RE: PH Fleet Update: Mazda Eunos Roadster
Discussion
A lot of comments in the flavour of "why not buy a better one?" or "whats wrong with running it as standard?"...
One thing that these comments miss is the sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing you have improved whats there. Made it slightly better. Sure, you could buy a newer one for the sum total of what you spent and it might be a better all round car, with better resale value and....ZZZZZzzzzz... Sorry, I bored myself to sleep there.
The point is, much in same way as some derive pleasure from classic car restoration, enjoyment can be found from upgrading one's carriage. If theres fun to be had it doesn't always have to make sense. In fact sense and fun rarely share the same space.
As far as the modifications go, the car looks extremely respectable and very smooth, unlike a fair few early 90s mx-5 that have been "touched". Although we can't hear the sound of the can through the medium of images :P
One thing that these comments miss is the sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing you have improved whats there. Made it slightly better. Sure, you could buy a newer one for the sum total of what you spent and it might be a better all round car, with better resale value and....ZZZZZzzzzz... Sorry, I bored myself to sleep there.
The point is, much in same way as some derive pleasure from classic car restoration, enjoyment can be found from upgrading one's carriage. If theres fun to be had it doesn't always have to make sense. In fact sense and fun rarely share the same space.
As far as the modifications go, the car looks extremely respectable and very smooth, unlike a fair few early 90s mx-5 that have been "touched". Although we can't hear the sound of the can through the medium of images :P
cosdog said:
A lot of comments in the flavour of "why not buy a better one?" or "whats wrong with running it as standard?"...
One thing that these comments miss is the sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing you have improved whats there. Made it slightly better. Sure, you could buy a newer one for the sum total of what you spent and it might be a better all round car, with better resale value and....ZZZZZzzzzz... Sorry, I bored myself to sleep there.
The point is, much in same way as some derive pleasure from classic car restoration, enjoyment can be found from upgrading one's carriage. If theres fun to be had it doesn't always have to make sense. In fact sense and fun rarely share the same space.
As far as the modifications go, the car looks extremely respectable and very smooth, unlike a fair few early 90s mx-5 that have been "touched". Although we can't hear the sound of the can through the medium of images :P
Quite agree with all of that. I have too many cars, and apart from the MX-5 and Fiat Panda (old shape shed version) none of them are standard. All been tweeked and slightly improved. I was trying to redress the balance, and as I am quite happy with my everyday MX-5 thought I'd just mention it.One thing that these comments miss is the sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing you have improved whats there. Made it slightly better. Sure, you could buy a newer one for the sum total of what you spent and it might be a better all round car, with better resale value and....ZZZZZzzzzz... Sorry, I bored myself to sleep there.
The point is, much in same way as some derive pleasure from classic car restoration, enjoyment can be found from upgrading one's carriage. If theres fun to be had it doesn't always have to make sense. In fact sense and fun rarely share the same space.
As far as the modifications go, the car looks extremely respectable and very smooth, unlike a fair few early 90s mx-5 that have been "touched". Although we can't hear the sound of the can through the medium of images :P
Dimski said:
Cheers! It still cleans up well.
I'm going to miss this one, it has been a fantastic car. I thought I'd be honest in the advert, that's probably not helping!
I was checking yours out the other day. I was becoming frustrated at the number of british racing green 5's out there, but yours is the first one I liked. Green on black gives it a military/purposeful feel, if that makes sense. I'm going to miss this one, it has been a fantastic car. I thought I'd be honest in the advert, that's probably not helping!
I find it is like a slight addiction. I read the nutz 'parts for sale' section every day and almost every day I see something else I want. Most days I can keep it together and 'think of the children' (I have none) but other days, like an addict, I loose control and find myself reaching for the PM button....
Need a decat pipe and exhaust next....
Need a decat pipe and exhaust next....
chrisg330d said:
I find it is like a slight addiction. I read the nutz 'parts for sale' section every day and almost every day I see something else I want. Most days I can keep it together and 'think of the children' (I have none) but other days, like an addict, I loose control and find myself reaching for the PM button....
Need a decat pipe and exhaust next....
I posted on MX5Nutz for the first time the other day, introducing myself. I then tried to post that my Larini back box would be up for sale/swap. That thread was immediately deleted - no email, no message, nothing. Confused i then posted a "where did that go" thread, hoping someone would shed light on what i'd done wrong. I was then banned from the forum for a week for breaking the rules.Need a decat pipe and exhaust next....
Despite being over the moon with my '5, i'm going to avoid that website, though i do believe i was somehow on the wrong side of a particularly spikey moderator for some reason and not a true reflection of the whole club!
Edited by dapearson on Monday 12th September 21:56
Hellbound said:
Dimski said:
Cheers! It still cleans up well.
I'm going to miss this one, it has been a fantastic car. I thought I'd be honest in the advert, that's probably not helping!
I was checking yours out the other day. I was becoming frustrated at the number of british racing green 5's out there, but yours is the first one I liked. Green on black gives it a military/purposeful feel, if that makes sense. I'm going to miss this one, it has been a fantastic car. I thought I'd be honest in the advert, that's probably not helping!
I know what you mean.It was on 16" OZ Super Ts and looked great. I got the 15" black wheels because the tires are much cheaper, but it does make the car look different. It looks less pretty, more aggressive. I prefer it.
As Dan describes in the article, I always felt mine was worth far more than the sum of its parts. Useable enjoyment, that's what '5s are.
There's something about 5's that make you feel special. Mine is a 99 1.8is in mint condition with a service file that states everything that has ever been done to it. I'm not into many mods but I always thought the 5 didn't sound as it should so I'm off to see Jay at MIJ exhausts in Birmingham in October who is going to build me a custom stainless system. These car's, whilst not being particularly fast compared to modern machinery do have an appeal & they grow on you leading to many owners keeping them for years, as I intend to do.
dapearson said:
chrisg330d said:
I find it is like a slight addiction. I read the nutz 'parts for sale' section every day and almost every day I see something else I want. Most days I can keep it together and 'think of the children' (I have none) but other days, like an addict, I loose control and find myself reaching for the PM button....
Need a decat pipe and exhaust next....
I posted on MX5Nutz for the first time the other day, introducing myself. I then tried to post that my Larini back box would be up for sale/swap. That thread was immediately deleted - no email, no message, nothing. Confused i then posted a "where did that go" thread, hoping someone would shed light on what i'd done wrong. I was then banned from the forum for a week for breaking the rules.Need a decat pipe and exhaust next....
Despite being over the moon with my '5, i'm going to avoid that website, though i do believe i was somehow on the wrong side of a particularly spikey moderator for some reason and not a true reflection of the whole club!
Edited by dapearson on Monday 12th September 21:56
Anyway, excellent write up! The SportDrives sound very good
thewheelman said:
I paid £2750 for mine with 6 months tax & 10 months MOT, been garaged every night of its life, full Mazda service history, 57k miles & it looks like it just rolled off the production line, plus it has the hard top from new. Now i've seen people pay that for rusty examples that are older than my 2001 car. So it made perfect sense to me to buy the best example i could for next to no money, i knocked the seller down £1k. Any mods i have done have been to make it even faster & better handling.
Crikey, I should hope it's wrapped in gold leaf for that kind of money! My father has just bought a 2001 model, one owner from new, granted it needs a bit of cleaning, but he paid £1600 for it... The reason you'll see people pay more for older models is because the Mk1 cars have a bit more of a following especially the Limited Edition and the like. Theres nothing wrong the later mk2/2.5 cars (i've had one) but the Mk1 is the original and retains the root ideology that later and later cars seem to have lost more and more as the car grew up.
I applaud those that bring a modern classic back to life a bit, paying sub-£1k for a car is pefectly acceptable and as already said, it means you're having the work done to your own spec and by people you trust. At the end of the day the MX-5 is cheap fun.
Edited by Beanoir on Tuesday 13th September 10:24
Beanoir said:
thewheelman said:
I paid £2750 for mine with 6 months tax & 10 months MOT, been garaged every night of its life, full Mazda service history, 57k miles & it looks like it just rolled off the production line, plus it has the hard top from new. Now i've seen people pay that for rusty examples that are older than my 2001 car. So it made perfect sense to me to buy the best example i could for next to no money, i knocked the seller down £1k. Any mods i have done have been to make it even faster & better handling.
Crikey, I should hope it's wrapped in gold leaf for that kind of money! My father has just bought a 2001 model, one owner from new, granted it needs a bit of cleaning, but he paid £1600 for it... The reason you'll see people pay more for older models is because the Mk1 cars have a bit more of a following especially the Limited Edition and the like. Theres nothing wrong the later mk2/2.5 cars (i've had one) but the Mk1 is the original and retains the root ideology that later and later cars seem to have lost more and more as the car grew up.
I applaud those that bring a modern classic back to life a bit, paying sub-£1k for a car is pefectly acceptable and as already said, it means you're having the work done to your own spec and by people you trust. At the end of the day the MX-5 is cheap fun.
Edited by Beanoir on Tuesday 13th September 10:24
...personally, i think its a shame to change the suspension on a 5, i love the way my Mk1 rides on a standard set-up, makes such as change from modern cars that are 'sporty' as they have bone rattling suspension (try a E90 3 series on run flats, shocking!) sure i will be slower around a track, but not by that much...IMO of course
Itsallicanafford said:
...personally, i think its a shame to change the suspension on a 5, i love the way my Mk1 rides on a standard set-up, makes such as change from modern cars that are 'sporty' as they have bone rattling suspension (try a E90 3 series on run flats, shocking!) sure i will be slower around a track, but not by that much...IMO of course
+1. Every handling 'upgrade' I read about for MX5s involves just stiffening springs and damper rates. Of course this tightens up roadholding and turn-in, but the pay off is bone-shattering ride quality. To my mind, the point of a road-going sports car is that it's a sporty car for the road - not a track car with numberplates. The standard suspension needs full geo-alignment (the MX5 has 4 wheel adjustment) and early examples should have their shocks changed at some point, but only for equivalent items. The chassis is playful and comfortable, the only problem is the scuttle shake, but there are numerous braces (including the one described in the article) that can remedy this. But add too many, and once again, ride suffers.Perhaps I'm unusual here, but what excites me about modification is creating the perfect road car - not going all hardcore rock-springs, nor bling-ed up nonesense - just subtle, sensible mods to round off some of the edges left by mass-production and economies of scale (e.g. the crappy airbox and cheap exhaust) and age (rust, worn shocks et al).
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff