Mk2 Mazda MX5 1.8 vs Mk3 Toyota MR2 Roadster?
Discussion
Having had some lovely weather recently and having been very sensible and only had one car for a bit I have been thinking about getting a convertible roadster. My Golf is excellent at covering ground quickly and doing big distances in comfort at speed but it would be nice to also have something small and nimble to do short trips, potter about in the sunshine and possibly make my track day debut in.
The budget would probably be around £3k and the obvious contenders are the MR2 roadster (post-facelift) and the Mk2 MX5 1.8. As far as I can see they have the following pros/cons:
MR2:
Does anyone have experience of both or tips for anything to look out for on either when buying? Thanks in advance.
The budget would probably be around £3k and the obvious contenders are the MR2 roadster (post-facelift) and the Mk2 MX5 1.8. As far as I can see they have the following pros/cons:
MR2:
- Lighter and faster
- Sharper handling & higher grip levels
- Very economical
- £220 tax
- Awkward to work on due to layout
- Laughable luggage space, couldn't even take two people camping
- Poor fuel economy given the performance
- £280 tax
- More forgiving handling, would be easier to push hard
- Some degree of practicality
- Beautifully laid out and easy to work on
- More prone to rust
- Arizona spec has heated seats and can be had in yellow
Does anyone have experience of both or tips for anything to look out for on either when buying? Thanks in advance.
Tyre availability and prices seem much better for the MX5, £56 for Michelin PS3s in 195/50R15 
, they are double that for my Golf. The MR2 has an awkward rear size that only has one good tyre option at around £100 each. There appears to be contrary opinions on the relative luggage space, I guess I'll have to look at one of each in more detail and compare.
Does the MX5 have any weak points apart from rust? Also what are the gear ratios like, are they any good at all on the motorway? I am aware of the pre-cat problems with the MR2 but apart from that they seem to be sound, I'm not aware of any known problems with the MX5 apart from corrosion.
, they are double that for my Golf. The MR2 has an awkward rear size that only has one good tyre option at around £100 each. There appears to be contrary opinions on the relative luggage space, I guess I'll have to look at one of each in more detail and compare.Does the MX5 have any weak points apart from rust? Also what are the gear ratios like, are they any good at all on the motorway? I am aware of the pre-cat problems with the MR2 but apart from that they seem to be sound, I'm not aware of any known problems with the MX5 apart from corrosion.
Captain Muppet said:
Slightly off topic but I've crossed the mk3 MR2 off my list because my second car needs enough room to hide a air-rifle in so I can go shooting and stop somewhere on the way home without having it stolen/getting arrested. Is there any way of tweaking the MR2 to get something 3 feet long in it without it being visible?
Wouldn't that fit in the storage compartment behind the seats?killingjoker said:
Mrs KJ and i tried an MR2 Roadster out whilst shopping for an SLK. By chance, a local garage had one along with a Mercedes so we took it out for a spin. We were both dissapointed with the experience of it (especially as we had travelled there getting straight out of a mk2 1.8 MX5, and had owned a G-Limited MR2 mk2 a few years back).
Having loved our G-Limited it gives me no pleasure to say that the MR2 MK3 ride was harsh (words like "pebble in a shoe box" spring to mind), and the gearbox was god awful. It was not nice and tight like the MX5 with a short an effortless throw. It felt as though it was connected by strings. I couldn't chuck it around like i do the MX5 as i was having to think about the gear changes. In the 5 i do it instinctively, and it's such a responsive and rewarding little car to drive.
Mrs KJ had toyed with the idea of buying an MR2 Roadster if a suitable SLK did not appear. Our test drive blew that notion away completely. Getting back into our MX5 really brought home just what a great little car the MX5 is. Also, i am 6ft 2" tall and cannot understand the lack of head room comments about the MX5. I regularly travel down to the East Anglian coast in my 5 and it will sit all day on the big roads at *** mph and i always feel i could go on another 100 miles when i reach my destination. I drive it at every opportunity. We got our 230 SLk as well and it's very nice. But i'd still rather take the MX5
I can only assume that you must have tried a bad one. On the MR2 I tried the gearbox was totally unremarkable and the ride was really rather good for such a focused car. Having loved our G-Limited it gives me no pleasure to say that the MR2 MK3 ride was harsh (words like "pebble in a shoe box" spring to mind), and the gearbox was god awful. It was not nice and tight like the MX5 with a short an effortless throw. It felt as though it was connected by strings. I couldn't chuck it around like i do the MX5 as i was having to think about the gear changes. In the 5 i do it instinctively, and it's such a responsive and rewarding little car to drive.
Mrs KJ had toyed with the idea of buying an MR2 Roadster if a suitable SLK did not appear. Our test drive blew that notion away completely. Getting back into our MX5 really brought home just what a great little car the MX5 is. Also, i am 6ft 2" tall and cannot understand the lack of head room comments about the MX5. I regularly travel down to the East Anglian coast in my 5 and it will sit all day on the big roads at *** mph and i always feel i could go on another 100 miles when i reach my destination. I drive it at every opportunity. We got our 230 SLk as well and it's very nice. But i'd still rather take the MX5
After some reading it seems the MX5 can also be had with a six speed box but only the sport model which also comes with excessively big wheels and no heated seats. Is there any real advantage to the six-speeder or is the five the one to go for?
LukeDM said:
Not very helpful I know but would you be able to stretch your budget to an early Honda S2000?
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...
Not at the moment no. A good one in a nice colour seems to be around £6000 and I'm not enough of a fan to really want one, it's bigger and heavier than I'm after.http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...
I've been doing some more reading and it seems that MX5s have some fairly horrific rust issues. Have any PHers had such problems or are they mostly internet myth? I am particularly interested in this as a friend is also in the market for an MX5 in particular and it would be a real problem to to buy a car then end up with a £2000 bill to replace the front chassis legs and the sills.
This is a shame as it seems all mechanical parts are cheap and widely available and it looks like a really nice car to work on but rust is the one thing I can't fix
.
This is a shame as it seems all mechanical parts are cheap and widely available and it looks like a really nice car to work on but rust is the one thing I can't fix
.The Mk2.5 is the MX5 under consideration and the internet seems to suggest this is the worst of all of them for rust . It sounds like getting the undertray off and getting a good look and poke at everything would be an absolute must but this could really restrict the choice of cars as I doubt many sellers would be happy with this.
. It sounds like getting the undertray off and getting a good look and poke at everything would be an absolute must but this could really restrict the choice of cars as I doubt many sellers would be happy with this.A nice Boxster S 3.2 would be splendid but they are on a whole different level of running costs, double the initial purchase price and apparently have engines prone to spontaneously imploding so I'm afraid they're out for now.
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bicycleshorts said:
Need to check front chasis rails on a mk2/mk2.5s: https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst46836_MK2-...
Yes, I had come across this on my travels across the interweb. Concerning stuff .Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff