My first MX5 - cheap track car
Discussion
Dough boy said:
I really enjoyed your Elise thread. Quite a lot about it hit the nail right on the head for me.
Interestingly, I have also purchased a silver MX-5 as a track car, al be it a fair bit older and far rustier than your one. It’s interesting to hear that you’re enjoying yours so much. I can honestly say I’ve never had as much fun in a car as I have my MX-5, despite having owned things far more powerful and prestigious. Perhaps it’s the lack of worry if something going expensively wrong!
It also looks like you’re just down the road from me, I am fairly sure I have family in your immediate area, funnily enough with an MX-5, albeit in ND form. I will keep an eye out for you!
I'm based in Kings Hill in West Malling, that sounds right?Interestingly, I have also purchased a silver MX-5 as a track car, al be it a fair bit older and far rustier than your one. It’s interesting to hear that you’re enjoying yours so much. I can honestly say I’ve never had as much fun in a car as I have my MX-5, despite having owned things far more powerful and prestigious. Perhaps it’s the lack of worry if something going expensively wrong!
It also looks like you’re just down the road from me, I am fairly sure I have family in your immediate area, funnily enough with an MX-5, albeit in ND form. I will keep an eye out for you!
Glad to hear you liked the other thread! I loved that Elise as a driving machine it is above the MX5...BUT and a big but it isn't £20k better and the little MX5 because as you put it has a lack of of worry is just good honest fun.
It's genuinely surprised me!
So...just got back from the Black Forest last night, we stayed up in Feldberg which is in the south west of the forest and one of the highest points. Having read how busy it gets around Baden Baden our plan was to find somewhere quiet... Which we succeeded with.
Eclectic mix of cars on the trip:
987 Spyder
Cayman R
Tommi Makkinen Evo
Caterham Supersport (ex race car)
B5 RS4 with a few mods - i.e. bilstein b16s RS6 C7 brakes, hybrid turbos so circa 600bhp
986 Boxster
MX5
All lined up at the Eurotunnel
I was originally planning on taking my Elise before I sold it but turns out the cheap fun car became the perfect car for the trip.
The drive over was mostly wet with my mate Tom being an absolute trooper in the Caterham but we got there safely albeit to a very wet Black Forest.
Accomodation was stunning, but of a dodgy drive to get into but otherwise perfect with loads of parking and a reasonably priced. It's called Blockhaus Chalet in Feldberg if anyone's interested.
Day 1:
Had a bit of a slow morning and then ventured out in the cars, after a damp start it really dried up. We decided upon the slowest car leading which was me...this turned out to be brilliant fun and I had one of the drives of my life up the L156 being chased down by my mate in his Cayman R.
The MX5 needs a proper setup to my liking but with the coilovers it has on and the basic brilliance of the little thing it was amazing. Coming from GT3, Elise's etc the thing that stands out from the MX5 is just how easy it is to drive. I was able to keep a fast but sensible pace which everyone was happy with. I even felt comfortable in the seats.
Day 1 overall a big success and roads proved much quieter than the Alps which was a huge positive.
Day 2:
Huge loop round the forest again wth the MX5 leading. This turned out to be one of the best driving days I've ever had and a proper bonding experience with the little silver car.
The ability to see down a road and the smoothness of the tarmac meant it was easy to enjoy the roads at a pace that was brisk but safe and sensible.
Few highlights from day 2
Cayman R Vs Spyder comparison was interesting, back to back the Spyder definitely was slightly firmer something that surprised me as I always thought they were identical. However both backed up my view that those iterations are the perfect Porsche roads cars and my favourite outside of the 996 GT3 for overall experience.
I'd never been in any of the 90/00s Evo or Subarus before but the Tommi Makkinen blew my brain, the mechanical grip and pace was insane. Proper proper thing!
Some truly stunning views!
Day 3
My old man with his Spyder and my mate with his Cayman R wanted to go to the Porsche museum so four of us went there whilst the guys in the Evo / Caterham / RS4 went on a mini eurotrip to Lichenstien.
What a pair the 987.2s are! Definitely what I'd got back to if I had £40-50k for a Porsche again.
On the museum itself I've never actually been before so was expecting big things. The building itself and the spectacle was really impressive but as a proper Porsche geek I found the museum itself a little underwhelming.
Day 4
This was the slog home, we experienced monsoon weather and then also mega sun! Overall though a relatively easy trip home.
The Eurotunnel was utter chaos though.
Conclusions:
For just under £4k I don't think I could have picked a better car for the trip, it was phenomenal. The gearbox is a beautiful thing, the handling safe but fun and the engines a punchy little thing.
In over 1200miles in 4 days it didn't miss a bit against much more serious machinery.
It definitely needs a proper setup, the previous owner I think has raised the front to get out his drive and not adjusted the rear to match and it could do with some camber on the front.
Power wise it definitely could use another 40-50bhp so a trip to BBR or equivalent probably feels about right.
I've condensed this right down but for a car that's fun and I don't have to worry about too much I think I've nailed it.
Eclectic mix of cars on the trip:
987 Spyder
Cayman R
Tommi Makkinen Evo
Caterham Supersport (ex race car)
B5 RS4 with a few mods - i.e. bilstein b16s RS6 C7 brakes, hybrid turbos so circa 600bhp
986 Boxster
MX5
All lined up at the Eurotunnel
I was originally planning on taking my Elise before I sold it but turns out the cheap fun car became the perfect car for the trip.
The drive over was mostly wet with my mate Tom being an absolute trooper in the Caterham but we got there safely albeit to a very wet Black Forest.
Accomodation was stunning, but of a dodgy drive to get into but otherwise perfect with loads of parking and a reasonably priced. It's called Blockhaus Chalet in Feldberg if anyone's interested.
Day 1:
Had a bit of a slow morning and then ventured out in the cars, after a damp start it really dried up. We decided upon the slowest car leading which was me...this turned out to be brilliant fun and I had one of the drives of my life up the L156 being chased down by my mate in his Cayman R.
The MX5 needs a proper setup to my liking but with the coilovers it has on and the basic brilliance of the little thing it was amazing. Coming from GT3, Elise's etc the thing that stands out from the MX5 is just how easy it is to drive. I was able to keep a fast but sensible pace which everyone was happy with. I even felt comfortable in the seats.
Day 1 overall a big success and roads proved much quieter than the Alps which was a huge positive.
Day 2:
Huge loop round the forest again wth the MX5 leading. This turned out to be one of the best driving days I've ever had and a proper bonding experience with the little silver car.
The ability to see down a road and the smoothness of the tarmac meant it was easy to enjoy the roads at a pace that was brisk but safe and sensible.
Few highlights from day 2
Cayman R Vs Spyder comparison was interesting, back to back the Spyder definitely was slightly firmer something that surprised me as I always thought they were identical. However both backed up my view that those iterations are the perfect Porsche roads cars and my favourite outside of the 996 GT3 for overall experience.
I'd never been in any of the 90/00s Evo or Subarus before but the Tommi Makkinen blew my brain, the mechanical grip and pace was insane. Proper proper thing!
Some truly stunning views!
Day 3
My old man with his Spyder and my mate with his Cayman R wanted to go to the Porsche museum so four of us went there whilst the guys in the Evo / Caterham / RS4 went on a mini eurotrip to Lichenstien.
What a pair the 987.2s are! Definitely what I'd got back to if I had £40-50k for a Porsche again.
On the museum itself I've never actually been before so was expecting big things. The building itself and the spectacle was really impressive but as a proper Porsche geek I found the museum itself a little underwhelming.
Day 4
This was the slog home, we experienced monsoon weather and then also mega sun! Overall though a relatively easy trip home.
The Eurotunnel was utter chaos though.
Conclusions:
For just under £4k I don't think I could have picked a better car for the trip, it was phenomenal. The gearbox is a beautiful thing, the handling safe but fun and the engines a punchy little thing.
In over 1200miles in 4 days it didn't miss a bit against much more serious machinery.
It definitely needs a proper setup, the previous owner I think has raised the front to get out his drive and not adjusted the rear to match and it could do with some camber on the front.
Power wise it definitely could use another 40-50bhp so a trip to BBR or equivalent probably feels about right.
I've condensed this right down but for a car that's fun and I don't have to worry about too much I think I've nailed it.
Kev_Mk3 said:
I keep looking at NC's but the rust on mx5's really worries me. Great reading and look forward to reading more
There's a lot of rubbish out there but there are good cars to be found. I've since found out powered hard top cars are a little better off due to where he drainage does / doesn't run. My car was undersealed from new but I still had it checked out etc. there's some small bits but nothing horrific.
Cambs_Stuart said:
That looks like a fantastic trip, and I hope the driver of the Caterham dries out one day.
There's a reason that the answer is MX5 so many times, they're great cars. From my track day experience, the owners are usually OK too.
Ha yeah baking in the sun in the Eurotunnel queue for 40mins helped him! There's a reason that the answer is MX5 so many times, they're great cars. From my track day experience, the owners are usually OK too.
Yeah my mate with the Evo also has an MX5 and it was him who put me onto it. It's an utterly brilliant little car.
TV8 said:
Great trip and your mate with the Caterham on that wet road is made of tougher stuff than me!
My son has an MX5 and it is so much fun to drive. It’s a mk2 and a bit of a squeeze for me and as you say, the gear change is brilliant.
Yeah absolute gold that gearbox. My son has an MX5 and it is so much fun to drive. It’s a mk2 and a bit of a squeeze for me and as you say, the gear change is brilliant.
I tried a mates MK2.5 with a bucket in it and that makes a world of difference so that's my next step! And a rollover hoop!
Having owned a Caterham, it's actually not that bad in the wet providing you've got the right gear on. I'd certainly say better than the Elise in terms of sketchiness
Joehow said:
I tried a mates MK2.5 with a bucket in it and that makes a world of difference so that's my next step! And a rollover hoop!
Having owned a Caterham, it's actually not that bad in the wet providing you've got the right gear on. I'd certainly say better than the Elise in terms of sketchiness
Not sure what the difference is between a 2 and 2.5 but his is a 2.5 with what I thought was a couple of roll over hoops behind the seats. Does you comment mean they are cosmetic?Having owned a Caterham, it's actually not that bad in the wet providing you've got the right gear on. I'd certainly say better than the Elise in terms of sketchiness
Re wet weather and the right gear, sounds a bit to wet for me 😀 I was always very conscious of traction with my TVRs and the only time they got me personally wet was in the summer when the big V8 and gearbox by my side acted like a radiator and opening the window pulled water in.
Joehow said:
I'm based in Kings Hill in West Malling, that sounds right?
Glad to hear you liked the other thread! I loved that Elise as a driving machine it is above the MX5...BUT and a big but it isn't £20k better and the little MX5 because as you put it has a lack of of worry is just good honest fun.
It's genuinely surprised me!
As I suspected! I am just up the road from you in Rochester. If you ever need any help, or a loan of any tools let me know. I’d be happy to help. However looking at your road trip photos, it looks like you’ve got a decent bit of support! Glad to hear you liked the other thread! I loved that Elise as a driving machine it is above the MX5...BUT and a big but it isn't £20k better and the little MX5 because as you put it has a lack of of worry is just good honest fun.
It's genuinely surprised me!
Road trip looks like great fun, it’s been years since I’ve had an European road trip. Miss them quite a bit to be honest!
Regarding the buckets, I’ve got a set in mine. I don’t know how much wider the NC is than the NA, but frustratingly the shoulder wing section on mine hits the interior trim. Meaning I can’t get the seat back angle where I want it, although they are fixed buckets. I did have Tillets in my old car, they’d be ideal in the MX-5. For my lardy frame anyway. However a single seat would probably be worth twice the value of my car!
Great stuff. I think the standard 2.0 is the pick of the NC range, as it has the best of the most important components e.g. engine and LSD, but without the pointless chrome etc of the "sport" model. Coilovers are needed anyway. I found my old mk3.5 (albeit the lowly 1.8) to be a great car for road trips.
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