As the page on the calendar flips over to October, the round disc on the windscreen of my MX5 expires. It’s time to back her into garage and leave her rest until April. For anyone living outside Ireland, it costs €544 to tax a 1.6 car for a year in this country. So you’ll find most owners of cars like this or cars of higher performance will take the option of only taxing their cars for the 6 months between April and the end of September. So as we hang the keys up for a while, we start to think about my first year of owning this car which we lovingly named Mia.

I can still remember that wet Wednesday we headed to Dublin to see it for the first time. Remembering that smile on my face when I floored it for the first time and hearing that HKS exhaust. Remembering having to go to a local auto factors to buy a battery for it as the old one was knackered from sitting up. And remembering the first time the back stepped out on me as I made a right turn at a traffic light junction.

So over the past year, Mia has done her fair share of mini road-trips around Ireland. Taking part on runs with other members of the MX5 Ireland in the midlands, across the Wicklow mountains, over The Vee, along the Copper Coast and my personal favourite, the two days spend touring the countless unbelievably scenic roads in Kerry and Cork. Between motorways, national roads, backroads and even lanes barely suitable for passage, Mia took it all in her stride. Even though they are marketed as low slung sports convertibles,  it is still very comfortable on our bumpy pothole riddled roads. But it is the back roads where she is at home. Roof down, sunglasses on, listening to that exhaust as you join the twists and turns together. No fancy electronics here and you can tell. Every little input on the steering wheel is instantly translated to the road. There is no scary moments either. Having the engine up front and the drive to the rear, it is perfectly balanced. Being a soft top, there is no heavy roof either which also helps to keep the centre of gravity down. All of this provides one of the best driving experiences you’ll have for such little money.

It did need a little work when we got it to get it back up to par. On the day it was purchased, we needed to fit a battery to get it home. A bit of tidying to the wiring to get the radio and the exterior corner lights working again. And to get it through the NCT, new shocks, a cat and a headlight focus were needed. With a fresh disc on the window, reliability-wise the car has been near faultless. The only problem that cropped up was an easy fix. It had a tendency to stall as you pressed the clutch when coming to a stop. This was easily sorted by fittling with the idle screw. We can honestly say this was the biggest problem we experienced all year. What else would you expect from the Japanese. Great bunch of lads.

Everytime we went to garage and we see her sitting in the corner, just by looking at it, it puts a smile on your face. It’s little dinky size, its pop-up headlights, this isn’t a car. It’s a toy and it makes you feels like a big child. On the roads, it still gets plenty of looks. It catches the attention of men, women and children of all ages. We’ve even been stopped in petrol stations by people wanting to tell us how much they love of these cars or to share stories of owning one before. Stories that were always accompanied by the type of smile that is usually reserved by people talking about that love that got away. Even when we were in Paris last year as part of the EuroRally we were on, one of the other participants had a first generation MX5 that a was faded red but still, under the Eiffel Tower, had women coming up to him asking could they take pictures with the car. Proof it’s classic looks are timeless and loved by all.

But of course even the best of cars have their downfalls. But thankfully most of the MX5’s flaws are just down to it’s practicality but then again an MX5 is not about being practical. The boot isn’t exactly big. If your going touring around, make sure you pack light. Think back packs rather than suitcases. The cupholders on the centre console are almost unusable when on the move. They sit too close to gear stick and in no time you’ll find yourself just stuffing your water bottle between the seat and the door. And on the dash, there is an absence of a clock to tell the time and also no low fuel warning light. Security is also an issue. Getting in without keys is childs play and with no alarms or immobilizers, getting some sort of aftermarket security system should be top of the list of additions to be made if you do decide to purchase one. Even with that, we still find ourselfs parking it within view at stops or at least under cameras.

Looking ahead, there is a few jobs we would like to do it. In the near future, we’d like to lower it a small bit. Just enough that there isn’t such a big gap between the wheels and the arches but without comprising the comfort too much. The wiring is an issue with this particular car. A previous owner has hacked at the wires behind the radio and has made such a mess of them that the radio will not go off with key which has lead to a couple of jump starts. And as a tribute to their lack of knowledge, they had left enough wire under the carpet and in the boot to completely rewire the car. A brake upgrade is also on the list.

Despite having disc brakes all round, the stopping power doesn’t fill me with confidence especially when your on a spirited Sunday spin. An easy upgrade we’ve been told about is to fit your calipers on carriers from a 1.8 model. This allows for slightly larger discs and pads. Much further down the line, a full respray will be needed. With mismatched colours on a couple of panels and it’s previous red colour still present under the bonnet and boot it’s a must at some stage. We’re still between two minds whether to remove the HKS exhaust system. When giving it the beans, it’s music to our ears but on the long drive home cruising at 100km/h, it’s just a head wrecking drone.

But no matter what, we still can’t wait for April to get her back on the road. For the money you pay for these, you will not find a better car that provides as many smiles per miles. With the stunning looks, great build quality, go-kart like handling, the affordability, the low running costs and the extensive range of aftermarket updates available, it isn’t a wonder why this car has such a cult status. We can also honestly say, this will not be the only MX5 to enter our garage. Maybe another one to be aimed at track based activities? Or a high quality build with a plush interior with a concours engine bay and exterior? The possibilities are endless with these.