Next Car?

[mkid]

ok so since ive nearly finished on what im gonna do with the BA and that im gonna be off my p's in a few months im looking for a new project
ive come to two possible cars that are at th level of performance i want and driveablitity
first is the all mighty MX5
id be looking at the NB8C if i were (perhaps the SE if a could find one)
heres a example of one
http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=38023

the other car that im interested in is the go-kart EP82 4-EFTE STARLET GT Turbo
heres a example of one
http://www.austarletclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15296

i know there very different cars and designed very differently
also there is a large age difference as well
im just kinda stuck on which one i should be looking more into
weekend car maybe daily not to sure yet

i will be modding (not as far as these are)
just wanting some extra imput as i know a lot of the guys off AUSC and have been driven in a few of these they have given me information on whats possible and what there like to own
Dan and a few other people have given me some info on the MX5
all oppions are welcome

kane

[Rupewrecht]

Moved. This is not a random question :p

[project.r.racing]

I'd pick MX5. RWD, most parts available, convertible.

[mkid]

well i thought random ment odd as well lol

[SLY 323]

I think the MX5 IMO.

I believe they would out-handle the Starlets easily. Not as much power, but certainly easy to turbo as there are so many after market bits for the MX5 and so much tech information available.

Also, with the convertible, and where we happen to live :p I would be seeking a hardtop if you were to go the MX5. So that means more $$$.

MX5 would be newer. Also, owning the car that the Guinness Book of World Records declared the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history would be cool. Haha. ;)

[mkid]

thats another thing to think about i guess
security!!
the soft top would be a lot easier to get into and i dont think you can hook a alarm up to the softtops roof
any one know if its possible to get aftermarket hardtops as it was a option when buying the car and not many were sold with

[project.r.racing]

there are hardtops for MX5s everywhere for sale. they are quite common.

[SLY 323]

On carsales.com.au, out of the 77 MX-5's in NSW under $15,000, only 3 are hardtop. They are actually not so common. Not sure if the stats are different up in QLD.

I think you should go get a MX-5 hardtop. :) I think they are much more unique than a Starlet. IMO. ;)

[phildough]

I have driven a starlet turbo and have owned a MX5, they are not even comparable as cars.
The Startlet is an overpowered front wheel drive with massive understeer and insufficient weight to even keep the wheels on the ground.
The MX5 however was designed from the ground up as a sports car.
If it was me there would only be one choice - the MX5.

[Rupewrecht]

Hardtops are easy to come by, but they're an additional $500-$1000. If they're black then they were ordered after the car was bought, if they were bought with the car then they're bodycolor.

[SLY 323]

Hardtops are easy to come by.

They are around. Just many of them.

Do you know where to get aftermarket hardtops?

[project.r.racing]

The only aftermarket ones in Australia that I am aware of are the cabron fibre ones that were designed for the track. CF = non ADR.

[Rupewrecht]

Yeah, what Ryan said. There's a couple of different non-OEM ones in Japan though.

[SLY 323]

CF = non ADR.

That's a shame :(

Any reason for it? Just not strong enough or?

[project.r.racing]

Same reason as CF bonnets.

[project.r.racing]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/JDM-Mazda-MX5-NA-NB-Roadster-Hard-Top-Roof-Cover-/380321618390?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item588cef59d6

I can only find this on on ebay at the moment, and it will not sell at that price. The seals have perished and it has some chips in the bodywork. $500 for this one. $1000 for a top/good condition one.

[mynameisdaniel]

Same reason as CF bonnets.

Surely a CF roof wouldn't be any less safe than no roof though?

[derb]

I believe there is a mob called FibreTech or something who make CF bonnets that comply with ADRs.

[mkid]

dan if i were to ask you to find me a hardtop in japan could you do it?
and how much for do you think?

[Rupewrecht]

Yeah, i see them all the time so it wouldn't be an issue. prices seem to be from 15k to 40k depending on condition - so about $560-$1020.

[mkid]

is it simply unbolt one and exchange over or is there fabrication/ different brackets used?

if i get a mx5 i dont after wait till i get off p's which is a bonus

[Rupewrecht]

You might need some brackets from Mazda - i'm not sure if they're permanently attached to the hardtop.

[mkid]

fair enough
guess i will start saving up a bit more then

is there any problems that they commonly have like the VICs issue (iknow thats a BJ thing) or dizzy o-ring issues???
seeing as i want a NB8B it uses the BP-VE im not to sure how similar the BP is to it anymore...

[Rupewrecht]

Most of the issues the NAs had were sorted by the time of the NB - i can't really think of anything in particular that's a trouble spot with them.

[project.r.racing]

Coil packs failing is the biggest issue I am aware of. And they cost big to replace.

NBs will have the same issues as Astinas will, just that the older Astinas show their age more being 8 years older for some models. As Dan said, there have been improvements made along the way to solve those issues.

Alot of complaints about the cover, but that is more a convertable thing I guess.

[chewyryce]

my hard top on the NA had a demister plug to it. i think most of the hard tops ive seen for sale dont have demister. its just glass. also i dont know what other hard tops look like inside but mine is black leather. no idea if its genuine or not but dont genuine hard tops start from $800?