You Need One. Now. (Mazda MX-5 1.8i)

Member Name: porkscratching

Product:	Mazda MX-5 1.8i
Date:	16/05/02 (2188 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, Cheap, Small Boot

Disadvantages: Small Boot

I've been driving my MX5 for over a year and a half now. It's not the fastest car around, neither is it the flashiest or most comfortable. What it is is a good-looking, cheap to run, no worries, fun car. I really don't understand why everybody doesn't buy one.

Well, I do. There's some common gripes about these cars:

There's not much boot space, so you can't carry 5 bags of sand home from B+Q, and your significant other has to learn to go on holiday with only one small case. Good. Don't forget it's a two seater as well, so you can't spend half of your life giving people lifts.

It's not very comfortable and the interior is a little plasticy. I don't particularly agree with either of these statements, especially remembering that it's an entry level sports car.

It's a girls/hairdressers car. Only of concern to men with low self-esteem. It's actually a very, very capable car in terms of performance per pound.

I think most people are familiar with the advantages of the car, which include low running costs, reliability, the roof comes down and it's the kind of car that can genuinely make you enjoy driving again.

Nothing's perfect, of course, and I've had trouble with the car attracting idiots who like to damage it for a laugh. Also, the roof is getting a little old and makes the car look scruffy, but it's got a lot of life in it yet and it's not trivial to replace, so it's something I have to live with.

A windblocker (usually a mesh screen which goes behind the seats) is a pretty good addition if you want to be able to talk to your passenger at speed with the roof down.

There's loads of other less essential accessories available, but all pretty overpriced in my mind. If you're into this kind of thing, buy one with all the things already on it, it'll be much cheaper in the long run.

Don't be wo
rried about buying an imported car, there's no problem getting parts and so on. The one difficulty you may have is with insurance, it will be more expensive. A lot of the big-discounting insurers won't even consider imports, the rest will charge a premium for no good reason. This may be prohibitive if you're a younger driver.

Fuel consumption tends to be a function of how you drive it. 'nuf said.

In terms of driving, the car is light and very well set up, so it's a nimble wee beastie. It excels around corners, rear-wheel drive adds to the fun. Engine is very buzzy, power really kicks in above 4500rpm. Disk brakes all round make it stop pretty sharpish, too. It's the kind of car that gives you the impression you're driving it a lot faster than you actually are - a very involved driving experience, plenty of feedback and unlikely to let go suddenly if you're really pushing it, which I'm sure you won't. If you decide you need to be on a motorway instead of redlining it along a twisty road, it'll cruise happily all day in 5th.

Be aware that these cars can be pretty variable because of the modifications people make to them. Japanese imports are particularly prone. Some modifications can improve on an already capable basic car, a lot are for effect and can detract from it. Beware of oversized wheels, too stiff / low suspension and useless bolt-on power mods which reduce reliability. Also, if you want a car with a rollbar for safety reasons, those chrome hoops around the back of the seats are usually cosmetic only.

The colours of a lot of the earlier cars are a little naff, but there's some good ones out there. There's plenty of these cars for sale, so look around and buy one you like. Mine's silver and looks great.

In conclusion, it's a great looking car which drives like a go-cart, and takes the minimal of hassle and money to run.

Summary: