mpg is about it. On the plus side spares are dirt cheap compared with the Impreza, insurance also low. You have to get used to the hairdresser comments though!

The hairdressers comments is the one thing I don't understand. In my experience it seems that there are more petrolheads who own an MX5, not hairdressers.

Sounds positive so far to me, is there a massive drop in performance from a turbo 2000 ? Im taking real world here, so just goin out purely for the fun of it kinda drive not chasing tenths on a circuit. It would only be a weekend toy anyway and maybe the odd trackday. Also wouldn't mind trying a drift practice session if i got one. I too have heard that the imports r better to buy because they are better spec'd and less or no rust. Also im i right in thinking don't bother with the 1.6 one?

Very true

Dead right, all the hairdresser comments come from arse heads, who make 'chav' remarks about my Subaru and 'old man's car' about my Merc. And then they drive off in a Kia or Proton!

My wife's uk 1.8s mk2 has a limited slip diff, it's not just the jdm that have it.
The worst culprit for rust is the mk2.5 (slightly facelifted mk2) and the place to look is the front chassis rails. Can't really be seen unless on a ramp with the under engine cover removed, and can write a car off if badly gone.

I had a Mk 2.5.Yep they are Sloooooow with a capital S,but great fun.Doesn't really matter 1.6 or 1.8 in my view.Great cars.And only in the UK do they talk about Hairdresser cars.....everyone else is a bit more grown up.lol

I'd love a tidy Mk 1 now......they are just small, fun sports cars!!

Ha ha ha really slooooow a :lol1: The spec says they do 60 in around 8 seconds. Sure its no drag car but i would have thought even that pace would feel "nippy " because of there small size and low down seating position ? I've spotted a few turbo one's knocking around that are knocking out around the 200-250bhp mark for not much more £££ surely they would be a different animal altogether ?

They are terribly slow, but the fun bit is the corners, you will be so shocked at what you can keep up with (and even go faster than) through corners and bends :D

Mine is running:-
Rota wheels and yoko AD07 tyres
Meister R suspension
Brake tweeks - booster bracket, braided lines, fluid
Sprint V seats
Rear rollbar
Hardtop

Next (in the next few mnonths):-
Supercharger
Discs and pads upgraded
And some exterior bits, side skirts, front lip, rear diffuser, ducktail

Supercharger is better IMO for the power delivery, especially as my missus is still a novice on track. Just seen a dyno graph of a M62 supercharger on a MK2 and it made 230bhp at the wheels :D which sounds rather fun!!

Wow 230 at the wheels !!! In such a light chassis, that will be amazing fun. Yeah i can only imagine the speed they can carry through the corners. I bet yours is great on track with the mods you've done.

Yeah, need to get the car booked in with Skuzzle over winter for this :luxhello:

Oh yes, lots!!

My MX5 is totally standard and in truth it feels to have little more pace than our Peugeot 306 diesel runaround, just more fun!

What model is your's ? 1.6 or 1.8 ?

I had a Mk1 1.6 Eunos Roadster (Imported MX5) with a 4/2/1 mani, full Mazdaspeed exhaust system and Bilstein shocks and springs. Literally the most fun I've had in a while! Made 125hp when I had it dyno'd so it wasn't exactly fast, but it wasn't the slowest thing I've driven and it sounded great!

Ahh i want one now. Now all i have to do is convince the mrs that i "need " two weekend cars :lol1:

It's a 1.8, and undoubtedly is quicker than the 306, it just doesn't feel it.

I have a 1.6 Eunos which cost me £650 and is a total blast. One of the most fun cars I have driven. The 1.6 is more revvy where as the 1.8 has more torque. In real world figures, there honestly is not much in it but I was told by a lot of owners that the revvy 1.6 is more fun. It's also lighter I believe and easier to get spares for.

This is mine.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps9bd41f6a.jpg

If you are using it as a weekend toy then it's perfect. We use it for road trips and have driven it all over Wales and will be heading to France at some point. If you are going to track it then do be aware that they are slow in a straight line but will kill most cars in the corners. You also can't do a lot about it without spending big money on it like turbos or super chargers. You can take weight out but then you will also want to stiffen it which will add weight. Saying that, on track it handles amazing and is so well balanced. I got the crack out going through Paddock Hill and it didn't bother me one bit.

This is me at Brands and you can see how much quicker it is in the bends. Not bad for a 25 year old car and I do eventually get past the 1.8 Corsa SXi :)


As for reliability and costs then tax is a bit steep at £260 for a 1.6 and compared to my Blobeye WRX and my Integra DC5, it is the worst for fuel economy giving back about 27mpg. It has been incredibly reliable though with nothing going wrong in the 2.5 years of owning it.

Mine currently has Wolfrace Eurosport wheels, TR Lane Roll bar, decat, Long Life exhaust, Eibach Spring, Yellowstuff Pads, braided hoses and 5.1 brake fluid. Will probably get some Sparco bucket seats, 4-2-1 manifold and think about tuning mods after that.

At the end of the day, they are great cheap fun motoring and perfect as a weekend toy.

Nice! Yep tax and fuel pita :-(

Check out youtube video of mx5 v lotus elise.You will see what they can do......

Cool vid.Ace fun car.Bugger.Tempted again now.....

You ever venture out towards Thruxton or Castle Combe? Brands is local, but I have never been, oddly. Indy seems too small and the noise limits are harsh for the GTR - want to do the full GP circuit though (at least once).

For me its the cost of the consumables, like tyres and brakes VS the GTR, which is immense, but you have to concentrate a lot! Where as the MX5 can be thrown about, etc.

I've done Castle Combe when I had a Civic Type R and would really like to do it in the MX5. I think it would be an excellent track for the car and really suit it. Never done Thruxton though.

I agree, the Indy circuit would be very short for the GTR but I would say worth doing just for the experience. Might be worth doing an evening session rather than a full day as I can see it getting a bit boring after a while. Plus it will be cheaper.

Its a good point about the cost of consumables. The other issue is if you have any issues, for example spinning off, being hit by a numpty, and damaging your car then its going to be costly. I always say, can I afford it if I smash this car up. With the MX5 its not an issue but for me, a GTR would be a no, especially as I can't afford to buy one anyway :lol1:

Interesting.... I dont think that Castle Combe suits the MX5 very much. I think its more of a power circuit. Whereas Thruxton is about carrying speed and suits the MX5 well.... Thruxton is definitely worth a trip!!

Will still do Brands....

I've got a mk1 1.8, love it to bits. Cheap as chips to buy, loads of cheap parts, easy to work on, very tuneable, fully adjustable double wishbone suspension, unbreakable engine and gearbox etc. Lots of interesting aftermarket parts available. Mine's a basic uk car with manual steering, no abs, windup windows. I added a Torsen lsd and lightweight flywheel. I use it for sprints, hillclimbs, and auto solo. Proper little sports car, you can drive it to work all week, thrash the daylights out of it on the track at weekends, and it won't let you down, they're tough little cars. Very slow compared to a turbo Impreza certainly, but just as much fun.

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I had a mk1 1.6 MX5. And I can honestly say that it was the most fun car I've ever driven. As everyone has said, you wouldn't consider them as fast, but get them into some corners and they're amazing. And you have more fun driving it hard because although you're not going amazingly fast, it feels like you're squeezing every drop of performance out of it. Only downsides are that they're rusty as f*ck now, and the locks and inside of the windscreen freeze in the winter - which can be a ballache :)

Highly recommend one though.

I really really fancy one but iv had my impreza for 12 years and im attached to it, the only thing that puts me off swapping is the power drop, and the mpg aint that much better than what im getting out of my impreza :(

Can you not run a cheap one along side of the impreza?