Mrk 5 GTI vs MX5 vs Cooper S

Andrewf20

Hey folks,

Im toying with the idea of putting the E36 on classic insurance and buying a daily driver. Ive driven the Mrk 5 GTI, Mrk 3 MX5 1.8, the Cooper S (turbo) and was impressed with them all, however its hard to give them a proper spirited drive with the owner sitting beside you or if the garage is buried in suburbia.

Im looking for something that wont cost the earth to maintain and is fun to drive (budget is around 6-7K). The MX5 hard top is winning my heart at the moment with its na credentials and light weight. However, will I tire of the 1.8 performance I wonder (124bhp)? How fragile are the turbo cars here?

The 2.0 MX5 (159bhp) is very rare in this country and is another notch up price wise even if importing from NI (with 2 young kids I wont have the time or patience to head to the UK unfortunately).

Id like to hear peoples thoughts on this? Cheers.

drunkmonkey

2 young kids means your buying the GTI, best all rounder.

colm_mcm

You need to consider the whole driving experience rather than outright power.

The MX5 has the potential to be the most rewarding in that respect, followed by the mini and then the Golf.
The Mazda should also be the least hassle to maintain, followed by the Golf and then the Mini
The Golf will obviously be more practical than the Mini, being bigger, and obviously the MX will be wildly impractical for the kids, but that mightn’t really matter.

If you’re mainly doing urban/suburban type stuff, the Mini would probably be the one to have, but if you want to get away for the weekend in something special, the MX5 would be hard to beat, being something completely different to most cars, having the roof down, hooning up back roads. In this case the relative lack of power won’t be an issue.

I haven’t actually owned any of these cars though, I’ve driven them, but not lived with them.

Andrewf20

drunkmonkey wrote: »

2 young kids means your buying the GTI, best all rounder.

We have a family mpv also so we can use that and the E36 for the kids.

drunkmonkey

Honda s2000 then.

colm_mcm

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Honda s2000 then.

I think values of these have gone a bit mad, even in the uk they’re £7500 up

Duke O Smiley

I'd say the Mazda would be a difficult enough yoke to shift when you decide to sell up yourself. The only people who buy new-is MX5s are older women (sorry!) and not many of them would be looking for a 2.0.

Andrewf20

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Honda s2000 then.

Yes, a great car but hard to come across a decent one near my budget. I think insurance can be an issue also from what I have heard.

colm_mcm

S2000 is in the top band for VRT too.

q85dw7osi4lebg

+1 S2000..

drunkmonkey

Back to the real world, the GTi will put a smile on your face and you'll never have to borrow the mpv. Using the E36 isn't really a runner unless your going to keep both maintained and have classic insurance for the beamer. S3 is another option.

Squidgy Black

As a daily driver? GTI by a mile. If it was for weekend blasts or the odd track day etc then the MX5, but I personally wouldn't daily one.

Andrewf20

I would put the gti 2nd on my list. I was really impressed with how light it felt. I thought the 18 inch rims would numb the experience but I didn't get that sense at all.

The mx5 really does feel special with the top down especially. Mazda are brilliant at making their controls feel very good even in my wife's old 1995 Mazda 323.

I haven't driven the s3 but have heard very mixed reviews about them. The 4x4 also makes the car quite heavy despite the power.

The most fun car I ever drove was in fact a 2001 fiesta 1.25 with 75bhp. Zero grunt but well balanced, nimble, heel & toe was easy, lovely controls, and with low grip levels (175 tyres), the fun was very accessible. The low window sills means you feel like you sit on it rather than in it which I loved due to the great visibility. I'd imagine the mx5 might feel very similar to the fiesta in many ways.

cpoh1

Whats the budget?

Would you consider the toyota gt86? Nicer to drive and as practical as the gti but a little more of the fun of the mx5?

kooga

I can only comment on the mark V GTi - I have a 2008 5 door bought new when first child came along, now have two kids and still have the GTI - can beat as an all rounder!

cpoh1

Personally for me the GTI would be the bottom of the list, mostly because of the way the engine behaves. Super reliable but just a bit souless whether thats in the TT, S3 or GTI.

If you have the opportunity to go a little mad dont get the GTI, its just too normal.

Midnight_EG

Spend less than half your budget on a GTI...mine happens to be for sale with tax and test too!

Andrewf20

Budget is 6-7k so gt86 not a runner. The gti is a fairly bland looking car but its such a cracking machine none the less. Loads of punch low down but it did fizzle out a little higher up the rev range but a lot of turbos seem to feel that way.

If I buy a car it will probably be towards the 2nd half of this year or next year with a few financial unknowns to deal with first. There's a 2008 2l hard top mx5 in Kilkenny on donedeal that I'd be so tempted to buy but my head says I'll have to be patient unfortunetly.

drunkmonkey

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Spend less than half your budget on a GTI...mine happens to be for sale with tax and test too!

Have you went over to the GTi thread few punters with cash waiting..

drunkmonkey

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Budget is 6-7k so gt86 not a runner. The gti is a fairly bland looking car but its such a cracking machine none the less. Loads of punch low down but it did fizzle out a little higher up the rev range but a lot of turbos seem to feel that way.

If I buy a car it will probably be towards the 2nd half of this year or next year with a few financial unknowns to deal with first. There's a 2008 2l hard top mx5 in Kilkenny on donedeal that I'd be so tempted to buy but my head says I'll have to be patient unfortunetly.

Why not flog the E36 and get a newer 3 series hard top convertible. Even the E46 can take a bit of a hammering if you push it on in a manual.

Andrewf20

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Why not flog the E36 and get a newer 3 series hard top convertible. Even the E46 can take a bit of a hammering if you push it on in a manual.

I'd get very little for it with 402,000km on it and 2.5 litre tax. The car feels so much more "alive" vs the newer beemers.

The newer hard top convertables are way too heavy. Even a regular e92 was a huge disappointment to drive. Numb, heavy and the 325i didn't feel that fast. It has 215bhp on paper but its because it revs to 7k rpm. At normal rpms it's just not as nippy pulling the extra weight around. The e46 is getting rare also for decent ones and I heard they tend to feel noticeably heavier than the e36 also.

ShadowHearth

I used to have mk2 1.8 mx5 and after my ex crashed clk200, mx5 was used as daily for few years.
It was Very manageable for a couple with no kids. Enough space for shopping etc. Doing 40-80km trips was not an issue, but would not like to do Dublin run and drive it 120km for few hours. Very reliable and can be a decent daily.
Mk3 mx5 were not the best mx5 generation. They got fat and lost what mx5 stood for. A lot better as daily for sure, but not as fun. 1.8 engine wouldn't be the one to go for too. You have to go 2.0.

As much as I love mx5, I could not recommend mk3 1.8. Get a nice looked after mk2/mk2.5 or a Golf GTI. You just can't beat GTI as a daily. It has comfort and performance.

bazz26

Renault Clio 197?



https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/clio-197/21148968

Claims to have had a lot of work done to it.

q85dw7osi4lebg

bazz26 wrote: »

Renault Clio 197?



https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/clio-197/21148968

Claims to have had a lot of work done to it.

That's a class car. Good price.

GG66

You may not need 4 seats if you have an alternative car but it does run into practical issues even so.
e.g. You're out and about in the MX5 and your wife asks you to pick up the kids. You can't!

GG66

GG66 wrote: »

You may not need 4 seats if you have an alternative car but it does run into practical issues even so.
e.g. You're out and about in the MX5 and your wife asks you to pick up the kids. You can't!

Win win ?

Andrewf20

bazz26 wrote: »

Renault Clio 197?



https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/clio-197/21148968

Claims to have had a lot of work done to it.

Nct is out but lovely looking car and a bit different which i like. A contender as well for sure.

GG66

GG66 wrote: »

You may not need 4 seats if you have an alternative car but it does run into practical issues even so.
e.g. You're out and about in the MX5 and your wife asks you to pick up the kids. You can't!

I wouldnt see it as an issue, plenty of people drive vans or commercal 4x4s and would be in the same position.

That being said the Gti is a no brainer imo, mx5 is way too underpowered and a mini wouldn’t be for me.

HBC08

OSI wrote: »

If you really want a Cooper S, get the supercharged first gen. Much more fun and lively.

Agreed and for the OPs budget a well looked after 2nd generation wouldn't really be available.

Marcusm

OSI wrote: »

If you really want a Cooper S, get the supercharged first gen. Much more fun and lively.

I’m on my 3rd Cooper S and hoping to pick up a 4th soon. I’ve driven (but not owned) the supercharged version. Personally I don’t see a huge difference in the liveliness of the engine. However, without a doubt the second (and 3rd) generation is a much better space to spend your time in. For me, any marginal improvement performance wise would be undone by the relative differences in the cabin/build.

Plus, a first gem (absent a convertible) would be at least 12 years old by now. Absent a GP, i’d Swerve it in an Irish model.

HBC08

I sold my MINI (just standard Cooper) about 6 months ago and was considering an MX5 or upgrade to Cooper S. Didn't get to test drive MX 5 but the Cooper is a joy to drive,it helps if you like the MINI style. In the end I got a beaut of an RCZ that I just couldn't turn down,I will definitely own both of the above at some point in my life though.

I never really got the lure of the GTI. I know it's a solid all rounder but it just seems boring to me

Andrewf20

The supercharged cooper s I heard was a recommended option but most seem to be turbos. I'm not mad about the styling but if the right one came up at a good price I'd probably go for it. The turbo cooper was bats fast and felt quicker even that the gti.

I wonder if the insurance crowd would laugh at me trying to get a supercharged cooper s from 2003 /4 as well as I'd be rubbing shoulders with the 15 year cut off on offering new policies that many of them have.

Roger Mellie Man on the Telly

The R53 feels quicker than it really is and the whining supercharge is great. I guarantee if you test drive one you'll be smiling. Cabin quality is poor though and the boot is very small. The missus will love it.

noelf

https://youtu.be/HSU-2iKylrA

Only 27569 miles one owner but £9395 though ..

Andrewf20

noelf wrote: »

https://youtu.be/HSU-2iKylrA

Only 27569 miles one owner but £9395 though ..

I got to drive one pottering around cabinteely village a while back. Great seats and driving position. Engine isnt particularly torqey low down and the exhaust is noisy in the cabin but I do admire the car all the same.

There was this weird thing with the accelerator pedal, whereby after 75% of travel it then gets a little more resistive & then loosens up again for the remaining 20% of the travel to the floor. Not sure is this is normal or not. Maybe its to promote driving in some sort of economical manner or something.

noelf

My son bought this back in 2016 and loved it to drive but had to get rid of it in less than a year due to engine issue wasn’t reparable and was warned a replacement engine could be the same . After paying about €9000 for it only got €4000 for it on a trade in for a 2016 Audi A1 .. Still misses it though!!

Andrewf20

noelf wrote: »

My son bought this back in 2016 and loved it to drive but had to get rid of it in less than a year due to engine issue wasn’t reparable and was warned a replacement engine could be the same . After paying about €9000 for it only got €4000 for it on a trade in for a 2016 Audi A1 .. Still misses it though!!

They are an animal of a car. Theres a real hold on tight feeling about them when accelerating through the bends. Its alot of performance for a 1.6.