Possible new MS3 owner.

[hansthegerman]

Hows it goin guys. My names Konrad, Im 18 years old livin in NY about to move down to FL. Currently I drive a Scion tC, which I love, I'm just looking for something a little... well faster (cabpatch). These things caught my eye not too long ago and i've constantly wanted to get one. I do plan on modding it slightly, mostly suspension, Coilovers sways etc. Maybe a little engine work but nothing major. Is there anything I should know about these cars? For instance I know with the tC, the handling is very sloppy unless you do just a little suspension work, after which its golden.

btw. Here are a few pics of my tC.

 

[PureDrive]

Have you driven one yet? The stock handling is pretty darn good.

 

[mazdaspeedster3]

You should know that they are a lot faster than a stock TC. However, you just go up to the 4.3

 

[imac]

damn, wish i had an MS3 when i was 18. back then i think i was still commuting on my Big Wheel.

on a more serious note, my advice would be you should prob wait a bit. the car you drive now is pretty new, and doesnt sound to have anything wrong with it (aside from lacking cajones). you wouldn't get a good return trading in or selling a car that's been modded, so you'd lose a good bit of money there. you'd have to fork over even more money to get teh mazda. you're insurance would likely begin to really kick you in the balls, if it isnt already.

before i hear any hypocritical accusations, yes im still only 21, but it was time for me to get a new car anyway. up to this point, i've only driven a 115 hp celica for the last 5 years, less a few months driving an MX6 while i was working on swapping the motor from the celi into a new body (hit a deer with the other one). i wanted to get something new, and being this wasn't outrageously more expensive than a base 3 hatch, i decided to dole out the extra few thousand $ to get a lot more car.

i guess if you got the money, there's really not much stopping you. make sure you know how to drive too, cuz there are a lot of retards on the road, and i'm still getting used to that fact. but im thinking you're gonna lose too much money on the deal to make it worth it, unless someone pays you thru the nose for your TC, and you can get impressive insurance rates on it.

 

[jville]

where at in ny? and to where in fl? i lived in buffalo for 5 years and now i'm bac home in jacksonville.

 

[hansthegerman]

word. Im paying for the tC myself, which has about 2 years worth of payments done on it, and I still got all the stock parts for it, so bringing her back to stock and parting her out is no problem what so ever for me, especially since I work on my car myself.

I didnt get to test drive it yet mostly because no dealership took me seriously. Go figure, an Infiniti Dealership had no problem lettin me test drive a G37 but no Mazda Dealership will let me test drive an MS3.

Right now the only thing holding me back from buying this thing is the move to FL. Im not sure what kinda job Im gonna have down there or anything, def don't wanna buy the car and wind up in some crappy job flippin burgers not being able to pay for the damn thing. Heres what the Mazda dealership quoted me. If I trade the tC in, payements would be something like 213/mo for 5 years. Which I really don't think is that bad considering Im paying 197/mo with 3 years to go on the tC. So it'd basically be like paying for the tc + 2 years.

I live on the Island in bay shore for... like another uhhh 20 days or so? Then I'm moving down to Daytona Beach for school. Crappy town but a good school (Embry-Riddle)

 

[Kain]

At the very least just wait until you move down there and see what your situation is.

 

[mazdaspeedster3]

No more money down? $213 a month? Buy that car, $14 more a month are you crazy! No way are you getting that car for $213 a month. How much is your TC blue booking at?

 

[hansthegerman]

kbb says 14 grand. i dont think the salesman factored in taxes or anything, but still.

 

[jville]

wait til you get down here first, prolly get better deal, less taxes, better paying jobs. CHEAPER GAS.

 

[hansthegerman]

^^ yea thats the only thing im waiting for right now. If i get down there and find my situation to be equal or better then what im doing right now, its a wrap. MS3s mine.

 

[jville]

^^ yea thats the only thing im waiting for right now. If i get down there and find my situation to be equal or better then what im doing right now, its a wrap. MS3s mine.

or you could get a ms6...........

 

[hansthegerman]

eh. Rather get the 3. Suits me better.

 

[imac]

sounds like the money really isnt that bad. $213/month is easily doable in most situations, and definitely worth it since it's barely more than your TC. having to make payments for 2 more years will suck, but its not nearly as bad as i would have thought it would be for you, given your situation.

btw, my gf lives in east islip. she worked in the coyle's ice cream place in bay shore occasionally, tho she was usually at their store in islip. i personally live a little upstate, about an hour north of manhattan in Orange county.

 

[hansthegerman]

Really. No poop. My GF works in the Coyles in Bay Shore now haha. I work at a Driving Range now and play golf almost daily so I'm hoping that'll help me get a job down there considering theres basically a golf course on every block haha. It shouldn't be a problem finding a job but u know what they say, Better safe then sorry.

 

[typeshluder]

Heres what the Mazda dealership quoted me. If I trade the tC in, payements would be something like 213/mo for 5 years.
(Embry-Riddle)

That can't be right. I just bought a MS3. I put $12,000 cash down and my payments are $305 for 5 years. You've been paying on your scion for 2 years. 200 x 24 = 4800 and a lot of what you paid has been interest. The math doesn't work out.

 

[imac]

Really. No poop. My GF works in the Coyles in Bay Shore now haha. I work at a Driving Range now and play golf almost daily so I'm hoping that'll help me get a job down there considering theres basically a golf course on every block haha. It shouldn't be a problem finding a job but u know what they say, Better safe then sorry.

yea, i agree with the rest in saying its prob best to wait till you make sure you can get a job and handle the payments once you get to florida. and if for some reason you can't get a decent price for the MS3 or on your trade-in, you can always pick one up next time your back on the island for a holiday or w/e.

 

[hansthegerman]

well of course I'd still have to finish off paying the tC which wouldn't be a problem since i actually have the money to do that now.
^^ i think you mighta got boned. 305*12=3660*5=18300+12000=30,300 on a car that costs 23 grand? Maybe. idk like I said the i don't think the guy factored in taxes or anything. I think he just took the MSRP and figured it out like that. My tC cost 17980 after taxes. I put 7 grand down so I owed 10,980. Paying 197/mo for 5 years. hmmm. that would mean I only payed 1000 in interest? is that right?

 

[phillyb]

yeah, those numbers are not correct.
move first, THEN get the car.
otherwise, you pay taxes in two states and only st00pid people do that.
those numbers that the mazda dealership are fake. there is no two ways about it
213 x 60 months means you're paying 12,700 for the car after 5 years. that means the car costs about 9000 when you take out interest.

you can only get the ms3 for that price if you put about 16000 dollars down.

sales people and managers will tell you whatever you want BEFORE you are ready to buy a car. and then WHEN YOU ARE COMMITTED to buying the car, that's when the real numbers come out.

did you put 8000-10000 down on the tc?





going back to the original topic - GO DRIVE ONE, that's all you can do. the stock suspension is pretty decent. one of the most common thing people upgrade is the shifter bushings. the stock shifter bushings are rubber and the shifter has a "mushy" feel to it

 

[typeshluder]

well of course I'd still have to finish off paying the tC which wouldn't be a problem since i actually have the money to do that now.
^^ i think you mighta got boned. 305*12=3660*5=18300+12000=30,300 on a car that costs 23 grand? Maybe. idk like I said the i don't think the guy factored in taxes or anything. I think he just took the MSRP and figured it out like that. My tC cost 17980 after taxes. I put 7 grand down so I owed 10,980. Paying 197/mo for 5 years. hmmm. that would mean I only payed 1000 in interest? is that right?

That still sounds really low even if your scion is paid off. What are they giving you for a trade in? My MS3 GT was 25,500 + tax and tags came out to about 27,000. 7.5% interest over 5 years comes out a little over $30,000. If you can afford it I would do it. It would be night and day compared to the tC. Make sure you look into insurance costs too.