Thanks for the -ahem- advice, and the hijacking. Peugeots/Citroens get a bad rep, my Xantia cost me £130 and the only problem is a dead tacho. I think an MX-5 will probably win though

One thing a lot of people ask about the MX-5s is whether you should go for a 1.6 or 1.8, or if it really matters. A lot of people will automatically say "oh get a 1.8 it's got more power and it's faster!" but there's more to it than that. The 1.6s are sweet little engines, and rev nicely. The early cars they were in are nice and simple and light... With the 1.8 engine came modifications to strengthen the chassis, and the 1.8 cars generally weigh more. Straight line acceleration between 1.6 and 1.8 cars is therefore very similar. However, the 1.8 certainly feels stronger under 4000rpm than the 1.6. And the brakes are better on the 1.8s... and if you can find one with a Torsen diff, you'll be very happy... Personally if I were to start over again I'd find a 1.8 with a Torsen... I love my 1.6 and it's a lot of fun (especially in the wet!) but some extra torque and a Torsen would make the sideways action even more enjoyable

Anyway, just don't fall into the trap of thinking the 1.8 is better cos it's a bigger number than 1.6... test em both out and see what you like... Probably the difference in feel of a car in good shape compared to one that's in crappy condition will be at least as large as the difference between a comparable 1.6 and 1.8 anyway...

That's a good point. I test drove both, and I personally preferred the feeling of the 1.6 (it was also cheaper, which helped!). But the 1.8 wasn't a sporty one with an LSD, and I suspect I might have had a different opinion if it had been.

Off Topic:

Quote from Mazz4200 :

Yeah, i remember you mentioning this a few years back. And in light of some of the recent threads in this place, probably best to not take that any further

I was thinking of starting a thread about it...

Quote from Mazz4200 :

An uncle of mine bought a Morgan from Peter Sellers non-the-less. Said it was the worst car he ever had for the same reasons you mention. He sold it after a couple of weeks.

I wonder how long Peter Sellers had had it for!

Quote from Mazz4200 :

Think i'm right in saying the engine would have been Ye Olde Land Rover V8. So lets look down that route. How about a TVR S2/3. Made when TVR built cars that actually worked, didn't catch fire, and didn't try to kill you at every corner. http://search.autotrader.co.uk ... -4294966998/search.action

My Dad currently has a mildly tuned ~400hp Griffith sitting at home (a 1965 one), which is VERY quick, very dangerous, is likely to catch fire or have it's wheels fall off. I don't think I could cope with a second one in the family! But TVR is (was) my kind of car company generally, though the 'modern' interiors were horrid.

Can't beat an MX-5. You won't find many better all rounder cars and because there's so many of them with a huge aftermarket you'll struggle to find two the same, so it's worth shopping round and finding one that you really like. The owners club is a good place to pick up one that's been looked after too.

The clutch judder mentioned is only an issue with mk2s (aka NB) btw. The only major thing to worry about on mk1s is rust on the rear sills, and general wear and tear, particularly on the roof.

One thing that crops up regularly with them is alignment, as even out of the Mazda factory they can be odd. A very badly aligned one feel be a bit scary, especially at motorway speeds.

so if I buy as a first car the MX-5 NA 1.6 90HP version, that's good for a first one? (with a hardtop)

Quote from durbster :

Can't beat an MX-5. You won't find many better all rounder cars and because there's so many of them with a huge aftermarket you'll struggle to find two the same, so it's worth shopping round and finding one that you really like. The owners club is a good place to pick up one that's been looked after too.

The clutch judder mentioned is only an issue with mk2s (aka NB) btw. The only major thing to worry about on mk1s is rust on the rear sills, and general wear and tear, particularly on the roof.

One thing that crops up regularly with them is alignment, as even out of the Mazda factory they can be odd. A very badly aligned one feel be a bit scary, especially at motorway speeds.

Clutch judder affects NA cars too.

Quote from tristancliffe :

Clutch judder affects NA cars too.

Nope, it's just an issue on 2001 - 2004 cars.

I assure you it isn't. I've driven about half dozen Mk1s, and they all had it to some degree.

Quote from Scrabby :

so if I buy as a first car the MX-5 NA 1.6 90HP version, that's good for a first one? (with a hardtop)

It should be producing 120bhp or near enough, that's how they were sold.

Quote from LineR32 :

It should be producing 120bhp or near enough, that's how they were sold.

nope u have the 66kw/90HP version also

There are three engines for the mk1, the original 1.6 (115bhp), then a lower powered 1.6 (90bhp) that was introduced with the 1.8 (128bhp).

Quote from tristancliffe :

I assure you it isn't. I've driven about half dozen Mk1s, and they all had it to some degree.

:rolleyes: Sigh.

Fine. I'll let others else decide whether to believe your typically baseless comment or the thousands of members of the MX-5 owners clubs around the world:
http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/articles/viewarticle.aspx?id=11

i have my eye on this one
http://nl.autoscout.be/Details.aspx?id=137010127

(spook, not meant to hijack your thread)

Quote from spookthehamster :

Thanks for the -ahem- advice, and the hijacking. Peugeots/Citroens get a bad rep, my Xantia cost me £130 and the only problem is a dead tacho. I think an MX-5 will probably win though

Oopsy, sorry bout the hijack. For once it was purely accidental

I've had two Frenchies in my time, a Renault Clio and a Citroen AX. And i'll admit they were both really fun little cars and both had bags of character, but they have been the most unreliable cars i've ever had and by some margin. My father had a Pug 406 which was unreliable too, although his last two cars have been Citroen Picasso's which have not had too many problems and he loves it for some bizarre reason (the onset of senile dementia is my guess).

Don't think you can go wrong with an MX5 tbh

Sorry for off topic again:-

Quote from tristancliffe :

I wonder how long Peter Sellers had had it for!
My Dad currently has a mildly tuned ~400hp Griffith sitting at home (a 1965 one), which is VERY quick, very dangerous, is likely to catch fire or have it's wheels fall off. I don't think I could cope with a second one in the family! But TVR is (was) my kind of car company generally, though the 'modern' interiors were horrid.

Don't think Peter Sellers had it for long, apparently he hated it too . I guess it's easy to fall in love with the looks and the tradition of the thing. But the owning experience never seems to live up to the dream.

The Griffith has always been a hairy chested brute of a car. But the S series was always classed as the everymans car, the easy one to live with. Yeah it's still a TVR so it smells of melting plastic, only points backwards in the wet and does prefer the workshop to the open road. But, the S series looks great, sounds great and these days is really cheap, and the interior looks so much better than the last generation of TVRs.

But go for an MX5 if you want, it's your money, your choice, your manhood in question

Quote from durbster :

One thing that crops up regularly with them is alignment, as even out of the Mazda factory they can be odd. A very badly aligned one feel be a bit scary, especially at motorway speeds.

Yeah, whats up with that ? I've been looking at a Mazda 5 people carrier recently and all the owners forums are full of people complaining about this. Some have had to change the tyres after only 6,000 miles. Such a shame when they seem to be getting everything else right but screw up on something as simple as wheel geometry.

We got a Eunos in the end, but I'll never be able to drive it. My Dad's insurance company won't take an under 25 on it and he refuses to leave them because he's been with them so long, even though it would be cheaper to go ANYWHERE else.

Quote from spookthehamster :

We got a Eunos in the end, but I'll never be able to drive it. My Dad's insurance company won't take an under 25 on it and he refuses to leave them because he's been with them so long, even though it would be cheaper to go ANYWHERE else.

That is really a terrible reason to rob yourself of a good insurance deal. How on earth does he think he's getting rewarded for loyalty? As if they give a monkeys!

Or maybe that's just what he tells you

Excellent choice though - what year is it? Pics?

That, my friend, is the definition of cruelty. You could win a huge amount of compensation if the RSPCC took the case to court.

"The accused is found guilty of wilfully and with intent denying a youth, with a healthy interest in cars, the experience, no, RIGHT of driving one of best drivers cars the world has ever seen. This is deplorable, and we see fit to award damages of £20,000 to the cause of driving nirvana."