What do you use your MX-5 for?
Poll: What do you use your MX-5 for?
Total Members Polled: 85
Discussion
Bought it as a second car / plaything / trackslag but it actually does daily driver duties more often than the Legacy.
Mainly because I park the MX5 on the street, the Legacy in the garage and end up taking the one thats already on the road. But also because the MX5 is a bit more economical at round-town stuff, and tempts me to do naughty things on roundabouts on the way to and from work.
Mainly because I park the MX5 on the street, the Legacy in the garage and end up taking the one thats already on the road. But also because the MX5 is a bit more economical at round-town stuff, and tempts me to do naughty things on roundabouts on the way to and from work.
A story...
I initially bought my Eunos Roadster as my only car. It was a leap fo faith. Well documented on this very forum in fact! I did about 14000 miles in it the first year, rain or shine, through snow, commuting, roadtrips, everything etc. Was fantastic. I missed having back seats for approximately 5 seconds. I was head over heels in love with a car, ridiculous.
Then, after exactly one year of ownership, In November I bought myself a 'daily driver', a cheap barge to commute in.
Idea being that it would save the miles on my Roadster, save me money, save it rotting away in all the salt over winter, etc etc. I would be able to put my bikes in the back again (the huge bugbear when I had the Mazda was that I'd not ridden my MTBs much purely for that reason).
It would also meant that I could afford to have the car off the road for a few days, which makes it much easier to do fun things like changing suspension polybushes, painting and polsihing the underside like the nerds from the RSOC do to their Sierras.
And I could get in the Mazda every weekend and bomb about, it would always be clean etc etc, I could fix all the stonechips, neverhave to leave it in carparks for people to lean trolley on.
HOWEVER - reality is rather different.
The fecking 'Reliable Premium German car' has needed (admittedly minor) fixes every month. A wheel bearing here, a sensor there. More than the Mazda ever has in 4 times the mileage. It is spectacularly dull to drive, worse on fuel than the Mazda, and I feel I could quite easily nod off into a coma every time I drive it.
It is also enormous. Its like travelling around in a North sea ferry. A pain in the ass to park. It has 5 enormous squashy seats - but I have had someone in the back once. Once.
It has a boot like the Tardis. Which I have also filled once, when I bought a telly. But they would have delivered it for a tenner anyway, and I wouldnt have even had to manhandle it upstairs on my own.
Its so big inside it takes 20 minutes for all the windows to demist before setting off.
So I've driven about in that all winter contemplating just having a crash, for fun. Because I know I probably wont die and 'procon ten safety system' will save me. If I crashed the Roadster I'll get a Nardi horn button in my face. So I tended to concentrate a bit more.
The Roadster has barely moved. It is sodden inside because it never gets fresh air circulating round it anymore (never had this before when it got used everyday). Brakes are seized on. Its absolutely, shamefully filthy because I cant wash it - because I cant easily move it from the dark corner of the driveway its now residing in. I cant start it cos the batteries gone flat, and I cant take it anywhere because the battery now wont hold a charge either even if I do start it.
I spent all my money buying said barge, and then putting a Tankers worth of fuel a week into 'das vunder car' so didnt have any left anyway to actually change the suspension or fix the brakes on the Mazda anyway.
Everyime the sun magically came out on those fantastically cold, crisp, bright sunshine winter days - I was in the wrong car. The car with the metal roof.
My opinion has changed massively since last Autumn. It WAS a perfect daily driver. Because it made every trip an adventure. If it wasnt raining the roof was off. Guaranteed. Driving through rush hour traffic across North Leeds was a hoot because I knew I could power oversteer onto the A64 till the cows come home, at just 25mph. I even drove 250 miles to WIM - down the M1 - with the roof off. It made even drving along the M1 hilarious. Bwoooaaaaaaaarrrrrrrp, with the stereo turned up to 11 and some not-strictly-neccessary runs up to the redline in 3rd down the sliproads.
I miss kids waving at me out the back of Renault Scenics (they always get a flash of the pop-ups).
I miss engaging 'tunnel protocol' on a daily basis.
I've fallen out of love with my Roadster because I never get to drive it, its currently just money tied up in a big metal box in the corner. What a monumental waste.
So I think within the next month the Audi is getting a fresh MOT then going up for sale. And I will buy a bike rack - if it dents my boot, so be it.
They are not for polishing, or tarting up, or an 'invesment' or any of that nonsense. They are for driving. So drive it!
I initially bought my Eunos Roadster as my only car. It was a leap fo faith. Well documented on this very forum in fact! I did about 14000 miles in it the first year, rain or shine, through snow, commuting, roadtrips, everything etc. Was fantastic. I missed having back seats for approximately 5 seconds. I was head over heels in love with a car, ridiculous.
Then, after exactly one year of ownership, In November I bought myself a 'daily driver', a cheap barge to commute in.
Idea being that it would save the miles on my Roadster, save me money, save it rotting away in all the salt over winter, etc etc. I would be able to put my bikes in the back again (the huge bugbear when I had the Mazda was that I'd not ridden my MTBs much purely for that reason).
It would also meant that I could afford to have the car off the road for a few days, which makes it much easier to do fun things like changing suspension polybushes, painting and polsihing the underside like the nerds from the RSOC do to their Sierras.
And I could get in the Mazda every weekend and bomb about, it would always be clean etc etc, I could fix all the stonechips, neverhave to leave it in carparks for people to lean trolley on.
HOWEVER - reality is rather different.
The fecking 'Reliable Premium German car' has needed (admittedly minor) fixes every month. A wheel bearing here, a sensor there. More than the Mazda ever has in 4 times the mileage. It is spectacularly dull to drive, worse on fuel than the Mazda, and I feel I could quite easily nod off into a coma every time I drive it.
It is also enormous. Its like travelling around in a North sea ferry. A pain in the ass to park. It has 5 enormous squashy seats - but I have had someone in the back once. Once.
It has a boot like the Tardis. Which I have also filled once, when I bought a telly. But they would have delivered it for a tenner anyway, and I wouldnt have even had to manhandle it upstairs on my own.
Its so big inside it takes 20 minutes for all the windows to demist before setting off.
So I've driven about in that all winter contemplating just having a crash, for fun. Because I know I probably wont die and 'procon ten safety system' will save me. If I crashed the Roadster I'll get a Nardi horn button in my face. So I tended to concentrate a bit more.
The Roadster has barely moved. It is sodden inside because it never gets fresh air circulating round it anymore (never had this before when it got used everyday). Brakes are seized on. Its absolutely, shamefully filthy because I cant wash it - because I cant easily move it from the dark corner of the driveway its now residing in. I cant start it cos the batteries gone flat, and I cant take it anywhere because the battery now wont hold a charge either even if I do start it.
I spent all my money buying said barge, and then putting a Tankers worth of fuel a week into 'das vunder car' so didnt have any left anyway to actually change the suspension or fix the brakes on the Mazda anyway.
Everyime the sun magically came out on those fantastically cold, crisp, bright sunshine winter days - I was in the wrong car. The car with the metal roof.
My opinion has changed massively since last Autumn. It WAS a perfect daily driver. Because it made every trip an adventure. If it wasnt raining the roof was off. Guaranteed. Driving through rush hour traffic across North Leeds was a hoot because I knew I could power oversteer onto the A64 till the cows come home, at just 25mph. I even drove 250 miles to WIM - down the M1 - with the roof off. It made even drving along the M1 hilarious. Bwoooaaaaaaaarrrrrrrp, with the stereo turned up to 11 and some not-strictly-neccessary runs up to the redline in 3rd down the sliproads.
I miss kids waving at me out the back of Renault Scenics (they always get a flash of the pop-ups).
I miss engaging 'tunnel protocol' on a daily basis.
I've fallen out of love with my Roadster because I never get to drive it, its currently just money tied up in a big metal box in the corner. What a monumental waste.
So I think within the next month the Audi is getting a fresh MOT then going up for sale. And I will buy a bike rack - if it dents my boot, so be it.
They are not for polishing, or tarting up, or an 'invesment' or any of that nonsense. They are for driving. So drive it!
Edited by snotrag on Wednesday 10th February 11:34
My 5 was orginally bought 10 years ago as a daily driver, 2 months after buying it i was given a company car so it became my weekend car.
Now its a money pit hobby car, i try to do a few track days a year and the annual LeMans trip, otherwise it just comes out on weekends when the weather is reasonable.
Now its a money pit hobby car, i try to do a few track days a year and the annual LeMans trip, otherwise it just comes out on weekends when the weather is reasonable.
Edited by paul99 on Wednesday 10th February 11:45
Bought November 08 as a daily driver - my commute was only 5 miles and it was lots of fun, then last september i got a company ca, so as per snotrag above the mx5 sat on the drive alot of the time.
Over Nov / Dec and Jan it probabaly went out about 3 times, again the inside got wet, the breaks seized on the battery died, the boot turned into a swimming pool.
And then i lost my job.
The company car went back, and i had to get the 5 running again, charged battary, emptied boot, worked brakes loose. Took roof down and my god its good again.
Yeah its damn uncomfortable on the motorways, the suspension is ridiculously hard, and low at the moment.
But i smile every single time i get in it.
All i've got to do now is up the mileage limitations on the insurance!
Over Nov / Dec and Jan it probabaly went out about 3 times, again the inside got wet, the breaks seized on the battery died, the boot turned into a swimming pool.
And then i lost my job.
The company car went back, and i had to get the 5 running again, charged battary, emptied boot, worked brakes loose. Took roof down and my god its good again.
Yeah its damn uncomfortable on the motorways, the suspension is ridiculously hard, and low at the moment.
But i smile every single time i get in it.
All i've got to do now is up the mileage limitations on the insurance!
Mines a weekend car mainly but I wish it was a daily driver as it's so much fun. Use our lasses corsa because it saves me money (she puts the petrol in it to go to work - if we used mine I'd have to pay for petrol - so I'd rather save the petrol money for those times when I can enjoy it properly rather than trundling from one traffic jam to the next).
If I ever split up with our lass then it'd be my pleasure to use it daily.
If I ever split up with our lass then it'd be my pleasure to use it daily.
brilliant post snotrag, that's exactly the fear i'd have, and probably the same thing i'd do if i bought a mint, low miles example - i'd want to keep it wrapped up safe, and probably i'd never use it.
thankfully, mine's a daily driving roadster, coming up to 200k. only cost £2k. gets driven in traffic, down the b roads, through the snow, ice and grit. carried the bookshelf and curtain rails from ikea, carries the weekly shop between the boot, passenger seat and if the roof's down, bags tied to the roll cage/bar thingy.
but that said, it's not like its just being used and its rusting away - i've undersealed the whole underside twice, i've bought new springs to suit the road, i've changed all fluids, all of the cooling system parts, cambelt, water pump, tensioners, filters etc.
thankfully, mine's a daily driving roadster, coming up to 200k. only cost £2k. gets driven in traffic, down the b roads, through the snow, ice and grit. carried the bookshelf and curtain rails from ikea, carries the weekly shop between the boot, passenger seat and if the roof's down, bags tied to the roll cage/bar thingy.
but that said, it's not like its just being used and its rusting away - i've undersealed the whole underside twice, i've bought new springs to suit the road, i've changed all fluids, all of the cooling system parts, cambelt, water pump, tensioners, filters etc.
I bought mine because i needed a car.... well not so much needed, but was used to having a car before i sold the MPS.
The plan was to get a cheap "runaround" for 6 months or so to save up to get a 135i - but i dont think that will happen now, im enjoying the '5 massively so i think ive binned off the 135 idea!
Mine is my only car (although i dont drive it daily) learning to go sideways in it, and will be a track-slag too once its been tarted up a bit
edited to add... its not as if it doesnt have its problems (its actually broken at the moment due to a broken battery terminal) - but im enjoying tooling about under the bonnet just as much as i am driving it!
The plan was to get a cheap "runaround" for 6 months or so to save up to get a 135i - but i dont think that will happen now, im enjoying the '5 massively so i think ive binned off the 135 idea!
Mine is my only car (although i dont drive it daily) learning to go sideways in it, and will be a track-slag too once its been tarted up a bit
edited to add... its not as if it doesnt have its problems (its actually broken at the moment due to a broken battery terminal) - but im enjoying tooling about under the bonnet just as much as i am driving it!
Edited by NeoVR on Wednesday 10th February 16:56
Sounds like I'm the polar opposite of you lot 
After spending a good few months looking at 5's (I originally wanted a Mk1) in the end, I travelled from the West Coast of Scotland to Burgess Hill, in England to get the MkII I currently own. It was, and still is, in staggeringly brilliant condition, as such I've been mollycoddling the thing.
I couldn't bring myself to take it out in the shyte and salt, so it's been tucked away under it's cover and only brought out in dry days (and even then it is jet washed and dried off at the end!)
I've actually got it out tonight as it's a beautifully clear and dry night
ETA - I voted weekend / 2nd car
After spending a good few months looking at 5's (I originally wanted a Mk1) in the end, I travelled from the West Coast of Scotland to Burgess Hill, in England to get the MkII I currently own. It was, and still is, in staggeringly brilliant condition, as such I've been mollycoddling the thing.
I couldn't bring myself to take it out in the shyte and salt, so it's been tucked away under it's cover and only brought out in dry days (and even then it is jet washed and dried off at the end!)
I've actually got it out tonight as it's a beautifully clear and dry night
ETA - I voted weekend / 2nd car
Edited by ApexJimi on Wednesday 10th February 19:47
Only car/Daily driver
Weekend hoonage/Second Car
Track slag
Going sideways everywhere like a loonatic
Other please specify
[i]- Photo platform
- Late night London-hooning and solo tunnel running
- Snowmobile
- Instrument of friends' perception realignment
- Scottish road trip / camping car[/i]
All of the above.
Thanks for your post, snotrag... I've been considering buying a 328 Touring for day to day drudgery and to free the MX for fettling. But not now I'm not.
Weekend hoonage/
Track slag
Going sideways everywhere like a loonatic
Other please specify
[i]- Photo platform
- Late night London-hooning and solo tunnel running
- Snowmobile
- Instrument of friends' perception realignment
- Scottish road trip / camping car[/i]
All of the above.
Thanks for your post, snotrag... I've been considering buying a 328 Touring for day to day drudgery and to free the MX for fettling. But not now I'm not.
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