What would you do in my position, stick or twist?
Discussion
Hi all - this is a very long post, so I've done a TLDR version for those who might not want to read a massive post 
but the detail is listed below:
TLDR version
Currently driving a 2016 Mini JCW (F56) with some tasteful mods (JCW Pro coilovers, OZ 17" wheels, interior upgrades, black trim). I enjoy it—it's fun, sounds good, and looks great—but I’m at a crossroads. I either keep it and take it further with £5–6k in mods (LSD, clutch, flywheel, remap, etc.), or move on to something new for around £20k max.
Use case:
Not a daily; WFH.
Weekend blasts on A/B roads.
Occasional Sunday drives with partner and mum—so 4 seats are nice but not essential.
Car lives outside, near a quarry (dusty and exposed).
What I want:
Fun at modest speeds (not chasing big power).
Reliable, not high-maintenance.
Not a depreciation disaster.
Bonus: good looks, convertible preferred (but not essential), not a pain to get in/out of.
Options I'm considering:
1. Keep the Mini – Either enjoy it as-is or invest in mods. But risk is spending a lot and still wanting to sell.
2. MX-5 – Obvious choice, but I’ve had 3. Tempted by ND1 (1.5 for revs) or ND2 (2.0 for punch). Or maybe a well-sorted NC PRHT. Concerned about depreciation and ND steering feel.
3. Abarth 124 – Quirky, already turbo'd, good noise, easy to tune. Tempting.
4. BMW Z4 (E85) – 3.0Si is a great engine, but feels heavier and less nimble than an MX-5. Roof-up styling isn’t great.
5. BMW M2 – Brilliant car, but too fast/big for country roads. Wouldn't be fun at legal speeds. Similar applies to M135i/140i etc.
6. Toyota GT86 – Great handling, but coarse engine and torque dip are a turnoff. Could be improved with mods.
7. Honda S2000 – Love it in theory, but high-revving nature might be a bit antisocial on the road. Expensive to fix if anything goes wrong.
Not Considering:
Porsches (serious, costly, leaky Boxsters).
TVR (too fragile for outdoor life).
Big GT cars (XKR etc.) – might not deliver the driving thrill I want.
Would love to hear what others would do in my position. Keep the Mini? Go MX-5 again? Something else entirely?
Waffle
For those that aren't aware, I'm currently driving an F56 JCW Mini, and in many respects, I really like it, but as we petrolheads always do, we're always thinking of the next big thing, and as such, I'm at a cross roads about what to do next year, whether I stick with the car I've got, and continue the project or whether to look into something else.
First though, it would probably help if I described the use case of my car, and what I like and dislike about the current car.
My car is, for the most part, my runabout. I don't use it for work or commuting (WFH), so my overall mileage isn't high. I typically take it out once a week for a good weekend blast across the A and B roads of Northern England / Southern Scotland.
I also use it every Sunday to tak my Mrs and mother out for a meal, so it's handy to have 4 seats, but, probably not essential as the Mrs has a car we can use with 4 seats and 5 doors, however, it's just an Aygo, which, although fun in its own way, is a bit of a tin can, doesn't even have air conditioning. That said, any idea of having any fun on these trips is moot as the Mrs is a very nervous passenger, so I tend to drive very slowly when she's in the car (unless she's had a few glasses of wine).
Now onto the car itself. It's a 2016 JCW F56 Mini as mentioned. It's probably worth £8-9k on a good day, even with the mods I've done (JCW Pro coilovers, OZ Hyper GT 17" alloys, JCW Pro interior bits, and replaced all the chrome with official Mini piano black trim). For more info and some pics, you're probably best off checking out my readers car thread.
Now, as I've said, 4 seats is handy, but I do have an alternative car to use, so I probably *could* get away with a 2 seater again.
Now, I had planned on doing some pretty extensive extra modifications to the Mini, which will certainly make it a better car overall to drive, but probably cannot perform miracles, and these mods are probably going to be quite expensive; I planned for a Wavetrac or Quaife diff, but with that and the mileage on my car (93k), I'm going to also need to replace the clutch and flywheel, turning this into a £2-3k job.
If I did that, I'd likely also want to investigate remapping, but I would want to do this the proper way, with supporting mods, so intake and intercooler, and again, this would likely end up being £2k or thereabouts with the mods I had in mind.
And the fact of the matter is, the car is already more than quick enough, and ultimately I don't do track days and while I like to drive briskly, I am certainly not pushing any boundaries. My preferred driving style is a flowing style, keeping up momentum, and not really going that far over the speed limit (with the odd exception of some very well sighted, very wide, straight roads, but these are the exception rather than the norm).
Now, I guess I need to get on to the specifics about the Mini itself; it is undeniably a fun car, and for what it is, it looks and feels quite special. Actually, for me, it's a really good looking little car, and I often look back at it. The interior is nice and pleasant, and the car has a lot of character, sounds good for a 4-pot turbo, and definitely has that "oversized" engine in a tiny car feel to it. It also does a reasonable impression of speed at the NSL.
However, I have this nagging feeling that it's just not special enough. I have been thinking a lot recently about my time in convertibles and my old MX5s etc. It's also a FWD car with a surplus of torque and no standard diff (just torque vectoring). It handles pretty well for what it is, but you can certainly tell what it is, a nose heavy, FWD hot hatch that can understeer if you're ham fisted and feels a bit flighty under hard braking etc. And while I feel like it is fun, being a fairly modern car, you don't feel quite as involved / connected as you would in a sports car or even just older cars generally. While I could do the aforementioned modifications, it's not going to be a fundamentally different car, for the expense.
So, like any good petrolhead, I am weighing up my options, and I would like to know what YOU would do in my situation, and I will now go through the options I'm weighing up. What I would say is that this car will hopefully be something of a keeper for quite a few years, as I'm getting a little tired of the car-merry-go-round.
First of all, I would like to give you my priorities. Firstly, I am strongly of the opinion that I want a car that is fun at modest speeds. I was thinking about the likes of the M2, but decided it was just too much performance and size to enjoy on the roads I like to use, and would require me break the speed limit regularly to have any fun in it, so I've kind of ruled this one out.
Secondly, the car has to live outside. I live fairly close to a quarry so I am at the mercy of the elements and dust. I still have bad memories of my old Boxster leaking, and I could never quite seem to get to the bottom of it.
Third, I want something that is not too ruinous to run, or high maintenance. I prefer driving to fixing, and I don't want it to obliterate my money every month, as I don't have massively deep pockets.
Finally, I don't really want anything that will depreciate hugely, better still if it doesn't depreciate at all. I am tired of losing fortunes on cars I'm selling!
Bonus points for good looking (yes, I do like to have a good looking car, even though I don't look at it from outside), and convertible would be a strong draw as I do think it elevates the experience, however, if the car was good enough, it would not be a deal breaker.
My budget would probably be £20k max, and the only real solid requirement is that it isn't extremely difficult to get in and out, as I do need to carry a passenger on a regular basis, so unfortunately that rules out the likes of the Elise, even though they're a car I've always fancied trying.
So, onto the options:
1. Keep the Mini
The Mini does have a pano roof, so it does give me a half way house between a normal tin top and a convertible, so that is a fairly big plus, however, it is quite dark inside, but I could cure this by de-tinting the rear windows, and then I think it would feel quite different. However, I do have the aforementioned gripes about it.
There are two sub-options here. I could keep the car as it is, and just enjoy it for what it is, or I could do the extra £5-6k of mods to make it into a real great little hot hatch. However, my concern is if I did that, and I didn't love the car any more than I do now, I might end up selling up anyway and losing my shirt, and I've done that before. I would have to be absolutely certain I would want to keep the car.
Keeping the car as it is would afford me the option of saving up for something "better" (as in more expensive) than any of the options listed here, such as a GR86, GR Yaris, Alpine A110 etc, you get the idea.
I won't be taking any finance for this (done it, not doing it again).
2. Mazda MX5
The obvious answer is an MX5, and I would tend to agree. However, the fly in the ointment is that I came from an MX5 (albeit one that needed a fair bit of work to bring it up to scratch). I've also had 3 of them now, so there's an element of been there, done that, however, I do miss it, and I also miss the "scene" that comes with MX5s.
Again, I have a couple of options here. I do really like the ND, and it's the only one I haven't experienced... BUT... these ARE going to depreciate. If I did, I would also be torn on the revvy little 1.5, which is lightweight and revs to nearly 8000, or the ND2 2.0, but this quite a bit pricier and will depreciate even harder.
The thing with the ND is though the EPAS steering, which is apparently noticebly worse than the hydraulic in the NC. Also, with the car living outside, a folding metal hard top would be nice, which leads me naturally to the RF, but I've heard that its really not much better than a sunroof. So again, this leads me back to the NC 3.75 with the PRHT. I find this as good looking as the ND too.
The NC should be more depreciation proof too, and better for modifying; I've not had a BBR Turbo version, so that would be quite appealing, supercharged one too, but disappointingly it doesn't give that "whine" I got from my NA when it was charged.
3. Abarth 124
This is quite appealing as it's a little different, and has the turbocharged engine already, which is a strong engine and quite easy to tune. I like the styling too, its a bit different, and they do sound quite naughty.
4. BMW Z4
Referring to the Mk1, this is an older car, but that doesn't bother me too much. I can get a 3.0 Si well within budget, which is a great engine. However, they don't feel as nimble as an MX5 or as fun to drive. I don't think they look great when the roof is up either. The Coupe solves that of course, but I've already had one, and they do feel a bit closed in.
The later model is nice looking but is very heavy and probably quite tank like for a sports car.
5. BMW M2 OG
I brushed upon this before, and agree it would be a very special car, but they're quite big on the road, and wide, and I feel like they'd be the kind of car that I would struggle to have any fun in without obliterating the speed limit. Ditto the likes of the M135/140/235/240, which would also need chassis mods to get the best from it. Also not a convertible, although there may be convertible versions, but for some reason I'm not a fan of 4 seater convertibles.
6. Toyota GT86
I do like these, they're not a convertible, but they do drive very nicely from what I've heard. My main gripe with these is the engine, which apparently has a torque dip, doesn't make the advertised power, and is a coarse, rough old lump. I'd imagine these might be resolvable issues though, I hear things like remaps, unequal headers (to give the subaru noise). Apparently they also supercharge well.
7. Honda S2000
I really like these as a focused and usable car, my only concerns would be rust, and the relative lack of torque and specialness at low engine speeds, I feel that like my Type-Rs, they'd only really be fun when thrashing the tits off it, and by consequence, that results in a slightly anti-social driving style on the road. Also, IF there was an engine problem, it would be catastrophically expensive to fix, and a lot of garages wont touch these cars due to their complexity.
Happy to have opinons or other suggestions. Would probably rule out Porsches on the basis they always felt a bit serious, Boxsters leak, tall gearing, expensive running costs. A TVR Chim would be lovely but I'm not sure it would enjoy being kept outside, and probably would be a high maintenance thing.
The other leftfield option would be stuff like Jag XKR or a more luxury car, but I'm not sure that's delivering the experience I'd want.
Answers on a postcard
but the detail is listed below:TLDR version
Currently driving a 2016 Mini JCW (F56) with some tasteful mods (JCW Pro coilovers, OZ 17" wheels, interior upgrades, black trim). I enjoy it—it's fun, sounds good, and looks great—but I’m at a crossroads. I either keep it and take it further with £5–6k in mods (LSD, clutch, flywheel, remap, etc.), or move on to something new for around £20k max.
Use case:
Not a daily; WFH.
Weekend blasts on A/B roads.
Occasional Sunday drives with partner and mum—so 4 seats are nice but not essential.
Car lives outside, near a quarry (dusty and exposed).
What I want:
Fun at modest speeds (not chasing big power).
Reliable, not high-maintenance.
Not a depreciation disaster.
Bonus: good looks, convertible preferred (but not essential), not a pain to get in/out of.
Options I'm considering:
1. Keep the Mini – Either enjoy it as-is or invest in mods. But risk is spending a lot and still wanting to sell.
2. MX-5 – Obvious choice, but I’ve had 3. Tempted by ND1 (1.5 for revs) or ND2 (2.0 for punch). Or maybe a well-sorted NC PRHT. Concerned about depreciation and ND steering feel.
3. Abarth 124 – Quirky, already turbo'd, good noise, easy to tune. Tempting.
4. BMW Z4 (E85) – 3.0Si is a great engine, but feels heavier and less nimble than an MX-5. Roof-up styling isn’t great.
5. BMW M2 – Brilliant car, but too fast/big for country roads. Wouldn't be fun at legal speeds. Similar applies to M135i/140i etc.
6. Toyota GT86 – Great handling, but coarse engine and torque dip are a turnoff. Could be improved with mods.
7. Honda S2000 – Love it in theory, but high-revving nature might be a bit antisocial on the road. Expensive to fix if anything goes wrong.
Not Considering:
Porsches (serious, costly, leaky Boxsters).
TVR (too fragile for outdoor life).
Big GT cars (XKR etc.) – might not deliver the driving thrill I want.
Would love to hear what others would do in my position. Keep the Mini? Go MX-5 again? Something else entirely?
Waffle
For those that aren't aware, I'm currently driving an F56 JCW Mini, and in many respects, I really like it, but as we petrolheads always do, we're always thinking of the next big thing, and as such, I'm at a cross roads about what to do next year, whether I stick with the car I've got, and continue the project or whether to look into something else.
First though, it would probably help if I described the use case of my car, and what I like and dislike about the current car.
My car is, for the most part, my runabout. I don't use it for work or commuting (WFH), so my overall mileage isn't high. I typically take it out once a week for a good weekend blast across the A and B roads of Northern England / Southern Scotland.
I also use it every Sunday to tak my Mrs and mother out for a meal, so it's handy to have 4 seats, but, probably not essential as the Mrs has a car we can use with 4 seats and 5 doors, however, it's just an Aygo, which, although fun in its own way, is a bit of a tin can, doesn't even have air conditioning. That said, any idea of having any fun on these trips is moot as the Mrs is a very nervous passenger, so I tend to drive very slowly when she's in the car (unless she's had a few glasses of wine
).Now onto the car itself. It's a 2016 JCW F56 Mini as mentioned. It's probably worth £8-9k on a good day, even with the mods I've done (JCW Pro coilovers, OZ Hyper GT 17" alloys, JCW Pro interior bits, and replaced all the chrome with official Mini piano black trim). For more info and some pics, you're probably best off checking out my readers car thread.
Now, as I've said, 4 seats is handy, but I do have an alternative car to use, so I probably *could* get away with a 2 seater again.
Now, I had planned on doing some pretty extensive extra modifications to the Mini, which will certainly make it a better car overall to drive, but probably cannot perform miracles, and these mods are probably going to be quite expensive; I planned for a Wavetrac or Quaife diff, but with that and the mileage on my car (93k), I'm going to also need to replace the clutch and flywheel, turning this into a £2-3k job.
If I did that, I'd likely also want to investigate remapping, but I would want to do this the proper way, with supporting mods, so intake and intercooler, and again, this would likely end up being £2k or thereabouts with the mods I had in mind.
And the fact of the matter is, the car is already more than quick enough, and ultimately I don't do track days and while I like to drive briskly, I am certainly not pushing any boundaries. My preferred driving style is a flowing style, keeping up momentum, and not really going that far over the speed limit (with the odd exception of some very well sighted, very wide, straight roads, but these are the exception rather than the norm).
Now, I guess I need to get on to the specifics about the Mini itself; it is undeniably a fun car, and for what it is, it looks and feels quite special. Actually, for me, it's a really good looking little car, and I often look back at it. The interior is nice and pleasant, and the car has a lot of character, sounds good for a 4-pot turbo, and definitely has that "oversized" engine in a tiny car feel to it. It also does a reasonable impression of speed at the NSL.
However, I have this nagging feeling that it's just not special enough. I have been thinking a lot recently about my time in convertibles and my old MX5s etc. It's also a FWD car with a surplus of torque and no standard diff (just torque vectoring). It handles pretty well for what it is, but you can certainly tell what it is, a nose heavy, FWD hot hatch that can understeer if you're ham fisted and feels a bit flighty under hard braking etc. And while I feel like it is fun, being a fairly modern car, you don't feel quite as involved / connected as you would in a sports car or even just older cars generally. While I could do the aforementioned modifications, it's not going to be a fundamentally different car, for the expense.
So, like any good petrolhead, I am weighing up my options, and I would like to know what YOU would do in my situation, and I will now go through the options I'm weighing up. What I would say is that this car will hopefully be something of a keeper for quite a few years, as I'm getting a little tired of the car-merry-go-round.
First of all, I would like to give you my priorities. Firstly, I am strongly of the opinion that I want a car that is fun at modest speeds. I was thinking about the likes of the M2, but decided it was just too much performance and size to enjoy on the roads I like to use, and would require me break the speed limit regularly to have any fun in it, so I've kind of ruled this one out.
Secondly, the car has to live outside. I live fairly close to a quarry so I am at the mercy of the elements and dust. I still have bad memories of my old Boxster leaking, and I could never quite seem to get to the bottom of it.
Third, I want something that is not too ruinous to run, or high maintenance. I prefer driving to fixing, and I don't want it to obliterate my money every month, as I don't have massively deep pockets.
Finally, I don't really want anything that will depreciate hugely, better still if it doesn't depreciate at all. I am tired of losing fortunes on cars I'm selling!
Bonus points for good looking (yes, I do like to have a good looking car, even though I don't look at it from outside), and convertible would be a strong draw as I do think it elevates the experience, however, if the car was good enough, it would not be a deal breaker.
My budget would probably be £20k max, and the only real solid requirement is that it isn't extremely difficult to get in and out, as I do need to carry a passenger on a regular basis, so unfortunately that rules out the likes of the Elise, even though they're a car I've always fancied trying.
So, onto the options:
1. Keep the Mini
The Mini does have a pano roof, so it does give me a half way house between a normal tin top and a convertible, so that is a fairly big plus, however, it is quite dark inside, but I could cure this by de-tinting the rear windows, and then I think it would feel quite different. However, I do have the aforementioned gripes about it.
There are two sub-options here. I could keep the car as it is, and just enjoy it for what it is, or I could do the extra £5-6k of mods to make it into a real great little hot hatch. However, my concern is if I did that, and I didn't love the car any more than I do now, I might end up selling up anyway and losing my shirt, and I've done that before. I would have to be absolutely certain I would want to keep the car.
Keeping the car as it is would afford me the option of saving up for something "better" (as in more expensive) than any of the options listed here, such as a GR86, GR Yaris, Alpine A110 etc, you get the idea.
I won't be taking any finance for this (done it, not doing it again).
2. Mazda MX5
The obvious answer is an MX5, and I would tend to agree. However, the fly in the ointment is that I came from an MX5 (albeit one that needed a fair bit of work to bring it up to scratch). I've also had 3 of them now, so there's an element of been there, done that, however, I do miss it, and I also miss the "scene" that comes with MX5s.
Again, I have a couple of options here. I do really like the ND, and it's the only one I haven't experienced... BUT... these ARE going to depreciate. If I did, I would also be torn on the revvy little 1.5, which is lightweight and revs to nearly 8000, or the ND2 2.0, but this quite a bit pricier and will depreciate even harder.
The thing with the ND is though the EPAS steering, which is apparently noticebly worse than the hydraulic in the NC. Also, with the car living outside, a folding metal hard top would be nice, which leads me naturally to the RF, but I've heard that its really not much better than a sunroof. So again, this leads me back to the NC 3.75 with the PRHT. I find this as good looking as the ND too.
The NC should be more depreciation proof too, and better for modifying; I've not had a BBR Turbo version, so that would be quite appealing, supercharged one too, but disappointingly it doesn't give that "whine" I got from my NA when it was charged.
3. Abarth 124
This is quite appealing as it's a little different, and has the turbocharged engine already, which is a strong engine and quite easy to tune. I like the styling too, its a bit different, and they do sound quite naughty.
4. BMW Z4
Referring to the Mk1, this is an older car, but that doesn't bother me too much. I can get a 3.0 Si well within budget, which is a great engine. However, they don't feel as nimble as an MX5 or as fun to drive. I don't think they look great when the roof is up either. The Coupe solves that of course, but I've already had one, and they do feel a bit closed in.
The later model is nice looking but is very heavy and probably quite tank like for a sports car.
5. BMW M2 OG
I brushed upon this before, and agree it would be a very special car, but they're quite big on the road, and wide, and I feel like they'd be the kind of car that I would struggle to have any fun in without obliterating the speed limit. Ditto the likes of the M135/140/235/240, which would also need chassis mods to get the best from it. Also not a convertible, although there may be convertible versions, but for some reason I'm not a fan of 4 seater convertibles.
6. Toyota GT86
I do like these, they're not a convertible, but they do drive very nicely from what I've heard. My main gripe with these is the engine, which apparently has a torque dip, doesn't make the advertised power, and is a coarse, rough old lump. I'd imagine these might be resolvable issues though, I hear things like remaps, unequal headers (to give the subaru noise). Apparently they also supercharge well.
7. Honda S2000
I really like these as a focused and usable car, my only concerns would be rust, and the relative lack of torque and specialness at low engine speeds, I feel that like my Type-Rs, they'd only really be fun when thrashing the tits off it, and by consequence, that results in a slightly anti-social driving style on the road. Also, IF there was an engine problem, it would be catastrophically expensive to fix, and a lot of garages wont touch these cars due to their complexity.
Happy to have opinons or other suggestions. Would probably rule out Porsches on the basis they always felt a bit serious, Boxsters leak, tall gearing, expensive running costs. A TVR Chim would be lovely but I'm not sure it would enjoy being kept outside, and probably would be a high maintenance thing.
The other leftfield option would be stuff like Jag XKR or a more luxury car, but I'm not sure that's delivering the experience I'd want.
Answers on a postcard
Re the Abarth 124
Have a really good look underneath.
The UK one's were all built in 2016/2017
The later one's sat in a dockside car park
I remember seeing pics on forums of new cars rusty underneath.
The first one I went to see was seriously corroded underneath, not the body, the subframes/wishbones.
Aside from that, great little cars, and as you want, fun to had at sensible speeds.
I sold one of mine to Veloches, the buyer said a little remap transforms them. (170bhp to 200bhp)
Thy're holding their value pretty well too.
One of mine had a leaky water pump, which was a big job (warranty luckily) so check for dampness in the undertray.
I'd have another if a minter turned up.
Have a really good look underneath.
The UK one's were all built in 2016/2017
The later one's sat in a dockside car park
I remember seeing pics on forums of new cars rusty underneath.
The first one I went to see was seriously corroded underneath, not the body, the subframes/wishbones.
Aside from that, great little cars, and as you want, fun to had at sensible speeds.
I sold one of mine to Veloches, the buyer said a little remap transforms them. (170bhp to 200bhp)
Thy're holding their value pretty well too.
One of mine had a leaky water pump, which was a big job (warranty luckily) so check for dampness in the undertray.
I'd have another if a minter turned up.
This time last year I changed my Fiesta ST3 for £20k's worth of ND2 mx5 RF 2.0 so very similar to what you propose.
The Mazda is a good car. I've enjoyed it and used it all year without any problems. It works well as a coupe through winter (mine lives ouside) and I take the opportunity to open the roof whenever possible. The drama of the foldy roof is quite fun and I think it feels more 'open' than a sunroof. Obviously not the full convertible experience but good enough.
There are things I miss about the ST. Having a bit of practicality is good. I was sure I wouldn't miss it but there are times when I could do with more boot space in particular. The mx5 is a very small car. I'm also not fussed about big power but I do miss the extra torque from the turbo. Considering the ST and the mx5 both make 180bhp I can say that the Fiesta felt quite a lot quicker. It might just be that I owned the Fiesta for four years but I don't seem to have bonded with the Mazda quite as much. In fact I was browsing mk8 ST3's only last night!!
This is my first mx5 so I can't compare the steering feel. It's fine for me but then I'm no racing driver. What does irk me a bit is the gear shift. I was lead to believe the mx5 shift was as good as it gets but mine certainly isn't. On a cold start it's particularly difficult to shift from 1st to 2nd and even 3rd is notchy. Once warm its okay but nothing amazing IMO. I've read that stiff changes when cold are common but part of me thinks there may be more to it.
That's my experience so far. I'll stick with it but like most of us here the itch to change sets in sooner or later whatever you buy!
The Mazda is a good car. I've enjoyed it and used it all year without any problems. It works well as a coupe through winter (mine lives ouside) and I take the opportunity to open the roof whenever possible. The drama of the foldy roof is quite fun and I think it feels more 'open' than a sunroof. Obviously not the full convertible experience but good enough.
There are things I miss about the ST. Having a bit of practicality is good. I was sure I wouldn't miss it but there are times when I could do with more boot space in particular. The mx5 is a very small car. I'm also not fussed about big power but I do miss the extra torque from the turbo. Considering the ST and the mx5 both make 180bhp I can say that the Fiesta felt quite a lot quicker. It might just be that I owned the Fiesta for four years but I don't seem to have bonded with the Mazda quite as much. In fact I was browsing mk8 ST3's only last night!!
This is my first mx5 so I can't compare the steering feel. It's fine for me but then I'm no racing driver. What does irk me a bit is the gear shift. I was lead to believe the mx5 shift was as good as it gets but mine certainly isn't. On a cold start it's particularly difficult to shift from 1st to 2nd and even 3rd is notchy. Once warm its okay but nothing amazing IMO. I've read that stiff changes when cold are common but part of me thinks there may be more to it.
That's my experience so far. I'll stick with it but like most of us here the itch to change sets in sooner or later whatever you buy!
ChrisH72 said:
This time last year I changed my Fiesta ST3 for £20k's worth of ND2 mx5 RF 2.0 so very similar to what you propose.
The Mazda is a good car. I've enjoyed it and used it all year without any problems. It works well as a coupe through winter (mine lives ouside) and I take the opportunity to open the roof whenever possible. The drama of the foldy roof is quite fun and I think it feels more 'open' than a sunroof. Obviously not the full convertible experience but good enough.
There are things I miss about the ST. Having a bit of practicality is good. I was sure I wouldn't miss it but there are times when I could do with more boot space in particular. The mx5 is a very small car. I'm also not fussed about big power but I do miss the extra torque from the turbo. Considering the ST and the mx5 both make 180bhp I can say that the Fiesta felt quite a lot quicker. It might just be that I owned the Fiesta for four years but I don't seem to have bonded with the Mazda quite as much. In fact I was browsing mk8 ST3's only last night!!
This is my first mx5 so I can't compare the steering feel. It's fine for me but then I'm no racing driver. What does irk me a bit is the gear shift. I was lead to believe the mx5 shift was as good as it gets but mine certainly isn't. On a cold start it's particularly difficult to shift from 1st to 2nd and even 3rd is notchy. Once warm its okay but nothing amazing IMO. I've read that stiff changes when cold are common but part of me thinks there may be more to it.
That's my experience so far. I'll stick with it but like most of us here the itch to change sets in sooner or later whatever you buy!
Thanks Chris for the insight, you raise some good points that I can certainly relate to having come from an MX5 which was the reason I ended up in the mini. The Mazda is a good car. I've enjoyed it and used it all year without any problems. It works well as a coupe through winter (mine lives ouside) and I take the opportunity to open the roof whenever possible. The drama of the foldy roof is quite fun and I think it feels more 'open' than a sunroof. Obviously not the full convertible experience but good enough.
There are things I miss about the ST. Having a bit of practicality is good. I was sure I wouldn't miss it but there are times when I could do with more boot space in particular. The mx5 is a very small car. I'm also not fussed about big power but I do miss the extra torque from the turbo. Considering the ST and the mx5 both make 180bhp I can say that the Fiesta felt quite a lot quicker. It might just be that I owned the Fiesta for four years but I don't seem to have bonded with the Mazda quite as much. In fact I was browsing mk8 ST3's only last night!!
This is my first mx5 so I can't compare the steering feel. It's fine for me but then I'm no racing driver. What does irk me a bit is the gear shift. I was lead to believe the mx5 shift was as good as it gets but mine certainly isn't. On a cold start it's particularly difficult to shift from 1st to 2nd and even 3rd is notchy. Once warm its okay but nothing amazing IMO. I've read that stiff changes when cold are common but part of me thinks there may be more to it.
That's my experience so far. I'll stick with it but like most of us here the itch to change sets in sooner or later whatever you buy!
I must admit it did feel quite compromised at times when I just wanted to go from A to B and overall I'd say they were basically on par for enjoyment all things considered, the Mazda is the purer car but the mini feels a bit sillier and definitely faster, as you say the torque is actually quite useful on the road.
Funnily enough, and I forgot to mention this, but I have also considered a MK8 ST PP, which gets me the diff id like for the mini, a 5 door for the extra practicality, so I can carry on the way I am now, but I think the depreciation is a bit too much for me to stomach.
As someone who took an interest in your other thread about your Mini and shared my love of them having owned two F56's previously, I thought I'd chime in with my thoughts! To date, the Mini's are the most fun modern hot hatch all-rounders I've owned or experienced and definitely miss mine, so I'd say keeping it should be a serious consideration and leave it as is and enjoy it.
However, if I were to recommend another from your list, I've also driven an MX5 ND (with the 1.5) and have to admit it felt very similar to the Mini in terms of how you can throw it around on a country road and how much fun it is. It does feel a little cramped (it was the RF so that might not have helped) and even though the Mini isn't the most practical, it was far more practical than the MX5 and it's on those odd occasions when you need it to be that it might be frustrating - even finding somewhere to put your phone wasn't easy! Appreciate you have access to another (slightly) more practical car and it isn't a daily as such, which of course will all help.
On that note, I also considered the Abarth 124's and that would be my choice as you get all the MX5 feel with the Abarth personality and rowdiness that feels similar to the Mini's personality (especially with the Record Monza exhaust!). I feel like all of the other cars on your list (GT86 aside) are all very capable and a step-up performance wise, but ultimately aren't fun enough coming from the car you've got now and you might get a bit bored. Even the GT86 will require a readjustment of mindset coming from a 2.0 turbo, unless you do some tuning.
Finally, if you do put your Mini up for sale, I'm still missing mine and yours has all the ideal mods done so I'd be very tempted to consider sorting that part of the equation for you!
However, if I were to recommend another from your list, I've also driven an MX5 ND (with the 1.5) and have to admit it felt very similar to the Mini in terms of how you can throw it around on a country road and how much fun it is. It does feel a little cramped (it was the RF so that might not have helped) and even though the Mini isn't the most practical, it was far more practical than the MX5 and it's on those odd occasions when you need it to be that it might be frustrating - even finding somewhere to put your phone wasn't easy! Appreciate you have access to another (slightly) more practical car and it isn't a daily as such, which of course will all help.
On that note, I also considered the Abarth 124's and that would be my choice as you get all the MX5 feel with the Abarth personality and rowdiness that feels similar to the Mini's personality (especially with the Record Monza exhaust!). I feel like all of the other cars on your list (GT86 aside) are all very capable and a step-up performance wise, but ultimately aren't fun enough coming from the car you've got now and you might get a bit bored. Even the GT86 will require a readjustment of mindset coming from a 2.0 turbo, unless you do some tuning.
Finally, if you do put your Mini up for sale, I'm still missing mine and yours has all the ideal mods done so I'd be very tempted to consider sorting that part of the equation for you!
I went S2000 recently, I was considering an NC MX5 but felt I would have wanted to modify it to BBR 200 spec to make it perfect so the extra shove of the standard S2000 swayed it for me.
I can see what people say about its lack of torque low down but for me personally it does not bother me that much as I enjoy pottering around with some foot down stuff now and again.
It does not feel like a quick car but its quite deceiving when you look at the speedo.
Having never owned a car with this engine in it before I must admit I am not as blown away by it as i thought I would be but I do love driving the car.
I have also owned an MX5 NA and a TVR Chimaera, I would grab the keys for the Honda if I had the chance of a spirited drive.
I would love to try the engine with a supercharger though!
Rust can be an issue so you do need to be careful, they can look immaculate on the top but dreadful underneath.
I can see what people say about its lack of torque low down but for me personally it does not bother me that much as I enjoy pottering around with some foot down stuff now and again.
It does not feel like a quick car but its quite deceiving when you look at the speedo.
Having never owned a car with this engine in it before I must admit I am not as blown away by it as i thought I would be but I do love driving the car.
I have also owned an MX5 NA and a TVR Chimaera, I would grab the keys for the Honda if I had the chance of a spirited drive.
I would love to try the engine with a supercharger though!
Rust can be an issue so you do need to be careful, they can look immaculate on the top but dreadful underneath.
Edited by Belle427 on Friday 4th July 14:53
of the ones you highlight it has to be the 86. the others are just not as good or you've already been there.
The torque dip in the GT86 is exaggerated by those who are used to a turbo. it's there but never got in my way, though for a daily it's clearly more annoying if you have traffic. It doesn't sound good, but is a nasp joy 4-7500k. such a straightforward fun steer. So I'd suggest a GT86 or wait a year and get a GR.
S2000 a good shout, though they are getting old now, even for a Honda.
Lee will be along to suggest a 350Z. interesting. you need to drive it first!
wild card - RX8. R3 not as fragile as some think and a worthy experience for couple of years.
Interestingly, apart from the Z all the above are without turbo and need revving out.
The torque dip in the GT86 is exaggerated by those who are used to a turbo. it's there but never got in my way, though for a daily it's clearly more annoying if you have traffic. It doesn't sound good, but is a nasp joy 4-7500k. such a straightforward fun steer. So I'd suggest a GT86 or wait a year and get a GR.
S2000 a good shout, though they are getting old now, even for a Honda.
Lee will be along to suggest a 350Z. interesting. you need to drive it first!
wild card - RX8. R3 not as fragile as some think and a worthy experience for couple of years.
Interestingly, apart from the Z all the above are without turbo and need revving out.
ChrisRF1 said:
As someone who took an interest in your other thread about your Mini and shared my love of them having owned two F56's previously, I thought I'd chime in with my thoughts! To date, the Mini's are the most fun modern hot hatch all-rounders I've owned or experienced and definitely miss mine, so I'd say keeping it should be a serious consideration and leave it as is and enjoy it.
However, if I were to recommend another from your list, I've also driven an MX5 ND (with the 1.5) and have to admit it felt very similar to the Mini in terms of how you can throw it around on a country road and how much fun it is. It does feel a little cramped (it was the RF so that might not have helped) and even though the Mini isn't the most practical, it was far more practical than the MX5 and it's on those odd occasions when you need it to be that it might be frustrating - even finding somewhere to put your phone wasn't easy! Appreciate you have access to another (slightly) more practical car and it isn't a daily as such, which of course will all help.
On that note, I also considered the Abarth 124's and that would be my choice as you get all the MX5 feel with the Abarth personality and rowdiness that feels similar to the Mini's personality (especially with the Record Monza exhaust!). I feel like all of the other cars on your list (GT86 aside) are all very capable and a step-up performance wise, but ultimately aren't fun enough coming from the car you've got now and you might get a bit bored. Even the GT86 will require a readjustment of mindset coming from a 2.0 turbo, unless you do some tuning.
Finally, if you do put your Mini up for sale, I'm still missing mine and yours has all the ideal mods done so I'd be very tempted to consider sorting that part of the equation for you!
Hey Chris thanks for the post. It's always good to hear perspectives from people who've actually owned the same car I have now, and am asking about, because I think sometimes when you've had a car for a while you lose that perspective and it's tempting to think the grass is greener, when it isn't always. However, if I were to recommend another from your list, I've also driven an MX5 ND (with the 1.5) and have to admit it felt very similar to the Mini in terms of how you can throw it around on a country road and how much fun it is. It does feel a little cramped (it was the RF so that might not have helped) and even though the Mini isn't the most practical, it was far more practical than the MX5 and it's on those odd occasions when you need it to be that it might be frustrating - even finding somewhere to put your phone wasn't easy! Appreciate you have access to another (slightly) more practical car and it isn't a daily as such, which of course will all help.
On that note, I also considered the Abarth 124's and that would be my choice as you get all the MX5 feel with the Abarth personality and rowdiness that feels similar to the Mini's personality (especially with the Record Monza exhaust!). I feel like all of the other cars on your list (GT86 aside) are all very capable and a step-up performance wise, but ultimately aren't fun enough coming from the car you've got now and you might get a bit bored. Even the GT86 will require a readjustment of mindset coming from a 2.0 turbo, unless you do some tuning.
Finally, if you do put your Mini up for sale, I'm still missing mine and yours has all the ideal mods done so I'd be very tempted to consider sorting that part of the equation for you!
I agree it's a great all rounder with a nod towards being fun and special, which it is, I'm struggling to fault it in most respects, and it's all paid for so there is a really good case for keeping it, and I guess that was the purpose of this post really to gain opinions like yours to help decide whether I'm doing the right thing.
I don't always know what's wrong with me tbh sometimes, I feel like I'm never happy with what I've got and am always looking for the next fix, if you know what I mean.
The Abarth is a strong contender as I'm just not sure about yet another MX5, there is a strong 'been there done that' feeling even though I know they're great little cars.
Should I sell mine I'll bear you in mind
although this is more for next year as I've got a lot of stuff on at the minute with the house that is my top priority, but that'll be done and dusted next year I think.Belle427 said:
I went S2000 recently, I was considering an NC MX5 but felt I would have wanted to modify it to BBR 200 spec to make it perfect so the extra shove of the standard S2000 swayed it for me.
I can see what people say about its lack of torque low down but for me personally it does not bother me that much as I enjoy pottering around with some foot down stuff now and again.
It does not feel like a quick car but its quite deceiving when you look at the speedo.
Having never owned a car with this engine in it before I must admit I am not as blown away by it as i thought I would be but I do love driving the car.
I have also owned an MX5 NA and a TVR Chimaera, I would grab the keys for the Honda if I had the chance of a spirited drive.
I would love to try the engine with a supercharger though!
Rust can be an issue so you do need to be careful, they can look immaculate on the top but dreadful underneath.
Hi Belle, yes, I used to have a BBR Super 200 MX5, and I imagine it felt nearly as quick as an S2000, but maybe not quite as quick if you know what I mean, but possibly the MX5 might have been slightly quicker unless you were properly "on it" as it had quite decent torque from low revs for an N/A engine.I can see what people say about its lack of torque low down but for me personally it does not bother me that much as I enjoy pottering around with some foot down stuff now and again.
It does not feel like a quick car but its quite deceiving when you look at the speedo.
Having never owned a car with this engine in it before I must admit I am not as blown away by it as i thought I would be but I do love driving the car.
I have also owned an MX5 NA and a TVR Chimaera, I would grab the keys for the Honda if I had the chance of a spirited drive.
I would love to try the engine with a supercharger though!
Rust can be an issue so you do need to be careful, they can look immaculate on the top but dreadful underneath.
The lack of torque doesn't bother me too much, but more the comments from some that the engine sounds a bit like a corolla when you're just pootling about, although I don't know if thats really a fair assessment as you could say the same about the DC2 I owned, but I never looked at it like that to be fair, it always felt raw and edgy to me. The steering is the only other concern as I've seen on reviews say it feels a bit dead and numb, don't know if you find that? A supercharger would be amazing for sure! Rust seems to be the nemesis of most Japanese cars in my experience.
CABC said:
of the ones you highlight it has to be the 86. the others are just not as good or you've already been there.
The torque dip in the GT86 is exaggerated by those who are used to a turbo. it's there but never got in my way, though for a daily it's clearly more annoying if you have traffic. It doesn't sound good, but is a nasp joy 4-7500k. such a straightforward fun steer. So I'd suggest a GT86 or wait a year and get a GR.
S2000 a good shout, though they are getting old now, even for a Honda.
Lee will be along to suggest a 350Z. interesting. you need to drive it first!
wild card - RX8. R3 not as fragile as some think and a worthy experience for couple of years.
Interestingly, apart from the Z all the above are without turbo and need revving out.
I think you're probably right there you know, I've done the MX5 to death I feel at this point! As the car isn't a daily then the torque dip isn't really an issue to be fair. I just wish it had an engine as good as an old Civic or Integra Type R, that would have been amazing. Maybe I just need to wait for the GR to hit £20k, if it ever does, like the other poster was saying. I very nearly bought a supercharged GT86 at one point, I kinda regret not going for it in the end.The torque dip in the GT86 is exaggerated by those who are used to a turbo. it's there but never got in my way, though for a daily it's clearly more annoying if you have traffic. It doesn't sound good, but is a nasp joy 4-7500k. such a straightforward fun steer. So I'd suggest a GT86 or wait a year and get a GR.
S2000 a good shout, though they are getting old now, even for a Honda.
Lee will be along to suggest a 350Z. interesting. you need to drive it first!
wild card - RX8. R3 not as fragile as some think and a worthy experience for couple of years.
Interestingly, apart from the Z all the above are without turbo and need revving out.
wyson said:
Giantt said:
Sorry life's to short to wade through that
Just buy a car,or don't hth
In that case, why not just move on? I read the TLDR, thought, um, this isn t something I know about, was about to move on, then linked this to what tameracingdriver posted in the simpletons thread.Just buy a car,or don't hth
and in fairness, I need to be less reactive sometimes... but I agree, what is the point of the comment? It would have taken them all of a minute to read the TLDR part of the post. Makes me laugh that someone on a car site thinks life is too short to discuss cars, which I'd assume was a topic we all enjoyed discussing. Never mind...TameRacingDriver said:
I very nearly bought a supercharged GT86 at one point, I kinda regret not going for it in the end.
That would be a near as dammit perfect solution I think TRD for me. They're a nice size, and not too big and not too small. They're a nice weight at around 1200kg too, plus the addition of either a supercharger or turbocharger gives them the performance as well. 
cerb4.5lee said:
CABC said:
Lee will be along to suggest a 350Z.
Funnily enough...I've just checked to see if you can get a 370Z Nismo for under £20k...and you can!
Not Convertible granted, but a lovely car none the less though.
It would be worth considering though for sure if I could get a later one with the cheaper tax for £20k or under.cerb4.5lee said:
TameRacingDriver said:
I very nearly bought a supercharged GT86 at one point, I kinda regret not going for it in the end.
That would be a near as dammit perfect solution I think TRD for me. They're a nice size, and not too big and not too small. They're a nice weight at around 1200kg too, plus the addition of either a supercharger or turbocharger gives them the performance as well. 
ks there. The one I looked at was north of 250 bhp which would be a hoot, especially if it made a whine like an R53 Cooper S!I don't know where the expensive to maintain and complex comes for the s2000? I have one and owned it since 2018, I do most of the work my self in my garage with youtube open and learn as I go.
rust can be a problem like all older cars that have lived in the uk but you've owned mx5's etc you'll know the deal. Engines are strong and take abuse just keep an eye on oil and they're good to go. Rest is just a NA honda, no complex turbos, gearboxes etc?
it does want to be driven to maximise its potential and if you're the type to like lazy torque engines then this isn't going to be it, but if you enjoyed an mx5 and want that turned up to 11 and one that eggs you to drive it then an s2k is a good choice. 20k gets you a very good example too. Avoid 2009 years and stick with 2004ish which imo is the sweetest car - lower tax, cable throttle, facelift interior and bodywork and good engines.
rust can be a problem like all older cars that have lived in the uk but you've owned mx5's etc you'll know the deal. Engines are strong and take abuse just keep an eye on oil and they're good to go. Rest is just a NA honda, no complex turbos, gearboxes etc?
it does want to be driven to maximise its potential and if you're the type to like lazy torque engines then this isn't going to be it, but if you enjoyed an mx5 and want that turned up to 11 and one that eggs you to drive it then an s2k is a good choice. 20k gets you a very good example too. Avoid 2009 years and stick with 2004ish which imo is the sweetest car - lower tax, cable throttle, facelift interior and bodywork and good engines.
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