The best affordable sports car on the market (Mazda MX-5 1.8i)

Member Name: andy conda

Product:	Mazda MX-5 1.8i
Date:	23/08/02 (10751 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great handling, Owner camaraderie, Excellent hood design

Disadvantages: Low gearing - noisy on motorway, Weedy standard stereo, Girly image

The MX5 is the first sports car I have ever owned. I have had several hot hatches (Golf turbo, Puma 1.7), but nothing like this.

I did some research before making the purchase, and test drove similar cars such as the Toyota MR2 and Rover MGF. In the end, I chose the MX5 because it offered good performance, plenty of choice on the used market, and excellent build quality. By comparison, I found the MR2 quite expensive, and was put off the MGF by reports of poor quality on early models (friend of mine traded in her MX5 for an MGF and regrets it hugely!)

I bought privately, and with my budget of £8000, I could just about afford a Mk2 model. This model has a better designed interior, a more powerful engine, and a glass rear window in the hood. The glass rear window comes with a demisting element, making it less prone to misting up than the plastic screens on older models.

My car is a 1998 1.8 model, in Racing Blue Mica (a dark metallic blue). I did consider buying from a dealer, but it seems that Mazda dealers ask excessive prices for used MX5s as they know the cars are popular. By buying privately from autotrader.co.uk, I reckon I saved at least £1000.

For the first few weeks, driving a convertible car is a huge novelty, and is great fun! Now the novelty has worn off to an extent, I still love it. It has been completely reliable, the hood is very easy to raise and lower, there is adequate headroom for me (6 ft tall), and it's great fun to drive. The boot is reasonably sized and is practically shaped, especially when compared with the MGF and MR2 which, being mid-engined, both have very small luggage compartments.

When designing this car, Mazda aimed to capture the deisgn ethos of classic 60s and 70s two seaters such as the Lotus Elan and MGB. This retro approach is reflected in the basic equipment levels. You get twin airbags and electric windows, but there is no central locking, no electric mirrors, no electric aerial,

and the hood is manually operated (but it's still quicker to raise/lower than any electric hood - useful if it starts raining). This keeps the weight down, and helps Mazda retain some sports car credibility.

I have owned the car for two years now, and the only gripes I have are that there is no air conditioning on this model (you need it when driving in warm weather with the hood up), the stereo gets drowned out with the hood down above 70mph (even with the windows up), and the gearing is quite low so the car turns over approximately 3500rpm at 70mph (= quite noisy!)

I love the looks of the car, and the fact that it still attracts attention, even in London where convertibles are commonplace. And I love the driving experience, which is more about great handling and acceleration than outright top speed. And, in common with cars such as the new Mini and VW Beetle, there is strong camaraderie among owners and it's not unusual to get a smile or a wave from other MX5 drivers. Even in the winter, driving with the roof down is not a problem as the heater is shoe-meltingly powerful and does a good job of keeping hands and toes warm.

Mazda offers a hard top for the MX5, but it costs over £1000 to buy. It is possible to buy these secondhand for less, but in my opinion the soft top does the job perfectly well. Hard tops arguably improve security, but they are awkward to store (the fasteners can be broken off if the top is stored on the floor, so some kind of wall-mounted storage is best) and it's a two person job to lift the hard top on or off the car.

To anyone who is considering purchasing a used MX5, I would recommend looking at as many cars as possible! There are lots of cars out there, so you can afford to be choosy. Many MX5s are owned as second cars, so good condition and a low mileage are the norm. The MX5 has been around since 1989 and is mechanically well proven and reliable, so the main things to look out for are s
igns of neglect. The paint is easily scratched, so watch out for cars with scuffed bumpers and scratched doors, as this damage can be expensive to put right. Other weak points are common to most convertibles - look out for torn hoods, faded seats, mouldy interiors (caused by damp) and any signs of theft/vandal damage. There are many special editions with desirable extras such as alloy wheels and leather seats, which usually command a premium over the standard model, but don't pay too much - remember that you can fit a nice set of brand new alloys complete with new tyres to any MX5 for a few hundred pounds.

In terms of costs, I feel the Mazda is very reasonable for a sporty car, and I believe it compares well with similar cars like the MR2 and MGF. The 5 year service earlier this year cost £200 at a franchised dealer, which I thought was OK, as it included an MOT as well. Depreciation is slow (I reckon I have lost less than £2000 in two years) and insurance is a reasonable group 13. Fuel economy is not too bad, and I get about 35mpg on a long run(less with roof down - something to do with effect on aerodynamics).

The only danger on the costs front is that you might end up spending a fortune on modifications. So far, I have added a mesh grille to protect the radiator (£30 from mx5parts.co.uk - recommended), installed a cool flip-front JVC stereo, upgraded the speakers, fitted a set of Mazda "Stealth" alloy wheels (£350 inc fitting at Bourne Road Mazda www.mx5-mazda.co.uk), added some extra interior lights (to make passengers more welcome!) and cheekily wired up the amber side reflectors so they light up at night. There are several companies selling aftermarket parts for the MX5, and many owners like to customise their cars - but we like to think we do it with a bit more taste and restraint than the Nova/Saxo/Corsa kids!

To sum up, I would definitely buy another MX5. In my opinion, the best model is the recent 1.8S model, which
comes with air conditioning and a 6 speed gearbox (therefore addressing two of my main criticisms of
the car). When I'm thinking of changing cars in a couple of years, I'll probably be getting one of these...

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