Discussion
Evening all, just thought I'd drop in here to say hello.
Yesterday I picked up a 96 1.8 Mk1 MX5 in BRG - what a wonderful little toy, so light and responsive! It's a second car so I went for for I think, is quite an unpopular spec - no PAS, DIY windows, no air, no leather etc. Some would call it a base model, I would call it as light as you can get and less to go wrong. The more raw and basic it is, the better. Plus, it was cheap. I haven't driven a car without PAS for absolutely ages, it really is taking me back to my early days of driving - it even has that slight whiff of oil and petrol that my first cars had. The feel from the brake pedal is fantastic. The body is sound but the paintwork is average in places, there's a few cuts and bruises here and there and the alloys have a few scuff marks - and I'm OK with that. If it were too nice I might be too timid with it - the fact that it's not cosmetically perfect just means I can get on with the business of driving the thing! I'll look after it well, but don't plan on polishing it every weekend.
So the spec is spartan, but the mechanicals feel nice and tight, the engine feels strong (although there is a slight hesitation at about 3k rpm if hauling in a high gear, so best just to knock it down a gear and let the revs soar..) the gearbox feels like a rifle-bolt compared to the modern stuff I've been driving (took out the wifes manual Megane tonight and the gearbox felt like a wooden spoon in a bowl of porridge) and the chassis is as sweet as I have been told they are. The pedals are perfectly placed for heel'n'toe gear changes and that little engine seems to love being given the beans.
I took it out for a few runs today and got all of the tyre pressures up to 33psi (measured hot) and it felt good - I'll experiment with pressures once I get some decent rubber in it. I love then way it is so small and light - you really can thread it down the lanes and actually pick your lines through corners without having to even consider crossing the broken white line.
And I got my first taste of a bit of MX5 'handling'. Coming round a fairly big well sighted and empty roundabout (on a private road) I was leaning on the chassis to load it up, and then just gave it a bit more right foot - the rear squatted down a bit, the nose rose a bit, the steering went a little bit light and a few degrees of lock were wound off - not so much full on oversteer, but it felt great just getting this small light car up on to it's toes and dancing a little. And all at about 30mph.
All in all, a great purchase. Only question I keeping mulling over is why I didn't do this sooner!!
Pics to follow when I get a chance.
Cheers,
Matt
Yesterday I picked up a 96 1.8 Mk1 MX5 in BRG - what a wonderful little toy, so light and responsive! It's a second car so I went for for I think, is quite an unpopular spec - no PAS, DIY windows, no air, no leather etc. Some would call it a base model, I would call it as light as you can get and less to go wrong. The more raw and basic it is, the better. Plus, it was cheap. I haven't driven a car without PAS for absolutely ages, it really is taking me back to my early days of driving - it even has that slight whiff of oil and petrol that my first cars had. The feel from the brake pedal is fantastic. The body is sound but the paintwork is average in places, there's a few cuts and bruises here and there and the alloys have a few scuff marks - and I'm OK with that. If it were too nice I might be too timid with it - the fact that it's not cosmetically perfect just means I can get on with the business of driving the thing! I'll look after it well, but don't plan on polishing it every weekend.
So the spec is spartan, but the mechanicals feel nice and tight, the engine feels strong (although there is a slight hesitation at about 3k rpm if hauling in a high gear, so best just to knock it down a gear and let the revs soar..) the gearbox feels like a rifle-bolt compared to the modern stuff I've been driving (took out the wifes manual Megane tonight and the gearbox felt like a wooden spoon in a bowl of porridge) and the chassis is as sweet as I have been told they are. The pedals are perfectly placed for heel'n'toe gear changes and that little engine seems to love being given the beans.
I took it out for a few runs today and got all of the tyre pressures up to 33psi (measured hot) and it felt good - I'll experiment with pressures once I get some decent rubber in it. I love then way it is so small and light - you really can thread it down the lanes and actually pick your lines through corners without having to even consider crossing the broken white line.
And I got my first taste of a bit of MX5 'handling'. Coming round a fairly big well sighted and empty roundabout (on a private road) I was leaning on the chassis to load it up, and then just gave it a bit more right foot - the rear squatted down a bit, the nose rose a bit, the steering went a little bit light and a few degrees of lock were wound off - not so much full on oversteer, but it felt great just getting this small light car up on to it's toes and dancing a little. And all at about 30mph.
All in all, a great purchase. Only question I keeping mulling over is why I didn't do this sooner!!
Pics to follow when I get a chance.
Cheers,
Matt
Edited by matt uk on Thursday 16th October 22:50
Brilliant Matt. As I keep posting, I'm still looking for one. been to see 5 in the past ocuple of weeks, still looking. I'm after the same thing, 1.8 engine, nowt else, though I would like PAS. And I want a red/white/blue one... So nearly the same then!
Sounds great though, I'm itching to get one. Got the cash, its just patience now. There was a strong contender the other day, until I started it and the tappy engine persisted far too long, and the oil was rather sticky and grimy... Ah well.
Sounds great though, I'm itching to get one. Got the cash, its just patience now. There was a strong contender the other day, until I started it and the tappy engine persisted far too long, and the oil was rather sticky and grimy... Ah well.
Legend83 said:
Thought you were getting an S3?
Good choice though!
Yeah, I was looking at the S3 and almost did the deed. But 3 main reasons I had a change of heart..Good choice though!
First and foremost though was my budget - the worsening economic climate made me pause and have a rethink about how much I wanted to throw at, what is, an indulgent toy.
Secondly, was the S3 itself. The good ones were great but pricey and the cheap ones were ropey. Not sure if I currently have the dedication and/or desire to throw funds at keeping a nice S3 in mint condition - it's a 20 yr car after all. And at the cheap end of the scale I would have lay awake at night worrying about the chassis rotting away or serious bills on the horizon. I'm busy at the moment and started to worry that I wouldn't do the car justice in terms of its upkeep requirements - I decided I needed something that needs a little less TLC than an older TVR right now..
Thirdly was really thinking about how I'd like to use the car. I just want something in the garage to fire up on a sunny day and drive hard! Oh yes, the sound and grunt and shape of the S3 is glorious, but could I have got a bit precious with it?
Would I really try and slide it about and enjoy those little adrenaline-grins? Would I venture on to a track with it? And importantly for me, would the missus like driving it? And the answers were doubt it, unlikely and maybe not.
The MX5 seemed to offer me the ragtop sportscar driving thrills I'm looking for but in a cheapish, more robust and easier/cheaper to maintain package. It's small , light, easy to drive and easy to fling about - basically it's good clean fun. Also, upgrading it and learning about the oily bits of it is appealing to me and a cheap MX5 seemed like a perfect candidate for experimentation.
When I first started hatching this cunning plan, the MX5 was the initial choice, then I decided to find some funds and go S3. So ultimately I went back to what I originally planned to do!
And is so often the way, it all just seemed to happen in the moment. I had seen and driven a couple before I went to test drive my one - I put the roof down on a chilly but crystal clear day and took off for a solo test drive. Within moments I was smitten. Just as I was snicking through the fanstic gearbox from second gear to third I found myself saying out load "you, are coming home with me!"
Still fancy a TVR one day, but as you can probably work out, I am very happy with the MX5!!
Cheers,
Matt
Good write-up and you hit the nail on the head! They aren't about being fast, in fact they are relatively slow but they are such great fun to drive that speed isn't an issue! Ok, I have a lot of power in mine but I still get most of my joy from chucking it around on country lanes, not from trying to out-drag everything from the lights (though that can be fun too 
).
I always recommend everyone to get a full alignment done on their cars, especially older cars that they have just bought. However good you feel it handles now you will be amazed at how much better it will feel afterwards!
What tyres do you have? MX-5s are very sensitive to tyre choice, especially in the wet.
I'd suggest dropping the pressures to 26psi then working up from there rather than starting high and dropping. I have mine at 27psi hot though that's on Goodyear F1 GSD3 which have fairly stiff side-walls. Toyos for example would need a couple more psi.
).I always recommend everyone to get a full alignment done on their cars, especially older cars that they have just bought. However good you feel it handles now you will be amazed at how much better it will feel afterwards!
What tyres do you have? MX-5s are very sensitive to tyre choice, especially in the wet.
I'd suggest dropping the pressures to 26psi then working up from there rather than starting high and dropping. I have mine at 27psi hot though that's on Goodyear F1 GSD3 which have fairly stiff side-walls. Toyos for example would need a couple more psi.
snotrag said:
Brilliant Matt. As I keep posting, I'm still looking for one. been to see 5 in the past ocuple of weeks, still looking. I'm after the same thing, 1.8 engine, nowt else, though I would like PAS. And I want a red/white/blue one... So nearly the same then!
Sounds great though, I'm itching to get one. Got the cash, its just patience now. There was a strong contender the other day, until I started it and the tappy engine persisted far too long, and the oil was rather sticky and grimy... Ah well.
Have you tried a non-PAS one? If not, give it a go. There is really is bugger all weight over the front wheels. At a standstill it needs a bit more heft then normal, but the minute you are moving it is fine. The feedback through the wheel is really fantastic. And I guess for me, the feeling of non-PAS took me back to my early days of driving before even the most basic of hatches had all the creatures!!Sounds great though, I'm itching to get one. Got the cash, its just patience now. There was a strong contender the other day, until I started it and the tappy engine persisted far too long, and the oil was rather sticky and grimy... Ah well.
Cheers,
Matt
Great post, Matt. Makes me want to go out and have a drive in my car!
I'd second Lazza's view on spending cash on a good alignment and some decent rubber. In the last year, I've run Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3, Toyo R888, Toyo T1-R, Pirelli P6000 and Marangoni Zeta Linea on my MX-5. My advice - buy the Goodyears for road use!
I'm planning stripping the power steering from my car this winter - the belt broke back in May and I ran it like that for a few weeks - it felt fantastic!
I'd second Lazza's view on spending cash on a good alignment and some decent rubber. In the last year, I've run Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3, Toyo R888, Toyo T1-R, Pirelli P6000 and Marangoni Zeta Linea on my MX-5. My advice - buy the Goodyears for road use!
I'm planning stripping the power steering from my car this winter - the belt broke back in May and I ran it like that for a few weeks - it felt fantastic!
All the 1.8's i've seen have had PAS anyway. I'm not averse to a manual rack, and its definitely not the parking etc making it an issue. Just it seems to be popular opinion that the Power rack is a touch sweeter and sharper. 1800cc, PAS, are pretty much the only 2 things I've 'specified', cant be too choosy when buying a 2 grand second hand car can you really!
Going for relatively cheap one on purpose aswell, for the reasons above - IE, buy it, then immediately get it spot on, replace any bushes that need it, get it aligned, get quality tyres all round, spend maybe 3 or 400 quid on it, and end up with a car that should hopefully be as sweet as the day it was mades.
Going for relatively cheap one on purpose aswell, for the reasons above - IE, buy it, then immediately get it spot on, replace any bushes that need it, get it aligned, get quality tyres all round, spend maybe 3 or 400 quid on it, and end up with a car that should hopefully be as sweet as the day it was mades.
I've heard that, if you don't want pas then a de-powered pas rack is better than a standard non-pas rack as the pas rack has less turns lock-to-lock so it's much more direct, especially for track use. That does mean it will be heavier for parking though.
ETA: The first MX-5 I test drove was a non-pas but I didn't really fit in the car as they have a bigger steering wheel. It wasn't until I tried one with pas that I found I could fit (sitting with my legs apart). I'm 6" 2'.
ETA: The first MX-5 I test drove was a non-pas but I didn't really fit in the car as they have a bigger steering wheel. It wasn't until I tried one with pas that I found I could fit (sitting with my legs apart). I'm 6" 2'.
Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Saturday 18th October 00:12
Great write up.
Got mine about 4 weeks ago now and still can't get over how enjoyable it is to drive. The gearchange is incredible. Its on a different planet to my mini and puts the family Focus ST to shame. The feel of it reminds me of the four speed box on our marcos with a bit less effort.
Insurance for me as a twenty year old was surprisingly cheap as well.
Im going to be keeping mine standard for the next two years though until I finish uni, then Ill start to get all the bits to make it track worthy.
Got mine about 4 weeks ago now and still can't get over how enjoyable it is to drive. The gearchange is incredible. Its on a different planet to my mini and puts the family Focus ST to shame. The feel of it reminds me of the four speed box on our marcos with a bit less effort.
Insurance for me as a twenty year old was surprisingly cheap as well.
Im going to be keeping mine standard for the next two years though until I finish uni, then Ill start to get all the bits to make it track worthy.
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