thinking of getting a speed 3 over everything else

[crazykid3437]

So yea as the title says, thinking of getting a speed 3 over a si or even a wrx.

The si doesnt seem to have a lot of torque, and doesn't seem to do well with mods, and they dont seem to have a carb legal supercharger.

the wrx is a new style but the same old transmission and engine, so most say get the sti but i cant afford that much.

so what does this forum thing, right choice? are they hard to find? is there a remodel happening soon?

 

[DaleNixon]

You might find a biased opinion here

What kind of driving experience do you want and what do you expect from your car?

 

[Super Unique]

I would highly encourage you to go test drive the speed 3 and see for yourself.

Of course we will be slightly biased to our own car, but there are other choices on the market. You need to prioritize your needs. How important is all out performance vs the rest of your particular criteria?

When you are looking strictly at the mid 20k segment of the market, that narrows things down a bit.

speed 3
caliber srt4
cobalt ss turbo
chevrolet HHR SS turbo
Mitsubishi lancer rallyart
subaru WRX
Subaru legacy GT
slightly used 07 VW GTI
Slightly used Chevrolet impala SS
Slightly used mini cooper S

I am sure I am missing some of the possibilities. but you get the idea.

The speed 3 might be among the quickest in that grouping, but there are other reasons people buy/like a car, and something from that list just might get you going.

 

[jville]

here we go again. lol. the ms3 guys have a soft spot when this subject comes up. Do it you will not regret a mazda.

 

[///M Compact]

You probably won't see a replacement for 2-3 years. If forced to choose between the Si, WRX, and MS3 I'd take the MS3 again. Drive all three and buy the one that floats your boat. Simple as that.

 

[crazykid3437]

well those are the 3 im considering and i think are around my price range, i live in cali so i want something fun for canyon roads and long drives, i also do have a 2 year old daughter and the hatchback would come in handy and i dont mind it, i think the performance is number 1 then safety and seating area, my dad has a 08 accord v6 coupe and its fun to drive, so im used to that horsepower as well, i dont really want a high reving engine, i hate waiting for his to rev up and waiting for the power to kick in,

even if the ms3 is fwd it has lsd which i really like,

in terms of modding i would probaly only do an intake, wheels, tint and maybe some audio stuff,

but i think i would be happier with the car itself and not have to change 50 thousand things on it , and need to spend a ton of money on it either

 

[///M Compact]

As has been pointed out, there are several nice cars in the MS3's market segment. If you can live with the FWD(I couldn't) the MS3 is an unbelievable performance bargain right out of the box. The only other possible downside is the lack of aftermarket support- especially compared to the Si and WRX. Having said all that, if you want a very quick FWD car with good street handling(and acceptable track handling) the MS3 is very, very hard to beat.

 

[crazykid3437]

why couldnt you live with the fwd? i think 25k would be my max,

i have been on the 8thgencivic.com boards as well, and people are switching to the 2000 si, because of how slow and torqueless the k20z3 is , it does have support but there is so much you can do to it to keep it carb legal

and on clubwrx.net at least people say they will or should swap to the sti transmission versus the wrx one,

so as a stock car would you see the ms3 takes the win? best bang for the buck as it were

i plan to take the car on the track once or twice and see if i get addicted , if i do watch out lol....

if i could afford a bmw 335i or something i probaly would but i cant

 

[happy and angry]

There's just a certain dynamic to FWD vehicles that can be frustrating if you're not used to it. You also can't do certain things like power into a corner and throttle over steer to correct, or even just getting on the gas early in a corner.

I can see where ///M is coming from, and if I could have afforded a RWD/AWD car with the sort of power the MS3 has, I'd have gone that route. I might even sell it in a few years for a G8 or an Evo, primarily because FWD just isn't quite as... fun.

As far as bang for the buck goes, I don't think you can beat the MS3. Much better people/cargo hauler than the Civic, faster than both the WRX and the Si, no need to worry about popsicle stick trannies like with the Subaru, and just gobs and gobs of power.

 

[lestat13]

I chose the Mazdaspeed3 over many other cars. I love the speed! Even in stock form it's fast, comfortable, and pretty good looking for a wagon/5-door.

The WRX (both 2.0 and 2.5 engines) was too laggy for me without a lot of torque down low. It actually made for a less enjoyable driving experience for me around town. AWD would be great, but they were also more expensive. Also, some people have blown gears in the tranny.... just having that hanging over my head didn't make me feel good. My better half didn't like the giant hood scoop and thought the ride was too harsh. I did tell her I wanted something that could put me in a more mature light (flashback to my semi-riced-out Integra). I really liked the 2.5L WRX, but didn't love it.

The Civic Si got a few good and bad points from me. First, the interior was fantastic, and only a few thousand more than the normal civic, it was a good upgrade. That and the gas mileage was very respectable. But personally, I hate the looks of the new civic, especially the si, and it lacked the power I wanted. Also, it just wasn't fun to drive... and I think that is the most important part. I could have lived with this for A -> B driving, but I am an enthusiast.

The SRT-4 felt cheap. I am upgrading here, not downgrading. Also, I have had many Dodges in my family cause many headaches. For more lengthy trips I found it uncomfortable.

The Cobalt (even in top trim) has received unflattering comments on reliability from consumer reports, I don't find it attractive, and with the supercharger it is more than I paid for my speed3. Also, didn't give me the driving experience I wanted.

Everyone I have owned with a VW has had extensive electrical failures. Enough said.

As for the ralliart and cooper, I had not driven them. I was actually scheduled to test drive a cooper s the day after I drove the speed, but ended up going home with the speed (which has more room, 4/5 doors, AND is a lot better on insurance). I have heard nothing but positive things about both cars, but drive to see for yourself.

****I chose the Mazdaspeed3 because I WANTED something fast, but NEEDED something reliable, fun (yes, I commute a lot, fun is needed), comfortable, more suited to my maturity and able to haul sh!t. Even with downpipe noise level is still tolerable for the woman. It meets all of my needs and puts a smile on my face every time I hit boost (that is an exageration, sometimes I am concentrating too hard on when to shift so I beat the person next to me to smile)

.......another plus, when I was on the highway racing the bright red audi tt in my gray wagon, who do you think got pulled over????

 

[crazykid3437]

I chose the Mazdaspeed3 over many other cars. I love the speed! Even in stock form it's fast, comfortable, and pretty good looking for a wagon/5-door.

The WRX (both 2.0 and 2.5 engines) was too laggy for me without a lot of torque down low. It actually made for a less enjoyable driving experience for me around town. AWD would be great, but they were also more expensive. Also, some people have blown gears in the tranny.... just having that hanging over my head didn't make me feel good. My better half didn't like the giant hood scoop and thought the ride was too harsh. I did tell her I wanted something that could put me in a more mature light (flashback to my semi-riced-out Integra). I really liked the 2.5L WRX, but didn't love it.

The Civic Si got a few good and bad points from me. First, the interior was fantastic, and only a few thousand more than the normal civic, it was a good upgrade. That and the gas mileage was very respectable. But personally, I hate the looks of the new civic, especially the si, and it lacked the power I wanted. Also, it just wasn't fun to drive... and I think that is the most important part. I could have lived with this for A -> B driving, but I am an enthusiast.

The SRT-4 felt cheap. I am upgrading here, not downgrading. Also, I have had many Dodges in my family cause many headaches. For more lengthy trips I found it uncomfortable.

The Cobalt (even in top trim) has received unflattering comments on reliability from consumer reports, I don't find it attractive, and with the supercharger it is more than I paid for my speed3. Also, didn't give me the driving experience I wanted.

Everyone I have owned with a VW has had extensive electrical failures. Enough said.

As for the ralliart and cooper, I had not driven them. I was actually scheduled to test drive a cooper s the day after I drove the speed, but ended up going home with the speed (which has more room, 4/5 doors, AND is a lot better on insurance). I have heard nothing but positive things about both cars, but drive to see for yourself.

****I chose the Mazdaspeed3 because I WANTED something fast, but NEEDED something reliable, fun (yes, I commute a lot, fun is needed), comfortable, more suited to my maturity and able to haul sh!t. Even with downpipe noise level is still tolerable for the woman. It meets all of my needs and puts a smile on my face every time I hit boost (that is an exageration, sometimes I am concentrating too hard on when to shift so I beat the person next to me to smile)

.......another plus, when I was on the highway racing the bright red audi tt in my gray wagon, who do you think got pulled over????

thank you for your input, the closest dealer that has speed 3 is 40 miles a way which kind of sucks, but we do have our local ford madza dealer with who have gotten most of our work trucks from and would be willign to give them a chance, if they gave me a good deal on one

 

[Rotary_Powered]

Test out the following cars see which fits you best. MS3, 2009 WRX (they updated it a lot), SRT-4, Cobalt SS. The MS3 and WRX should come off the best overall, with the other two being as quick but not as nicely well rounded. Also consider the VW GTI, they have factory approved upgrades that don't kill warranty aren't very expensive and put it nearly on par with the other cars on this list in terms of speed.

At the very least by trying out multiple cars you know your getting the best deal with the MS3 (or possibly the WRX even).

 

[bjjer]

why couldnt you live with the fwd? i think 25k would be my max,

i have been on the 8thgencivic.com boards as well, and people are switching to the 2000 si, because of how slow and torqueless the k20z3 is , it does have support but there is so much you can do to it to keep it carb legal

and on clubwrx.net at least people say they will or should swap to the sti transmission versus the wrx one,

so as a stock car would you see the ms3 takes the win? best bang for the buck as it were

i plan to take the car on the track once or twice and see if i get addicted , if i do watch out lol....

Thats funny because the 99-00 SI are slower than the new SI. As for TQ the old SI only had 111lbs of it with 160 Hp, I see that as a down grade from the K20 which is sooo much better than the old B series.

if i could afford a bmw 335i or something i probaly would but i cant

 

[Hyun]

We will know if WRX will be worth it or not when subaru release the official pricing info. 27-28k is no go.

 

[happy and angry]

We will know if WRX will be worth it or not when subaru release the official pricing info. 27-28k is no go.

Check the other threads on the '09 WRX, pricing has been "unofficially" released as under $25,000, same price the WRX has always been.

 

[djthom]

I would highly encourage you to go test drive the speed 3 and see for yourself.

Of course we will be slightly biased to our own car, but there are other choices on the market. You need to prioritize your needs. How important is all out performance vs the rest of your particular criteria?

When you are looking strictly at the mid 20k segment of the market, that narrows things down a bit.

speed 3
caliber srt4
cobalt ss turbo
chevrolet HHR SS turbo
Mitsubishi lancer rallyart
subaru WRX
Subaru legacy GT
slightly used 07 VW GTI
Slightly used Chevrolet impala SS
Slightly used mini cooper S

I am sure I am missing some of the possibilities. but you get the idea.

The speed 3 might be among the quickest in that grouping, but there are other reasons people buy/like a car, and something from that list just might get you going.

Slightly used Audi A3/S3. If you are into fit n finish than this blows doors off the MS3
If you are looking for performance then it will take you 2K plus to get to the MS3 level of performance with an A3/S3

For safety...well hands down the A3/S3 is safer.

 

[wisniaPl]

stop thinking just buy one

 

[tiagotiago]

When I was shopping for a car I wanted something fast, that would be rewarding/fun to drive, as cheap as possible, reliable and practical. I was considering the Civic Si, but although I think it's a good car, I just didn't love it. The GTI is highly regarded, but coming from owning a VW having electrical/quality issues pop up on average every 4 months, and getting treated badly in the dealership, I wanted(and want) nothing to do with another VW/Audi.

So far I'm extremely happy with the Mazda, it's been everything I hoped it would be, tough in my city-only commute, it's a bit more thirsty for fuel than I had expected, though not by much.

Take it out for a test drive and see how it works out for you, and for me if you have a dealership you trust, that would be extra points for that car in my mind.

 

[Super Unique]

so far not even a whisper about the rallyart from mitsu?

the not as slow as the lancer, not quite a complete evo, but darn close for mid 20s? It certainly hits right into the middle of the pack so far....

 

[coololddude]

with a family you really need a hatch. with the money you save over the WRX, you could buy FOOD for your kid. or you could get the WRX STI, and put your baby on a diet! maybe not---get the MS3. everyone wins.