Age Old Question (MR2 VS MX5)

[ThatredGTI]

Hi All,

I have finally found myself in a position where I can purchase a Japanese 2 seater sports car which has been a dream of mine since I was a child,
I am planning on going out an getting myself a nicely looked after fairly low mileage example for me to keep for a long term.
I live 1.3 miles from my workplace therefore I cycle to work Monday-Friday therefore MPG or long journey comfort doesn't bother me.
The only time I will use the car will be on the weekends for car shows,Cruises,B road hoon ect..

So now for the age old question,

What do you guys recommend and why?

Toyota MR2 Roadster (MK3) or Mazda MX5 NB (MK 2/2.5) ?

Cheers in advance

Edited by ThatredGTI on Tuesday 21st January 14:47

[seiben]

Personally? MR2. Go for the facelift for 6spd gearbox and LSD funs

[ThatredGTI]

seiben said:

Personally? MR2. Go for the facelift for 6spd gearbox and LSD funs

I was looking at the MR2's low mileage, 6spd however I thought all of them have got an LSD ?
The only thing I got to sort out is the pre-cats on some pre-2003

[seiben]

ThatredGTI said:

I was looking at the MR2's low mileage, 6spd however I thought all of them have got an LSD ?
The only thing I got to sort out is the pre-cats on some pre-2003

Ah yes, you may be right there! I think it was some JDM imports that had an open diff.

[1602Mark]

MX5 vote here. Great value for money and easily tuned if that's your bag? Also about as cheap to maintain as any car can be, with loads of specialist suppliers. Insurance is also pretty affordable.

I have a MK2 which I bought for £1k and in 18 months it's needed nothing but an oil service and a headlight bulb.

[ThatredGTI]

seiben said:

Ah yes, you may be right there! I think it was some JDM imports that had an open diff.

Yeah I believe all UK Made models have a factory LSD and it was some Japanese ones as well as US ones that had open diffs.

[ThatredGTI]

1602Mark said:

MX5 vote here. Great value for money and easily tuned if that's your bag? Also about as cheap to maintain as any car can be, with loads of specialist suppliers. Insurance is also pretty affordable.

I have a MK2 which I bought for £1k and in 18 months it's needed nothing but an oil service and a headlight bulb.

The MX5's especially MK2/2.5 Which are my favourite shape do look very tempting however the only annoying part is that a lot of them are being attacked by rust.

[SAS Tom]

Another MX5 vote here. Rust is an issue on them and personally I think they all have varying degrees of rust. I bought a mk2.5 recently for £1400 and it’s good, there is rust but nothing to be overly concerned about and the majority can be treated easily.

There is a video that’s about 90 minutes long on YouTube going through all the stuff to look out for which I found useful.

To drive it’s great fun, I really enjoy it as a standard car. If you’re not taking it on track days then I think the suspension is really well suited to the road. I do think an LSD is a must though, mine didn’t have one as standard so I bought a second hand one for £300 and it transformed the car.

[RCD24]

MX5 takes my vote also, cheap and reliable motoring. I got a 1.8 Euphonic model which had a full leather interior with heated seats as well as a hardtop for £950. Sold it on 9 months later for the same price minus the hardtop, which got me another £250

The sills had been taken care of in the past but the chassis rails on the MK2 and 2.5 do suffer from rusting quite badly as well as the rear arches. Look for one that's been properly maintained and welded by a specialist in recent years and enjoy open-top motoring

[Ankh87]

It depends on your budget. A £1500 MR2 will be in better condition than a £1500 MX5.

If you've got £2000-£3000 then drive both and see what you think, MR2 is a great little car and cheaper to run. MX5 has more aftermarket and there's a lot more to choose from.

[mrtwisty]

MR2 vote here.

They don't rot anything like as bad as the Mazda. LSD as standard as discussed. Better power to weight (marginally). Engine in a more interesting place, meaning you really have to engage with the car to get the best from it. Better on fuel (until you put the 2ZZ and short ratio box in anyway....)

[TameRacingDriver]

Had two Mk1 MX5s and a Mk3 MR2. I’ve also driven a Mk2 MX5, it was similar, just less fun.

Both got their strengths and weaknesses.

Looks - subjective - the MX5 has the more classic sports car look, the MR2 looks like a poor mans Boxster/Elise
Performance - MR2 - has more power and less weight
Handling - MR2 - felt more planted to me, standard LSD, less floppy, both capable of being hustled along at some speed
Gearbox - MX5 - much better feel, MR2 feels a bit more notchy and resistive
Practicality - MX5 - actually has a usable boot
Comfort - MX5 - just found it easier to get into a more comfortable position, not a fan of the leather seats in the MR2 either even if more durable
Sound - MR2 - neither sound amazing, but my MR2 sounded meaty with a powerflow, MX5 just sounded fairly rough no matter what
Economy - MR2 - an extra 10 MPG easy
Reliability - MX5 - seemed largely indestructable, the MR2 engine isn’t all that robust and can suffer pre-cat failure (new engine job)

Personally, I preferred the MR2 to drive, just felt like a more focused sports car. MX5 easier to live with. Both great cars, can’t go wrong either way.

Edited by TameRacingDriver on Tuesday 21st January 20:24

[ChrisH72]

I looked at both and ended up going for the MR2. It was mainly the rust issue that put me off the mk2 mx5 whereas the MR2 doesn't seem to suffer so badly.

I think MR2 values are rising at the moment. I sold mine 5 years ago for a slight profit and looking at them now they've gone up a bit more still.

[Digby]

1602Mark said:

MX5 vote here. Great value for money and easily tuned if that's your bag?

Easily modded may be a better way to explain it. Unless you slap a turbo or SC on, exhausts and filters etc add very little to the performance.

[ThatredGTI]

Thanks for all the replies and opinions and experiences lads,

My spending budget is between £1500-£2300
And again things like practicality don't bother me as I either walk or cycle to work and only will use it for enjoyment on the weekend,

Both cars are great and ultimately its going to be hard to decide as they both have their strengths and weaknesses,
The only major concerning thing about the MR2 as far as I know is the Pre-Cats issue which has been removed on most of the ones I have seen for sale,
And the MX5 it is the rust, However lately I have seen quiet a few well sorted and professionally de-rusted and welded ones,

Looks wise and sound wise I think they both look iconic and Go Kart ish, Sound is pretty decent on both as well , Plus im only around 6ft so fitting inside either wont be an issue,

Also in terms of the boot space I think both will be sufficient enough as the only time I will use any space at all will be for either small weekly shopping for 2 or a weekend away and that's about it.