I'm Ssssuper Thanksss For Assking

Just to offset the Porsche love on here for a moment, I have been the owner of a black Mk1 (Japanese Import) Eunos Roadster/MX5 since November 2010.

 

Truth be told I only bought one to see what the fuss was about, and to channel a few bob into in the hope of cashing out on it further down the line. I looked at dozens to find the right one at the right price and found that the vast majority were in an awful state and that even the pricey, enthusiast owned cars often need a considerable amount of work. This is normally the case with cars that can run on through incredible neglect – witness the trust Mercedes W124 for example – and so thoughts turned to the bottom end of the market.

I found what I was looking for in Mayo, a scruffy looking English fella in a scruffy house was selling this and believed it to be the most uncredible car ever. It was not. Mismatched Dingdong tyres, leaking in the roof and boot, scored discs, scratchy pads, not running entirely right yet overall, a solid, uncrashed car with VRT paid and a good engine and gearbox. The consumables didn’t matter as they were all getting replaced anyway.

 The haggling was hilarious. He kept harping on about this €200 stereo he’d put in and I said “well take it out then if you love it so much”. If anyone ever watched Team Schrick where Tim is buying the Aston Martin, he doesn’t care about anything except that the car has a solid shell.

 

That was me, and it was awesome. Imagine, there was snow on the ground, the puddle the car was standing in was frozen and this lad was trying to sell a leaky convertible and he wasn’t moving on the price. It was tragic, but I wanted the car badly.

In the end I had to walk away, wait a week to focus his mind and negotiate via text. The price of a tank and a half of home heating oil was exchanged. We were both happy, because both of us thought we had robbed each other.

 

Then a serious amount of work went into replacing consumables on the car with a focus on fast-road driving.

Fast forward two years and 6911 miles later. I had been warned by owners that they are more than the sum of their parts and will click with you a few months into ownership. This definitely proved correct, and the little car is very much part of the family. My wife didn't drive it for the first 18 months I had it but when between cars this summer she used it as a daily for... well, almost all of the summer and still raves about it.

 

It gets €270 tax for six months annual use. Classic insurance over 3500 miles per year for my wife and I is just over €200, fully comp with breakdown assistance. Despite using an engine with its roots firmly in the early 1980s it has averaged 32mpg in my ownership and has peaked at 37mpg on long runs. It is used as intended yet has never broken down or hinted at any kind of mechanical failure.

 

Since the major work post-purchase it has only needed a headlight lifter motor outside of regular servicing. When the time comes to recommission it each spring, it receives an oil and filter change along with a fresh set of wipers and it will then go about its work with ease and total reliability.

From an ownership point of view, it has been flawless. Cheap to buy, cheap to run, fun to drive. Yes, it’s not exactly filled with soul or passion and it could do with another 30hp to make things just right, but those minor critiques aside it is everything an older sportscar should be, plus when it rains it goes more sideways than The Hoff after a few pints. Sometimes the novelty of driving the car on the ragged edge all the time gets a little tiresome but then you can always just punt around in it too.

In the interest of new motoring experiences the coming summer will probably be its last in my hands, and while it will be hard to let go there is no doubt it will run on for many, many years to come.