Tag Archives: mx-5

Automotive

My car history part 18:

Leave a comment

I was considering a choice of eight different cars.

Three Japs, two Germans, a Swedish, a French and a Brit.

Quite a mix. The only common aspects were:

  • I liked the aesthetics
  • Enough power for my regular motorway commute, without being excessively thirsty
  • Comfortable bucket/sports seats – which seemed far better for my back problems than standard cars

The contenders were:

  • Peugeot RCZ 1.6T 200
  • Nissan 350Z 3.0
  • Mazda MX-5 Mk3.5 2.0
  • Volvo C30 2.5
  • Mercedes SLK 1.8
  • BMW Z4 2.0
  • Toyota GT86
  • Jaguar XF 3.0D

Unfortunately the GT86 was ruled out almost immediately. I spent 15 minutes wrestingly with the seat controls in a Toyota showroom before giving up – I just couldn’t get comfortable. I didn’t even take it for a drive. Admittedly it was out of my budget too – but it’s probably one of my most desired cars at the moment, ever since I first saw one; and if it drives anything like the old Celica, I’ll love it.

But my poor back was protesting; I needed something more comfortable.

The Nissan 350Z next then. This was my second fave in terms of looks. But it was also the least practical – I wasn’t going to get a great amount of miles per gallon out of it’s 308bhp engine!

Still, I spotted a perfect example and managed to arrange a lengthly test drive. For a good 30 minutes or so the owner took me for an impressive test drive. It felt comfortable; my upper and lower back were nicely supported.

But when it came for me to take the wheel – disaster.

Somehow, in the drivers seat, the seating position meant that I was putting pressure on my injured coccyx (tailbone). It wasn’t even the ‘new’ or more recent back pain (which had stemmed from sitting poorly due to the original coccyx injury) but the more acute ‘pain in the arse’ (almost literally) original cause of all my back woes.

It wouldn’t do; I tried all sorts of seat combinations, but something about the overall seating position of the car meant that with my hands on the wheel and my feet on the pedal, my tailbone took too much of my weight and yelled out in protest.

I’d liked the car a lot; ok, I prefer the ‘kick’ of a turbo rather than a linear powertrain, but the three hundred odd horses on tap pretty much compensated for that. I even looked into the possibility of fitting different car seats in it, but realised that they it could be difficult and costsly, and there were no guarantees it would work.

I went back to the RCZ. I’d already had two test drives, and couldn’t quite make my mind up. It only had a 1.6 engine, but the turbo charged ‘standard’ version still packed 156bhp, and felt nice and nippy. The 200bhp version was even more fun. And it’s quirky looks and funky interior held my interest. But was it comfortable enough?? Maybe. It was more comfortable than the Leon… but it wasn’t as comfortable as my MX-5.

The main problem though was that I was having a image concious issue – I didn’t want a Peugeot! I didn’t want a French car!

My girlfriend suggested I try a Volvo C30. A Volvo?!? But they’re for old men!

Well… not really these days. Especially the C30. But then is it getting a bit too girly, or a bit too much of a Teenage Vampires car??

Volvo C30 - for Vampires only?
Volvo C30 – for Vampires only?

I figured it was worth a shot, and test drove a 2.5 turbo model.

I was impressed.

The seats were awesome; very supportive. The 220bhp engine pulled aggressively and eagerly. Handling – not bad. Not bad; but it felt a little heavy, a little ‘high’, somehow. It was trying to be sporty… but not quite making it.

Ultimately I decided that it wasn’t really the car ‘for me’, despite it being a damn good little car. I respected it.

Then I drove a Jaguar XF. Silly choice really, after deciding that the Volvo wasn’t sporty enough – the Jag is a huge beast! But I was tempted by it’s luxury – surely this would be a comfortable and practical car for the commute? And the 3.0 diesel boasted around 260bhp yet could still get around 40mpg – very tempting!

To get one in my price range though, I had to look at high mileage models. I found a beaut in a gold colour with 140,000 miles on the clock. Too many? Hmmm. The motor was a proven solid lump (Ford engine) so should be good for much more. I took it for a spin.

First point: they’re all autos. I much prefer a manual. Yet it has the flappy paddles to be able to downshift and have some fun when you require.

And fun I had. After being stuck in a traffic jam for 20 minutes, we finally got onto some back roads and let rip. She flew! Ok, there was the slight hesitation from both the huge diesel lump and the turbo, and the auto box – even with me manually flicking down with the paddles – but I could live with it. The growl from the engine was incredibly satisfying too.

What I couldn’t live with was it’s sheer weight & size, and the terror I felt going through the corners at speed.

Yes, it gripped well, but it still felt like a elephant on roller skates whizzing through a narrow canyon.

Perhaps I’d get used to it… as we worked our way back to the dealers, the traffic built up again, and I found myself getting irriated trying to squeeze it’s bulk through the narrow streets and gaps in the traffic.

Truth be told, I much prefer smaller cars.

And suprisingly, I wasn’t finding the seats very supportative – my back was aching after our 45 minute spin.

Another one ticked off the list.

What about an MX-5?

I didn’t mean another 20 year old MK1 – I was on my fifth and (hopefully) final! The gear ratio, small engine and thin soft top meant it wasn’t suitable for my lengthly motorway commute; too much loud high rev howling for a relaxing daily journey.

But what about a more modern version?

I’d hired and driven a MK3 when I’d taken the Transfagarsan Highway through the Romanian Transvaal mountains a few years before. I’d found it underpowered, as the MK3s are significantly heavily than the original MK1. I double checked though; it seemed I’d hired a 1.8 model, and there were 2.0 models available.

Would a newer, more powerful, more modern geared, improved softtop be suitable? I’d read that wind noise was much less.

Only one way to find out.

I found a suitable model at a dealers about 40 mins from home on a bright Saturday lunchtime and headed over, to be greeted by a rather lovely 20 something lass who took me out for a spin. Trying not to be distracted by her chatty flirtatiousness and shapely legging clad legs, I tried to concentrate on what could end up as Maggy the Sixth.

I loved it.

The seats were just as comfortable as it’s predecessors.

The engine was eager and compensated for it’s weight gain over it’s earlier brethern. It even made a nice noise.

The gears were better spaced… but…

Not enough. I hit 70mph and she was stil revving highly; not as much as my 20 year old beloved (and I’ve talking about Maggy now, not the hottie beside me) but it was still going to prove inefficient on a motorway run, and annoying – yes, the wind noise was reduced, but not so much.

If something happened to Maggy… and I had a sensible commuter car… then yes, I’d have one of these. But to have two MX-5s, even with their differences, wasn’t really the answer.

Six down (although I was still considering the RCZ at this stage), two left.

I found a suitable Mercedes SLK 200; the 1.8 supercharged model, in Derby. It was a 2008 model with the slight facelift and the improved 184bhp, up from 163. I.e. not particularly powerful compared to some cars I’d been looking at, but it was small and light.

What concerned me was it’s ‘German-ness’ – every German car I’d driven had lacked “soul”. I was also concerned by the thinness of its sports seats; the shape would be good for my particular back issues, but they might be too firm.

I slipped into the seats and felt like Cinderella’s foot must have felt slipping back into that lost glass shoe – it was the perfect fit.

I took her for a spin.

And soon had a huge grin planted all over my face!

It was so much fun. The little Merc was a German with a wild side! The handling was swift and responsive, the supercharged engine eager and nippy. Sure, it lacked grunt at the top end – but would suffice for the commute. The hard metal roof meant there was no road noise issues either.

The problem was, I didn’t want this car.

Well, not this particular one. It was way too much (14K – I was looking more at 10, 12 at a push) and the wrong colour.

So I started looking around…

Disaster.

The pre-face lift model was all I could afford. But it was nowhere near as pretty, and potentially underpowered.

DAMMIT.

Back to the drawing board?

No: one more option: The BMW Z4.

I found one very local to me, at a bargain price… 2.0 engine in a car that size… this had to be a go-er!!

Automotive

My car history part 8: Gremlins return

Leave a comment

During the electrical problems I was having with my ‘perfect’ and ‘reliable’ MX-5 BBR turbo, AKA Maggy the 5th, I had had the
Alfa Romeo Brera a good few months (purchased Christmas 2012), and I enjoyed driving her, and it wasn’t giving me any of the
reliability issues my mates kept jibbing me about regarding Alfa’s previous reputation.

Nonetheless, she was disappointing me in a couple of areas.

First of all was the power delivery. When the turbo kicked in, you got a lovely surge of power and a thump in the back that felt like more than the 210bhp on tap. The problem was the delay to that delivery of power – a serious turbo lag issue. Looking back at some of the previous cars I’d owned and driven – the turbo charged 220bhp (in theory – it was producing less than 200bhp in reality) MX-5 and the Imprezza I’d driven on a track day – I had loved the turbo lag. However, that had been a half to one second delay, enough to build anticipation before the lightning struck.

In the Brera, it took more like 2 seconds – particularly if you’d not dropped down a gear – and this made it frustrating and potentially dangerous. Several times I’d go to overtake and not have the power until too late. Once I recall pulling out across a busy junction which I’d been queuing at for ages and almost causing a crash because she’d delayed too long in spooling up the turbo to shift that big heavy diesel lump out of the way!

My Dad's Ford Mondeo TDCi
My Dad’s Ford Mondeo TDCi

Sadly my Dad had passed away a few months before. I was in the process of trying to sell his low mileage (37,000 miles I believe?) 2002 Ford Mondeo 2.0TCDi. It had 130bhp compared to the 2008 Brera’s 210bhp yet responded in a much more satisfying
way.

Secondly, there was the fuel efficiency.

I’d bought a diesel to try and cut my extortionate fuel costs driving from the East Midlands to North Wales and back regularly
for work.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have bought a 210bhp 2.4 litre turbo and gone for a sensible 2 litre BMW diesel as my colleague Dave would constantly tell me. Perhaps he was right. But the official ‘combined’ MPG figure for the car was around 40mpg which was significantly better than anything else I’d owned – the 300ZX getting only 17mpg and the MX-5 BBR turbo achieving somewhere between 27 and 32mpg depending on how I drove her – and I always drove her hard – it would be rude not to!

In real life though, I couldn’t get better than 34mpg, and that was driving like an old man with cataracts. Realistically I was getting 31mpg – not the sort of fuel consumption I was hoping for.

However, she remained problem free.

Unfortunately the Gremlins returned.

But not to the Alfa.

They’d jumped off Maggy the 3rd (AKA Smokey Disaster), riddled the Nissan 300ZX for a bit and rusted her away, then hopped back
onto Maggy the 5th.

My electrical issues had gone, but now she was starting to overheat.

In Dec ’12 she overheated on the way to my cousin’s wedding. Fortunately I’d managed to cool her down and get my brother who was passing to lend me some water and then my Dad came by and I followed at a snails pace and made it on time. The problem then
appeared to be a fault with the radiator cap, and once replaced (saved by eBay yet again!), didn’t overheat any more.

Until it got warmer in the summer of 2013.

She overheated a few times. A few remedies were tried, but to no avail, and eventually, the engine went pop.

The original Mazda MX-5 engine is an incredibly solid lump, and will easily do 200,000 miles without issue. Some say it’s over engineered, making it perfect for turbo charging – although of course over doing it will cause the engine life to shorten. This one was turbocharged, but mildly, and with a Mazda approved BBR kit – so it should have lasted longer than it’s current 110,000 miles.

Yet it hadn’t. Although I’d bought a rust free and in theory well looked after car, it seemed it’s garaging had been the only TLC
it had received – the engine hadn’t been so well looked after; we found various botch jobs and evidence of tampering or previous
repair of the head gasket.

Fortunately, my good friend – nay, lifesaver car guru – James was on hand (yet again, bless him) and took her away to rebuild the top end.

But summer 2013 was here!! And I didn’t have a working softtop!

I was missing the feel of the wind in my hair (facial hair, I should say).

And the Brera’s sluggish turbo lag and subpar MPG performance were bugging me. If she’d been a bit on the slow side but got 40
plus mpg, I might not have been so bothered. But what was the point of having a slow diesel if it’s not economical?

I’d also got into my first potentially serious relationship since my divorce and although it was early days, realised that it was likely in the future that I would need a car at weekends to go places with my daughter, future long-term girlfriend and any kids that she may have.

So the solution was clearly a convertible with rear seats!

The only thing that was clear was that I’d not learnt my lesson.

In July 2013, I bought my second 3 litre BMW convertible (335).

My second BMW 3 series; a 335Ci
My second BMW 3 series; a 335Ci

I argued with myself that this was a sensible decision. It was a metal hard top convertible so would be quiet on the commute. And
although it had a large and powerful engine (think it produced about 320bhp!) it was a 2008 BMW; the brand being known to achieve the some of the best MPG figures for the power ratio at the time; besides, I was earning good money, and even though I still had to drive to North Wales, it was only once a week now.

The engine had two turbochargers so pulled very nicely, rather than the flat performance of the 2001 BMW 3 series convertible I’d
had back in 2007/2008.

Of course, after a very short time (2 weeks??) I’d decided I didn’t like it.

It was too heavy.

It wasn’t economical (well duh!).

I didn’t like ‘the image’ – it was a little too flash and people wouldn’t let me in at junctions again – flashbacks to Porsche ownership!

The hardtop took waaaay too long to operate. The thing I love about the MX-5 is that you can pop the hood off in about 1 second
and raise it in 2; even if you’re moving – so great at traffic lights when the sun pops out or the breeze/rain steps up. In the beamer it took about 10 seconds, and although in theory it was operable when moving, it was restricted when you went above 10mph – so I dare not operate at traffic lights. I did a couple of times and resulted in queuing traffic honking at me which was rather embarrassing.

You also look like a prat sat there with your finger on the button waiting for your fancy metal roof to fold up/down on your flashy shiny BMW – you can almost feel the stares.

With a £1500 MX-5 you just don’t get that.

The MX-5 BBR turbo and the Beamer
The MX-5 BBR turbo and the Beamer

Then of course I ended up single again, and with the MX-5 AKA Maggy the 5th back and running (plus a few more cosmetic tweaks, such as black alloys and new rear lights) was using that when I could.

I decided to try and get rid of the beamer ASAP – would the dealers take it back?

Only at a RIDICULOUS cut in price.

So I considered selling privately… it was still summer… the world economics were improving… I’d got it for what I considered a reasonable price so perhaps I could sell it quickly and not loose out too badly…

But the Gremlins hadn’t left yet…!

Next part of the story: Gremlins strike back

Automotive

My car history part 6: Love of my life

Leave a comment

In September 2012 I purchased my fifth (and possibly final!) MX-5!

Maggy the 5th - the 'perfect' MX-5, a BBR Turbo
Maggy the 5th – the ‘perfect’ MX-5, a BBR Turbo

‘Maggy the 5th‘ was a black 1993 1.6 Mazda MX-5 BBR Turbo. In theory this was the perfect MX-5 for me – not modified as such – the BBR turbo kit was approved and factory fitted by Mazda, and in insurance terms, wasn’t modified either – so the insurance dropped from £700 to a mere £200 a year!

True, the turbo kit wasn’t up to modern standards and the 220bhp+ turbo set ups; it only upped the 1.6 litre engines power from 114bhp to a little over 150bhp; but in a car that light and nimble, it’s plenty. And I’d rather have reliability that going down the modified route and the disaster that was Maggy the 3rd.

At this point though I still had 3 other cars:

  • The Blue MX-5 AKA Maggy the 4th
  • Nissan 300ZX
  • Toyota Celica
4 cars: A little excessive
4 cars: A little excessive

Having 4 cars for one person was somewhat ridiculous (and costly) so I sold Maggy the 4th Oct 2012 to a pleasant chap called Dan who I’ve remained in touch with on Facebook and I’m pleased to say he’s given her a great overhaul and it’s great to see he’s enjoying her as much as I did.

I was still trying to fix the various issues with the Nissan (and buying, an ever, a variety of used car parts from eBay), so was struggling to sell her. I also put the Celica up for sale and scraped a mere £900 back in December.

A day before Christmas, I decided to treat myself, and bought a ‘sensible’ diesel.

Only it wasn’t that sensible – it was a 2008 Alfa Romeo Brera.

'Alfie' - my Alfa Romeo Brera
‘Alfie’ – my Alfa Romeo Brera

Oh, it was beautiful though – sumptuous ribbed leather seats, stainless steel everywhere and dials that were angled towards the driver – I could sit and look at both interior and exterior all day long.

The luxurious Alfa interior
The luxurious Alfa interior

So, on Christmas day 2012, I had the Nissan 300ZX, the new Brera, and the MX-5 BBR turbo on the drive way. All I needed to do was get rid of the rusty Nissan, and I’d have the perfect set up – in theory!

The revised driveway line-up
The revised driveway line-up

I couldn’t bring myself to hide the rust issue on the Nissan – it could have been pretty dangerous if the radiator had dropped out at speed! – so offered it as a project car on the specialist forums to someone who could do the work themselves cheap. In the end some chap from the Ukraine (or thereabouts) had a look and said:

“It good. Not problem. I know good guy at MOT place, yes? We take.”

– and I managed to get a poultry £1500 back for her.

So by February 2013 I had a gorgeous but practical(ish) diesel, and the perfect MX-5, things couldn’t be better, right?

I had go and mess it up…

Next part of the story: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

Automotive

My car history part 5: The Power Years

Leave a comment

Although I loved the MX-5 (Maggy 2), I’d had a bit of a power fixation since the Elise. Browsing the web at the end of 2010 I realised that you could relatively easily supercharge or turbocharge your MX-5. I ended up buying a second hand supercharger for £1500 which would take my 138bhp MX-6 up to about 190bhp. In a car that light (970kg) that would be damn impressive.

I decided to do some interior mods too. I found heated seat inserts and was all set to buy, but then found some second hand heated leather seats from a MK2 MX-5 and went for those instead. I was all set to transform her – but I was getting scared by the scaling cost and complexities of the supercharging process. Then in April 2011 a turbocharged white MX-5 came on the market for £6000 and I snapped her up, trading in my black (2nd) MX-5 in the process.

This was a huge mistake.

“White Lightning” (Maggy the 3rd) was, quite literally, a disaster. The Gremlins got in this car and didn’t leave it, until 2 and a half years later.

White Lightning - The Turbo Charged MX-5
White Lightning – The Turbo Charged MX-5
The beautiful interior of the MX-5
The beautiful interior of the MX-5

£6K may seem like a lot to spend on a 20 year old 1.6l car. But ‘Painter Dave’ (as he was known on the experts forums) had spent about 10k on her and she was a masterpiece. Beautifully repainted in Ford Frozen White, the whole interior had been upgraded with leather and red stitching and suede and chrome and drool inducing aftermarket parts. It SMELT like a new car. Under the bonnet, the turbo charged engine offered up a promise of 220bhp. At that weight to power ratio, that was better than the 252bhp Porsche Boxster S my Uni friend had bought.

She drove like a rocket!

I was sold. But Dave hadn’t quite finished it off and I was impatient… I ended up buying it with a ‘minor smoking’ issue. He assured me the turbo was leaking oil and needed re-conditioning and would cost about £300, so knocked that off the bill.

The smoke was quite significant and stained the back of the car. I took it to a company near work that re-conditioned the turbo for me (unfortunely it was a lot more than the £300 expected). I got the car back, blasted down the motorway – and BOOM.

Melted the engine.

To cut a very (very) long story short, with the car having so many modifications, the aftermarket ECU was tuned to handle a set amount of boost from the turbo and fuel accordingly. As far as we (the garage, Dave, my new found MX-5 guru friend James and others from the forums) could determine, the re-conditioned (i.e. fixed) turbo had essentially put out more boost/power – or something else had changed from the removal, re-conditioning and re-fitting – that had put the car out of balance, and the ECU didn’t know how to handle this – no safe tuning had been built in – and the engine cooked itself.

Who was to blame? Difficult one… too many factors involved. I then had several months of pain as she was rebuilt by the garage. They didn’t admit fault as such (but they should have known/warned me, with it being a modified car) but they cut about £400 off the final bill, but I was still about £800 out of pocket…

I hoped then that my troubles would be over. But no. I experienced problem after problem with the car, and it still smoked badly. It did it the most at traffic lights; I’d stop, and a cloud of stinking smoke would drift by me. Not pleasant. Then I had about a years worth of electric/starting issues… I won’t detail everything else, the list is endless.

My MX-5 master friend James helped me as often as he could, but for weeks/months at a time, the newly renamed “Smokey Disaster” was off the road. During this time I was using the reliable and fun Celica. But spring (2012) was on her way and it was getting sunny… and I was without a working softtop!!!

How was I going to tan my bold bonce?

Maggy The 4th - my fourth MX-5!
Maggy The 4th – my fourth MX-5!

So… I went out and bought my 4th MX-5, a bright blue (non-standard paint job) 1.6l Roadster for £1400. Again, great fun. And very reliable – I fixed a dodgy zip on the soft top and fixed the electric windows (one of the few things that eventually break on a 20 year old MX-5) but otherwise a cracking, solid car, that had no other issues with in my ownership.

This was around the time I decided to paint the Celica Matt Black.

With orange highlights.

Myself.

Why?

Painting the Celica with Rustoleum paint - using a roller!
Painting the Celica with Rustoleum paint – using a roller!

Good question. I didn’t like silver?? I like a challenge? Anyway – read about the 99 dollar paint job for more information if you fancy doing this yourself with a tin of Rustoleum and a roller!

My Celica in Matt black and Orange
My Celica in Matt black and Orange

Eventually “Smokey Disaster” pushed my patience too far and I wanted rid. The best option financially was for James to strip her of the turbo and return it to a bog standard car (thank god for James, not sure what I would have done without him – need to buy him more beer!), and sell the parts and car separately. He fitted another engine, as this one had never been great after the rebuild. Once this was done, she drove beautifully, and I consider keeping her – but I was never over keen on the fancy body kit and had decided to get a 5th ‘perfect’ MX-5, so put her up for sale.

The driveway with Smokey Disaster...
The driveway with Smokey Disaster…
... Smokey Disaster swapping for a Nissan 300ZX - 'Nelly'!
… Smokey Disaster swapping for a Nissan 300ZX – ‘Nelly’!

By September 2012, I’d had the Celica for 18 months and still really liked her, but I was slightly regretting my paint job (and all the sarcastic comments that came with it; except for small boys/teenagers who loved it) and after making it a tad subtler (painting the orange bits black!) started to look for a replacement. I was looking at Mitsubishi GTO’s and Nissan 300ZX’s as they were a similar ‘shape’ and style; Jap coupe/hatchbacks with rear seats – but with OODLES of power. I test drove a 300ZX and was absolutely stunned by the acceleration; that one was as rusty as hell and had a leaky sunroof, but then I spotted a nice red one… got chatting to the guy and turned out he wanted an MX-5… he turned up, and we did a swap!

White Lightning AKA Smokey Disaster AKA Maggy the 3rd was gone!

I thought I’d got a pretty good deal. I’d been trying to sell the MX-5 for around £3k, due to her paint job/interior etc, but a mate thought I’d be lucky to get £2k. The ZX was for sale at £2700 and we did a straight swap – brill.

'Nelly', my modified Nissan 300ZX
‘Nelly’, my modified Nissan 300ZX

It was slightly modified, so it’s twin turbo 3l engine power was up from 300bhp to between 350 and 370bhp! It FLEW. Problem was, it had a few rust issues (I had to replace the pipe from the fuel filler to the tank as it rotted through!) and a intermittent ‘hesitation’ or ‘stumble’ when accelerating, which got worse as the weather got colder…

I managed to eventually get that sorted out, but a major rust issue on a support beam (MOT failure) was discovered – £800’s worth of work. I decided that fun as she was, she was too old/rusty and ‘heavy’ – I felt terrified going round corners – and made my mind up to sell her.

I’d kept the Celica during this time ‘just in case’… and had been looking out for the ‘perfect’ MX-5; basically, a turbo-charged one, but not a modified one (after the last disaster!) – rather the rare BBR Turbo model.

And eventually found her…

Next part of the story: Love of my life

Automotive

My car history part 4: Exotic car threesome

Leave a comment

In the autumn of 2009, 6 months into driving her, the MR2 tried to kill me.

Several times.

In the wet, she was a devil. If you lost grip, she was very unpredictable and hard to control. I was now driving 110 miles to Chester/North Wales regularly, and I felt like I was going to die soon, and at the tender age of 31 and recently single again, decided I wanted to live a little longer.

I traded her in for a 2003 Honda Civic Type-R in red (believe it was around £7500 and they gave me £3500 for the MR2). Now, I’ve never been keen on red cars, but in this sporty guise with white alloys, it worked. This was a pretty damn awesome car. The 2 litre VTEC engine felt more powerful than the 197bhp official figure; whether the aftermarket huge and noisy exhaust (sounded amazing through tunnels – Annie loved this at the age of 3 and STILL asks me why I got rid of the “noisy red car” now at the age of 6) helped I don’t know, or whether it was just that VTEC surge – you got a lovely kick in the back at high revs, similar to the Elise. I loved the power, and the comfort and colour of the interior with the red stitching and white dials was lovely.

However, she was a pig to park. The turning circle was pathetic, the steering incredibly heavy, and visibility was awful – where I was stopping overnight a few nights a week in Chester I had to parallel park her in tiny spaces with high curbs, and I made a right mess of the alloys. The constant noise of the exhaust gave me a headache on the regular 2 hour journey.

Overall though, I was still enjoying the Type-R at this point but I was missing the ‘feel of the wind in my hair’ (theoretically – I have no hair) that I got from a convertible. It was the summer of 2009 and I needed that sunshine back in my life…

'Holly' - the Honda Civic, and 'Maggy 2' - my 2nd MX-5
‘Holly’ – the Honda Civic, and ‘Maggy 2’ – my 2nd MX-5
'Maggy 2' - my second MX-5, with BBS alloys
‘Maggy 2’ – my second MX-5, with BBS alloys

I remembered how much I’d enjoyed my MX-5, but I still needed a sensible family car. I checked and realised I could get an MX-5 for around £1500 but wasn’t sure how I’d be able to insure both… however, my friend Stan at work has a car obsession worse than me and owns multiple cars, and he was able to recommend a few insurance companies that specialised in multi-car insurance (before it was a common thing). Next thing you know, I’d bought ‘Maggy 2‘ – another Eunos Roadster AKA Jap Import Mazda MX-5 in black with BBS alloys – great. This was a 1.8 as opposed to my previous 1.6 but they are slightly heavier and less torquey; I couldn’t really tell the difference to be honest – I just loved its nippy smallness and having the roof down gave me an enormous sense of freedom. You couldn’t help but smile driving this car.

I’d had enough of the Type-R by January 2011 – 18 months ownership not being a bad effort though with the cars I’d owned recently! I’d also wanted a Porsche Boxster for many years (had test drove a few before buying the Elise) and realised that they’d come down significantly in price over the years. I didn’t really want to get rid of the MX-5, but having two 2-seater cars wasn’t practical. However, I’d managed to get a very good ‘cherished’ car insurance on the MX-5 and checking around the insurance realised I could get a third cheap ‘practical’ car, at least in the short term…

So I could have 3 cars! A Porsche Boxster, an MX-5, and a cheap hatchback – why not?!?

'Cecilia' - the Toyota Celica
‘Cecilia’ – the Toyota Celica

I test drove both a 2001 Toyota Celica 1.8 VVTI (140bhp) and a 2003 Hyundai Coupe 2.0 (S3 – I’d owned an S1 before). I much prefered the former, and purchased one for £2000. Ok, it’s a small coupe, rather than a more practical hatchback, but it had a decent hatchback style boot anyway, and back seats, so met my needs! It felt a bit ‘basic’ in some ways but was very chuckable and enjoyable to drive; had a happy pull to it and a great character.

I managed to get £6000 in a private sale of the Type-R and then found a year 2000 2.5l Silver Boxster in London that I liked the look of for the same price, and went down on the train and purchased it and drove back in her (Polly).

'Polly', my Porsche Boxster 2.5
‘Polly’, my Porsche Boxster 2.5

I was disappointed. I’d drove both the 3.2 and 2.5’s before and had enjoyed both, but it had been a newer 2.5, and I think this one was just a little old/worn out – it just didn’t feel very quick at all. It was also rather dull inside with grey leather seats that were surprisingly uncomfortable. It felt significantly slower than the Type-R. Technically, it was slightly more powerful (204bhp vs 197bhp) although a tiny bit heavier; pretty much the same power per weight ratio – but the ‘flat’ power delivery (as opposed to the Type-R’s ‘snappy’ VTEC) and the ‘civilised’ ride just meant it was no fun!

Plus driving a Porsche means that everything thinks you’re a twat. Nobody would let me in at junctions. I lived in fear of my car being keyed.

Every time I stepped out of the Porsche I had a gloomy expression; I got in the MX-5 and started to grin like a village idiot – a quarter of the price, 2/3s of the power, but 10 times the fun factor.

3 months later, the Porsche was sold.

Busy driveway - the Celica, Porsche and MX-5
Busy driveway – the Celica, Porsche and MX-5

Next part of the story: The power years

Automotive

My car history part 2: The love affair begins

Leave a comment

In 2003 the fun began!

I’d managed to get rid of my third car, an unreliable and costly Peugeot 306. I’d been out of Uni a couple of years and had managed to save some cash up. I started looking for a ‘sports car’…

My first MX-5/Roadster - 'Maggy'
My first MX-5/Roadster – ‘Maggy’

After much research and playing with spreadsheets and checking insurance costs, I purchased a 1990 Jap Import Eunos Roadster (i.e. a Mazda MX-5) 1.6 V-Special in British Racing Green (H872ATV), imported into the UK in 1999. What a brilliant little car! I kept it for 3 years; and did my first work ever on a car including taking the door apart and fixing the electric window. I replaced the worn black soft-top with a new tan hood to match the interior and fitted white alloys. I started browsing Halfords, eBay and MX5Parts daily looking for new shiny accessories, and fitted a wood effect interior (in hindsight – yuk).

I kept her for 3 years and drove everywhere in her. It was the first car I truly named: Maggy.

I almost cried the day I sold her. And I still regret to this day selling her… although she was starting to get a bit tatty (rust on the window surround, paint peeling) she was mechanically perfect and I think the only thing I had to fix in those three years of ownership was the electric window.

But she wasn’t to be my last MX-5… a few years would pass, but I would go on to own 4 more. But more about that in future posts.

I only sold her because it had been 3 years and I fancied a change and something flashier and newer – and I had cash burning a hole in my pocket. I’d moved house and I had some money free which I intended to put back into the mortgage later, but decided to purchase a fancy car for 3 months, just to experience it, then sell it and put the money back into the house and get something cheaper.

My Lotus Elise - 'Ellie' - and 'Maggy' in the background
My Lotus Elise – ‘Ellie’ – and ‘Maggy’ in the background

So, in the spring of 2006, I bought a 2004 Lotus Elise S2, a S111R which had the high revving VTEC Toyota engine with a huge kick. The engine produced 190bhp which isn’t much compared to some of the other options out there (250-300bhp Suburas etc) but the car weighed less than 900kg so it leaped from 0 to 60mph in 4.9 seconds – amazing. And the handling was astonishing; she was glued to the road around corners. I used to go for a blast on country roads and the adrenaline surge was fantastic.

Amazing machine… but a terrible car!

My Lotus Elise - 'Ellie'
My Lotus Elise – ‘Ellie’

The single windscreen wiper was practically useless, the aircon was like an asthmatic coughing at you through a straw (to borrow a quote from Jeremy Clarkson). The seats were very uncomfortable; I could last a max of 35 mins before screaming in agony. Shame I had a 40 minute drive to work. I’d be writhing around the cabin for the last 5 minutes of the journey and practically fall out of the car – if I could, you couldn’t get out of the car if you couldn’t open the door fully – which I couldn’t in the tight parking spaces at work – due to the wide sill and low door.

Which started falling off… fortunately, I managed to sell it back to another dealer for £1000 less than I’d bought it for. £333 a month to have had the experience of that car seemed worth it – you’d pay more a month for a new Ford Mondeo and be tied in for 2 years.

Around that time I also bought my girlfriend at the time a £150 (I think it was only that much) purple Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6 (’92/’93 plate I recall) to learn to drive in. Great fun, it was pretty pokey! It used to slide all over the road even more than the old Astra though. We managed to get a year out of it before the fuel lines rotted and we decided to scrap it, replacing it around 2005 with a ’98 (was it an S reg?) red Audi A4 1.6 for around 2K. Somewhat more luxurious, it was heavier than the Cavalier and a bit disappointing and dull to drive, but it served its purpose for a couple of years.

Around 2004, my 2 year bike CBT had expired. Since I’d bought the MX-5 I’d hardly used the bike, and living in Cotgrave as opposed to the original idea of Beeston (bad traffic) meant that I didn’t really gain any rush hour advantages. Seeing as it would be expensive and time consuming to do the full test (would have to take a week off work), I decided to sell the bike.

It would be 9 years before I hopped back on that (mechanical) horse…

Next part of the story: Financial crisis strikes