1 year today

[BillTheCat]

As of today, 9/24/09, I have now owned my Mazdaspeed3 for one year. I did a rather lengthy review of the car after 6 months, in this thread.

Not going to do anything that involved today, but I thought I'd share a few quick thoughts on the car after a full year.

Odometer is reading 21,8xx today. I have tracked my gas mileage since last October on 2 different sites, but I like "Fuelly" the best. Simple & flexible interface. According to Fuelly, I have averaged about 23.8-23.9 overall. With the EPA rating at 18/25, I was only counting on 21-22mpg, so nearly 24 is a nice surprise.

Haven't yet given in to the temptation to mod it beyond recognition. Mods are in sig line- mostly "fixing" factory shortcomings. I think I'm going to leave the engine alone & try to decide what to do with the suspension in the coming year. I know the suspension is widely regarded as being quite sporty, but having come from a MINI Cooper, I still feel like the MS3 needs some stiffening. Rear sway bar, then either struts/springs or maybe coilovers.

The stock stereo (non Bose) is nothing to write home about, but I can live with it. I'd still like to get one of the all-in-one CD/DVD/NAV aftermarket replacements, but for now I'm satisfied with my Garmin Nuvi & the stock head unit.

I'm still very much satisfied with this car overall. I can't say that I'll necessarily own it 5-10 years from now, but that's not a reflection on the car. That's just because I seem unable to own a car for more than 2-3 years before something else becomes too tempting to try out. In the meantime, color me happy with the MS3.

By the way, I'm celebrating 1 year of ownership by heading to Orlando for a MINI Cooper event (Mickey and MINI. Get it?). And since I'm the guy with the "big car," I am hauling all of the t-shirts, raffle prizes, and event schwag for 160+ people, plus a 12x12 canopy tent & PA system for the event, plus all of my luggage, camcorder bag, camera bag, laptop bag, etc. You just can't do that in a MINI. (thumb)(cabpatch)

Oh, and we'll be invading an Irish pub to toast 250 years of Guinness tonight, too. 9/24/1759 - 9/24/2009. Guinness: the beer that eats like a meal! (cheers)

 

[kvndoom]

I'm still very much satisfied with this car overall. I can't say that I'll necessarily own it 5-10 years from now, but that's not a reflection on the car. That's just because I seem unable to own a car for more than 2-3 years before something else becomes too tempting to try out. In the meantime, color me happy with the MS3.

I have the same disease, man. I've never kept anything more than 3 years. It's an expensive hobby. I'm aiming for 5 with the MS3, unless I have some serious problems with it. The car suits me very well, and I love it to death.

My main gripe is how many times I have botched shifts. I've ordered some shifter bushings, which I hope will help. It's unreal. I had the Mazda 6 from 2006-2009 and the RX8 from 2007-2009, and in all those combined years, I did not botch as many shifts as I have in 3 months with the MS3. That's pretty ****** up, and it's the main thing I need to address. I'm only an amp away from being 100% Bose free. Front door speakers and sub have been replaced, and I just have to put a real amp between the stock deck and the speakers. I can't stand a crappy stereo in my ride.


Congrats on your first year. I hope for a good few with mine!

 

[essejkcamraw]

As of today, 9/24/09, I have now owned my Mazdaspeed3 for one year. I did a rather lengthy review of the car after 6 months, in this thread.

Not going to do anything that involved today, but I thought I'd share a few quick thoughts on the car after a full year.

Odometer is reading 21,8xx today. I have tracked my gas mileage since last October on 2 different sites, but I like "Fuelly" the best. Simple & flexible interface. According to Fuelly, I have averaged about 23.8-23.9 overall. With the EPA rating at 18/25, I was only counting on 21-22mpg, so nearly 24 is a nice surprise.

Haven't yet given in to the temptation to mod it beyond recognition. Mods are in sig line- mostly "fixing" factory shortcomings. I think I'm going to leave the engine alone & try to decide what to do with the suspension in the coming year. I know the suspension is widely regarded as being quite sporty, but having come from a MINI Cooper, I still feel like the MS3 needs some stiffening. Rear sway bar, then either struts/springs or maybe coilovers.

The stock stereo (non Bose) is nothing to write home about, but I can live with it. I'd still like to get one of the all-in-one CD/DVD/NAV aftermarket replacements, but for now I'm satisfied with my Garmin Nuvi & the stock head unit.

I'm still very much satisfied with this car overall. I can't say that I'll necessarily own it 5-10 years from now, but that's not a reflection on the car. That's just because I seem unable to own a car for more than 2-3 years before something else becomes too tempting to try out. In the meantime, color me happy with the MS3.

By the way, I'm celebrating 1 year of ownership by heading to Orlando for a MINI Cooper event (Mickey and MINI. Get it?). And since I'm the guy with the "big car," I am hauling all of the t-shirts, raffle prizes, and event schwag for 160+ people, plus a 12x12 canopy tent & PA system for the event, plus all of my luggage, camcorder bag, camera bag, laptop bag, etc. You just can't do that in a MINI. (thumb)(cabpatch)

Oh, and we'll be invading an Irish pub to toast 250 years of Guinness tonight, too. 9/24/1759 - 9/24/2009. Guinness: the beer that eats like a meal! (cheers)

funny man, next month will be my 1 year too, and im on 20,5xx on the odo right now. good stuff. however, my cars almost fully bolted... she didnt stay stock for very long. and honestly, i miss it.

I have the same disease, man. I've never kept anything more than 3 years. It's an expensive hobby. I'm aiming for 5 with the MS3, unless I have some serious problems with it. The car suits me very well, and I love it to death.

My main gripe is how many times I have botched shifts. I've ordered some shifter bushings, which I hope will help. It's unreal. I had the Mazda 6 from 2006-2009 and the RX8 from 2007-2009, and in all those combined years, I did not botch as many shifts as I have in 3 months with the MS3. That's pretty ****** up, and it's the main thing I need to address. I'm only an amp away from being 100% Bose free. Front door speakers and sub have been replaced, and I just have to put a real amp between the stock deck and the speakers. I can't stand a crappy stereo in my ride.


Congrats on your first year. I hope for a good few with mine!

honestly, the shifter bushings didnt do TOO much. go short shifter man. although i just installed the MODE shifter weight, and that matched with the bushings DOES feel a lot better. but still has that notchy slight mushy feeling that i cant wait to get rid of.

 

[ElGaspo]

Orlando for a MINI Cooper event (Mickey and MINI. Get it?).

D'oh! Happy Birthday, and Many Happy Returns. (birthday)(birthday)(birthday)

 

[Sport6]

Yeah the 1 year of ownership for me was on the 19th of this month! I too have been tracking with Fuelly and an iphone app called Car Care since October of last year.

I started to (want to) get into the heavier mods and then scaled back and just wanted just light mods..

Only complaint so far is I think my front sway bar bushings are junk because I get a light clunk on uneven road transitions.. Trying to decide if I want to take it in to the dealer and get them replaced or buy a sway bar set.

 

[GoFast]

congrats. may of this year was 2 years for me. I can feel myself getting the itch to get something different in a couple years but I am overall satisfied with the car.

 

[leadf00t]

My 1 year is this month also. They must have had a good deal in september last year. I only have 14k on mine though, and will be parking it this winter, and rollin in a 96 lumina I picked (I cant wait) up off of craigslist. I started modding mine right after break-in, but nothing to extreme. Have been to 2 road course events with it this year, and have had the time of my life both times. Had never driven on a track before, so it's pretty awesome. Will be looking to do some suspension upgrades next summer.

 

[prmspen]

I'm a week or two away from one year too, and I still love the car. I agree about the shifting - I've tried motor mount, bushings, and Redline fluid, but I still grind the occasional first to second shift when it's cold. But other than that, it has been a great car. I have no desire to swap it for anything in the price range. Of course, if I inherit a fortune, expect a Jaguar XKR to be showing up in my driveway....

 

[hyperpm]

congrats! also passed year mark with 0 issues. it now has 22k miles. it's my very fun to drive and fast commute car.

 

[MS3Zoom24]

congrats man

funny thing is its my bday today so congrats to us!!!
I go the car last year on july 23, 2008

 

[coololddude]

Nothing wrong in getting a new car every few years. Its a lot cheaper than a new wife!!

 

[kvndoom]

Nothing wrong in getting a new car every few years. Its a lot cheaper than a new wife!!

Ha! It's the OLD wife that costs you, not the new one!

 

[SwampAss]

2 more months will be 3 years for me.

 

[Saskatchewan17]

About 20 days will make a year for me.

 

[kriewe]

Seriously good deals in September. October 1st is my 1 year anniversary with my MGM Speed. Love it. 15,000 miles on her, no mods at all. Scared to do it. Think the only one in the near future is to tint the windows but New Hampshire law is very low tint. Love this car, although I've gotten used to the power and would love more if it wasn't for voiding the warranty.
Congrats!

 

[Hyun]

3 more month will be 3 years for me. 45k and runs strong.

 

[60181]

About 15 months of ownership here. 2008.5 CWP GT. It's actually hard to believe time flew by like that.

I didn't drive it much in the early months but with a job change, I've been able to enjoy it and just turned 12k miles.

The bummer is front rubber is about gone. The stock tires just don't last on FWD. Had them on my Grand Prix GXP and had about the same wear.

The only real complaint I have is the tranny. Just too notchy and grabby for a clutch. I'm spoiled having driven an S2000 for a while and just haven't gotten used to it.

I will be bringing it in just to have someone look/listen as it just seems like when the AC is on, it becomes more "clunky" sounding. Can't tell if you can hear it outside the car or if it's just more of a feeling / sound I pick up inside. However, I just don't know what it's from.

I have noticed when the AC is on, the RPM's drop sooner, or so it seems and thus when I lazy-shift, I'm not as smooth as when the AC is off.

Overall, I love the car. It's easy to drive hard but hard to drive easy...at least for me.

 

[BillTheCat]

Got back from "The Big Rat" with the MINI club yesterday, but didn't have a chance to browse these forums. I had a great time out there, but there are only 2 items that might be of interest here...

1. Had a buddy all the way from Pensacola (8 hour drive to Orlando) in his base Cooper. He had swapped a Cooper S 6-speed Getrag transmission into his Cooper and tossed me the keys to drive to dinner on Thursday, wanting to know my impressions of the tranny upgrade. (The Cooper S tranny is geared too tall for the Cooper engine, and makes it a little sluggish off the line)

So, in return, after we went go-karting the following night & he rode with me, I tossed him the keys to drive back to the hotel & told him to go ahead & have fun. I'm telling you, I wish I had been running a video camera aimed at his face so you could see the $h17-eating grin the MS3 plastered onto it. Unfortunately, I cannot go into detail, as it would be against the forum rules. Hehheh.

2. A friend of mine recently got lined up as a wholesaler for the Go Pro Hero Motorsports Wide Angle video camera system, and was selling them at our event for about 25% ($55) less than retail. So I had to grab one. I will go make a test run with the little bugger next weekend & post some video here.