Having come to terms with the inevitable departure of my Fiat Panda 100HP, I figured it was about time to treat myself to something I’d always wanted: a proper lightweight, rear-driven sports car.
I’ll admit first that the car I really wanted was a Toyota GT86 – its connection to the ‘AE86’ Corolla really appeals, as does the variety of aftermarket bits – but I couldn’t make the numbers work on one of those. Older examples were either too expensive to buy with the cash I had or were modified in poor taste; later, low-mileage facelifts were few and far between and marred by eye-watering interest rates if financed through a Toyota dealer.
So my attention turned to the brand-new 2.0-litre Mazda MX-5 we had on the Autocar long-term fleet at the time. I knew I definitely couldn’t afford that car (and its flat-grey paint didn’t appeal to me anyway), but my colleagues’ unending praises pricked my ears up.
I had always admired the Mk4 MX-5. I was 16 when I first laid eyes on one on my way to school, and it still looks as good today as it did in my daydreams while I should have been learning GCSE French. If anything, it has become better with time, with the increasing rarity of such compact cars making it stand out all the more.
Crucially, Mk4 MX-5s are more abundant than GT86s, so there are better deals to be found. Just as I started my search for a new car, my local Mazda showroom listed a 2021 example in my near-ideal spec: an updated ‘ND2’ with the overhauled 2.0-litre engine, Bilstein dampers and a rag-top roof. And, despite having covered only 15,000 miles, it was among the cheaper examples in the nation.
Before the dealer had uploaded any pictures of the thing, I paid a £100 holding deposit – fully refundable, in case I didn’t gel with it – and arranged a test drive. But I needn’t have worried about the refundability of said downpayment: I agreed to buy it within the first 100 yards.
Five days later, my Panda was gone and I had signed my soul away to finance the little roadster.
Buyer’s remorse?
This being the most expensive purchase of my life thus far – and the longest commitment to boot, given I’m locked into finance payments for longer than I was at university – I felt regret and unease at first.
I knew an old Porsche Boxster might have been more fun for less outlay, and I still desperately wanted a clean GT86.