#nb8a

To some it may be just a quick way into convertible ownership, to others it may be an affordable, good looking car. Regardless of your purchasing motivations, an MX5 brings you round. Every time. Over to you Phil.

So, with just over two years of ownership, I've decided to write my entry. I’ve been putting it off for quite some time but now ... 

Back when I joined Justin Fox's JDMST online community in 2005, the JDM car scene was growing rapidly and I had little knowledge of the mx5 and it’s potential. But one particular car inspired me (which would ultimately make me choose an mx5 as my first car) was Justin's NA Clubman.

The funny thing was three years later when it came to buy an MX5 I didn't buy an NA ... and to this day I don’t exactly know why. Instead, on June 2008 I bought a Silver 1999 NB8A from Pickles Auctions.

I just loved the car. The way it handled, the open top driving; it would always put a smile on my face. Soon after I began to modify it. At this point in time I was into the whole “stance” theme; A low car, low offset wheels, bring it to the car meets and show it off.  I went through numerous sets of wheels, six in fact, to find “perfection”. However, I was never completely happy with the car.

It looked great, but it was uncomfortable, too low and attracted a lot of attention – it just wasn’t a daily friendly car. Some may say I need to HTFU but I dreaded taking the car out for a drive, leaving it there sitting under the carport and taking out a 1.3L Toyota Starlet instead.

Fortunately I’ve re-evaluated where I wanted to take my car, 'Operation: Drive Not Park': Raise the height, put on some lighter wheels, sticky tyres and drive the car. That’s it, drive the car and enjoy what a car is meant to do.

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