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Theodore, I drove to and from work today. It is easy to use everyday as long as you like changing gears if you get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, ie in Sydney's traffic. Some don't like the NB-8B and stick to their NB-8As because the latter has a standard five speed whereas mine has a close ratio six speed - the fifth is the one to one. My car's first owner lived on Sydney's northern beaches where there are no trains so he used it as a commuter car only. For highway cruising the six speed has a long sixth so at just on legal speeds fifth is up in the power band ( bear in mind it is a VVT engine but less Jeckyl and Hyde than the hot Honda VTECs ) but sixth is just lazily mosseying along. It is very stable at high speed or in cross winds and the seats are excellent - just as well as there is very little adjustment and at 6' tall I have my seat all the way back as does my 5'2" friend who has an SE. That is pretty counter intuitive I suppose but we both find the ergonomics equally good. eg placement feel and actuation of the major controls. I see no reason why the left hand drive would be any different.

What it is NOT is a mum's shopping trolley. Without a passenger I can carry a slab of beer, a cat box and a small shopping trolley's worth of shopping. At least it comes standard with a six stacker CD player so no need to carry a lot of CD cases around. If you are a smoker you might note that the ashtray is small and the lighter is aenemic.

In summary I suppose, it is useable in everyday commuting, but if all you want to do is carry people, goods or just operate a vehicle in the journey from A to B. If you want to have fun or tour, it comes into its own. There's a photo somewhere (!) on the aus-cartalk site ( an MX-5 site from down under, the US one is Miata something ), of a couple of motorcycle riders standing next to a road sign with cheese eating etc grins on the their faces. The sign says: "Next 11 km Winding Road". When I get around to driving that road I will have a similar expression on my face when I start! Roads like that around here tend on the weekends to have a whole lot of bikes, MX-5s, some decent cars and other things that get in the way of the aforesaid!! Motorbikes and MX-5s tend to get on well together. Being in tiny cars with good vision we are vulnerable like bikes to idiots in large vehicles. We get out of their way on the straights and they get out of our way in the corners, the sharper the corner the more they get out of our way.

End of rant part 2!

Jonathan

"In summary I suppose, it is useable in everyday commuting, but if all you want to do is carry people, goods or just operate a vehicle in the journey from A to B. "

That sentence should have finished with:

"... buy a Camry etc ..."

Jonathan

Theodore, being around 6' doesn't matter, body bulk ( belly compromising steering control etc ) does.

Let me know how it goes.

Jonathan

1 Big Rich,

the best definition of a roadster that I have come across, and Belushi TD's parents would no doubt agree with this is:

" a light, two seat, roofless, front engined rear wheel drive with adequate power and a chassis that can be used at a pinch on the track".

Maybe the MX-5 is better on the track than classic MGs but that is just progress the older cars are pure to the concept.

I was always under then impression that Saturns are front drive. That rules them out right away for chassis dynamic's reasons. A big V8 in a light small car? Do you really want your car to handle like a pig? Sorry pigs, no offence. The weight of an "evil" V8 plus the space it takes up will ruin a sweet handling small car and render it problematical in corners, where it should shine.

Jonathan