The MX-5 on our lawn
Simon's Convertible page |
| Bookmarks: | The car | Touring | The Holden | The Suzuki | The Neon |
When I came to Australia I had two wishes, automotively speaking. One was a four-wheel drive car, in view of all the rugged terrain here. So we purchased our little Suzuki Vitara. After some trips on the beach and in the country, it didn’t really get used for its purpose (besides free parking in the city on a open block of land) so it was time to move to another car.
Adding to the reasons where the age of the Suzuki (from ‘89), the prospected trouble ahead (brakes, radiator, shocks, air-conditioning all dodgy) and the magnificent pay-increase I got when I switched jobs in April. So after first dreaming of sporty version of the Mazda 323, Ford Laser or the Holden Astra, I set my sights on fulfilling my second automotive wish: a convertible (because of the weather allowing maximum use of it) !!
In our price-range (not much, considering we didn’t want a car that was too old), there is either the choice of a converted car (Renault Megane, Peugeot 206/306) or a ‘real’ convertible. I would prefer a real one, but most of these were out of reach (BMW Z3, Honda S2000, Alfa Spider, Porsche Boxter, Mercedes SLK), or perhaps stuff of future dreams. That left only three models: the Mazda MX-5, Toyota MR2 Spider and the MG-F.
Based on review found on the Internet (about the unreliability of the MG-F, and the unproven newness of the MR2) I set my sights on a MX-5 and recently we purchased one.
| Our Mazda MX-5 is a
deep green model (for the enthusiast: colour - BRG or Grace Green and
the model - Mk2) from March 2000, with less than 18.000 kilometres. It
is a real two-seater with little space either inside or in the boot.
In fact it is not a convertible as such, but a ‘roadster’. The
MX-5 is also known as the Miata (in America) or Eunos (Japan). |
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I admit that it is totally unpractical, in particular for transporting Joshua. But as we already have a family car, and the MX-5 will predominantly used for my work (tax deductible!), I did not let that bother me.
The engine is a 16 valve-4 cylinder 1.8 litre one, positioned in the front but driving the real wheels. It is not the most powerful of engines, but because of the low weight of the car is it zippy enough to provide suitable performance.
Inside two bucket seats, a 5-speed manual transmission (with a nice short stick), air-conditioning and a 6-stack CD-player (taking up some space in the boot). It is quite cramped, but once seated also quite comfortable. More so behind the wheel as that gives you something to hold on to when screaming down corners.
The boot is small, but (apparently) generous for this type of car. It is shallow, but rectangular with the battery and spare tire underneath.
The roof is black and works very simply. Two clamps on either side in the front that can easily be (un)done when seated. It takes less than 10 seconds to raise or drop the roof. When folded the roof takes up all the space on the shelf. The roof has a real glass rear window, which is a big improvement over the previous model (as plastic slowly deteriorates, becoming opaque). There is a hardtop available (but that is reasonably pricy and not as much fun!).
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Lisa was not too sure
about buying an expensive, unpractical car, but when I took it home for a
test-drive she was sold.
It is so much fun to
drive. Because the car is low (with a low balance) it feels fast and especially
cornering is a blast. Driving with the roof down gives you a real feel of the
‘wind in your hair’ (for me less of an issue than for Lisa :-) and that
people are watching you.
We are now actively
trying to create trips where we don’t have to take Joshua.
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