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used 911 or tuned MX5 ?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:37 pm
by ChristianAB
For about 15k or 21k you can have a tuned (turbo, suspension, clutch, brakes....) mx5 (mk3) with 310 or 360 bhp respectively, or you can also have a used 996 or 997 (gen 1) respectively. Which one would you choose for fun and spirited fast road driving?

In the mx5 corner: super cheap to run, insure and maintain and tune and improve...supercar performance: 0-60mph in about 3.6 - 4.0 sec, a power to weight ratio of 270 bhp/ton to 310 bhp/ton with the added benefit of being inconspicuous. Essentially, you can outrun a Ferrari but park anywhere. The perfect sleeper. In addition, the car is small, so you can dispatch narrow B-roads with ease. Open-top motoring when you feel like it with no real penalty.
cons: well, it's only a normal mx5 from the outside ? Not the most refined car...

In the 911 corner: iconic charm. Last of the analogue 911s. Hard to describe in words what really should be felt by driving them. These cars are brilliant and when driven properly they can truly morph into something else. It's also a feeling unlike anything else on the road. The prices for both 996s and 997s are also starting to harden so depreciation would be limited at worst, or non-existent most likely and in the long term, they will probably appreciate in value if properly taken care of. The 997 esp. is also more refined and both 997s and 996s are more practical than the mx5.
cons: can be expensive to run, engine can blow up at anytime (£8k to rebuilt...though if you buy one with a rebuilt engine, you may sidestep this issue)

So, which one would you choose and why? I am considering both options at the moment.

Re: used 911 or tuned MX5 ?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:46 pm
by jont-
Neither. BRZ/GT86 or unmodified MX5 ND for fun at legal (or even not so legal) speeds, or Caterham if you want something properly raw. Oh look what's in my garage :lol:

993 is the last of the analogue 911s. :P

If you're feeling brave, cheap Boxster S for half the budget?

Re: used 911 or tuned MX5 ?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:26 pm
by sussex2
I have a 16 year old 1.6 and 110bhp MX5 which suits me very well.
The car has the handling Mazda intended and has not been modified in any way (except the usual rust well sorted - Porsches have a similar problem).
I've driven all sorts and can honestly say I wouldn't want for much more power as the basic construction isn't tuned for it. I believe that if you play with the thing too much then you haven't got an MX5.
If I was to buy a new MX5 I would go for the 1.5 and certainly not have it with any larger wheels or lowered/hardened suspension.

Re: used 911 or tuned MX5 ?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:35 pm
by ChristianAB
jont- wrote:Neither. BRZ/GT86 or unmodified MX5 ND for fun at legal (or even not so legal) speeds, or Caterham if you want something properly raw. Oh look what's in my garage :lol:

993 is the last of the analogue 911s. :P

If you're feeling brave, cheap Boxster S for half the budget?


BRZ/GT86 just too slow. sorry, esp. since the car can obviously handle more power. However, with a tuned BRZ, maybe I might be interested but then the original platform is not as light as the mx5 so...I'd probably still end up with the mx5 tbh: you can't easily reverse engineer lightness into a car.
I can't fit in an MX5 ND.
Caterham is nice but maybe too raw for now, tbh. And I would probably get an ariel atom instead if I went for that type of thrills.
993 are sadly too expensive.
Cheap Boxter S is too well-sorted...too easy, too cohesive...hard to describe but I don't desire it.

Re: used 911 or tuned MX5 ?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:44 pm
by ChristianAB
sussex2 wrote:I have a 16 year old 1.6 and 110bhp MX5 which suits me very well.
The car has the handling Mazda intended and has not been modified in any way (except the usual rust well sorted - Porsches have a similar problem).
I've driven all sorts and can honestly say I wouldn't want for much more power as the basic construction isn't tuned for it. I believe that if you play with the thing too much then you haven't got an MX5.
If I was to buy a new MX5 I would go for the 1.5 and certainly not have it with any larger wheels or lowered/hardened suspension.


I get your anxiety, and I felt the same way before I drove it, so on the test drive, I insisted on driving the tuned mx5 on broken roads to assess the suspension and I can report that compared to the unmodified example I drove recently, the car handled really well and even kept the same type of 'fluidity' as the original, you just get 'more' of it. Same with the power delivery, very linear, very similar to the normal car in feel, but there is just more of it. In a nutshell, the car does not feel changed, but rather feels better, dare I say: more pure...and with a wider performance envelope.
So no: rest assured, it still definitely feels like an mx5, in fact, I came away from the test drive thinking that that's what the ultimate mx5 should have been in the first place, the normal unmodified car looking like a dumbed down version of what I'd just driven.

Re: used 911 or tuned MX5 ?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:49 pm
by jont-
Have you seen the recently announced v6 MX5 kit? An N/A engine feels like a much better fit for a sports car. And absolutely get you that Boxsters are dull, but that view often upsets a few people who like them :lol: :hit:

Re: used 911 or tuned MX5 ?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:54 pm
by sussex2
ChristianAB wrote:
sussex2 wrote:I have a 16 year old 1.6 and 110bhp MX5 which suits me very well.
The car has the handling Mazda intended and has not been modified in any way (except the usual rust well sorted - Porsches have a similar problem).
I've driven all sorts and can honestly say I wouldn't want for much more power as the basic construction isn't tuned for it. I believe that if you play with the thing too much then you haven't got an MX5.
If I was to buy a new MX5 I would go for the 1.5 and certainly not have it with any larger wheels or lowered/hardened suspension.


I get your anxiety, and I felt the same way before I drove it, so on the test drive, I insisted on driving the tuned mx5 on broken roads to assess the suspension and I can report that compared to the unmodified example I drove recently, the car handled really well and even kept the same type of 'fluidity' as the original, you just get 'more' of it. Same with the power delivery, very linear, very similar to the normal car in feel, but there is just more of it. In a nutshell, the car does not feel changed, but rather feels better, dare I say: more pure...and with a wider performance envelope.
So no: rest assured, it still definitely feels like an mx5, in fact, I came away from the test drive thinking that that's what the ultimate mx5 should have been in the first place, the normal unmodified car looking like a dumbed down version of what I'd just driven.


Oh good and I am really pleased.
Perhaps the MX5 should be a little more raw in basic form?
What you will have is (rust aside...but do not underestimate this) is a decent and uncomplicated car that is mechanically sound; even the hood worhs properly and easily and is pretty much watertight.
That's the thing about these cars I suppose; there are very few 'knacks' or things to get used to. The thing can be driven just as it is.
If it is of interest the heater is amazing and can melt your shoes. It warms in less than a mile.

Re: used 911 or tuned MX5 ?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:58 pm
by ChristianAB
jont- wrote:Have you seen the recently announced v6 MX5 kit? An N/A engine feels like a much better fit for a sports car. And absolutely get you that Boxsters are dull, but that view often upsets a few people who like them :lol: :hit:


No, I haven't. Would be interested in the weight penalty. Will look it up. With that said, the dyno graphs from the turbocharged mx5 looked very similar to those of my NA V6 370z which makes around 350 bhp, same ballpark, and from driving the turboed mx5, you probably wouldn't be able to tell that it was turbocharged if someone didn't tell you.

Edit: until you went past 4500 rpm, that is....

Re: used 911 or tuned MX5 ?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 3:10 pm
by Gareth
ChristianAB wrote:BRZ/GT86 just too slow. sorry, esp. since the car can obviously handle more power.

Learn to drive a slow car fast ... then learn to drive a fast car slow.

Re: used 911 or tuned MX5 ?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 3:17 pm
by Strangely Brown
ChristianAB wrote:
jont- wrote:Have you seen the recently announced v6 MX5 kit? An N/A engine feels like a much better fit for a sports car. And absolutely get you that Boxsters are dull, but that view often upsets a few people who like them :lol: :hit:


No, I haven't. Would be interested in the weight penalty. Will look it up.


This one?

http://www.rocketeerltd.com/