Chris Harris becomes a modern-day Salman Rushdie
Discussion
I've never been a fan of the MX5 though have only been in one as a passenger from where it simply seemed like a lot of cheap plastic.
Then again, I'm not actually convinced by the appeal of convertibles so maybe that's the problem. Give me a heater and air-con all day every day. I don't really drive slow enough to merit tolerating partial deafness.
Then again, I'm not actually convinced by the appeal of convertibles so maybe that's the problem. Give me a heater and air-con all day every day. I don't really drive slow enough to merit tolerating partial deafness.
Without wishing to labour a point, you are comparing 45k+ cars with a 20k car, which is a bit pointless really.
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/6623...
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/6623...
I have to say i think he's right. SWMBO had two (1.6 and 1.8iS mk2s) and evertime I drove them I wanted to have fun but they just are not that exciting. Its nothing to do with power either as my elise had only 120bhp and that was a blast.
Chris is still wrong about the Focus RS mk1 though..
Chris is still wrong about the Focus RS mk1 though..
hornetrider said:
OK so a Mk5 Golf GTi is immune to depreciation? Man, I got to go out and get me one of those.
And a £10k TVR won't need it's body off for new out riggers...I spent just under £9k on my mk3 Mx5 for this I could of had a Boxster, S2000 or 350z, each of which would have cost me a more to run and I'd rather spend that cash else where.
hornetrider said:
Without wishing to labour a point, you are comparing 45k+ cars with a 20k car, which is a bit pointless really.
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/6623...
I bought my wife a Citroen AX in which to learn to drive. The week she passed her test, she got rid of it and bought a used MK2.5 MX-5. None of those 45k+ cars above would have been insurable, however well depreciated, and I doubt any of them would have been as affordable to own and run. I bought a set of four good tyres for it for considerably less than I just paid for a pair of rears for my Elise. Other consumables like brake pads were likewise peanuts. It just didn't go wrong in the five years or so that she had it. The 350Z that replaced it is massively quicker and makes a lovely noise, but it's already needed money spending to replace a wheel bearing and the costs of brakes and tyres are much higher.http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/6623...
The point of the thing is the fun/pain ratio, IMO.
Smartypants - just to clarify - are you suggesting a Mk5 Golf is immune to depreciation?
Bear in mind I am not suggesting in your individual case that you may have bought and sold at the right time in order to 'beat the curve'. Trust me - the curve is there. Besides, why on earth are you talking about a FWD hatchback?!
Bear in mind I am not suggesting in your individual case that you may have bought and sold at the right time in order to 'beat the curve'. Trust me - the curve is there. Besides, why on earth are you talking about a FWD hatchback?!
Comfortably Dumb said:
And a £10k TVR won't need it's body off for new out riggers...
Nope. Not unless it's a £15k+ TVR being mysteriously sold for a 'bargain' £10k.
£10,000 would buy you a very smart Chimaera 400, an immaculate 'wedge' or a show condition V8S.
Yes, they'll cost more to run than a mass produced 4-cylinder car built with Japanese quality levels, but that's the nature of a handbuilt car with a thumping great V8 in it. It doesn't mean the outriggers will be made of cheese or that the engine will be belching black smoke.
I've done both and, given the funds to run and maintain it properly, I'd much rather have a £10k TVR than a remotely standard MX5 for the same price. That's a moot point though - in response to your comment, yes there's nothing to stop a £10,000 TVR being structurally and mechanically sound.
RobM77 said:
Chris Harris is a great journalist - his writing is interesting and fun to read, plus he can actually drive well too, so you can trust what he says. I don't understand why people feel that they need to agree with everything that a journalist writes in order to respect them or enjoy their other work? I'm glad Mr Harris has some opinions that he's not scared to write about! How boring and uninformative would journalism be if journalists were worried about negatively criticising cars all the time?
Agree. His 'bits to camera' for Autocar.tv were fantastic, and always made me wonder why he was never a tv motoring journalist.I've met him briefly once (not a prolonged handshake outside a laundrette I hasten to add!!), and he is a nice bloke, a bona-fide petrol head and very interesting to talk to.
I can see where Chris Harris is coming from with this. My wife has bought herself a Mark 2 MX5 (10th anniversary) which she loves and has described as a "go-kart".
It isn't anywhere near a go kart, we've had FWD hot hatches that corner better. The MX5 has a classic feel to it more like a MGB rather than a true sports car like a 911.
Its still a nice little car and lovely when the suns out, but I fear anybody buying one after reading the hype they receive on PH will be disappointed. Especially if they are expecting razor sharp handling.
It isn't anywhere near a go kart, we've had FWD hot hatches that corner better. The MX5 has a classic feel to it more like a MGB rather than a true sports car like a 911.
Its still a nice little car and lovely when the suns out, but I fear anybody buying one after reading the hype they receive on PH will be disappointed. Especially if they are expecting razor sharp handling.
I can understand people saying the MX-5 doesn't have character or sense of occasion - in some ways it's a victim of its own success. Most people don't look twice at mine, and those who do think I'm "flash" in my (£1500) sports car. It doesn't have a V8 roar and looks cute.
What I can't understand is anybody saying it's not a fun car or a sports car. If you can blat down a B-road in one without breaking into a grin, you're doing it wrong!
That, for me, is the essence of a sports car. It is not and never has been about speed or power. Loads of sports cars throughout the 50s 60s 70s and 80s are slower than the MX-5, and probably quite a few 60s supercars are not really any quicker!
I would love a Chim or an S and am currently putting a bit aside for one. However, I'm a bit worried. It'll be a lot of money, and I'm not sure the car will be quantifiably better than my MX-5. Sure it'll be faster, turn more heads, make a better noise, but I'm not sure it will be as fun. With the relatively modest power of the MX-5, you can really wring its neck and throw it around - I think on the road that would be a pretty dangerous (not to mention illegal) proposition in a Chimaera. And there's the all-roundness of it. My 5 gets driven through the winter and is totally rust free. It has aircon and is happy enough in traffic. How's a TVR going to deal with that? Terminal chassis rot, boiling in traffic (both the interior and the engine ).
Maybe not the most exciting car on the road, but got to be one of the most fun!
What I can't understand is anybody saying it's not a fun car or a sports car. If you can blat down a B-road in one without breaking into a grin, you're doing it wrong!
That, for me, is the essence of a sports car. It is not and never has been about speed or power. Loads of sports cars throughout the 50s 60s 70s and 80s are slower than the MX-5, and probably quite a few 60s supercars are not really any quicker!
I would love a Chim or an S and am currently putting a bit aside for one. However, I'm a bit worried. It'll be a lot of money, and I'm not sure the car will be quantifiably better than my MX-5. Sure it'll be faster, turn more heads, make a better noise, but I'm not sure it will be as fun. With the relatively modest power of the MX-5, you can really wring its neck and throw it around - I think on the road that would be a pretty dangerous (not to mention illegal) proposition in a Chimaera. And there's the all-roundness of it. My 5 gets driven through the winter and is totally rust free. It has aircon and is happy enough in traffic. How's a TVR going to deal with that? Terminal chassis rot, boiling in traffic (both the interior and the engine
).Maybe not the most exciting car on the road, but got to be one of the most fun!
Paul Dishman said:
I can see where Chris Harris is coming from with this. My wife has bought herself a Mark 2 MX5 (10th anniversary) which she loves and has described as a "go-kart".
It isn't anywhere near a go kart, we've had FWD hot hatches that corner better. The MX5 has a classic feel to it more like a MGB rather than a true sports car like a 911.
Its still a nice little car and lovely when the suns out, but I fear anybody buying one after reading the hype they receive on PH will be disappointed. Especially if they are expecting razor sharp handling.
We had a front wheel drive hatchback with sharper handling and faster cornering at the same time - as well as a much better engine and gearbox. I still found that I enjoyed driving the MX-5 more. I think to look for sharpness in the handling and lots of grip is to approach the car from the wrong angle. I thought our car, with 195/50/15 tyres, standard suspension and an LSD, was preferable to the Sport we test drove which had the same diff but 205/45/16 tyres and what felt like a firmer suspension setup. The sport was sharper and had more grip, but the car we bought was more progressive at and beyond the limit of grip - you could take immense liberties round damp roundabouts with no risk of loss of control. I have no confidence that I could drive the Elise like that without stacking it.It isn't anywhere near a go kart, we've had FWD hot hatches that corner better. The MX5 has a classic feel to it more like a MGB rather than a true sports car like a 911.
Its still a nice little car and lovely when the suns out, but I fear anybody buying one after reading the hype they receive on PH will be disappointed. Especially if they are expecting razor sharp handling.
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