My MS3 is getting a friend
- Thread starter BillTheCat
- Start date
oaklandopen
Member
Its got potential though. You can give the ms3 as much power as you want, but its still gonna be a fwd
The heart wants what the heart wants.
BillTheCat
Member
- :
- 2009 Mazdaspeed3 Sport
LOL, not exactly. As SwampAss said, "the heart wants what the heart wants." What I should have done in 2008, when I was ready to move on from my MINI, is buy a Supra. But I bought my brand new Mazdaspeed3 for the safety/security of having a warranty, etc. The MS3 is a great car, and I have no issues with it. Love it. But if I could find a buyer who wants to give me what I owe, I'd let it go to just get rid of the payments. No trouble making the payments, so I am not desperate to sell, but it'd be nice not having a car payment for the first time in 15 years.
Oh, and the Supra is in the driveway right now. MS3 in the garage, taking a breather while I play with my new toy.
Got the Supra home at 3pm on Friday, 1/1. Went to breakfast with a buddy to show him the Supra on Saturday at 8. On my way out of Tampa, I got tailed by a Tampa PD cruiser for several blocks, thru several turns, and yep... flashing lights.
He pulled me over because of the tinted cover on the license plate and a "nonstandard exhaust." (And maybe because they were out of state plates- waiting for the DMV to open on Monday to register the car)
He let me go with a verbal warning, even though I had left the title & bill of sale in my backpack, which was at my house.
I don't dig the tinted cover on the plate, and was going to remove it with the plate on Monday. Needless to say, its already gone.
Gonna have to do a little research on FL's laws on exhaust mods. The cop tried to claim that "anything aftermarket" is illegal. When I pressed him for details, he backed off a little from that broad statement, but could not fully explain himself. I think his opinion is that anything that doesn't conform to OEM specs is illegal. And I don't know if he's right or wrong.
I'm honestly not a fan of the grapefruit launcher look of the HKS Drager exhaust on the car, but I understand its performance value. I was already thinking of replacing the test pipe with a hi-flo cat, just to be on the safe side.
But before I blow any money on that, I need to know exactly what a judge will accept as being OK under the current statutes. At the very least, I'll probably see if I can get a pair of smaller tips welded onto that HKS muffler, so as to attract less attention.
We'll see, though. All in good time.
How does it feel to drive? Is it tight? How's the pickup? Interior still in good shape?
Saskatchewan17
Member
- :
- 2008 TR Mazdaspeed 3
I moved this into the "My other car is not a Mazda!" Section and will have your other thread shut down or merged here for you... It's gotten enough exposure in the MS3 section (IMO) and more focuses on your new Supra purchase than your MS3. If you have any objections of this it can be moved back. Thanks and enjoy the new ride!
- :
- 2011 Mustang GT
Awesome car man! May I suggest not paying for a respray and looking into a good local detailer to do some paint correction? I think you'd be surprised at how much life is left in the paint (judging by the pics).
Overall, props on finding a clean car that looks like a lot of fun and potential!
Overall, props on finding a clean car that looks like a lot of fun and potential!
BillTheCat
Member
- :
- 2009 Mazdaspeed3 Sport
Has a relatively ne rack & pinion, but the front end needs some tightening up. Thinking a poly bushing set will help some, and they're cheap for this car ($50 front, $80 rear) Other than that, I'm looking at some Megan racing coilovers to raise it up off the ground, as it scrapes frame on any decent speed bump unless I crawl over them, and the dropped suspension is harsh taking a bump or uneven road surface.
No sweat, man. You da boss.
Actually, the paint is well beyond repair. Clear coat is peeling away & separating all over the place, and it doesn't show in the pics. Plus it needs some minor body work done- pass. side spoiler section not properly secured, driver's door needs hinges adjusted/replaced to fix sag, few minor dents & dings, etc.
Thanks for the positive comments! I'll probably start a blog to document the issues the car has, and what I do about them, as well as any testing/upgrades, etc. I'll link it here when I do.
I say "Congrats!" Life is too short and most days are no fun, and I've witnessed people going without and saying 'well, maybe one day I'll buy it...' just to see them die before they could realize their dream.
As long as it ain't illegal or immoral [and maybe even if it is] I say go for it. Ya gotta treat yourself right, because no one else is. Looking forward to reading the blog,and godpseed w/ all the improvements you want to make. Are you going to tweak the engine and make it cough up >280 hp?
As long as it ain't illegal or immoral [and maybe even if it is] I say go for it. Ya gotta treat yourself right, because no one else is. Looking forward to reading the blog,and godpseed w/ all the improvements you want to make. Are you going to tweak the engine and make it cough up >280 hp?
BillTheCat
Member
- :
- 2009 Mazdaspeed3 Sport
Thanks very much. The engine is probably already coughing up >280 hp, due to the mods. But yeah, I'll probably throw a few more mods at it once I am confident it will survive more mods. I'm a little paranoid about adding power to engines, thanks to my nightmare love affair with my old 1990 Supra Turbo.
I picked the car up in Lexington on 1/31 and was driving it daily up until yesterday, when I took the Speed3 out of the garage & put the Supra in.
It's amazing to notice the difference when stepping right out of one & into the other. The Supra's shifter is like a rowboat oar compared to the Speed3, yet there are Speed3 drivers buying short shifters. But the Supra's clutch is like butter compared to the Speed3's on/off switch. The Supra's seating position is very low, and raked back compared to the Speed3. It made the Speed3 feel like sitting in a dining room chair- but that also provides better visibility & makes the car easier to get in & out of.
Then there's the power. The Speed3 definitely has more low RPM torque, so it takes off in an instant. The Supra is on stock twins, which aren't huge, and don't have horrible lag, but it's a low torque motor with a short stroke- it tends to take a second for the revs to kick in, and then you're off to the races. It revs like crazy once it hits 2.5-3k or so. Hard to say which car would win a 1/4 mile drag at this point, but with the Supra having no rev limiter, I imagine that could be used to some advantage in a drag race. (You know, if I was willing to rebuild the motor after the race. lol)
I have the Speed3 for sale. Not because I don't like it, but because I'd rather put the monthly payments into Supra rehab & mods. But after taking the Speed3 out of the garage yesterday, I'm kinda digging the idea of hanging onto both cars. They're both a sh*tload of fun to drive for somewhat different reasons.
Naturally, the day I kinda get used to the idea of keeping both cars, I get my first show of interest on the Speed3 from Auto Trader, so we'll see if that pans out. I doubt it, as the guy's from Massachusetts and I'm near Tampa, but we'll see.
Got a fart can HKS Drager exhaust... will have to see how it sounds & decide if it can stay... I will not have my car screaming "riceboy!" from half a mile away... bad enough that it looks like a grapefruit launcher...
Definitely lose the fart can. They look silly on anything, but especially on a "sophisticated" older car like this. I had a custom 3" with a standard flowmaster and a subtle slash-cut tip. Sounded great, looked correct, and (along with the cone filter) really helped the 7M-GTE breathe...
Saskatchewan17
Member
- :
- 2008 TR Mazdaspeed 3
^Very nice Supra man!^
I love the OEM plus look you had going on.
But like I said in the other thread... I don't so much mind the fart can exhaust on anything that is higher powered. But they are total rice and just look stupid on stuff like d-series civics and econoboxes. I don't even like them on the MS3.
I love the OEM plus look you had going on.
But like I said in the other thread... I don't so much mind the fart can exhaust on anything that is higher powered. But they are total rice and just look stupid on stuff like d-series civics and econoboxes. I don't even like them on the MS3.
BillTheCat
Member
- :
- 2009 Mazdaspeed3 Sport
Haven't posted in this thread, but on 1/12, I took the Supra out to show my friends in the MINI Cooper club. (I traded the MINI for the MS3 back in Sept. '08, but I still hang out with that club)
On my way to dinner, I had a dump truck come up FROM BEHIND ME and change lanes right into the side of the Supra. His front right tire & bumper vs. my left rear wheel, fender, and bumper.
All things considered, it could have been WAY worse. But the damage is done. Scraped down to bare metal, sheet metal is creased & dented, wheel needs refinished, some mouldings need replaced. And the mouldings are discontinued, so they are hard to find. Estimates range from $1,500-1,800.
Trucking company balked when I faxed the estimates, and say they will refer it to their insurance company. Apparently the guy thought it might coe in under $500. Body shops won't get the freaking tools dirty for $500. Waiting for the insurance company to call me- been over a week on that. If nothing by the end of the week, I'm calling a lawyer & suing the trucking company.
On my way to dinner, I had a dump truck come up FROM BEHIND ME and change lanes right into the side of the Supra. His front right tire & bumper vs. my left rear wheel, fender, and bumper.
All things considered, it could have been WAY worse. But the damage is done. Scraped down to bare metal, sheet metal is creased & dented, wheel needs refinished, some mouldings need replaced. And the mouldings are discontinued, so they are hard to find. Estimates range from $1,500-1,800.
Trucking company balked when I faxed the estimates, and say they will refer it to their insurance company. Apparently the guy thought it might coe in under $500. Body shops won't get the freaking tools dirty for $500. Waiting for the insurance company to call me- been over a week on that. If nothing by the end of the week, I'm calling a lawyer & suing the trucking company.
Saskatchewan17
Member
- :
- 2008 TR Mazdaspeed 3
Ouch man... sorry to hear. 
Maybe this is a sign from the heavens that you should get a fresh paint job! That green/teal is really unique though. Let us know how things turn out.
Maybe this is a sign from the heavens that you should get a fresh paint job! That green/teal is really unique though. Let us know how things turn out.
ooh. That sucks. Luckily that didnt turn into some sort of freak accident that ended in it being totaled. Good luck, and i kind of know how you feel. About two months ago, I had a rock fly out of a truck and nail my windshield. It hasnt bothered me enough to get replaced, but still sucks...
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