So I'm a hair away from getting my speed3..help me out!!

[brooklynbo122]

like the title says I am so very close to gettin mine, but I wanna know what things I should check for before I drive home with joy. First stick car btw.

I heard of some things such as rattling under the hood right where the wipers lay and rattling of the dash. Also I heard about the smoking turbos idk if that is an issue for any 08.5's or all k04's I'm general. Lastly I heard of the radio..somethin about it only sounding best when past 35..?

Pretty much just let me know in detail what it is so I can pinpoint these things while at the dealer and let me know what the dealer did to fix it and if it improved or fixed the problem completely. And btw if there is something you know about that I didnt mention go ahead and post it.

Also my dealer did a dealer trade for a CWP and should I be worried about how the tow guy treated the car goin on and off the truck? How bad can the engine be spanked by previous test drives before the break in is up? Cause I know its possible when they are so lenient with there test drives.

Sorry to go on a tangent but I don't think I can wait. I wanna be the first one there to peel the plastic off the seats..s*** I might even sleep in the thing the first night I have it home! Not to sound OCD or anything but all this seems to come with buying a new car.

Also I don't mean to bring a monotonous topic up but if you could, when you chime in, tell me what you would pick between Metro gray and Crystal white pearl with a small reason why because at this point the dealer has both ready for me and I haven't made the decision yet. Thanks in advance

 

[oaklandopen]

first off, you don't sound like you have OCD, more like ADD with your grammatical errors and going "OFF TANGENT"

anyway...if you search other threads you'll find some of these concerns. the biggest one i've found for the 8.5 model is the stereo. and i believe it's opposite of what you stated, after a certain volume level the bass cuts out.

white is going to bring a paint premium of i think $300 more

you're probably not going to find rattling noises without driving it for a little bit first so don't try saying to the dealer that you've "heard about them and want them fixed before you leave off the lot." some of this stuff you're just gonna have to have happen to you before you can get it warrantied.

btw...my dealer tells me that the new shipment arrived in jersey last friday, so mine should be in very soon

 

[brooklynbo122]

first off, you don't sound like you have OCD, more like ADD with your grammatical errors and going "OFF TANGENT"

anyway...if you search other threads you'll find some of these concerns. the biggest one i've found for the 8.5 model is the stereo. and i believe it's opposite of what you stated, after a certain volume level the bass cuts out.

white is going to bring a paint premium of i think $300 more

you're probably not going to find rattling noises without driving it for a little bit first so don't try saying to the dealer that you've "heard about them and want them fixed before you leave off the lot." some of this stuff you're just gonna have to have happen to you before you can get it warrantied.

btw...my dealer tells me that the new shipment arrived in jersey last friday, so mine should be in very soon

Yea because I forgot you were an English teacher..if you look at when I posted that you might see why those errors were there. And I was hoping that I would hear from someone who is speaking from experience that has one instead someone who is waiting to get there's from the dealer still..(doh)

 

[MSelo]

I've owned mine for about a year and a half now, the only issue I've had was the CEL which was one of the few recalls this model has had. The car has been in for 2 recalls and outside of that, no problems whatsoever. My MS3 is bone stock with 10k miles on it, I work in Cincinnati and live 8 minutes outside of it so I haven't really racked up the mileage on it. Just follow the rules: Use premium, let it cool down for 20-30 seconds before shutting off, don't rev the engine excessively(the manual says that) and MAKE SURE to get a set of winter tires if you live in area that even remotely has snow.
You really shouldn't obsess about all the things you've heard on this forum, you are one step ahead simply by acknowledging the known issues. You are going to drive yourself crazy thinking that they could all possibly happen to you by driving off the lot. Relax, ask your salesman about them if that will put your mind at ease, however, in all honestly he/she really won't be much help seeing as they can't do something about what hasn't happened yet. Enjoy the ms3....oh and relax.

 

[GoFast]

as for the rattling, just drive it around a bit and if you hear, it take it in and have them fix it. ive had mine for alittle over a year, and 27k miles and have nothing to complain about at all. no cel's or real major problems that would make me think twice about buying it. i had the windshield cowl fixed 20 minutes out of my day, motormount replaced(recall) an hour out of my day, and a couple of reflashes from the dealer. aside from that..nothing, change the oil, drive it how you want if something happens..warranty. Just dont go modding the crap out of it and if you do, dont be too upset if the dealer gives you a hard time or denies warranty work. other than that, pull the trigger and enjoy the hell out if it. nice color too!!

 

[brooklynbo122]

I've owned mine for about a year and a half now, the only issue I've had was the CEL which was one of the few recalls this model has had. The car has been in for 2 recalls and outside of that, no problems whatsoever. My MS3 is bone stock with 10k miles on it, I work in Cincinnati and live 8 minutes outside of it so I haven't really racked up the mileage on it. Just follow the rules: Use premium, let it cool down for 20-30 seconds before shutting off, don't rev the engine excessively(the manual says that) and MAKE SURE to get a set of winter tires if you live in area that even remotely has snow.
You really shouldn't obsess about all the things you've heard on this forum, you are one step ahead simply by acknowledging the known issues. You are going to drive yourself crazy thinking that they could all possibly happen to you by driving off the lot. Relax, ask your salesman about them if that will put your mind at ease, however, in all honestly he/she really won't be much help seeing as they can't do something about what hasn't happened yet. Enjoy the ms3....oh and relax.

Yea thanks man. I just don't want anything to get in the way of that first day of pure joy You know.. I don't wanna be drivin home and be like WTF is wrong with my radio when I have my s*** on blast on my first trip home. Or notice the rattling when I pull into my driveway. I will try to relax though damn I can't wait.

 

[brooklynbo122]

as for the rattling, just drive it around a bit and if you hear, it take it in and have them fix it. ive had mine for alittle over a year, and 27k miles and have nothing to complain about at all. no cel's or real major problems that would make me think twice about buying it. i had the windshield cowl fixed 20 minutes out of my day, motormount replaced(recall) an hour out of my day, and a couple of reflashes from the dealer. aside from that..nothing, change the oil, drive it how you want if something happens..warranty. Just dont go modding the crap out of it and if you do, dont be too upset if the dealer gives you a hard time or denies warranty work. other than that, pull the trigger and enjoy the hell out if it. nice color too!!

 

[SPEED3TYPE2]

I'm at 38K no problem except the "actuater valve" strarted vibrating for a second under cold start up at about 34k fixed under warrenty.. thats it and ive have driven my car hard from the begining i'm at 17.5 psi srtock is 15.6 etc..

 

[oaklandopen]

Yea because I forgot you were an English teacher..if you look at when I posted that you might see why those errors were there. And I was hoping that I would hear from someone who is speaking from experience that has one instead someone who is waiting to get there's from the dealer still..(doh)

no it's okay, you didn't forget, cuz im not one.

and honestly your car could either have no problems or a million problems. for all you know some guy soldering microchips coulda had marriage problems and screwed something up the day he built the sound system for your car. or maybe after the series of bad motormounts mazda decided to go with a different one, and yours happens to be the 1st one off the assembly line with a mount that stands up better. so a lot of this stuff is just gonna have to be a play-it-by-ear sort of thing

 

[brooklynbo122]

no it's okay, you didn't forget, cuz im not one.

and honestly your car could either have no problems or a million problems. for all you know some guy soldering microchips coulda had marriage problems and screwed something up the day he built the sound system for your car. or maybe after the series of bad motormounts mazda decided to go with a different one, and yours happens to be the 1st one off the assembly line with a mount that stands up better. so a lot of this stuff is just gonna have to be a play-it-by-ear sort of thing

Okay maybe you didn't understand the first time. Based on your previous post you don't own a speed3, and if you do than you haven't driven it past 500 miles yet. So because of this your opinion counts but really is quite useless, because you aren't talking from expirience of owning a speed3. You are talking in general. Yes I know cars have problems and you can't assume your car will be problem free or have all the problems known to man. All I am saying is that people have factual info after driving one for a while and they know things that have come up along with their ownership of the car. And because of that they know things that only they would know because they own(ed) the car. Any of the other three people have given way more sensible info than you have as opposed to your vague info. How you ask? They can do this because they have done more than test drive the car they own one and have for some time now. Do you own one? Oh..no you don't because you are still waiting on yours. So please fall back and let others chime in like they have done so and just relax.

 

[Hyun]

Well, here are some things that kind of annoys me from owning the car year and half now.

- Clutch squeeky
- Squeek when going over bump, turning off engine, driving thru drive thru, tapping on the gas
-car hesitate to start during summer, could be fuel pump. I didnt have time to go yet.
-creek everywhere, seat, console etc
-dont like the sound of klunk when shifting
-cars really cute, can potentially attract gay guy(flash) (no offence)
-leaky bpv
-motor mount not good (potential engine droppage)
-tire, i wish it lasted longer but understandable.
-hesitation when your giving 3/4 throttle to full throttle (fuel pump issue)
-turbo (dont know exactly how serious this problem is but i seen more than 8-9 turbo needing replacement on these cars.


well.. aside these problems... i kinda like it still.

 

[Hyun]

like the title says I am so very close to gettin mine, but I wanna know what things I should check for before I drive home with joy. First stick car btw.

I heard of some things such as rattling under the hood right where the wipers lay and rattling of the dash. Also I heard about the smoking turbos idk if that is an issue for any 08.5's or all k04's I'm general. Lastly I heard of the radio..somethin about it only sounding best when past 35..?

Pretty much just let me know in detail what it is so I can pinpoint these things while at the dealer and let me know what the dealer did to fix it and if it improved or fixed the problem completely. And btw if there is something you know about that I didnt mention go ahead and post it.

Also my dealer did a dealer trade for a CWP and should I be worried about how the tow guy treated the car goin on and off the truck? How bad can the engine be spanked by previous test drives before the break in is up? Cause I know its possible when they are so lenient with there test drives.

Sorry to go on a tangent but I don't think I can wait. I wanna be the first one there to peel the plastic off the seats..s*** I might even sleep in the thing the first night I have it home! Not to sound OCD or anything but all this seems to come with buying a new car.

Also I don't mean to bring a monotonous topic up but if you could, when you chime in, tell me what you would pick between Metro gray and Crystal white pearl with a small reason why because at this point the dealer has both ready for me and I haven't made the decision yet. Thanks in advance

Ahh i feel you buddy. I got mine near christmas time in 2006 and when i came to pick it up, there was huge red ribbon on top of the car for decoration. Well, yeah it looked kinda gay but whatever. The car was soooooooo clean(compare to now) and it drove soooooo nice. Have fun, dont drive too slow.

 

[brooklynbo122]

Ahh i feel you buddy. I got mine near christmas time in 2006 and when i came to pick it up, there was huge red ribbon on top of the car for decoration. Well, yeah it looked kinda gay but whatever. The car was soooooooo clean(compare to now) and it drove soooooo nice. Have fun, dont drive too slow.

Yea a ribbon would be kind of gay, but its not like it was for anything other than decoration. Either way it was your new car. I am seriously
going to sleep in this thing the first night haha.

 

[ZooMIN3]

brook,

when i first got my Speed3, I pretty much got the hook up... well almost. the dealer i was working with, or salesman i should say, was the bomb. He pretty much earned my respect. The first day I went to check out the Speed3s there in my wife's mazda3, (regular hatch 3), they only had an 07 model in the Cosmic Blue color. I was like, eh. So a guy named Steve came up to me asking about what I was looking for. I pretty much told him that I was looking for a Speed3 in black with GT trim, minus the navigation. So he told me they weren't getting any new ones till later in August, this was in June when I spoke to him. Well I told him I'll just continue to shop around, and he got my number that way he can call me when they got a new shipment in.

Well, I started leaning towards the STi's and the Evo9s. However they didn't have it in black for the Evos, and it wasn't the MR edition, just a look a like tagged with 33gs. (yeah right, like i'm paying that much for an 06 model with over 200 miles on it) The STi's are ok, but the interior is quite lacking in the comfort department, I mean, I test drove the thing for 10 minutes, and my butt cheeks went numb! lol Not to mention, I'm a heavy build, @ 200lbs with; mind you not the obese type, but the more athletic build type, and I have broad shoulders. Well every I time shifted in the STi, my elbow would hit the salesman..lol and I had to lean over a bit to the left just not to rub his shoulders...=\ STi is nice on the outside, but on the inside; its a cheap rip off of an '90 Corolla...I think my 98 Chevey Metro had a better interior..=\
Although the STi is true to its form, its a pure enthusiasts car. Bad ass. I just couldn't take the numbness in the butt cheek after 10 minutes,and realizing, I wouldn't make it on a 3 thousand mile round trip from California to Texas... plus, being inside the STi, felt like driving around some cheap car, if it didn't have STi badgings in it, I wouldn't think anything else otherwise...

Anyways, Steve from the Mazda called me up a couple of months later, August, and I was still in the market for a new car. Evo and STi were off my radar being Evo which wasn't available in black at that time, and the dealer didn't want to work with the price, and the STi...well you know the story. Steve called me, said he had 4 Speed3s that just got off loaded from a truck that morning. He said two GTs and Sports were there, and the one in the trim/color I wanted was there too, minus navigation. I told him, I'm on my way..lol I get there, and he tossed me the key to the black Speed3. He said, I'll see you when you get back!! I'm like, WOOP WOOP! lol Anyways, I took the car off the lot with less than 1.4 miles on the odo..got back, it had 15 miles! =p So I told him, after looking around for a few months and reading up on it. I told him, I'll take it. However, I told him, that I'd only do invoice price... He was like, sure thing boss, let me ask my sales manager... he came back 5 minutes later, and was like he said go for it..lol Mind you, these are 2008s GT trim and they just got 4 new ones in. Anyways, they had no problems with me buying it off of invoice, although I think I could've gotten less, but I didn't push it. They asked if I wanted to finance through them, I was like, nah; I've already gotten a pre-approval through my credit union. So I sign, dot my I's and crossed my T's, and I was set. BUT; before I did all that, while on my test drive, I listened for anything wierd, and stopped by the gas station to see if there were any signs of leakage...although, those things more than likely wouldn't be caught right off the bat, I felt better knowing that I wouldn't have problems with my Speed3 later. I checked the radio, the seats, the trunk, the hood, the tires, just in case there were any lumps in the side walls. I even checked the paint to ensure there aren't any scratches on it from delivery. I noticed a couple of "scratches" I told them, and they said to that they'd fix it free of charge. Turned out that it was just the plastic stuck on it from when they got them in. They even washed it before I drove off with it, and the scratches were gone. So no worries there. I just felt good knowing I was able to look over the car before taking delivery, and I asked him if I had any problems whatsover, that I'd just bring it back, and they'd fix it...that's what a warranties for.

Just be sure to ask all your questions; get a pen and paper out, and write down anything that comes to mind. So what if you take up some of their time, that's what they there for, to serve you, that includes answering questions. In all, when you pick up your new ride, HAVE FUN WITH IT!!!

By the way, I would've went with white if it were available, so I went with black. =p let us know how your experience goes.

To this day, i haven't had problems with my Speed3. Well, I take that back, my rotors in the front ended up warping after 4k miles on it. So I just called it in, and they fixed it. (That was my fault...hard braking...lmao). Have fun sleeping in your Speed3!

J

sorry i went off topic for a bit, but just wanted to share with you my Speed3 experience. =p

 

[brooklynbo122]

brook,

when i first got my Speed3, I pretty much got the hook up... well almost. the dealer i was working with, or salesman i should say, was the bomb. He pretty much earned my respect. The first day I went to check out the Speed3s there in my wife's mazda3, (regular hatch 3), they only had an 07 model in the Cosmic Blue color. I was like, eh. So a guy named Steve came up to me asking about what I was looking for. I pretty much told himp
p that I was looking for a Speed3 in black with GT trim, minus the navigation. So he told me they weren't getting any new ones till later in August, this was in June when I spoke to him. Well I told him I'll just continue to shop around, and he got my number that way he can call me when they got a new shipment in.

Well, I started leaning towards the STi's and the Evo9s. However they didn't have it in black for the Evos, and it wasn't the MR edition, just a look a like tagged with 33gs. (yeah right, like i'm paying that much for an 06 model with over 200 miles on it) The STi's are ok, but the interior is quite lacking in the comfort department, I mean, I test drove the thing for 10 minutes, and my butt cheeks went numb! lol Not to mention, I'm a heavy build, @ 200lbs with; mind you not the obese type, but the more athletic build type, and I have broad shoulders. Well every I time shifted in the STi, my elbow would hit the salesman..lol and I had to lean over a bit to the left just not to rub his shoulders...=\ STi is nice on the outside, but on the inside; its a cheap rip off of an '90 Corolla...I think my 98 Chevey Metro had a better interior..=\
Although the STi is true to its form, its a pure enthusiasts car. Bad ass. I just couldn't take the numbness in the butt cheek after 10 minutes,and realizing, I wouldn't make it on a 3 thousand mile round trip from California to Texas... plus, being inside the STi, felt like driving around some cheap car, if it didn't have STi badgings in it, I wouldn't think anything else otherwise...

Anyways, Steve from the Mazda called me up a couple of months later, August, and I was still in the market for a new car. Evo and STi were off my radar being Evo which wasn't available in black at that time, and the dealer didn't want to work with the price, and the STi...well you know the story. Steve called me, said he had 4 Speed3s that just got off loaded from a truck that morning. He said two GTs and Sports were there, and the one in the trim/color I wanted was there too, minus navigation. I told him, I'm on my way..lol I get there, and he tossed me the key to the black Speed3. He said, I'll see you when you get back!! I'm like, WOOP WOOP! lol Anyways, I took the car off the lot with less than 1.4 miles on the odo..got back, it had 15 miles! =p So I told him, after looking around for a few months and reading up on it. I told him, I'll take it. However, I told him, that I'd only do invoice price... He was like, sure thing boss, let me ask my sales manager... he came back 5 minutes later, and was like he said go for it..lol Mind you, these are 2008s GT trim and they just got 4 new ones in. Anyways, they had no problems with me buying it off of invoice, although I think I could've gotten less, but I didn't push it. They asked if I wanted to finance through them, I was like, nah; I've already gotten a pre-approval through my credit union. So I sign, dot my I's and crossed my T's, and I was set. BUT; before I did all that, while on my test drive, I listened for anything wierd, and stopped by the gas station to see if there were any signs of leakage...although, those things more than likely wouldn't be caught right off the bat, I felt better knowing that I wouldn't have problems with my Speed3 later. I checked the radio, the seats, the trunk, the hood, the tires, just in case there were any lumps in the side walls. I even checked the paint to ensure there aren't any scratches on it from delivery. I noticed a couple of "scratches" I told them, and they said to that they'd fix it free of charge. Turned out that it was just the plastic stuck on it from when they got them in. They even washed it before I drove off with it, and the scratches were gone. So no worries there. I just felt good knowing I was able to look over the car before taking delivery, and I asked him if I had any problems whatsover, that I'd just bring it back, and they'd fix it...that's what a warranties for.

Just be sure to ask all your questions; get a pen and paper out, and write down anything that comes to mind. So what if you take up some of their time, that's what they there for, to serve you, that includes answering questions. In all, when you pick up your new ride, HAVE FUN WITH IT!!!

By the way, I would've went with white if it were available, so I went with black. =p let us know how your experience goes.

To this day, i haven't had problems with my Speed3. Well, I take that back, my rotors in the front ended up warping after 4k miles on it. So I just called it in, and they fixed it. (That was my fault...hard braking...lmao). Have fun sleeping in your Speed3!

J

sorry i went off topic for a bit, but just wanted to share with you my Speed3 experience. =p

Thanks man. honestly that was one of most informative post in the thread. But yea I feel ya on the fit of the STi. I have yet to test one but by god I shall real soon. Cuz I'm probably the same build as yourself a tad bit muscular though I'm around 250. But I hate that feeling in the ass cheeks I know what you mean. To be honest I would have taken the Evo in any color but not 33k for 200 miles. You could have a MR for a g or two more. I was really considering a wrx for a while but could find one for less than 21-22k. Why pay for something that much used when you could get a brand new speed3?
im glad everything is going well with yours.

But yea I will def. make sure I check everything over. And Ill be sure to let you know the full details when everything is said and done.

Thanks to everyone for the response. Everybody keep em comin!!

 

[ZooMIN3]

Thanks man. honestly that was one of most informative post in the thread. But yea I feel ya on the fit of the STi. I have yet to test one but by god I shall real soon. Cuz I'm probably the same build as yourself a tad bit muscular though I'm around 250. But I hate that feeling in the ass cheeks I know what you mean. To be honest I would have taken the Evo in any color but not 33k for 200 miles. You could have a MR for a g or two more. I was really considering a wrx for a while but could find one for less than 21-22k. Why pay for something that much used when you could get a brand new speed3?
im glad everything is going well with yours.

But yea I will def. make sure I check everything over. And Ill be sure to let you know the full details when everything is said and done.

Thanks to everyone for the response. Everybody keep em comin!!

WOOP WOOP!! No prob bro!! Once everything is said and done, take pics and post em!! lol I know, everyone knows what a Speed3 looks like! So what? =p

(wrc)
By the way, if you go with white..i'm gonna be so envious! lol I love white and or black cars... well at least in this make and model!!

 

[brooklynbo122]

WOOP WOOP!! No prob bro!! Once everything is said and done, take pics and post em!! lol I know, everyone knows what a Speed3 looks like! So what? =p

(wrc)
By the way, if you go with white..i'm gonna be so envious! lol I love white and or black cars... well at least in this make and model!!

Yea haha I'm still deciding its a little hard..you get a good reflection with a wash and good wax on the metro gray but after awhile it seems like the gray would get a little drab after looking at the same thing over and over. And the white doesn't really have a reflection but it kinda pops after a wash. Also it has a clean look with the crisp white not to mention the pearl. Really I just have to see both in person again. Its strange I saw all the colors except for cosmic blue when I went to look for a speed3. I test drove a metro gray and sat in a white pearl but didn't pay close attention (new interior the detail of the paint itself..etc) to either, because I was more interested in the red. But I started reading and seeing more about both new colors and the white grew on to me..now I will have to see both in person to make a good decision

 

[ZooMIN3]

Yea haha I'm still deciding its a little hard..you get a good reflection with a wash and good wax on the metro gray but after awhile it seems like the gray would get a little drab after looking at the same thing over and over. And the white doesn't really have a reflection but it kinda pops after a wash. Also it has a clean look with the crisp white not to mention the pearl. Really I just have to see both in person again. Its strange I saw all the colors except for cosmic blue when I went to look for a speed3. I test drove a metro gray and sat in a white pearl but didn't pay close attention (new interior the detail of the paint itself..etc) to either, because I was more interested in the red. But I started reading and seeing more about both new colors and the white grew on to me..now I will have to see both in person to make a good decision

i agree! well, good luck with your choice...

[hint] white will look sick once you throw some 5% tint on them windows! (cabpatch)

 

[brooklynbo122]

i agree! well, good luck with your choice...

[hint] white will look sick once you throw some 5% tint on them windows! (cabpatch)

I agree. Even one dealer said the same thing. I'm debating because night time drivin might be a b**** with not bein able to see through your own windows. So I wanna see what the light I can get looks like then maybe darker depending..