This is slightly academic at the moment as there are factors beyond my control but here is the brief. I'm currently considering getting a cheap (Ideally below £1500, but could probably push to £2K for something special) sports car to use as my daily driver, It also has to be an auto. At the moment I've been doing a little bit of research into the MGTF and MX-5, what else should I be looking at? I'd prefer RWD but it's not nesserilly essential and I'm intrested in Coupés as well as convertibles. Any suggestions would be great and any experiences of the two cars would be lovely.
Other candidate is the MR2
As for MGs make sure any you consider are MG TF not MGF.
With the MGF there is a problem because suspension displacers are unobtainable and as this part has a limited life most TF out on the market need
new ones. A bad displacer can be covered up by pumping up the fluid pressure but this only hides the problem the handling isn't right and the
ride quality is affected.
Sooner or later somebody will develop a work around but it won't be cheap.
MX5.
My experiences of looking at MGF's is that they seem to leak as they get older and become very tatty.
IMO youd be better off looking for a Mazda MX5, but make sure its the 1.8. You might be able to find a limited edition with six speed box.
MR2 gets good reviews.
SWMBO recently sold her Honda CRX Del Sol - it was her favourite car ever and she really didn't want to part with it when the day came.
GTM style kit car?
daily driver it may be not
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kit-Car-GTM-Rossa-/12069035
8936?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1c19b4ba98
quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
My experiences of looking at MGF's is that they seem to leak as they get older and become very tatty.
IMO youd be better off looking for a Mazda MX5, but make sure its the 1.8. You might be able to find a limited edition with six speed box.
MX5
BUT check for Rust, Especially at the Rear of the Cills
Spent a few months looking for an MX5 for a mate and there are some poor examples out there
Eg Found a nice looking, low mileage 2002 and you could get 3 fingers in both of the cills 
Ended up with a mint one in the end but it took some finding
Have owned an MGF and would never recommend one to anyone i'm afraid...
Honda integras are supposed to be fantastic there around that price
MR2's are fantastic, especially turbo ones, some are also auto 
Insurance is £££ on the turbo's.
I loved my 200SX (S13) but you could probably get an S14 for that money now. 200 BHP and rear wheel drive
(Makes a great donor as well)
A kit car.
mazda az-1 you said special....
mid engine, rear wheel drive
660cc turbo charged
and gull wing doors, whats not to love...
All a matter of individual taste but that hurts my eyes --- ok it is difficult to make a short car look good but it ain't going to win on looks.
Coupe style cars... 200zx, Suzuki Cappucino/Smart Roadster?
The Hyundai one's supposed to be pretty good too
MX6
No idea if any come in auto but there should be something in your price range
Thanks some great suggestions, and a lot of things to look into. From the above I'm guessing I should probably not bother much with the MG. If
everything goes the way I'd like I hope to look at as many cars as possible, A list which isn't all that vast which is why I'm up for
all suggestions that fit.
A couple of other questions, the earliest time that this could happen is the begining of summer, do prices go up as much as people say and is it worth
waiting till winter?
How do saloon/hatch based Coupés and convertibles compare in terms of how they drive? I ask because I asked a mate the same question as here and his
suggestions were all in that vein.
OK guys, please don't shoot me down on this!
How about a Reliant Scimitar SS1 or SST/Sabre.
Yes, I know its looks are an acquired taste!
But, if you get the right 1 you get a galvanised chassis, the handling is great and it is very cheap to insure. The parts are also ford, unless you
go for the 1.8 turbo which is Nissan and REALLY quick!
BTW, if it has 1 windscreen wiper, it has a galvanised chassis. Earlier non-galvanised had 2 wipers. Don't know why.
I like the way they look but I've a strong feeling that I'd have a hard time finding one that met my budget with an autobox, I will have a look though.
Most if not all saloon based convertibles have a much higher polar moment of inertia than a purpose designed sports car.
There is also the question of scuttle shake due lack of torsional rigidity of the shell after the roof has been chopped off.
In an effort to put the rigidity back manufacturers put more metal reinforcement into the sills and floor but this adds a lot of weight for not much
return in increased stiffness.
Actually the Sabre looks quite nice
i really like that mazda az-1 kinda looks like fords rs200 from the side