Discussion
Having NEVER driven a Mazda MX5 but having owned two MGF's and LOVED them I was just wondering how good the MX5 really was? When compared to early MGF's, circa 1997/1998, is the MX5 the better handling/performing car or not?
I adored the handling and driving characteristics of both of my 1997 MGF's, I even loved the engine despite both of mine eventually getting overheating problems when driven hard. You knew you were in trouble when smoke filled the rearview mirror entirely, the temp needle shot to MAX and the heater started blowing freezing cold air at you!!!
But yeah, the MX5 (Especially the very early Eunos Mk1 style with pop ups etc) is starting to look even better with age I reckon. I would love to have one for a bit just to say I'd had one and to see what all the fuss was about!
I've got about £5000, give or take, to buy a car to keep for 5 years, but in the mean time was considering spending a fraction of that on a fun little car to 'rag' throughout the summer, that I can buy for X amount then sell on 6 months later for X amount ya know...? Not sure how much early Mk1 MX5's are, got to be about £800 or so haven't they...? That's probably for a bit of a dog though.
I adored the handling and driving characteristics of both of my 1997 MGF's, I even loved the engine despite both of mine eventually getting overheating problems when driven hard. You knew you were in trouble when smoke filled the rearview mirror entirely, the temp needle shot to MAX and the heater started blowing freezing cold air at you!!!
But yeah, the MX5 (Especially the very early Eunos Mk1 style with pop ups etc) is starting to look even better with age I reckon. I would love to have one for a bit just to say I'd had one and to see what all the fuss was about!
I've got about £5000, give or take, to buy a car to keep for 5 years, but in the mean time was considering spending a fraction of that on a fun little car to 'rag' throughout the summer, that I can buy for X amount then sell on 6 months later for X amount ya know...? Not sure how much early Mk1 MX5's are, got to be about £800 or so haven't they...? That's probably for a bit of a dog though.
Essentially, the Japanese took the British concept of a light, simple, front-engined, RWD sports car and executed it properly. They retained the simplicity but added reliability and integrity.
Without wishing to knock British offerings (before or since the MGF) none of the manufacturers have had the financial freedom and global reach to fully develop their cars.
In terms of the driving experience, I prefer the layout of the MX-5 - the FR configuration is more predictable and easier to exploit.
Without wishing to knock British offerings (before or since the MGF) none of the manufacturers have had the financial freedom and global reach to fully develop their cars.
In terms of the driving experience, I prefer the layout of the MX-5 - the FR configuration is more predictable and easier to exploit.
Some epole fit Elise seats to gain more headroom but at 6' I wouldn't have thought it would be necessary.
Head over to here to find more detail on that sort of thing - there's a buyers guide at the top.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a...
Head over to here to find more detail on that sort of thing - there's a buyers guide at the top.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a...
Darren156 said:
Having NEVER driven a Mazda MX5 but having owned two MGF's and LOVED them I was just wondering how good the MX5 really was? When compared to early MGF's, circa 1997/1998, is the MX5 the better handling/performing car or not?
I adored the handling and driving characteristics of both of my 1997 MGF's, I even loved the engine despite both of mine eventually getting overheating problems when driven hard. You knew you were in trouble when smoke filled the rearview mirror entirely, the temp needle shot to MAX and the heater started blowing freezing cold air at you!!!
But yeah, the MX5 (Especially the very early Eunos Mk1 style with pop ups etc) is starting to look even better with age I reckon. I would love to have one for a bit just to say I'd had one and to see what all the fuss was about!
I've got about £5000, give or take, to buy a car to keep for 5 years, but in the mean time was considering spending a fraction of that on a fun little car to 'rag' throughout the summer, that I can buy for X amount then sell on 6 months later for X amount ya know...? Not sure how much early Mk1 MX5's are, got to be about £800 or so haven't they...? That's probably for a bit of a dog though.
I like both of these.I adored the handling and driving characteristics of both of my 1997 MGF's, I even loved the engine despite both of mine eventually getting overheating problems when driven hard. You knew you were in trouble when smoke filled the rearview mirror entirely, the temp needle shot to MAX and the heater started blowing freezing cold air at you!!!
But yeah, the MX5 (Especially the very early Eunos Mk1 style with pop ups etc) is starting to look even better with age I reckon. I would love to have one for a bit just to say I'd had one and to see what all the fuss was about!
I've got about £5000, give or take, to buy a car to keep for 5 years, but in the mean time was considering spending a fraction of that on a fun little car to 'rag' throughout the summer, that I can buy for X amount then sell on 6 months later for X amount ya know...? Not sure how much early Mk1 MX5's are, got to be about £800 or so haven't they...? That's probably for a bit of a dog though.
The biggest difference between F and MX5 is handling style. The F is more about precision and smooth driving, and will reward you for doing this. It'll also slap you in the face hard if you try and be a hooligan in it or are over aggressive with your steering inputs.
The MX-5 on the other hand is a lot more floppy, both in chassis and standard suspension setup. But it's also a lot more forgiving and allows you to exploit it's oversteer abilities.
Engine wise I think the K Series is the nicer motor to rev out and enjoy. And in my experience the VVC F is also considerably faster than most MX-5's.
Early MX-5's also suffer huge rust issues, so you need to be mindful of this if buying today.
Personally if I was looking for a sporting 2 seater car I'd actually be looking at these over either the F or MX-5:
Can't comment on the MGF but the MX5 does seem to fit the bill well here. I loved our's and will shortly be buying another. Other than the handling, the pop up headlamps always added an element of nostalgia and the gearbox is better than anything else I've ever driven. VVC MGF's are a fair chunk quicker but I wouldn't worry too much about that, the MX5 gets along okay. Agree with 300 that the K-series is a nicer engine but, speaking from experience here, its relative fragility always plays on the mind.
£800 *can* buy a decent one if you're lucky but in all honesty you'd probably be better off spending more like £1500 if you want to avoid bills. The weak points are well publicised but basically, the big things to look out for is rust, particularly around the sills. Many cars are advertised as rust free but given that the rust starts from the inside out, unless a car has had recent work to rectify this or has been exceptionally well maintained then the chances are it could still be a problem. Not hugely expensive to sort but when a car only costs £800 it could be bitter pill to swallow. You could just buy a one that you know is rusty for rock bottom money and cost in a repair from day one. You also need to check the condition of the hood. A new one is around £400.
Mechanically they're as near to bulletproof as you could hope. The only unusual issue to be aware of that I can think of is that early cars used a different means of securing the crank pulley to later cars. They're prone to wear and cause float on the crank pulley. The proper repair is to replace the crank, or more likely these days, swap the engine. Otherwise it's just the usual checks.
£800 *can* buy a decent one if you're lucky but in all honesty you'd probably be better off spending more like £1500 if you want to avoid bills. The weak points are well publicised but basically, the big things to look out for is rust, particularly around the sills. Many cars are advertised as rust free but given that the rust starts from the inside out, unless a car has had recent work to rectify this or has been exceptionally well maintained then the chances are it could still be a problem. Not hugely expensive to sort but when a car only costs £800 it could be bitter pill to swallow. You could just buy a one that you know is rusty for rock bottom money and cost in a repair from day one. You also need to check the condition of the hood. A new one is around £400.
Mechanically they're as near to bulletproof as you could hope. The only unusual issue to be aware of that I can think of is that early cars used a different means of securing the crank pulley to later cars. They're prone to wear and cause float on the crank pulley. The proper repair is to replace the crank, or more likely these days, swap the engine. Otherwise it's just the usual checks.
AER said:
As fun as it is, the MGF is clumsy by comparison.
Having said that, a lot of people drive an MX-5 and are too unskilled to recognise what they are driving and wonder what all the raving is about. This is a reflection on their ignorance rather than on the MX-5's capabilities.
Utter bHaving said that, a lot of people drive an MX-5 and are too unskilled to recognise what they are driving and wonder what all the raving is about. This is a reflection on their ignorance rather than on the MX-5's capabilities.
ks. Makes me wonder if you've ever actually driven an MGF (I've owned an MX5 Mk.1 and have extensive experience driving a girlfriend's MGF 1.8 VVC).As 300bhp/ton said, if anything it's the opposite: the MX5's advantage is that it responds well to incompetent drivers, whereas the MGF, in common with most mid-engined cars, responds better to measured precision from the driver but gets a bit messy if you get it wrong.
If you have the skill to exploit it the MGF is the quicker and more focused driving tool out of the two, in standard form (though it's obviously still no Elise, Elan or Caterham).
The MX5 is lots of fun, but it's a big, clumsy, floppy, friendly Labrador of a sports car (though the torsional stiffness of the Mk. 1 means it shudders and squeaks like a s
tting spaniel with constipation). My only issue with the MGF was the interior in basic form. Mainly the green seats and door cards. But for £30 I bought a pair of MGTF sports seats and leather doorcards off of eBay and popped them straight in.
This is what I LOVE about these little small ragtop cars is that swapping stuff over and modifying to fit your exact taste is a pretty easy task if you have a few bob and can handle a spanner yourself. I've done interior swaps on E46 BMW's and Alfa Romeo 156's and it was a right pain in the arse!!! lol
I think an MGTF with recent head gasket upgrade/change is a good buy for the money, trouble with my two were they had never had a head gasket job and were riding with 80K miles or so on them. This resulted in spirited driving rewarding you with an overheating engine and coolant pissing out the expansion tank.
Luckily this happened within 1/4 of my house all the time so I could tootle back after letting the expansion tank steam away for a minute, leave the cap off for a good hour, shove some more coolant in, and away she would go for another week or so before spilling its guts again. Perhaps more mechanical sympathy was in order rather than my approach, haha
Sold it to a bloke from Scotland and told him about the problem, he arrived on the train and drove it back 300 miles and text me that evening saying 'Didn't miss a beat mate, cheers!'. Sods law that, must have been my driving???
The MGF was a car you had the most fun in when you were ranting the thing on a nice summers day, get the back kicking out a bit, hang on tight and floor it, lol. Loved it!!!
But the MGF was a car that I constantly drove in fear of something going wrong, the battery terminals had a habit of popping off mid-drive resulting in the car dying to a stop. The speedo cable broke a few times... And of course the overheating... I suppose that's the true test of how much you enjoyed a car, when despite things going wrong all the time you look back with fondness rather than hatred, lol
This is what I LOVE about these little small ragtop cars is that swapping stuff over and modifying to fit your exact taste is a pretty easy task if you have a few bob and can handle a spanner yourself. I've done interior swaps on E46 BMW's and Alfa Romeo 156's and it was a right pain in the arse!!! lol
I think an MGTF with recent head gasket upgrade/change is a good buy for the money, trouble with my two were they had never had a head gasket job and were riding with 80K miles or so on them. This resulted in spirited driving rewarding you with an overheating engine and coolant pissing out the expansion tank.
Luckily this happened within 1/4 of my house all the time so I could tootle back after letting the expansion tank steam away for a minute, leave the cap off for a good hour, shove some more coolant in, and away she would go for another week or so before spilling its guts again. Perhaps more mechanical sympathy was in order rather than my approach, haha
Sold it to a bloke from Scotland and told him about the problem, he arrived on the train and drove it back 300 miles and text me that evening saying 'Didn't miss a beat mate, cheers!'. Sods law that, must have been my driving???
The MGF was a car you had the most fun in when you were ranting the thing on a nice summers day, get the back kicking out a bit, hang on tight and floor it, lol. Loved it!!!
But the MGF was a car that I constantly drove in fear of something going wrong, the battery terminals had a habit of popping off mid-drive resulting in the car dying to a stop. The speedo cable broke a few times... And of course the overheating... I suppose that's the true test of how much you enjoyed a car, when despite things going wrong all the time you look back with fondness rather than hatred, lol
I have both, a 1989 Eunos & a 2000 MGF SE. I like them both for different reasons, the MX5 is a lot more of a seat of the pants sports car whereas the MGF is a lot more refined. I think the MGF is a better overall car, its certainly a lot faster (its a VVC) & more economical but the ancient MX5 is also one hell of a hoot to bomb round in. If I had to live with one everyday I would go for the MGF, only because there is more room in it for Me as I'm 6'6". I am of a slim to medium build, however if you have a bigger frame at this height you will struggle with room in the MX5 so may be better off with the MG. You will find the odd niggle here & there will need sorting with the MG on a monthly basis, just daft things usually whereas the MX5 will be a wash & drive sportscar.
Pros & cons for both, don't listen to the anti Rover/MG brigade telling you that the MGF is ste because it isn't....by a long way!
Pros & cons for both, don't listen to the anti Rover/MG brigade telling you that the MGF is s
te because it isn't....by a long way!Darren156 said:
the battery terminals had a habit of popping off mid-drive resulting in the car dying to a stop
Not sure how battery terminals can pop off tbh, where they not done up? As in principle they are not different to millions of others cars over decades of production.Also with an alternator you shouldn't need a battery connected to run the car I believe, only to start it.
TheLastPost said:
The MX5 is lots of fun, but it's a big, clumsy, floppy, friendly Labrador of a sports car (though the torsional stiffness of the Mk. 1 means it shudders and squeaks like a stting spaniel with constipation).
Did you have a duff one? I had a Westfield before I got an MX-5 for some cheap summer fun and I think it's bloomin' fantastic.You shouldn't be getting many shudders from a decent one which has been well set up, either.tting spaniel with constipation). Never actually driven an MGF, but have been in one and it seemed like a nice bit of kit.Sadly, despite being quite new, it started making some horrid noises so we couldn't spank it around too much.My neighbour also had one for a while, but that broke down and he had had enough by then and got rid.A guy near our works unit also got one and sung its praises, but that died within two months!
Digby said:
Did you have a duff one?
No, I'm just used to driving cars that are torsionally rigid, and sensitive enough to know the difference when they're not. I've had a couple of Westfields, too, by the way, and it may surprise you to discover that the 'normal' Westfield is one of the few cars with an even worse torsional stiffness than the MX5 - though with very light cars it's not quite so important.If you can't feel a Mk. 1 MX5 shuddering and shimmying over bumps, then you're not paying attention. Fitting aftermarket crossbracing helped, but you could still tell that the basic rigidity was awful.
The figures quoted by 300bhp/ton, above, tell you the story... and they're for soft top cars, which are inherently much less rigid than cars with fixed roofs anyway.
Edited by TheLastPost on Wednesday 20th March 19:54
TheLastPost said:
Digby said:
Did you have a duff one?
No, I'm just used to driving cars that are torsionally rigid, and sensitive enough to know the difference when they're not. I've had a couple of Westfields, too, by the way, and it may surprise you to discover that the 'normal' Westfield is one of the few cars with an even worse torsional stiffness than the MX5 - though with very light cars it's not quite so important.If you can't feel a Mk. 1 MX5 shuddering and shimmying over bumps, then you're not paying attention. Fitting aftermarket crossbracing helped, but you could still tell that the basic rigidity was awful.
The figures quoted by 300bhp/ton, above, tell you the story... and they're for soft top cars, which are inherently much less rigid than cars with fixed roofs anyway.
Edited by TheLastPost on Wednesday 20th March 19:54
I know people who have owned Caterhams, R8's, 355's, Evos and all sorts of other modes of transport and they have all enjoyed what the little Mazda has to offer.To advise someone they are big, clumsy and floppy is rather underselling them imho!
They're different to drive, but I don't think I could call either one "better".
The MX5 feels more balanced but the F has better steering feel, a nicer feeling engine and a better ride. The TF feels a bit different again, with a worse ride but slightly more accurate damping.
They both suffer from a bit of scuttle shake, but not enough to upset the handling too much.
The mk3 MR2 is a better driver's car than either, IMO.
The MX5 feels more balanced but the F has better steering feel, a nicer feeling engine and a better ride. The TF feels a bit different again, with a worse ride but slightly more accurate damping.
They both suffer from a bit of scuttle shake, but not enough to upset the handling too much.
The mk3 MR2 is a better driver's car than either, IMO.
Edited by kambites on Wednesday 20th March 22:45
Rammy76 said:
Meths said:
If you're willing to check the coolant, oil and tyres every 3ish days, the MGF will be more rewarding.
If you can't be bothered with the faff, get a mx-5. Simples.
Does the MGF go through tyres a lot faster than the MX5?!If you can't be bothered with the faff, get a mx-5. Simples.
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