Hello again :).

[Blade_Hunter]

Well it's two and a half years since my last post, loads of things happened, I got made redundant, got a new job, got bowel cancer, beat bowel cancer but most importantly........ I finally bought an MX5 . I bought a 2016 ND MX5 GT (picked it up at the end of April), traded in the Liberty GT and what can I say, I LOVE this car, the MX5 represents so much to me, firstly it's a congratulations present from my wife and I to myself, second of all, it enables us to have adventures, we go topless cruising every second weekend . Finally, it's a memory, it's the first car I have had that takes me back to where I started, my first car was a Mini Clubman GT and this takes me back to the days when you actually drive a vehicle .

The Liberty GT was a well put together orchestra, everything about it was comfortable and refined. The MX5 is a god damned rock concert, I LOVE it .

In order for me to have my......... well let's be honest, it's a toy rather than a car in order for me to have it, we had to upgrade the missus car too so we moved her from a Ford Fiesta to a new CX5 GT, I gotta say that twin turbo diesel is actually really nice to drive, I am surprised .

How have you all been? like I said it's 2.5 years since I was last here .

[pcmx5]

Welcome back,so glad that you have overcome the obstacles put in your way and hope you get great enjoyment from your Mx5.

Peter.

[Blade_Hunter]

Thanks Peter, I believe it would actually be impossible to NOT get enjoyment from an MX5 .

[speed]

Welcome back. Two GT's that are totally different but combined do everything

[SE]

Bowel cancer is a total sh*t. Wondered where you got to on the Lib forum

[Blade_Hunter]

Thanks guys .

SE are you a migrant from the Lib too? .

[Blade_Hunter]

This is a short review I sent to my Mazda dealer, he shared it with his peers and said he wants to put in on their facebook page soon. I am pretty sure it is the first review to tell them the car they built is nonsense ;).

A bit of background:

September 11 2015 I was diagnosed with Bowel Cancer. This is the day I really began to live, nothing makes you want to live more than thinking you are going to die, I started to live because now, at the age of 40, I finally understood that life runs out one day.

After 8 months of treatment and surgery I am now fixed but I am left with that important learning. I decided early on in the process of treatment that my life had become a little routine of work and mortgage without much play in there. I decided that I had to get back to my childhood, I had to change my life from a series of events, to a series of adventures.

As we approached (I say we because my wife was on this journey with me 100%) the end of this illness, we put a plan in motion. We bought a brand new turbo diesel CX5 GT for my wife. By doing this, I no longer needed a sensible car, I could now buy a car that could help me have adventures. If only there were a vehicle that was built for life to be an adventure.

I didn't need to search as I already knew the car that I wanted..... the car that I NEEDED in order to have the kind of adventures we wanted.

I am now the very proud owner of a brand new MX5 GT 2L. This car is pure nonsense, it's impractical with a boot space that would struggle to fit a small swiss cheese, it's silly in that it only has 2 seats and it's noisy with the roof down. Essentially, this car is EXACTLY what I need it to be, not only do we use the car to go for adventures, the car IS the adventure, even driving to work now is an adventure.

Kids look at it and gasp at what they can only assume is the batmobile

Adults look at it and smile as they get a sense of how much fun it would be

A few small minded folk have suggested a mid life crisis, after what I have been through, I can only describe it as a mid life awakening.

Thank you Mazda for giving me a car that puts adventure in every drive. The MX5 should have a motto of "Put the adventure back in your life"

[BlackLeaf]

Hi There. I don't know you, but your story is well known to me and probably will resonate with many people on the forum. Well done on recovering from your health challenges, and kudos also for it marking the beginning of a new phase of your life. Oh yeah, congrats on the ND as well! All the best.

Cheers

BlackLeaf

[Blade_Hunter]

Thank you BlackLeaf, it's incredible how many people this does resonate with and how much support I have had from people.

[ajkdark]

What an amazing story. I'm glad you are well and enjoying life to the fullest.

I picked up my Soul Red GT yesterday, it sits next to my wife's Soul Red CX 5 Akera.

Our garage looks incredible

I cannot believe how fantastic my new MX 5 is

Cheers

[Blade_Hunter]

What an amazing story. I'm glad you are well and enjoying life to the fullest.

I picked up my Soul Red GT yesterday, it sits next to my wife's Soul Red CX 5 Akera.

Our garage looks incredible

I cannot believe how fantastic my new MX 5 is

Cheers

Thanks , All in all I am one lucky SOB because they handed me the letter officially stating the Cancer is gone. In all honesty surgery and recovery is nothing compared to Chemo (the nerve damage I suffered from the chemo will stick around for about a year, I can hardly feel my toes which is quite unpleasant but it's all good ). To be honest I am surprised at how easy the surgeries are, the last one saw me opened up, a 20 CM slice down my belly, sure it's a bit confronting to see it but my entire pain management regime was panadol, Endone makes me feel sick and the slow release morphine doesn't stay in me because I have a colostomy bag (final surgery in 2 months is to remove the bag so I can be a farting and crapping member of society once again).

Since I was diagnosed I have spoken to many people who have been through something that forced them to question their own mortality and there is one common theme amongst all of us, we love life that little bit more now. I notice the beauty in every part of life now and I don't get upset over anything anymore. It sounds a little sick but in all honesty, I am grateful for the learnings I have made through this process.

OMG, I got the meteorite grey GT to match the wifes new meteorite grey CX5 GT, our garage also looks incredible lol.

I am so glad I am not the only mazda colour matcher :p.

Seriously though, how much fun are these things? The Liberty GT had loads of power and I loved it but it felt sort of like it was doing everything for you, under full throttle it didn't feel crazy and a lot of the time you could be speeding without realising, this thing feels like you are going to seriously upset the cops then you look at your speedo and you are doing 5 under .

It does exactly what I want, it excites and makes me feel like I am "piloting" the vehicle instead of just coming along for the ride .

[Rob]

Good to hear from you and great to hear how you're enjoying your new ride

[jpgibson]

I'm a total newbie to the mx5 thing, but I was driving home in it the other day and said to myself " I get this". I have had it only two weeks but its the best handling fun machine I've had ( which includes 5 RenaultSports, S3, WRX, Liberty B4,V8 utes etc etc). I agree re the midlife 'crisis'- no doubt I look like that guy ( esp being 50) but I love driving it with the roof down at every opportunity.The only downside is that you can actually HEAR other road users having a laugh! I don't care.
Glad you're on the mend.

[Blade_Hunter]

Nice car history . The B4 was what made me wanted one one day, it took me many years but I ended up getting one (Gen V GT), it was a beautiful car and I don't have a bad word to say about it but my time with that car is over and my move to something completely different in every possible way can only be considered a good move, I love my MX5 and I see myself holding on to it for many many smiling years .

[captaincabinets]

Congrats man. Sounds like you've had quite a struggle, great to hear you made it through the other side.