Future Classic – Fun Right Now - 13th December, 2016

Loading...

Photo 1 of 20

Mazda have built nearly one million of these incredibly popular ragtops making it the biggest selling convertible sports car of all time. And there’s a reason they’re so popular – they are very, very good. This one has low kilometres considering it is 26 years old, and, frankly, you won’t get more driving fun for less money than an MX-5.

 There is more than a passing resemblance to the Lotus Elan and that’s because the Elan was used as an inspiration in the design. The front engine, rear drive layout was classic 1960s and now you could drive a reliable, fun roadster in the mould of the Lotus, MGs, Alfa spider etc for very little money without it spending half its life at your mechanics workshop. I suspect the MX5 will always be popular and as many of them drop by the wayside through exhaustion, over modification and accidents, prices will rise. Early models in the limited edition British racing green with tan leather will be good to have tucked away in the garage but leave the ones with auto transmissions to the poseurs. Prices are stupidly low so even if they don’t go up in value you’ll have a great fun car for not much money. You can’t lose.

Okay, we all know the tired MX-5 jokes about it being a hairdresser’s car and most MX-5 owners just roll with it. That’s because they know just how good these little cars are. They may not be all that powerful in standard trim but they make up for it by being light and very well balanced. And because you are close to the road it feels faster than it is. The gearbox is a joy to use and the twin cam engine revs enthusiastically and is largely bulletproof. Parts are plentiful and cheap and even a broken cam-belt won’t destroy the engine. What’s not to like? Well there’s not much space for luggage or shopping I suppose.

This example is at Turners Tauranga. Get it now.