Cheap roadster for the Summer

mondeo

Say you had a wining gf who wanted you to buy her a cheap open top car for the Summer. You have 2 to 3k to spend... What would you get her? However the odd time you might want to take it for a spin yourself without looking and feeling too much like a hairdresser .... These two are the only ones springing to mind but would you drive one of these yourself?

Thanks


MGB Roadster
[IMG][/img]

Mk1 MX5
[URL="[IMG]http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww158/Tommaso_2009/mk1mx5.jpg[/IMG]"][/URL]

Ricardo G

MX5 all the way !! and get rid of the whining Gf

Atomic Pineapple

Has to be an Mx-5

jaffa20

mondeo wrote: »

but would you drive one of these yourself?

I do. Go for the mx5. Could get a nice mk1 for 2-3k.

mondeo

What puts people off the MG other then head gasket issues?

Keith186

mondeo wrote: »

What puts people off the MG other then head gasket issues?

a 'G' instead of 'x5'

johnos1984

As an avid fan of the MGF I would still advise caution.
The HGF isn't the only issue and they can be very brittle.
It takes a brave person to have one but if you are able to look after it it can be made into a great car

Mind you a Mk1 MX5 is the better of the two

Mr Benevolent

MX-5, no question. And I'm a Rover (75) fan.

galwaytt

MX-5, no question.

Mine is 21 this year !

mondeo

Anyone know anyone selling a clean mk1? There are a few on donedeal and the like but I honestly think they are dreaming looking for silly money for them. 4k for a 94' 1.6 and the like...:rolleyes:

A specialist I rang the other evening told me not to pay much more then 2k mark for a tidy 93' 94' or 95' MK1 unless it's a rare special edition model.

Ricardo G

mondeo wrote: »

Anyone know anyone selling a clean mk1? There are a few on donedeal and the like but I honestly think they are dreaming looking for silly money for them. 4k for a 94' 1.6 and the like...:rolleyes:

A specialist I rang the other evening told me not to pay much more then 2k mark for a tidy 93' 94' or 95' MK1 unless it's a rare special edition model.

Have seen spotless 92/93 ones going for as little as 1200 quid, but make sure you get it before the summer or you'll have people looking for silly money by then

galwaytt

mondeo wrote: »

Anyone know anyone selling a clean mk1? There are a few on donedeal and the like but I honestly think they are dreaming looking for silly money for them. 4k for a 94' 1.6 and the like...:rolleyes:

A specialist I rang the other evening told me not to pay much more then 2k mark for a tidy 93' 94' or 95' MK1 unless it's a rare special edition model.

When you see ropey car's going for as little as 750, a basically sound one isn't worth much more than 2k, for an early one. 3k would give you a huge choice imho.

Have a look at www.mx5ireland.com

There's a minter 93 in North Co Dublin for 3500 iirc . You could buy it and this time next year, minded, it'd still get 3k.

mondeo

galwaytt wrote: »

When you see ropey car's going for as little as 750, a basically sound one isn't worth much more than 2k, for an early one. 3k would give you a huge choice imho.

Have a look at www.mx5ireland.com

There's a minter 93 in North Co Dublin for 3500 iirc . You could buy it and this time next year, minded, it'd still get 3k.

I think 3.5k is mental for a 93 one....

galwaytt

mondeo wrote: »

I think 3.5k is mental for a 93 one....

No it's not: buy a 2k one, add new rims, tyres, paint even, maybe a hood.

Then the 3500 car will be back at the races.

Cars like this, at that age, are bought on condition, not on number plate. Loads of newer **** heaps around, if you want to spend less.

The no plate is not visible from the driver's seat. The condition, however is.

mondeo

galwaytt wrote: »

No it's not: buy a 2k one, add new rims, tyres, paint even, maybe a hood.

Then the 3500 car will be back at the races.

Cars like this, at that age, are bought on condition, not on number plate. Loads of newer **** heaps around, if you want to spend less.

The no plate is not visible from the driver's seat. The condition, however is.

Ye I know what you mean. I'll have a poke around and see whats out there.

Anan1

mondeo wrote: »

but would you drive one of these yourself?

Thanks

MX-5, all the way. Anyone who says they wouldn't drive an MX-5 isn't into driving.

Owen

MGF's are just wooly. Any old-ish one I've seen at this stage has rust set well in, and they never felt like a capable car on twisty roads. 2-3k's a bit rich, the last one I saw was bought for 700 Euro.

MX5 all the way really, well built, and a great car to drive.

Wolverine_1999

If you want a bit of whoosh.. go for a 6 cylinder Z3, I did . You won't get a good example as cheap as the MX5 however.

mmarks

Blimey, the anti-MGF brigade!

I own a 2001 MGF and use it everyday (80 miles a day) not a problem.
Very cheap to buy and under estimated in my opinion.

As for HGF, the gasket normally goes due to overheating (blocked/damaged radiator etc). There are 50 euro alarms available that will inform you when the coolant level drops below a pre-set limit so you can stop and sort it before HGF.

I really haven't had any problems - no rust and mine cost me 2k with one owner and 50000 miles from new - leather etc.

Great fun to drive as well.

There are good and bad MGFs out there, more bad than good though admittedly. A VVC one would be hard to pass over in favour of an MX5 if the condition and price were much of a muchness.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

MX5 would be number one on my list in that range aswell.

Number 2 would probably be a Honda CRX Del Sol. But getting a clean one would be a hard task I would say!

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/for-sale/cars/1587252

http://cars.donedeal.co.uk/for-sale/cars/1027539

markeymark

Would she consider an MR2 roadster perhaps?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1851976

In terms of driving, they have more of an edge to them than an MX-5, but practicality might be an issue. They have no boot at all! Personally, I think they look nicer than an MX-5.

Drove an MGF, absolute dog of a car. The MR2/MX-5 is in a different league.

Eoin

I'd be tempted by something like this: