What did you drive before the 5?

[Snowmotion]

I have had lots of company cars but the last one before the MX5 was fun.
Nissan Stagea NM35. Lots of power and handling (no economy)
The MX5 is more handling with out the power but so much more fun.

[Rolley]

I started out in this in 97'. The substantial modifications to the passengers side were made by a drunk in a Subaru Leone...

Moved through A LOT of 200series. Bought them cheap, tidied them up and flicked them to Uni students. Very underestimated car.
These were my last two. The back one was a 79' 240GLE with a 202 Holden Blue motor swap. The front was my 80' 242GT minus the factory stripes but with the Aviation dash and black/red stripe corduroy interior.
I'd love to get a wagon one day and convert it into a ute.

Then I picked the 318i up when I got back from overseas. I always had the intention of swapping in a 328 driveline but once I got the suspension right and fitted the M6 rep wheels I just drove the pants off it. It got traded for the sensible family car with 365k original km's on the clock. It never once let me down.


And finally I now daily a T30 X-Trail. I have no photos at all of it. It is however the most sensible Adult purchase I have ever made. And until it is beyond economical repair it will suffer all the punishment my girls can deal it.

[Daffy]

I started out in this in 97'. The substantial modifications to the passengers side were made by a drunk in a Subaru Leone...

Moved through A LOT of 200series. Bought them cheap, tidied them up and flicked them to Uni students. Very underestimated car.
These were my last two. The back one was a 79' 240GLE with a 202 Holden Blue motor swap. The front was my 80' 242GT minus the factory stripes but with the Aviation dash and black/red stripe corduroy interior.
I'd love to get a wagon one day and convert it into a ute.

Then I picked the 318i up when I got back from overseas. I always had the intention of swapping in a 328 driveline but once I got the suspension right and fitted the M6 rep wheels I just drove the pants off it. It got traded for the sensible family car with 365k original km's on the clock. It never once let me down.


And finally I now daily a T30 X-Trail. I have no photos at all of it. It is however the most sensible Adult purchase I have ever made. And until it is beyond economical repair it will suffer all the punishment my girls can deal it.

Hard to believe it was (only) 30 years ago!!

[pcmx5]

Some of Dick Johnson's "Swedish Valiants"!

Peter.

[hks_kansei]

Learned in a KF Laser S

First car was an 82 CB2 Mazda 626 deluxe
Fun, but rusty and kept breaking bits.

Then bought a 2000 Ford Mondeo
Great on fuel, comfy, but after a while started falling apart and had hard to get expensive parts like every euro car. Sold it for scrap, probably a coke can now.

Then the MX5

Then jointly a HZ Holden Kingswood with my gf, still have it prob selling it later this year.

Then an MG ZT
Great car, put together by morons and made of annoying BMW bits that seem designed to not last beyond warranty.
It's on my lawn, if you want it make an offer.

And currently my gf has a 94 Mazda 626 wagon as our daily.

[Mr Morlock]

Learned to drive in an FC Holden and first wheels I think was an Austin 8 Tourer. Followed by a panoply of all sorts - oldest was 1938 which had no brakes to speak of- dangerous then and would be lethal today.I spoke to a bloke recently with the same model in great condition and he had planned his trip to a Hill Climb to avoid busy intersections. I told him the fix- dump the cable brakes and fit hydraulics which were standard on the '39 model. Great cars made by Henry in that era. Like some on this forum- so many cars- more than 50 and motorcycles when young as well.

[smy0003]

That's impressive, Morlock. What did you own from '38?

[Conza]

Well I started with a great fun car, a 2001 Peugeot 306 XT. Great 2 litre NA engine, 134bhp/100KW and amazingly 180NM of torque (which I've later realised was very good). The car weighed about 1100kgs, so was very light, I owned the car for 6.5 years, and loved it, in some ways it was such a good car it's sort of like my first and second car (and it just lasted so long). Surprisingly quick, could get to 100kms in 2nd gear at red line, so quicker than quoted (maybe 8 seconds to 100), and made me understand that cars could be so fun to drive.


I then overlapped for 6 months with my next car, a 2007 Volkwagen Golf V GTI DSG. Also 2 litre but turbocharged, another +63bhp and +100NM of torque, it also weighed more at 1350kgs (approx), and this too was an excellent car which I've only very recently sold, liked it just as much the day I sold it as the day I bought it. Epically capable, I'd put it up there handling wise with many a FR car, understeer was virtually non-existent thanks to good front end grip and very well sorted chassis and suspension from the factory. The car that could truly do everything.


From July 2016 until January 2017, the whole time concurrently with the GTI, I purchased a 2004 Mazda RX-8. This car had been rebuilt to the tune of 280bhp and (the dyno said) 300NM... But I'm not sure it actually had more torque than the GTI, I'd say split the difference and call it 250NM. Also had suspension upgrades, sway bars, sticker wider rubber. Really wasn't great fun, it was well sorted for a track but on public roads... Not playful at all, a serious car with a bad attitude. Also all the power was above 6000rpm and the gears were huge, which is a bonus on the freeway on ramp, otherwise it's literally a bit of a drag. This car I was glad to see go, sadly. I drove it or 20-25 days and went back to the GTI just to make sure I was still driving it. 10 minutes in that car again, and I didn't want the RX-8 anymore, so they swapped places.

And that's where I'd be today, in the GTI if I hadn't got a decent enough offer on it, I was going to keep it. However, I had test dríven an ND MX-5 and I was totally blown away by it, so I knew I wanted one. Closed my eyes, crossed my fingers and said if it didn't sell before the rego was due, I'd bump the ad price up and probably never sell it. But I did, so hooray!

Because now I have my ND, and it's amazing really, I'm not quite used to the fact I own it yet! Smallest, lightest and remarkably most efficient car I've ever owned (just did 250kms - 6.1l average! :O And I didn't go above 80km/h, was using 2-4k revs to run the engine in, ect - it's brand new, imagine when it's really in it's stride! Can't wait), also most comfortable, even beating the cruisey comfort of the 306. It has all the features and more of the GTI, the fantastic FR RWD driving dynamics of the '8 and it drives better than both, but not only those two, really anything else "I" have ever dríven. It does feel like somehow a combination of all the other cars I've owned, yet still completely different, but it shares elements from all those cars.

I'm going to make all my car friends I give a drive in it sign a disclaimer "This drive in my MX-5 is by no means financial advice, if you get addicted due to the experience I waive all responsibility" .

[billybunter]

okibi

seeing you like spitefire's so much here is a good story. in the early 2000's I too was in the market for a spitefire... a mark 3 with overdrive. in those days it was unique cars which did the damage on sales and I found this one.

the guy had rebuilt it from scratch and spared no expense with a build cost of $40,000 and it was classed as the best example in aust. all parts including the chrome wires imported from England.

he placed it in several car shows including all brit days and he wiped them out. won concourse events too.

when I saw it I think he wanted $27,500 but had no takers and I think I took it away for $21,000 he wanted to go bigger to the 3 litre Austin healey just like his father-in-law and was ready to cut his loses. plus I even scored all the trophies too

only problem -it was too good to drive and you really couldn't take it anywhere without some-one either trying to get in it or annoying you about it. I think I had it for probably 6 months

[Okibi]

Beautiful example, mine was one of the best ones i've seen.

[billybunter]

in that case...two good ones

[Daffy]

in that case...two good ones

You know folks- for all the s*** that "here and now" morons put on our love for our 5's- when looking back on true classics ourselves, and the original 5's that will be be around beyond our years- to be appreciated in the page of automotive history to come by true car enthusiasts and connoisseurs...............

[Daffy]

Beautiful example, mine was one of the best ones i've seen.

I think having thown down the gauntlet to billybunter, you owe us a few more pics of your spitfire if you have em Okibi!!

[Mr Morlock]

Spitfires were never really loved though not denying they look good. Healey's - huge money now and have been for some years. One of the few lower initially low cost classics that people will spend $100,000 to restore.

[Okibi]

Great looking car, fun to drive, a decent roof that folded out (not constructed like a tent) and under powered. The MX-5 was a natural progression.

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