Mazda MX-5 2007 - long term test

Typical, isn't it? On a rare sunny day in an otherwise wet and windy winter, I realised my beloved Mazda MX-5 is due back soon. I've been crossing off those dark days and long nights waiting to get the roof down and, just as the weather improved, time was up.

So how has the little red roadster fared over the last 12 months? Well, it hasn't always been plain sailing - in fact, there's been a long list of niggles, even if very few have been down to the car itself.

As reported in Issue 917, a sensor in the clutch got confused in hot weather, causing the engine warning light to come on. Getting the sender unit reset fixed the fault.

Then there was the cracked windscreen (due to a piece of grit wedged under the rubber seal), a punctured rear tyre, a busted back bumper caused by an over-zealous Mercedes driver (a £983 repair bill followed that one), and the fuel filler flap that would no longer sit flush with the body.

However, the latest problem was my fault entirely. With the Mazda locked, I pressed the keyfob button to open the boot (there's no external release). I then threw in my jacket - with the car keys in the pocket - and slammed the boot shut. Disaster!

Mazda Assist had a technician on the scene within an hour. But, due to the locking mechanism, he had to break into the vehicle in order to open the bonnet, then tinker around with the electronics and fuses simply to release the boot catch. Thieves beware - this is not an easy motor to break into!

Still, the MX-5 is superb fun to drive. At our annual Greatest Drives feature (Issue 928) at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire, it finished fourth overall. Then in November it was driven all the way to the north of Scotland to meet its new Roadster Coupé sibling (Issue 941). The hard-top is more civilised but, to be honest, I love the simplicity of the soft-top.

Even though my 24-mile trip to work prevents me from racking up huge commuting distances, the MX-5 still required its first service at 12,000 miles at Elite Motors in Tooting, south London in December.

The team was friendly and efficient and I had no complaints about the £133 bill, either. It's worth noting Mazda operates a Digital Service Record, where your car's history is stored on a central database, cutting the risk of lost or fraudulent service records.

I'm still not looking forward to saying goodbye, though. And judging by the comments from other Auto Express staff members in the logbook - "fantastic, nearly perfect" to "I haven't had so much fun in ages" - I'm not alone.