MR2 or MX5/Eunos?

[C.A.R.]

I met my Mrs when I had an MX5 MK1 so they'll always hold a soft spot for me, I hope one day to have another one similar to my S-Special II.

They're cramped on the inside I grant you, but that does mean they heat up nice and quick with the roof up during those colder months!

The hardtop is such a welcome addition. It literally transforms the car, cabin noise is reduced and it feels bigger (cos you can make good use of the 'shelf' behind the seats...).

I'm also 5'11 and I have driven all the way to Cornwall in mine (300 miles!) and it was fine. Fully loaded with mine and the Mrs holiday stuff too! Somebody mentioned that it's not 'fast enough' which I think is a bit unfair; these cars are 20 years old now and incredibly basic in their construction. They feel plenty fast enough for the chassis, keeping it 'on boil' down a twisty B-road is exactly what you've asked for, fun, but without losing your license. I agree with Ruan though, they're not a drift machine. An LSD is not there to help you drift either, it's there to give you more grip - and a properly setup MX5 will grip like shit to a blanket.

IMO don't bother with the expensive intake options, the stock airbox is good or a cheap cone for a bit of extra noise. I had an ARC intake chamber (£100+) and HKS Mushroom filter (£80 2nd hand!) and to be honest it soaked up heat and had a detrimental effect on performance! I went driving with "Nick!" from theywhoshallnotbenamed when he had his Mini and after a short thrashing the heat-soak was so much that on returning to the car it didn't want to start. I had to let it cool down.

A/C is useful - even on the hottest day of the year you can get stuck in traffic and it gets very hot quickly, the AC makes life much more comfortable. Or, if you're anything like my Mrs used to be, strip down to your bikini in the passenger seat. This is incredibly distracting.

DON'T fall into the 'scene' trap - the car is good fun and can be improved upon, but slamming it onto the subframe and fitting a drain pipe to the exhaust is not the way to further enjoyment, just the approval of your peers.

Some gratuitous photo's cos I can...