DRIVE MX-5

“MY FAMILY had a Mazda dealership in Tasmania when the MX-5 came along in 1989. It was the first sports car roadster to come along in a long time – in fact since the MGB almost 10 years before – so it created a lot of interest. . In fact, it’s hard to believe the MX-5 is now more than 25 years old! This MX5 is a 2005 model so it’s the third-gen car that has only been replaced by the new one. Anyhow, this is a two-litre with a six-speed and it’s very refined and sophisticated. In fact, it’s probably the best of the MX-5s for daily driving.

It’s as easy as a Mazda3 to drive – it’s easy to drive and all the controls are nice and light and this one has leather and lots of modcons.

It’s quite a muscular looking thing – it looks like it should have a V8 in it! I reckon a little alloy-block V8 would be nice! But on a winding road it has terrific grip and poise. For bang for your buck, something like this is hard to beat – but I gotta say, it doesn’t have the same classic feel of the earlier cars.