Anyone who has drivin' a MSP and a Spec V, report here!
- Thread starter acelesson
- Start date
- :
- 2001 Mazda MP3
get one for 15500- that price CANT be beat. wow.
my dad paid 20000 last feb
my dad paid 20000 last feb
jersey_emt
Member
- :
- 04 MSM #1089
They're very close in performance. But drive them both before you choose. I would choose the MSP without a second thought...but your opinion may differ.
spec v is definately comparable hp wise but there are some clear differences. The msp is turbo'd the spec-v is a 2.5L. So acceleration and speed will be different. However the msp outhandles the spec-v any day. And honestly the spec-v is ugly. I bought a p5 over a se-r. thats a 35hp difference but the handling and look make up for it.
R
robsir00
Hello acelesson.....
I've driven the Spec V with the brembo package,the brembo brakes shine , very powerful and direct feeling ,PUT ON YOUR SEATBELT FOLKS!!!! . Good sound system by rocksford 9 speakers and nice 6 speed tranny,the shift nob was cheap and felt like it came from a toy store . They improved it from the 2003 model ,its now a little shorter and better feeling. The front seats are nice and supportive.The price is attractive ,for $24 000 and change you get the brembo package ,sunroof,sound system. Power wise nice smooth engine ,but hitting that red line too quickly in first and you always hit the rev limiter. It would need a higher red line and that would solve one of the problems . The engine is very tunable and stillen has lots of performance parts for this car ,from skirts to engine and suspension . Handling is good but cracks and creeks are heard from front and behind and this car only had 21 km on it. The touchy feely is not great meaning it's like an echo . Paint is good but i noticed 2 different colors between the hood and fender . Maybe accidented I have no idea but paint looked original . Overall price wise its a good car and if the mazdaspeed was non existant I would get one with the brembo package. On the handling the mazda is definatly better packaged with tokico and racing beat you have quality thats used in some of the best racecars in the world . Braking wise, If I could get my hands on that impressive brembo package I would JUMP on it . But the mazdas are very good , I would just upgrade the brake lines with s/s . Soundsystem wise both are excellent but I did not use the spec v's to the max . Tranny wise I prefer the mazdas shorter more direct ,too bad they did not add that extra cog and make it a sixer like the miatas . I like touchy feely of the mazda over the specv,but i would trade in the mazda seats for the nissans . Engine wise they both performe about the same and are both good to modify , maybe the spec v is a little better modifing wise ,it has stronger internals than the mazda, but what the speed has is a nice turbo asking to be modified . But be carefull and don't over boost this engine without good fuel and spark management or KAAABBBOOOOMMM . New Engine please . You have to drive them both . One is turbo and the other is N/A . Both have their goods and bads . I also prefer the look of the mazda , more aggresive look . The nissans spec v still looks like a sentra ,and 2004 they all have the same front add maybe a little bit of honeycomb. I prefered the 2003 spec v front than the 2004 look . Try them both and let us know what you choose....I know what I would but now it's up to you . Good luck....
I've driven the Spec V with the brembo package,the brembo brakes shine , very powerful and direct feeling ,PUT ON YOUR SEATBELT FOLKS!!!! . Good sound system by rocksford 9 speakers and nice 6 speed tranny,the shift nob was cheap and felt like it came from a toy store . They improved it from the 2003 model ,its now a little shorter and better feeling. The front seats are nice and supportive.The price is attractive ,for $24 000 and change you get the brembo package ,sunroof,sound system. Power wise nice smooth engine ,but hitting that red line too quickly in first and you always hit the rev limiter. It would need a higher red line and that would solve one of the problems . The engine is very tunable and stillen has lots of performance parts for this car ,from skirts to engine and suspension . Handling is good but cracks and creeks are heard from front and behind and this car only had 21 km on it. The touchy feely is not great meaning it's like an echo . Paint is good but i noticed 2 different colors between the hood and fender . Maybe accidented I have no idea but paint looked original . Overall price wise its a good car and if the mazdaspeed was non existant I would get one with the brembo package. On the handling the mazda is definatly better packaged with tokico and racing beat you have quality thats used in some of the best racecars in the world . Braking wise, If I could get my hands on that impressive brembo package I would JUMP on it . But the mazdas are very good , I would just upgrade the brake lines with s/s . Soundsystem wise both are excellent but I did not use the spec v's to the max . Tranny wise I prefer the mazdas shorter more direct ,too bad they did not add that extra cog and make it a sixer like the miatas . I like touchy feely of the mazda over the specv,but i would trade in the mazda seats for the nissans . Engine wise they both performe about the same and are both good to modify , maybe the spec v is a little better modifing wise ,it has stronger internals than the mazda, but what the speed has is a nice turbo asking to be modified . But be carefull and don't over boost this engine without good fuel and spark management or KAAABBBOOOOMMM . New Engine please . You have to drive them both . One is turbo and the other is N/A . Both have their goods and bads . I also prefer the look of the mazda , more aggresive look . The nissans spec v still looks like a sentra ,and 2004 they all have the same front add maybe a little bit of honeycomb. I prefered the 2003 spec v front than the 2004 look . Try them both and let us know what you choose....I know what I would but now it's up to you . Good luck....
acelesson said:
DiscreetSpeed
Member
- :
- 03 MSP
if its performace your lookin for, let me say this..they're a joke to me, i used to think they were quick WHEN i was stock, now its like they dont exsist...msp is what would want between the two if performance is what your lookin for. spec v's are not in our category(at least some of ours, lol)acelesson said:
R
robsir00
Now Now guys don't get your panties all tangled up . We all know wich one of these cars is better . Let people judge on their own . Can't read a book by it's cover...........(bicker) (bicker) 
well.. i haven't been in the new new 2004 spec-v's, but 6 (read: SIX) of my friends own the 2003 spec-v's (5 black and 1 white). power, handling -- they're pretty similar. the MSP's interior is much nicer though. everything just feels more solid, but of course, that's up to you to judge.
the shifter in the spec-v feels like plastic.. and there isn't much resistance on the clutch pedal, which makes it a little awkward for me to use.
hmm.. other than that, i like how the MSP really sets itself apart from regular proteges, but sometimes it's hard for me to tell the difference between the spec-v and a regular SE-R.
hmm.. about the rockford fosgate system -- i heard that it's only rockford fosgate POWERED (ie. only the amplifier is rockford fosgate, whereas for the MSP the speakers, amplifier, and subwoofer are all kenwood). don't quote me on that though
the shifter in the spec-v feels like plastic.. and there isn't much resistance on the clutch pedal, which makes it a little awkward for me to use.
hmm.. other than that, i like how the MSP really sets itself apart from regular proteges, but sometimes it's hard for me to tell the difference between the spec-v and a regular SE-R.
hmm.. about the rockford fosgate system -- i heard that it's only rockford fosgate POWERED (ie. only the amplifier is rockford fosgate, whereas for the MSP the speakers, amplifier, and subwoofer are all kenwood). don't quote me on that though
ricenudles
Member
- :
- 03 ti msp
acelesson said:
I used to own a '02 Sentra spec-v before i flipped it. Stock for stock, no the msp isn't quicker than the spec-v IMO. With hesitation and all that good stuff beleaguering the msp, the spec-v will pull stronger and harder w/o a problem. The spec-v just pours with torque. Yeah, the msp is torquey too but just not as much.
Handling. The msp will own the '02 spec-v at handling. Not so sure about the '04s (supposedly they hold .88g instead of the old .84g).
After owning the spec v for an year and owning a msp for about 3 1/2 months, i just love the msp so much more. BTW the turning radius is HORRIBLE on the spec-vs.
jus my .02
- :
- My Car is ORANGE POO!!!
Here's some bad things about the Spec-V versus the MSP that I noticed when I was making the same decision:
U-turns on a Spec-V suck ass... one of the worst turning radiuses out there... rivals a really big SUV... not a sport compact.
Build quality of the Spec-V is to be desired, due to cheaper production in Mexico versus the Japanese build quality of the mazda.
look for things like:
-foam strips shooting out of the air vents (foam barf)
-trunk leaking water from lack of wheelwell undercoating.
-non-folding side mirrors
-mismatched paint on the body (see the rear lisence plate area and the side mirrors etc... )
-sometimes the doors are misaligned...
-Spec-v wheels that have cracked for no reason...
Yeah.. that's all I can remember off the top of my head... all from experience or reading off the sentrab15 board...
Look for yourself... youshould notice some of these at least anyways...
The cool thing about the sentra... is the flip top dash... yummy... fits a pop-up screen perfectly.
U-turns on a Spec-V suck ass... one of the worst turning radiuses out there... rivals a really big SUV... not a sport compact.
Build quality of the Spec-V is to be desired, due to cheaper production in Mexico versus the Japanese build quality of the mazda.
look for things like:
-foam strips shooting out of the air vents (foam barf)
-trunk leaking water from lack of wheelwell undercoating.
-non-folding side mirrors
-mismatched paint on the body (see the rear lisence plate area and the side mirrors etc... )
-sometimes the doors are misaligned...
-Spec-v wheels that have cracked for no reason...
Yeah.. that's all I can remember off the top of my head... all from experience or reading off the sentrab15 board...
Look for yourself... youshould notice some of these at least anyways...
The cool thing about the sentra... is the flip top dash... yummy... fits a pop-up screen perfectly.
I guess I'm biased, I have had 2 Spec-V's now and a Protege 5 inbetween the 2 Spec's. I had an 02 Spec and an 04 Spec now. I loved them both. I have not driven an MSP though so it's hard to say what would be better in performance and handling wise. The Spec handles very good in my opinion, better than my P5 did. It's also very torqey, low end. Yeah the look of the 04 Spec in the front is not as good as the 02,03's, but oh well. Sunroof and Cruise Control are also nice options on the Spec as well.
Either way it's your choice. I like the looks of the MSP a lot as well, but for me it was the Nissan for the second time.
Either way it's your choice. I like the looks of the MSP a lot as well, but for me it was the Nissan for the second time.
I traded my 02 spec V for my 03 MSP. Stock vs. stock, it's definitely a driver's race. I started autocrossing so I switched to the MSP. Much better handling. My wife has an 03 SVT Focus. Might want to test drive that also. Kinda 'girlie' to me but a nice car all-in-all. Just my $0.02.
Allen-
Allen-
rocketspeed
Member
- :
- 03.5 Mazdaspeed Protege, Titanium Gray
I've driven both. Considered both cars when I bought the MSP.
Folks around here will be biased, but they are VERY, VERY similar in performance when comparing stock to stock. Both have LSD's, they put out almost exactly the same peak power and torque on a dyno. The Spec-V's torque band is a good deal wider, though. That engine is strong on torque. They'll lay down almost identical 0-60 and 1/4 mi times. Definately would be a driver's race in the 1/4.
The Spec V has a few advantages over the MSP- the 6 speed, the torquey motor, more available options and they are available cheaper- the base Spec V omits some stuff like anti-lock brakes and the upgraded stereo, though. The Spec V's motor is NA instead of FI, which should be good for reliability in the long run.
The MSP's rear suspension is (on paper) a better design, although mine was first clunky, now just squeaky with the new bushings, those have been a dissapointment.
The Spec V doesn't respond quite as predictably when pushed- the MSP is an easy car to drive fast, when you exceed the car's limits it behaves in a controllable manner. The Spec V can get a little wild when driven hard- understeer can turn into big time oversteer very quickly and that's hard to control.
The MSP has a better shifter and better steering than the Spec V. It does lack that 6th gear, though, so revs are high on the highway. The Spec V's gear ratios were changed and 1st is a little taller, but its still too short and its hard to not burn up the tires, then ram into the rev limiter in 1st. The shifter isn't very well sorted out, so the gearbox is cruncy and fast shifts are tough without grinding gears.
The interior and exterior of the MSP are nicer, IMHO. In the end it was the looks and interior layout that sold me on the MSP, as well as the better shifter and steering. It was a tough decision, though, and if I were to have the same decision again, it'd be tough again. The MSP's suspension is awesome, but the creaks and clunks and squeaks it puts out all the time have been a let down. Still, I love the MSP- very fun to drive. So is the Spec V if you ask me.
IN the end, drive them both and pick the one you like best. Each has its pros and cons- they're pretty equal.
Folks around here will be biased, but they are VERY, VERY similar in performance when comparing stock to stock. Both have LSD's, they put out almost exactly the same peak power and torque on a dyno. The Spec-V's torque band is a good deal wider, though. That engine is strong on torque. They'll lay down almost identical 0-60 and 1/4 mi times. Definately would be a driver's race in the 1/4.
The Spec V has a few advantages over the MSP- the 6 speed, the torquey motor, more available options and they are available cheaper- the base Spec V omits some stuff like anti-lock brakes and the upgraded stereo, though. The Spec V's motor is NA instead of FI, which should be good for reliability in the long run.
The MSP's rear suspension is (on paper) a better design, although mine was first clunky, now just squeaky with the new bushings, those have been a dissapointment.
The Spec V doesn't respond quite as predictably when pushed- the MSP is an easy car to drive fast, when you exceed the car's limits it behaves in a controllable manner. The Spec V can get a little wild when driven hard- understeer can turn into big time oversteer very quickly and that's hard to control.
The MSP has a better shifter and better steering than the Spec V. It does lack that 6th gear, though, so revs are high on the highway. The Spec V's gear ratios were changed and 1st is a little taller, but its still too short and its hard to not burn up the tires, then ram into the rev limiter in 1st. The shifter isn't very well sorted out, so the gearbox is cruncy and fast shifts are tough without grinding gears.
The interior and exterior of the MSP are nicer, IMHO. In the end it was the looks and interior layout that sold me on the MSP, as well as the better shifter and steering. It was a tough decision, though, and if I were to have the same decision again, it'd be tough again. The MSP's suspension is awesome, but the creaks and clunks and squeaks it puts out all the time have been a let down. Still, I love the MSP- very fun to drive. So is the Spec V if you ask me.
IN the end, drive them both and pick the one you like best. Each has its pros and cons- they're pretty equal.
MazdaDryvr
Member
I have a friend who bought a 02 spec v. I drove it, looked at it and bought a 02 P5. I have since upgraded to an 03 MSP. Briefly, I guess the reasons were primarily the overall appearence inside and out. The nissan feels and looks cheap inside and the exterior stlying is ugly. It does have the larger engine and more after market support but that's only importent if you plan on modding. I dont so the the Mazdas were the way to go. (I think my specv friend is jealous too btw )
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