My love affair with the MX5 started in Autumn of 2004, when I had money burning a hole in my pocket and a desire for a sports car with pedigree to replace my old Ford Fiesta that was slowly returning to the ground via the dreaded tin worm.

Initially put off by “grey imports” from the motoring press and friends, I looked in Autotrader to find a UK MX5 Mk1 that was on my way home from college. I stopped by and as soon as I got in and fired her up, I was sold on the idea of owning one. It drove how a sports car should with a good rev happy engine, precise gear change and great handling – it fitted the bill. Unfortuantely for me, the car in question was rusting in the usual spots, apparently a common fault with the UK cars after suffering years of gritted roads.

I investigated a little further into imports and what they offered. The MX5OC forum, surprisingly I thought, were keen to acknowledge imported cars and the general feeling was that they are no less the car that was released solely in the UK. In fact, I soon discovered they were identical bar a few physical features, like the rear number plate.

After a bit more digging, I came across Dandycars, who claimed to specialize in Imported MX5’s (Eunos Roadsters). Again, these guys were near enough on my way home from college so I dropped by on the off chance I could maybe have a test drive of a couple and feel my way around the cars. Immediately I was greeted by a friendly audience who I soon discovered were father and son team David and Mark. They introduced me to their newest addition to the team (can’t remember his name!!) who showed me around a few cars and joined me on a couple of test drives.

I was so impressed with one car in particular, a lovely dark blue 1.8 roadster that I put the deposit down for it there and then! There were no pressures put on me, in fact it was the lack of ‘hounding’ you so often get at car dealers that prompted me to stick with these guys. Soon after putting down the deposit my aged Fiesta was sold and I was able to proceed with acquiring my new car. Turn around was very fast for having all the work I requested done, which included Cam belt change and full service, complete underseal and a fitted immobilizer. I was always kept up to date on the status of the car during this period which made me long for it even more!

On the pick up date, a lovely fresh sunny January morning, I drove all the way back from Ilford to Cambridge with the roof down, and I was in heaven. The car was spot on, the weather was great, this is what motoring is all about.

Since buying the car almost a year ago, as expected a couple of teething problems arose. For example, the car sprung a minor oil leak soon after delivery which was promptly diagnosed as a leaky CAS seal. Mark quickly booked me in on a Saturday morning and his team quickly resolved the problem, all while me and my friend were offered tea and test drives, perfect! I’ve had nothing but great times in the car and it has proven to be very reliable, not once shaking my confidence in it (apart from an apparently rounded off spark plug which turned out to be part of the old HT lead melting itself to the flats! – Yes I was embarrassed!). I have since learnt how to change the oil and filters on the car, and have completed service work myself whenever it is due, however if something big needs doing (i.e. clutch) then I’ll almost certainly be ringing Dandycars up. The guys in the workshop know pretty much everything there is to know about these cars, it’s easy to trust the work they carry out.

If like me you want a Roadster, I would strongly recommend you visit David, Mark & co. They know their stuff, they are patient and obliging, and offer second to none pre- and post-sales customer service.

A happy customer,

Tom Boagey, Cambridge