Mazda's MX5: The worlds best selling sports car

Advantages: fun, stylish, easy to drive, convertible
Disadvantages: fuel consumption around town, road noise on the motorway

...avoiding the Eunos Roadster (The Japanese MX5 import) as insurance is generally higher and they tend to come with unknown history, mileage etc. Especially with the amount of UK cars now available on the 2nd hand market. The Eunos is easily identified by its square rear numberplate holder, badging and the vin numbers do not begin with JMZ. If you have any doubts about a car take the VIN number and contact Mazda who can confirm if it's a UK car. Insurance wise, these cars sit in Group 12 which can be a problem for younger drivers. Most companies will now insist on a Thatcham category alarm as well. At the age of 21 with the car on a driveway and 4 years no claims, a Thatcham 2 alarm system I currently pay £760 fully comprehensive. Pricing (based on Autotrader) 1991 66,000 miles A1 condition £2800 1990 98,000 miles, fair condition £1900...

ukfan 10.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of Mazda MX-5 1.6i

mazda mx-5 monza

Advantages: fun drivabilty
Disadvantages: space

...Having been given this car as a gift I was somewhat apprehensive fearing it's lack of practicality - I need not have worried, sure the boot is tiny and the rear window has no heater but once in the driving seat such worries are forgotten. The handaling and ride suit its sporting image and are superb as is the short gearchange. The roof is off in seconds and a powerful heater extend the topless driving year. Luggae can be stored in the ample glovebox with soft bags on the rear shelf or behind the seats dependant on the size of the passengers. Although no family car or mpv the mx-5 is the best drive I have ever experienced - try it next spring....

winprizes2000 30.11.2000 · Read review
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Review of Mazda MX-5 1.6i

MX5 1.8 Sport

Advantages: Dead easy to drop the top (and put it up again)
Disadvantages: Fuel economy coulld be better

...For the Summer I purchased a second hand MX5 1.8 Sports. It was 4 years old and had the matching hard top as well as the permanently fitted cloth soft top. I had done my home work and this was the one that every review was recommending. It is one of the limited edition Sports and as such comes with leather heated seats. First things first, off came the hard top and into storage until winter. The hard top was very simple to remove and the soft top just flips up and down. However neither my wife or I can pull the soft top up when sitting in the seats. One of us has to get out. Both the hard top and soft top have a heated rear window which is essential and in a two seater cabin. The fold up rear wind deflector is not that good so long hair still gets blown forward. Top Gear did an effective demonstration of the difference...

ForlornHope 23.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of Mazda MX-5 1.8i

The Perfect Driving Machine

Advantages: Great driving experience, offers the frills
Disadvantages: not the most practical sports car

...I have now been the proud owner of two Mazda MX-5's and I have to say they have been the most reliable and joyous cars that I have owned thus far. The 1.8 sport has the added bonus of a six speed manual gearbox which only adds to it's already sporty pedigree. Do not be fooled by thinking this is a typical hair dressers car, It's NOT! This really is a proper sports car which offers all the frills of a porsche for a fraction of the cost. The MX-5 has near perfect weight distribution combined with rear wheel drive which offers sublime handling and is regarded by many as being one of the best handling cars in the world. You can pick one of these beauty's up very cheap now, and my advice would be to wait for winter to kick in as you will see some excellent examples pop up for less than a thousand pound. In my opinion you can have just as...

kylehall99 20.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Mazda MX-5 1.8i

Performance you can afford!!!

Advantages: Fantastic driving experience, cheap to maintain
Disadvantages: not very practical

...I have now been the proud owner of two Mazda MX-5's and I have to say they have been the most reliable and joyous cars that I have owned thus far. Do not be fooled by thinking this is a typical hair dressers car, It's NOT! This really is a proper sports car which offers all the frills of a porsche for a fraction of the cost. The MX-5 has near perfect weight distribution combined with rear wheel drive which offers sublime handling and is regarded by many as being one of the best handling cars in the world. You can pick one of these beauty's up very cheap now, and my advice would be to wait for winter to kick in as you will see some excellent examples pop up for less than a thousand pound. In my opinion you can have just as much fun in the mk1 MX-5 as you can the mk2 and pick them up for a lot cheaper too. The styling on the mk1 is a bit...

kylehall99 05.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Mazda MX-5 1.6i

Ooooo its a Mazda

Advantages: The pose factor - one of, if not the, cheapest 2 seater, convertible sportscar. They go like hot snot, look lovely and isn't too bad on the fuel consumption
Disadvantages: The tiny boot. Especially once a CD changer has been fitted you'll be hard puches to carry much shopping/luggage and a passenger. Also due to the rear wheel drive it has a bit of a twitchy bottom and so isn't suited for snowy or very wet conditions

...I love my little MX5. I know that everyone thinks that they are a car for hairdressers and what's wrong with that? I love hairdressers and they deserve to have some fun after a long day on their feet talking about holidays. Anyway, I've had my little chap for just over a year and getting into it still puts a smile on my face - the sunnier the day the bigger my smile as the roof comes down and the shades go on. Although its only 140bhp and 1.8, it is very pokey and can out brake almost anything on the road. Its definately a feel good car which is more about style than substance as it is fairly impractical. One thing that is practical however is the three year rodaside assistance that you get gratis when you buy a new Mazda. Being a weak and pathetic girly I have used it a couple of times to have tyres changed...

Kasteera 04.10.2001 · Read review
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Review of Mazda MX-5 1.8i

The convertible that converted me!

Advantages: Cheap, reliable convertible, great handling
Disadvantages: Not a practical car!

...~~~~~~~~~ Background ~~~~~~~~~ We bought a Mazda MX5 as our first ever car in January 2003. Bizarre time to be buying a soft-top car, you might think, but actually quite good from an economic point of view – you'll be one of only a few people looking at these sorts of cars in the dead of winter and so can pick up a bargain – and probably get to test the waterproof quality of the roof! The model we have is the 1.8i S, and is W reg. As standard, it has ABS brakes, sill plates, electric wing mirrors, heated rear window, a CD player, twin air bags, mud flaps, alloy wheels and branded carpet (!). These are mostly only options on the 1.8i and 1.6i, although the 1.8i has some as standard too. Launched in 1989, the MX5 is now the world's top selling roadster (according to the Guiness Book of Records). It has a front...

xalala 22.03.2004 (23.03.2004) · Read review
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Review of Mazda MX-5 1.8i

BEST_CAR_EVER!

Advantages: Looks great, drives great, cheap to run
Disadvantages: low low ground clearance

...Now here is a review i have been saving!. I bought my 15 year old Mazda MX-5 convertible 6 months ago now, and i have been thinking very hard of what to write here. I decided to start with this... No review of this car can possible be negative, its just positive in every way. My MX-5 is the 1.6i Convertible, i bought it stock and have added a few bits on, but il review it firstly, as it was stock, how easy it was to upgrade, and what it is like now.. I actually travelled 100 miles up to London after bidding for the car on ebay, i thought it was a steal at only £900. For this i got the car as it was, with no CD player or speakers...but it did have power steering (life saver)! The sunroof was new and everything worked fine, including the air conditioning. So i drove it home at a steady 70mph with no troubles, not even straining...

migitaldave 10.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of Mazda MX-5 1.6i

Fun comes in small packages.

Advantages: Fun to drive, beautiful, elegant
Disadvantages: Not that quick, thirsty, cramped, no extras.

...in the worst weather. ABS cuts in and out like a well oiled and effect machine that Mazda have made it. My Father in laws 323 is the same. Never a problem getting it to stop. It is helped out on the MX5 by having discs all the way around. When you need to stop that 1.8 lump in a hurry, drums at the back would be a pain. Sharp and Crisp is how I describe them. Interior. --------- Warning. Big people need not apply. Me and my brother are similar in height at 5'11". We fit in it comfortably. The seats have limited travel when putting them back so you 6 footers should steer clear. The seats are figure hugging to say the least but I do tip the scales at 13.5 stone so that may be I need to reduce my muscular mass to ride it nicely. The interior is black with cloth a beautifully sculptured dashboard. The dials are all white...

andycharger 08.11.2001 · Read review
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Review of Mazda MX-5 1.8i

scream if you wanna go faster still!

Advantages: Great driving experience, fun & fast!
Disadvantages: none really...only 2 seats but that's part of the charm!

...My partner has a Mx-5, the 1.8i version. It is in British racing green & is a 1996 model so we have the 'pop-up' headlights, a feature which gives the car its individuality. Due to safety concerns, these are not featured on new models which is a shame. We have had the car for 2 1/2 years. it has given no trouble at MOT & has never let us down. We have put almost 30000 miles on it, trouble free. We have invested in a second hand hard-top to preserve the soft top, as it is showing very slight 'cracking' on the passenger side. The hard top is great in winter & as it is white, gives our car a distinctive look. We were going to get it sprayed but everyone says it looks good as it is. The soft top has never leaked & it easy to operate. Now....the driving experience. My own cars have been fairly standard hatchback/saloon cars...

moomande 06.04.2005 · Read review
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Review of Mazda MX-5 1.6i