Pondering a Change

[Beanoir™]

Having had a few 986 cars and MX-5s I would say that for fun and track, the MX-5 would be my choice all day long.  It doesn't have the guts of the 986 but it's more communicative, the controls are nicer and it's very easy to get it moving around yet feeling like you're still in control.

 

I always felt the 986 suffered from a bit too much flex in the chassis, and I noticed it especially when I went back to my second 986 which was a daily driver alongside my 987 Cayman.  The difference was painfully noticeable.  

 

An MX-5 is easy and cheap to repair, engine is more accessible for oil changes etc, modifications are cheap and there are so many options available to make them go faster, handle better and stop quicker. 

 

 

 

21 hours ago, Aaron said:

It's interesting to hear they've still retained the 90s Japanese offset pedals position, but then disheartening to hear that you don't feel like you're on the floor.  That was never the case with an NC.

 

The boot is ******* tiny.  You can't get anything more than carry-on baggage in one, really.

The older JDM Eunos NA cars were terrible for anybody over 5'6 as the seat squab was so high.  The UK cars were noticeably different in that you sat much lower and I never had a problem at 6'1  

 

I'd lover another NA, lacking in power but I never failed to have fun in any of mine.  10 years go they were probably bang for bucks the most fun you could have in a car, these days finding a decent one is tricky and they've gone up a fair bit in price.  

 

 

[Stutopia]

43 minutes ago, Beanoir™ said:

Having had a few 986 cars and MX-5s I would say that for fun and track, the MX-5 would be my choice all day long.  It doesn't have the guts of the 986 but it's more communicative, the controls are nicer and it's very easy to get it moving around yet feeling like you're still in control.

 

I always felt the 986 suffered from a bit too much flex in the chassis, and I noticed it especially when I went back to my second 986 which was a daily driver alongside my 987 Cayman.  The difference was painfully noticeable.  

 

An MX-5 is easy and cheap to repair, engine is more accessible for oil changes etc, modifications are cheap and there are so many options available to make them go faster, handle better and stop quicker. 

 

 

 

The older JDM Eunos NA cars were terrible for anybody over 5'6 as the seat squab was so high.  The UK cars were noticeably different in that you sat much lower and I never had a problem at 6'1  

 

I'd lover another NA, lacking in power but I never failed to have fun in any of mine.  10 years go they were probably bang for bucks the most fun you could have in a car, these days finding a decent one is tricky and they've gone up a fair bit in price.  

 

 

 

Thanks for all of that, never driven a 986/996 so bit of an unknown quantity to me - engine problems are also a prospect I'm not keen on, even if they're overblown in terms of likelihood. Curiously an NC MX5 has popped up just 10 miles away, so I might go and have a look this weekend. It would seem a shame to find a clean NA these days and then kick it's head in, they're probably appreciating nicely and me smashing it all over won't help with that!