Hearty congratulations to Mazda and in particular the MX-5 on reaching its 100,000th new car sale in the UK twenty years after the first model arrived in British car showrooms, a fantastic milestone for a great little classic.
The MX-5 was first unveiled at the Chicago Motor Show in 1989 and arrived in the UK in March 1990. It sold 2,246 units in its first year and annual UK sales peaked in 2007 at 9,234.
According to Autocar, British motorists account for 10% of global and 40% of European sales since the iconic sportscar’s launch.
The car has won more than 178 awards over the years, and even entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2000 as the best-selling two-seater sports car in history.
Now in its third generation it’s certainly got a great pedigree and personally I always thought of it as the girl’s car that boys were happy to drive, the kind of car which no matter what age it seemed to hold together well and drive smoothly.
It was responsive
and in the 1.8 had enough to hold its own on motorways or on country roads, not particularly exciting inside or out but just something reassuringly fashionable that in my opinion Mazda have never really recreated in other models.
From a trade point of view I can say that I have boughtand sold a few and never had any comebacks and always managed to get a profit, especially it has seemed for the older ones. I remember buying a red one with 80k miles which if memory serves was on a “G” plate 89 I think, which had leather and was as pretty as a picture but some colleagues thought I had been drinking for the money I paid. But 3 days later I was watching the new young lady driver disappear down the road with a Cheshire cat grin on her face after she had just happily paid £3,500 for it.
That’s the point you see, they have always been popular not just because they are fashionable but they are reliable and they look a lot of car for the money (as we say in the trade). Not only that at £1,500 to £3,000 there are lots of potential buyers for a little 2 seater soft top which certainly fits the bill.
According to Mazda UK’s Mark Cameron “It is a fun car that makes each journey an enjoyable experience – a car that encompasses Mazda’s soul. To hit 100,000 sales in the UK is a significant milestone for Mazda.”
And I say what a great little car which arguably has been Mazda’s saving grace and here’s to the next 100,000 and the hope that they don’t change a winning formula!
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