MX-5 Owners Club

clonedmonkey

There's alot MX-5's / Roadsters in the Dublin area these days, I was just wondering is there anyone subscribed to boards who owns/interested in owning one of these classics ?

I have a huge collection of web sites/contacts/owners club information where you can find details on Performance Modifications / Trackracing days / Meets with NI and UK owners clubs and general customisation details.

Anyone intersted gimmie a shout.

ToxicPaddy

WWM is the guy to talk to... he's the proud owner of one..

clonedmonkey

much appreciated, thank you.

WhiteWashMan

as far as im aware, there is no web site up for ireland yet, but there is a club.
you can get pretty much all the details of everything mx-5/raodster in uk and ireland at
http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/

Vexorg

I was looking for a good 1.8 litre mark 1, most of the stuff I looked at was badly looked after and the good ones were very over priced. Ended up with a Del Sol instead... sigh... must start saving again...


Sure slap your links up here, I wouldnt mind surfing a few MX5/Maita sites again.


V.

WhiteWashMan

vex, that mx-5 site above will ive you a load of nice miata sies and stuff.
its pretty comprehensive and gives some nice details on imports etc.

or

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mx5ireland/

or do a search for the miata webring

clonedmonkey

Thanks WWM, ToxicPaddy & Vexorg,

My car:

89' Red Eunos Roadster 1.6
35K miles
15 Alloys & low profiles
mint condition, my pride & joy.

I'm a member of the mx5ireland@yahoogroups.com mailing list. Anything you want to know about the car, these are a really helpfull bunch of people. We've met a couple of times and had up to 20 cars on runs around Wicklow, blessington, rest of Ireland. Some guys have serious modification to their cars. It's all about squeezing the extra bhp out of the machines. Most people are a member of the UK Owners club.

to subscribe to the mail list send a mail to :
mx5ireland-subscribe@egroups.com

Here are my MX-5 / Roadster / Miata links :

If you want to buy, a good place to start is here, prices are quoted in sterling but there's a Dublin base :
http://www.webcars.net/carssale-mazda.htm and
http://www.autolinkuk.co.uk/

other sites for performance addons, rollbars, hoods etc etc and for sale :

http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/
http://www.kayuautos.com/
http://www.donutz.co.uk/
http://www.mx5city.co.uk/
http://www.performancebuyers.com/home.html?carLineID=10
http://www.mx-5.org/ireland/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mx5ireland/

have a few more if you want.

S.

WhiteWashMan

the problem is that once you start adding to your car, you gotta keep going. its addictive
i want a spoiler,and rear mudgards.

but damn i love my car.
mines a 90 roadster with a dark blue roof and it goes like a hot snot!!!

ive decided recently that once ive finished using it as my main car im going to just keep it and do it up proper and stuff.

you know if you import from japan you can get for about 2 and half grand sterling?????
cheap.

clonedmonkey

wow, who do you use to import through ?
What mods have you added to your motor ?

I'm never selling mine either, some people thinks it's
worth a bit aswell, the chasis no. is NA6CE100233.
one of the first cars to roll of the production line.
It was in storage for nearly 6 years, taken out at
weekends, and has 54Km's on it, 35K in miles.

should last a while :-) have ordered a rollbar for it.
Next comes a cat replacement pipe and Powerstack
Cone Filter.

Where are you based WWM ?

WhiteWashMan

im inn surrey.
i wonder if there are more people out there who would post to a board.
could be worth getting a forum set up.

WhiteWashMan

Originally posted by clonedmonkey
wow, who do you use to import through ?

i wish i did. that just a figure i heard quoted for importing a car worth about 5 grand over here. but its somehing i would seriously look into if i were to get another one.
vasically i think you have to have someone at an auction in japan who will buy it and ship it, so i suppose you would have to have a contact in japan. but it could save a ton if you had three or four people willing to risk it.

Originally posted by clonedmonkey

What mods have you added to your motor ?

absolutely none. i stuck in my own stereo as the jap one sucked and thats about it. well, apart from adding a fog light so it would pass the MOT. i was very close however to buying a beaut for 5000 that was pure black and had full body kit. it looked the dogs. anyway, i didnt get as i would have been hammered on insurance.

Originally posted by clonedmonkey
I'm never selling mine either, some people thinks it's
worth a bit aswell, the chasis no. is NA6CE100233.
one of the first cars to roll of the production line.
It was in storage for nearly 6 years, taken out at
weekends, and has 54Km's on it, 35K in miles.

ah, well mines a bit more used :)65k miles
no idea what the chasis is, but i suppose i will have to look as i need it to join the mx-5 owners club over here in england.

Originally posted by clonedmonkey
should last a while :-) have ordered a rollbar for it.
Next comes a cat replacement pipe and Powerstack
Cone Filter.

i have no idea what you just said

clonedmonkey

cool, I'd love do something about importing cars from Japan. It probably just takes the balls to do it, I think I'm ready for a move though, 5 years in Software is already taking it's toll.

have a look at www.mx5parts.co.uk that explains the mods I was talking about.

The cat replacement pipe is just a straight pipe that connects to the main header manifold (located towards the front underside of the car, where the exhaust begins) it replaces the catalytic converter and joins up with the back of the exhaust. This gives you more free reving and more low end torque supposedly.

The Powerstack Cone Filter simply replaces the stock Air Filter in the engine bay and "elps the engine breath more easily" (like the Tunes add). Cold air and better air flow = more power. Supposedly you get around 3 bhp extra for this mod.

Plus you should look into advancing the timing on your car for more power, see http://www.kayuautos.com/Service3.htm scrol down to timing

S.

Colefordkid

You could try www.dandycars.com/ or alternatively look at the http://www.mx5ocforum.co.uk/ forums for alternate UK importers

JHMEG

Vexorg wrote:

Ended up with a Del Sol instead...

A DOHC VTEC I hope (icing on the cake = Transtop) ? I always consider those to be "the thinking man's MX5"

franksm

Lads, FFS how come no-one found this:

www.mx5ireland.com

BTW Del Sol = "the thinking man's MX5" ? What's the reasoning there ? As far as I know, the two cars are completely different (MX5=rear-wheel-drive, Del Sol = front-wheel-drive with drum-brakes at the back)

RobAMerc

Guys - franksm from boards is big in the irish mx5 owners club.
I cannot for the life of me remember the url but if you search boards for his name you should find it he has a link to it at the bottom of his posts.
They meet in the phionix park on a sunday every month (sorry cant remember where or which sunday)

smash

there's a guy just starting up in Bray importing mostly MX-5's his site is www.webcars.net - check it out

RobAMerc

JHMEG wrote:

I always consider those to be "the thinking man's MX5"

Oh my god ! :eek:

I am speechless

BTW : I know where there is a very nice last of the mk1's for sale for only 6.5k ! Its got leather, 6*cd, abs, new tyres, momo wheel and its non jap import.

Stevo11

Steve06 : That is Art McCooey's (spl?) site, v.well respected, lots of cars in great nick, he's been doing it for years.

WWM : I've an OEM spoiler for sale, just had it removed from my car during the respray. Make me an offer..

Still can't believe ya hadn't found the mx5ireland site

Steve

mmenarry

RobAMerc wrote:

Oh my god ! :eek:

I am speechless

BTW : I know where there is a very nice last of the mk1's for sale for only 6.5k ! Its got leather, 6*cd, abs, new tyres, momo wheel and its non jap import.

Yeucchhh! It'll only have 89bhp then. Should have checked the FAQ on www.mx5ireland.com

M.
(only joshing ya, sounds nice)

JHMEG

RobAMerc wrote:

Oh my god ! :eek:

I am speechless

Don't wanna go OT here, but there seems to be a bit of confusion about the CRX/Del Sol specs.

To clarify: The 1.6L dohc vtec CRX VT puts out 160bhp, and its japanese counterpart (Del Sol SiR) is 170bhp, and optionally has an LSD. Good to hit 60 in ~7 seconds, and can go on to ~135mph. 262mm vented discs at the front, 240mm at the rear. Double wishbones all round. FWD.

Add to that the very cool (optional) electric "Transtop" and you have a very desireable and rare 2-seater targa, that goes like bejaysus.


But... Each to their own.

Stevo11

Have a read :
http://www.driver.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=33803

RobAMerc

JHMEG : to be fair I had the 1.5 version, but I can tell you this, the MX5 is a far better car all round than the CRX, fast enjoyable motoring is not only about straight line speed, try both over a stretch of road you know and enjoy and you'll see.

mmenarry wrote:

Yeucchhh! It'll only have 89bhp then. Should have checked the FAQ on www.mx5ireland.com

M.
(only joshing ya, sounds nice)

Nope tis the 130bhp 1800i.s. , tis no rocket but one of the most enjoyable engines I have ever sat behind.
As I said above t'aint all about the straight line speed

Ps: Sorry to bring this OT - I simply cannot allow - CRX beats MX5

JHMEG

RobAMerc wrote:

JHMEG : to be fair I had the 1.5 version, but I can tell you this, the MX5 is a far better car all round than the CRX, fast enjoyable motoring is not only about straight line speed, try both over a stretch of road you know and enjoy and you'll see

Again, don't like going off topic (maybe start a CRX vs MX5 thread?!) here, but I drove a 1998 1.6 MX5 (Irish model) for half a day, and felt very underwhelmed after the experience. To me it felt like I was driving a "lite" version of the normally aspirated MR2 (90-99).

The experience for me would be helped by near instant throttle response (which requires power); a howling (stock) induction system from 5,000 to 8,000 rpm and beyond as power builds, that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Having a chassis that talk back, especially when it's on the limit. Having the power to pull the back end in when it goes a little wide helps too. If the MX5 had more power I'd probably like it, and might even be impressed by it. Having never driven a 1.8, I might be missing something but looking at the figures I don't think I am really.

Just my opinion. As I said before, each to their own.

cpoh1

Ive owned both in the past, the del sol SiR with manual roof followed straight afterwards by a mk1 1.8L mx5.

Looking back on it I honestly preferred the del sol, mostly because of the dohc vtec engined that revved happily all the way to 8500rpm and never ever complained about it (remember this engine is close to a slightly detuned civic typeR engine). Its fwd which for the purists is a negative over the mx5 but my del sol had the factory option lsd so the car absolutely ate corners. It was quite a bit faster than the mx5 too and not just in a straight line, the double wishbone suspension an absolute pleasure in the twisties, take the roof off however and its a different story. The del sol had a much bigger boot and hard top roof so safer from theives and was more reliable not giving me a days trouble.

In saying that the mx5 was a really good fun car to own also, cooler looking and the rwd was fun, problem was it was too underpowered to really have some proper fun in. The cockpit was nicer than the del sol but storage was rubbish and security was a nightmare with the softtop. I was expecting a massive step up from the del sol after reading all the hype surrounded by this car but was left totally underwhelmed to be honest, sold up after 6 months. Most of the hype versus the mx5 v's the del sol is based on heresay and reputation. The fact that there are crap models of the del sol doesnt help. for example drive the 1.5L del sol or even the transtop and you'll be disappointed. The same can be said for the 1.6L mx5 which is complete rubbish too though.

All in all the del sol isint as bad as people like to make out and the mx5 is nowhere near as flawless as people like you to believe.

gstonesmx5

for handeling its the mx5 but you are right the performance of the mrk2 1.6l is lacking but still fun. i have a 98 mrk2 1.6l for sale but i dont want to sell it because its great fun. you dont need 1million horse power all the time to enjoy the roundabouts and corners just the right gear and speed. any power/response gains are easy to get from both crx and mx5 for little money.
from driving the crx it is such a letdown because its front wheel drive and that is a big issue for me but not for all.

TempestSabre

IMO Del Sol wasn't a patch on the CRX Mrk II that preceeded it. Its not about about how fast you can get around a corner, its about the purity of the experience.

IMO You shouldn't need oddles of power to enjoy driving a car thats nicely balanced and handles well. I don't get the craving for massive power. Usually it polutes the driving experience. With a slower car you get the same fun just at a slower speed. Sutble mods I don't mind, but too often they end up like a Hot Wheelz toy.

franksm

TempestSabre wrote:

IMO Del Sol wasn't a patch on the CRX Mrk II that preceeded it. Its not about about how fast you can get around a corner, its about the purity of the experience.

Yeah ! I loved the old CRX - so "old school". Wonder where they all went ?

JHMEG

You don't need 500bhp to enjoy a car, true. But adequete power is needed, and with the MX5 I think the RWD is wasted, especially with the 1.6. Not as if there would be any traction problems with that little power, and the difference between RWD and FWD at such low power levels is marginal.

If I wanted RWD with adequete power I would sooner get a late MkII MR2 (early models were underpowered too). Preferably a Beams. (Or an S2000 if money was no object)

franksm

Granted the MK2 MX5 with 1.6 is fairly underpowered but you should try a "proper" MX5, ie. one of the MK1s (pop up lights).

Very lightweight, very good power:weight ratio, 50:50 front-rear balance

The 1.8 MK1 MX5 gained some weight (extra bracing, bigger brakes, bigger diff) but had more power - yet was still the same power:weight as the earlier 1.6. Both would do 0..60 in 7.8 seconds.

You should try a turbo'd MX5 240+ hp and 0..60 in around 5.4 seconds (or less!). Just a normal '5 with some "intake modifications" heh heh

"Each to his own" - I love basic cars of the old school like the MGB, TR6 and so on, which is why I like the MX5

cpoh1

gstonesmx5 wrote:

from driving the crx it is such a letdown because its front wheel drive and that is a big issue for me but not for all.

I absolutely hate this rwd is the be all and end all attitude. For anything under 200bhp its gotta be fwd and a good lsd for me. Just because a car is fwd doesnt mean its any less fun or handles any less well than a rwd car. For me the 1.6L mx5 doesnt have enough power to pull the skin of a rice pudding, rwd or not thats no fun.

TempestSabre wrote:

IMO Del Sol wasn't a patch on the CRX Mrk II that preceeded it. Its not about about how fast you can get around a corner, its about the purity of the experience.

IMO You shouldn't need oddles of power to enjoy driving a car thats nicely balanced and handles well. I don't get the craving for massive power. Usually it polutes the driving experience. With a slower car you get the same fun just at a slower speed. Sutble mods I don't mind, but too often they end up like a Hot Wheelz toy.

I bought a mk2 SiR after the mx5. Absolutely great fun to drive, came with the optional torsion lsd from the factory also, glass roof, uk leather seats etc. stunning car. Problem was it eventually fell apart with rust. Engine again bullitproof. Had it on a few tracks (owned it when I was in the uk) and in my opinion this was where it outshone its new brother the mk3. On the road there was genuinely no difference in handling between the two cars, straight line the same both neck and neck. The only time you will notice the mk2's superior handling is when you are pushing that last 3% out of it on a track, other than that they are identical. Remember both the mk2 and mk3 are based on their equivalent civic siblings so have virtually the same chassis, brakes and suspension setup as the civic and each other. The difference was the slight increase in weight (80kgs) and the roof. I still miss her!