Daily driving an MX5

[davekmoore]

A few years ago I did 75,000kms in a year around the imperfect roads and dirt tracks of Central Vic, often in the dark, six days a week, in my then 174rwkw lowered SE.

DD, you bet!

Load carrier nah, although I does have a lot of room for a tall load with the roof down. But then I'm also the fool who once put 8 full rolls of carpet underlay in a 2CV with the roof rolled down only to find it would hardly set off because of the weight (I think these wonderful pieces of French madness had 21 flywheel kws).

[KevGoat]

I recall my younger years when my parents thought they had it made! A Mini Traveller ... two adults, three kids, a golden retriever and holiday luggage on the roof for four weeks touring around England and Scotland ...

We're spoiled these days ...



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[speed freak]

True enough. Some cannot afford the costs of more than one Car.
(although there are 4 registered motor vehicles in my household).
Still, I have 2 sports cars and a Motorcycle in this small fleet.
My lady drives a small hatch. (POS).
When I need to move something, (Not often).
My boss owns a very large Van.
The moral?
Drive the car you love. Borrow or hire the ute on the odd occasion you need one.
We found a guy in Brisbane who will deliver almost anything with his ute from 15 bucks.
Going to work everyday, buying my weekly groceries. No trouble with my MX.
Changing lanes, darting through traffic, I'll keep my MX!
Changing lanes in the huge Van. Absolutely no fun!

Thats true! If you think about how often would you actually buy something big that wouldnt fit in the car, or need to move larger items etc. Obviously there are people out there that require more space for work commute, or needing to use their own car for work purposes so needing a bigger car would be essential. If you only drive to work then park your car and get out well the mx5 is perfect for that and actually suits me quit well at the moment for that reason, apart from not being 100% comfortable in it I dont need a big car so its perfect. Then if you need to move something or buy something big hire a ute or a big car.

Well obviously. Id like to see an mx5 try to pull a trailer (a proper trailer not those tyre carrier trailers) but not everyone can afford to have 2 cars or 3. For some its an mx5 or something else.

I agree entirely and consider myself very fortunate to be in the multiple vehicle position although I must add that it would be impossible for me to cart my day to day stuff around in the MX-5.
Greg.

Well thats fair enough, the mx5 is not a big car so for the ones who need to use their car for work or transport larger items an mx5 wouldnt be practical. Just for some it would be to have a fun car all the time or not at all if you needed a more practical car for every other day.

[taminga16]

Regarding multi vehicle ownership, I might add that I am older with three grown children (my youngest is 33) and haven't needed four doors for a while but recently my grandchildren have become independent of their parents and so I am looking at more seats. There is a thread regarding a ute upgrade somewhere else.
Greg.

[doc]

But this thread is about daily Driving an MX-5.
Me I love driving my MX, And unlike Speed freak, I am perfectly comfortable in my NC.
In fact I find it to be a very comfortable car.
Great stereo, Nice Ride, very nice leather seats.
And very enjoyable car to drive. And no, the big cars do not intimidate me.
Not in the least. Mostly I just cut them off as I work my way threw the pokie drivers.

[speed freak]

But this thread is about daily Driving an MX-5.
Me I love driving my MX, And unlike Speed freak, I am perfectly comfortable in my NC.
In fact I find it to be a very comfortable car.
Great stereo, Nice Ride, very nice leather seats.
And very enjoyable car to drive. And no, the big cars do not intimidate me.
Not in the least. Mostly I just cut them off as I work my way threw the pokie drivers.

Its not that I find my mx5 uncomfortable as such, as in suspension too hard or anything, its just that I could use more headroom and its the awkward driving position, in the nb atleast the pedals arent inline to where your feet/legs are the pedals are situated to the right a little so I think Im slightly twisted while seated and that causes my lower back to play up.

But anyway Ill try to put up with it for a while longer since I still enjoy driving the car but if I cant handle it any longer I guess Ill be selling it. The fact that the majority of people drive big utes or 4x4's and I go to work with lots of trucks and tradies being in such a small car can be annoying sometimes, to me anyways since practically no one obeys the road rules/law in my area.

[doc]

Nobody obeys the road rules anywhere in Australia from my limited experience.
Thats why I like a Nimble car that moves from lane to lane with quickness and great Visibility.
As per the pedals. Mine in the NC are in line with the seat properly. But the first thing I did was raise the clutch pedal by 1 and a half inch.
Now my Pedals are perfect.
Head room???
Really?
I am not all that tall. And when it's raining I find it a bit claustrophobic with the roof on.
But still, more than plenty headroom.
The NC has a seat bottom height adjustment. Perhaps the NB does not.
(But mine is not set at the bottom).
I'm thinking that you may be taller than I.

[Vat]

Nobody obeys the road rules anywhere in Australia from my limited experience.

Don't ever drive in SE Asia. Or LA.

Actually, LA road rule observance is on a par with here, except it's all happening in a mirror image, 10-15m (yes, m)ph faster, and every other vehicle's the size of a Chevy Suburban.

[KevGoat]

I'm not sure what people are really expecting from these cars!

I'm just under 6 foot, I find my NB very comfortable - for what it is! I invariably choose my NB over my Tarago to drive daily. So much so that I'm now considering selling my Tarago, as it's rarely ever used! I really enjoy the cozy feeling of the "confined" cabin of the MX and the "fall to hand" gear lever and other controls. Sure, I've modified my NB8A with NB8B SE seating (with foamectomy to driver's seat). I don't have any issues at all with the seating, height of the roof/windscreen or the pedal positions and I should add that my back is pretty bad these days. My wife also loves the comfort and the environment of my 5 and she also has back problems.

As far as carrying stuff, well, that's why we all own different cars during different phases of our lives.

If I was after "luxury" I'd never choose any small car. Small and luxury rarely combine ...

Our 5's are a sports car. It's generally a car that can only be owned, used and enjoyed at specific times of life. Enjoy it while you can, enjoy it for what it is ...

[speed freak]

Im not complaining about the car itself as I said I have lower back problems and it gets stirred up from the lack of headroom for me. Yes I am taller then both of you, Im around 188 cm so about 6'3 and Iv done the mod to the driver seat and when I stretch out so I sit up straight my head hits the roof/roof bar. Oh and I obey the road rules pretty much all of the time. I dont speed, Im one of very few who actually respect their license and find it a privelege to have, my license is my job basically, no license no job. I mean why is everyone in such a rush for anyway? If you need to tailgate people and do 30 km/h over any given speed limit how about you leave a few minutes earlier to get to work on time?

Plus... not to be rude but I think anyone would choose to drive an mx5 over a tarago.

As Iv said plenty of times I find the mx5 a blast to drive but Im tall with a bad lower back. Put those together and Im sure you can work out the answer.

[KevGoat]

Plus... not to be rude but I think anyone would choose to drive an mx5 over a tarago.

Haha ... good point ;)

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[Mr Morlock]

I don't think the NB will ever be right for Speed freak- health and comfort are essential. An NC might be ok but its still a low car and that may be a factor as well. The designers of the NA said the cars were not designed for taller people. Todays F1 cars are said to be designed for jockeys.

[speed freak]

I don't think the NB will ever be right for Speed freak- health and comfort are essential. An NC might be ok but its still a low car and that may be a factor as well. The designers of the NA said the cars were not designed for taller people. Todays F1 cars are said to be designed for jockeys.

You may be right but I might have another car I can drive during the week soon, then the mx5 will be used for the weekends and track days.

Its not that I hate the mx5 (which I think a few people think I do), I really dont, its a bloody fantastic car and I truly enjoy driving it. I love everything about it but as mentioned they arent really built for tall people. Iv heard of taller and bigger people then me driving mx5's and Im sure its possible but my back gets stirred up from my job, its a very physical job and being in such a confined and cosy interior mainly on longer journeys it causes my back to play up. Too and from work is fine.

Yes I did mention being in such a small car being surrounded by all sorts of larger vehicles gets a little stressy or daunting sometimes, does that make me enjoy the mx5 less? NO!