Fun Car - MX5 Alternative (£4k max)

[DazedandConfused]

Looking for some experiences of MX5 alternatives for a sporty car (MPG & practicality not important). Specifically, I'm interested why the default answer oh PH is always MX5 and not:

MR2 mk3 - the obviously alternative

TVR S Series / Ginetta G27 - my current favourite

Fiat 124 / Jenson Healey / Stag / MG Roadster / Spitfire / other clasic

Marlin Roadster / Sylvia Striker / other 7 clone / other kit


I assume this has been debated before but search engine still down so if anyone could provide an abridged version of why the Mazda's the best it would be greatly appreciated.

D&C

[sawman]

beautifully balanced handling, reliable, crisp gearbox, just enough power to have fun, top down fun, plus fairly waterproof hood

[otolith]

Cheap to own and run, reliable, relatively practical, easy to find a good one at any particular price point. Great handling of the playful/forgiving kind rather than the precise/challenging kind, great gearchange, nice steering, simple, functional interior. It's the default choice, not the only choice.

[Willy Nilly]

One of my girl friends bought herself a rather nice 2007 MX5. She's not a keen driver, but seems to like her little car. On one of the many wet days this summer she entered a roundabout and ended up facing the oncomming traffic, so she took it to her prefered garage for an inspection because she thought something was wrong with it

[Chris71]

All interesting choices, I guess it depends what exactly you want, but I'd go for the TVR. My S-Series ownership experience was pretty painless (as are most people's it seems, providing you talk to real owners and not pub experts...) I can imagine something like an MR2 Roadster would require less attention, but I suspect the S would hit the sweet spot in terms of ease of use-to-sense of occasion.

It is important to get a good one though. I say this every time the S comes up, but: They vary considerably and often not in correlation to the asking price! £4,000 should get you a nice S2 and maybe even a sound S3 with a bit of haggling. There's a shed load of knowledge and guidance available between PH and the TVR Car Club if you do decide to go for the plunge.

Oh, and a well set up example is a delight to drive. Not quite as nimble as the MX5 perhaps, but every bit as progressive, adjustable and communicative with a useful ammount of additional oomph that feels (and sounds) like a lot more.

[DazedandConfused]

Thanks for the feedback Chris - out of interest how did you use the S: this would be a second car for me so am wondering about reliability - not in the usual TVR bashing way but in regards to being left for a few days or week at a time: is is something the car can cope with? (it's what's put me off the other classics mentioned as they really need daily use).

Also, just saw this in the classifieds and I'm quite tempted

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1869800.htm

D&C

[rudecherub]

Jensen Healey is a different car to it's 70's peers.

It's rare, only around 2000 were sold in the UK IIRC, and for the era is quick thanks to the Lotus engine.

It's not as easy to live with as the MX5. The hood wasn't great in 1972, but if you are looking for a fair weather car then they are worth a look.


If you want to tinker the 907 can be given 910 heads and taken up to 2.2

The four speed is a sweet box but dated - some have o/d aftermarket, but parts are hard to find now, there is however a toyota 5 speed conversion.

The later 5 speed getrag doesn't have a higher final gear than the 4.

The car is light!

ETA unlike older TVR's the engine is good to run on unleaded.

Edited by rudecherub on Saturday 11th September 18:38

[Noisy]

I think the MX5 is a great little car, I would probably choose a TVR S of the cars you have listed, was fun to own, but be warned TVR's get under your skin, I'm now on my 3rd, saying that I also have 2 MX5's good fun cars too but the noise they make isn't anywhere close to a TVR.

[rottie102]

My Z3 2.8 is for sale for less than 4k

[Silver Smudger]

DazedandConfused said:

MR2 mk3 - the obviously alternative

When I was shopping for my current car, I really wanted a Spitfire or similar sports classic, but it was to be used to commute 60 miles a day so I started looking for something more modern. I had driven a friend's Mk1 MX5 and liked it a lot. I found most of the examples for sale at the time were a bit old and tired. The Mk3 MX5 was getting some comments in reviews that it was not as much fun to drive as the original and I thought it looked a bit lardy too.

The MK3 MR2 got a lot of good reviews as a driver's car (Five stars in Evo mag at the time) and they were just coming into my price range - The only disadvantage noted when compared with the MX5 was the smaller luggage space and some sources said it was the better drive of the two. I didn't need a boot (have a 7-seater as the family car), so I bought one.

I have had my MR2 for 3 years and love the way it drives. Has anyone on here had an MX5 and an MR2? Like the OP, I too would love to know what it is that puts the MX5 at the top of many people's lists, when the Toyota doesn't seem to get a mention?

Edited by Silver Smudger on Saturday 11th September 20:51

[Fatman2]

Silver Smudger said:

I too would love to know what it is that puts the MX5 at the top of many people's lists, when the Toyota doesn't seem to get a mention?

The only conclusion I've ever been able to come to is that the MR2 is not practical at all and this has been something the motoring press has always harped on about.

I think it's widely acknowledged that the MR2 is the better drivers car and better balanced too due the the mid engine config. However most want a bit more practicality so don't consider the Toyota. Personally I'm glad as I don't see many MR2's about whereas I see umpteen MX5's on the road every day.

[GravelBen]

Fatman2 said:

I think it's widely acknowledged that the MR2 is the better drivers car and better balanced too due the the mid engine config.

Then what you think is quite wrong.

What is widely acknowledged is that being mid-engined gives it a different balance which some drivers will prefer and some drivers won't. Both very good drivers cars but very few people would try and claim one as being better than the other in that regard.

Mk1 & 2 MR2s are also alternatives to the cheaper MX5s though lacking the convertible factor, Mk1 are a great drive (very kart like), Mk2 also good but a bit heavier and more GT-like in comparison. Mk2 turbos are much faster in a straight line though.

I think the MR2 and Z3 are the only ones common and cheap enough to consider an MX5 alternative outside the UK as well, but the Z3 is generally considered to be less driver-focussed and more poser-focussed.

Edited by GravelBen on Sunday 12th September 02:46

[Corpulent Tosser]

Early this summer I decided to buy a fun little car (I was missing my kit car which is being rebuilt), my budget was £4K

I very nearly bought an immaculate MG Midget, it was the right price but I decided against it as I wanted something to drive not tinker with and was not convinced it would be as reliable as I wanted.

I also looked closely at MR2s and MG TFs, at the end I went for the MX5 as I liked the way it drove, the way it looked, its reputation for reliability and a roof that actually keeps out water.

I have no regrets over buying it, and my wife, son and daughter all love driving it, so there must be something right about them.

[Mr Dave]

Cant find any Austin Healeys or Spitfires for under a grand that I would feel confident jumping into in London then setting off to Scotland in!

[scottee]

Silver Smudger said:

I have had my MR2 for 3 years and love the way it drives. Has anyone on here had an MX5 and an MR2? Like the OP, I too would love to know what it is that puts the MX5 at the top of many people's lists, when the Toyota doesn't seem to get a mention?

I have a mk3 MR2, and the misses has a mk2 MX5 1.6. To be honest, I rate the MR2 way above the MX5, I dont know if its because the MX5 is the 1.6 version, ive not driven the larger engine versions.

The MR2 seems more tail happy around the corners and in the wet, but a much more satifying drive. Her MX5 seems a bit gut-less compared to the MR2, but with a smaller engine I guess it would. You also seem to sit a lot higher in the MX5 compared to the MR2.

On a practical side, the roof on the MR2 is SO much quicker to put up/take down than the MX5 The storage on the MR2 (well the 2 cubby holes behind the seat, and the tiny bin in the front) is pathetic, but thats not what I bought the car for. The MX5 has a bit more space in its boot, enough to store some shopping.

Dont get me wrong, both cars are great but personally I wouldnt swap my MR2 for an MX5.

[missy-a-k]

I'm sort of in the same situation actually, having had many discussions with fellow PH'ers I've got my mind set on an MK3 MR2. The only thing that seems to be a sticking point is that I've been warned off anything older than a 2003 due to engine problems which relevantly bumps the price up to over £4k. Anyone own a 01/02/03? any concerns if so?

[scottee]

missy-a-k said:

I'm sort of in the same situation actually, having had many discussions with fellow PH'ers I've got my mind set on an MK3 MR2. The only thing that seems to be a sticking point is that I've been warned off anything older than a 2003 due to engine problems which relevantly bumps the price up to over £4k. Anyone own a 01/02/03? any concerns if so?

Yep, my MR2 had the dreaded pre-cat problem. New engine Worthwhile checking the state of the pre-cats (and removing them) if you buy an earlier car

[Fatman2]

missy-a-k said:

I'm sort of in the same situation actually, having had many discussions with fellow PH'ers I've got my mind set on an MK3 MR2. The only thing that seems to be a sticking point is that I've been warned off anything older than a 2003 due to engine problems which relevantly bumps the price up to over £4k. Anyone own a 01/02/03? any concerns if so?

If you can then try and go for a facelift MR2. The pre 2003 model wasn't bad by any stretch but the facelift version has larger rear wheels and a six speed box. It allegedly has a rear diff too but I've heard rumours that they all had diff's from the outset but Toyota only advertised it on the facelift model.

Perhaps if you could stretch a little further and knock someone down then you could pick up a late 2003 with reasonable miles.

[Vidal Baboon]

No mention of the MG TF? IMHO, even my 1.8i F was better than the MX-5.

I prefered the way it drove, turned in to a corner & general handling.
The engine & gearbox aren't as harsh, it has better seats & the interior is much, much nicer.

However, you will always be worried about it overheating (I always had an eye on the temp gauge) but I had read stories about owners wiring in an audible alarm for when the temp warning light comes on. A bit extreme, but hey it may save a packet when it comes to fixing it.

To repair the dreadded HGF, it's the cost of replacing a cambelt in some cars (circa £400) so to me I wasn't that worried about it.

The spares back-up is huge too.

For 4k I'd probably buy a specced up TF160. If I had 5k I'd find a leggy S2000.

Edited by Vidal Baboon on Monday 13th September 12:36

[300bhp/ton]

DazedandConfused said:

Looking for some experiences of MX5 alternatives for a sporty car (MPG & practicality not important). Specifically, I'm interested why the default answer oh PH is always MX5 and not:

MR2 mk3 - the obviously alternative

TVR S Series / Ginetta G27 - my current favourite

Fiat 124 / Jenson Healey / Stag / MG Roadster / Spitfire / other clasic

Marlin Roadster / Sylvia Striker / other 7 clone / other kit


I assume this has been debated before but search engine still down so if anyone could provide an abridged version of why the Mazda's the best it would be greatly appreciated.

D&C

Mazda isn't the best, it's just mass produced, available and cheap.

Sure it's good, very good in many ways. But I don't personally consider it the best.

But this all depends on what you want from a car though.