Mazda Clubs
 

I'm toying with the idea of buying an old Mark 1 MX5 for use as a track day special (so I can keep my 8 all nice and shiny but still have some fun). In the hope of finding out a bit more from the guys who have gone down the same route I started searching for an online Australian MX5 forum.

Playing around in Google I found this very helpful (NOT) page from Mazda Australia - http://www.mazda.com.au/articleZone5...cleZoneID=3406.

Note that there are no links to any clubs and no mention at all of the RX8. Sounds to me like the page has been dormant for a while.

BTW, have found the NSW MX5 Club site but it doesn't appear to have a forum. I'll keep looking but is anyone aware of a local MX5 forum (ILIV48??)?

Just came across this:

http://www.mazda.com.au/articleZone1...ticleZoneID=81

An improvement but the RX8 link just takes you to Mazda marketing guff.

BTW, found this http://www.aus-cartalk.com/. Seems like it's okay.

Anyone know of a better MX5 forum?

Promise I'll shut up now and let you get a word in... :angel: :mdrmed:

Depends on your budget:

I think an old Lotus Elise is the way to go.

Having said that: If you buy the Elise, you will keep weighing yourself before a track day, thinking that will slow down the car :Freak_ani:

I was dreaming of a triple rotor cosmo...

I think an MX-5 is a good idea, as there are plenty of them around, ensuring a good range of spares and mods is available. Plus, with a good number on the tracks, you should be in a good competitive class. Might even think about that myself.

Timbo's on the money.

This won't be any dream car and it won't be pretty. It's something that can be scratched, dented, ploughed over grass and gravel traps (hey - I'm a realist now :mdrmed: ) and won't be registered or insured.

The plan that's gradually forming in my sick little brain is to spend maybe $10K on the car and throw another $10K at it in mods over time. I can trailer it behind the family truckster.

There seems to be a pretty vibrant scene from the quick skim I've had over the MX5 forum I found and the lap times aren't that dissimilar from the 8 at tighter tracks like Wakefield.

I'm buying a new house atm so it probably won't happen until late this year or maybe next but I thought I'd dip a toe in the water and see what the options are.

Longterm I'm thinking a rotary powered stripped out 5 would be a fun toy for track days. :rock:

And I can have fun with my 8 on the road without worrying about wrecking it on a track. :angel:

WHy the five? with that sort of money you could get yourself a master piece RX-3 or even RX-7 which would do decent times as well. Or if you want small and light, go an R100...I have one spare out the back if you want...bit of work to do but I will sell it to you cheap ;-)

:mdrmed: :mdrmed: Mate, we all saw your pontification followed by embarrassing haste on wheels and tyres :mdrmed: :mdrmed: Why wait when you can have almost instantaneous gratification :mdrmed:

My betting is the house spec has already been modified to include a 3 car garage & workshop, plus hardstanding area for trailer :cwm27:

Bugger the pool, I mean, it's just so hazardous these days, with young kids and everything.... :nono: :cwm27:

I guess because I've wanted a 5 since they came out but have never hankered after the old skool rotaries.

Does this HAVE to be a logical decision? It's a car remember. :mdrmed: :mdrmed:

Especially chipping the ice away during a Canberra winter to feed the piranna... :hahano:

YES of course it has to be!!

Que? What pontification? :angel: What embarrassing haste? :angel: I thought I took an AGE to decide on rims and rubber and finally get them. Evidence please for this gross slur on my character :spank: :spank: .

Two car garage is enough - family truckster has never been under cover. It gets left out in the rain and punished for being the dog ugly applicance it is. And before anyone gets into me about resale - it is an AUII Ford Falcon station wagon people - it doesn't HAVE any resale and never did! :mdrmed: It will continue to be abused by the mini-terrorists until it starts costing us money and then will be palmed off to the first fool I can find with $5-10K.

No need for workshop either. Mechanics and tradesmen love me for very good, expensive reasons! :mdrmed:

And the pool IS necessary :spank: . Have to keep the kids entertained while I bugger off to track days and cruises. Bye honey. :kiss: :mdrmed:

If you're serious I feel sorry for you. :mdrmed:

Sigh! You would be the first! :mdrmed:

:mdrmed: Doubt it. I'm sure I saw pity in the FD's eyes at the Nats. :hahano: :hahano:

www.aus-cartalk.com is probably *THE* MX-5 forum in Australia. For a more US centric forum www.miata.net.
www.aus-cartalk.com is closely associated with the various official MX-5 Clubs around the country.
Come join us, have fun in an MX-5.

Cheers draco and thanks for the feedback. :)

I've registered at aus-cartalk and have had a quick skim through but haven't had time to check it out properly yet much less post something. Be on the lookout for dumb newbie questions soon. :o: :crazy: :D:

Heh heh, grasped the nettle and broached my cunning plan for a 'cheap' track car with 'er indoors.

You might think this was strategically dumb while househunting and after just having spent a bit on the 8 but it allowed an explosion of rage to occur. Gotta draw the poison out. :cwm27:

Having weathered the first storm it's now just a matter of time in the war of attrition. :mdrmed:

I reckon it'll take a year but I'll get there. :angel:

Yep what he said. Those 2 sites are probably the best MX5 forums you will find.

Modded NA's can certainly move it around a track. The mechanicals on them are pretty simple too with a lot of the MX5 NA guys doing a lot of the work on their cars themselves. Plenty of online material/documentation on doing just about anything to one of them.

Keep working on the misses mate!

:eek: :eek: Have you made a firm offer on a house yet??. If not, you've just shown your hand, and she's adding maybe $20k to the buying limit...trust me on this :boink: :sad:

Thanks Stu. With any luck we can compare notes in the future. ;) :D:

Timbo, relax. ;) You're not talking to an amateur here.

Yes we have made a firm offer (more than one actually- damn vendors' agent :icon_bs: ) and the buying limit was pre-agreed and set in concrete. It ain't changing unless she knows ways around my bank manager that I haven't thought of.

The disclosure was carefully timed for maximum detonation. I knew that if I managed to survive the initial explosion the passage of time would work its magic and she'll eventually give in. :p: Luckily I'm still whole. :evil_laug But don't try this at home folks - 16 years has taught me something about how the owner/trainer responds to adversity and no two wives are the same - would be boring if they were.

Could'nt leave this beauty.....

No TWO WIVES????

How many have you got stashed away??:Eyecrazy:

That's for me to know and you (and them) to find out... ;) :mdrmed:




No, dummy :spank: , I was saying that my wife is different from yours or someone else's and my crash or crash through tactic may not be advisable with all. Indeed, from what I've seen, I'm sure it isn't. :hahano: