I have read over the forums and I have almost scared myself away from buying the MSP. Problems with the LSD, the turbo, ENGINES BLOWING UP! Bushing squeking every 15k. I have a friend that owns one with 14k bought brand new its a 03 yellow, and he enjoys the heck outta his car..and by reading this you guys do too...but with all the mechanical problems is it worth diving into this car that already has some age on it? I mean how soon does this stuff break, it sounds like some people have experienced major problems UNDER 20k mileage. Those aren't good numbers folks. So ...Try and sway me backinto buying this car, I know during my two test drives its been a very enjoyable experience...but i've scared myself right outta buying it....
Are they really that bad?
- Thread starter Easymac
- Start date
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- 2003.5 msp
Easymac said:
not everyone has those problems. the only problem i had was the sway bar clunk.
personally, i would probably try and look for another car nowadays...i'm getting more and more worried everyday about my car. it's a love/hate relationship at this point. it's fun, you don't see it everywhere you go, people ask you about it and are surprised how well it drives. but i fear the day that my engine will go.
silverspeed03
Boost Junky
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- 2008 MS3
I have 40K miles on my car and have not had a single problem with it other than the bushings needing to be replaced. I think on the the these forums you are going to hear more about the bad than the good you know. People aren't going to talk about how their car operated as it should. Don't get me wrong I LOVE my MSP, but I think if I had to do it all over again I would have looked at SRT-4 or WRX, that is only because there is more potential for power. It really depends if you want to upgrade it at all. I think that if you would buy the MSP put a FMIC, Unichip, TBE, CAI and a EBC and run on the low boost setting you could have a well tuned car (No hesitation around 3500-4500 RPMs) that I think would prove to be pretty reliable.
I am at 99,300 on the car and I am still on the stock motor. I have run 10-12psi daily, and up to 15psi for track days. It has had higher boost since Jan 04 and it had only 6k miles then. I have had zero problems with it, I did have a Uni-chip when running the highest boost settings but I sold that about a year and a half ago now. I have broken the LSD, I think my 2nd clutch is starting to go out- Spec with 50k miles, that should explain it hehe, and I had to replace a wheel bearing but thats it.As far as the typical problems, I had the clunk, but I took care of that, I am flashed so thats ok, and yeah the radio wacks out sometimes but to me they are all bearable. Hell I just got done driving almost a 1500 mile road trip from Cincy to Chicago to Dallas in it and it feels great still . I have driven the car pretty hard from almost day one and I love it more and more each day.
BTW I know its not going to last forever, but I am very pleased with how well it has done for me so far. If it blew up tonight I would still be happy, a little pissed ,but I would understand. I have been waiting for like 50k miles for it to blow so I would have an excuse to build it lol
BTW I know its not going to last forever, but I am very pleased with how well it has done for me so far. If it blew up tonight I would still be happy, a little pissed ,but I would understand. I have been waiting for like 50k miles for it to blow so I would have an excuse to build it lol
To many nicer new cars out that you can get for 5k more with more pwr and a warrenty. The MSP is a nice car but you are right, too many problems if you try to mod it. If you want to just drive it as is then it's a good car. I've got a few friends with them and on only had radio and motor mount problems, but he is stock. The other has all kinds of issuses, but he's alway fooling with it. I personally would go with the new si.
Chiguy_2002
Member
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- 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege to 2006.5 xB to 2004 Forester XT
I think any new car will have its fair share of problems, some less than others, and you will have to decide to live with it. I got mine Oct 2005, 63k on the clock, now at about 68k, no issues, granted it has never been modded. I hope I still don't have any issues, and I'm ready to push it a little further.
when i traded mine in at like 25,000 miles the only issues i had were the clunk, windshield cracking and my iac died. nothing really to worry about. mazda still has me listed as the owner of the car for some reason so i get stuff in the mail for it and i think the guy who bought it has had it in the shop 3 times already (since Sept 05). so i think a lot can be said for how the car is treated, but buying used you don't really get much say in how it was treated before you so it's a risk
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speedprotegewi
Member
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- 05 Eurotrash
i've got 44k on mine, I've fixed rear clunk, and now front clunk/crunch is developing. fixed hesitation with some ngk iridium plugs and a flash. one bad warranty o2 sensor. no lsd failure, been running mbc at 7psi since last year and 30k. all in all i've been fine because im not heavily modded.
edit: saw somebody else post and forgot that my sub blew too so i replaced that too lol. i replaced my deck the day i bought it cuz im big on xm radio and hate kenwood HU functionality
unichip otw to help me not go boom and safely increase boost to 8-10. unfortunately there is no guarantee with our cars that other problems will happen, but no car can guarantee that. i've come to accept that lol
edit: saw somebody else post and forgot that my sub blew too so i replaced that too lol. i replaced my deck the day i bought it cuz im big on xm radio and hate kenwood HU functionality
unichip otw to help me not go boom and safely increase boost to 8-10. unfortunately there is no guarantee with our cars that other problems will happen, but no car can guarantee that. i've come to accept that lol
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- 2003 Subaru WRX Wagon, 2000 Miata
only problem i had with mine were a busted stereo (which happens to almost everyone), squeaky bushings (replaced by dealer), cracked windshield and that's it.
Velocifero
Wham Bam thank you Ma'am
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- VRM MS6, Sunlight Silver MSP
I love mine, got with 12k on it now I am in mid 20s, I looked at other cars, but one test drive in the speed and I knew I wanted it. there are better cars for power sure, but to me the MSP has a well balanced repertoire (n 1: the entire range of skills or aptitudes or devices used in a particular field or occupation). It is quick (different from retarded fast), handles superbly, stops great, and IMO looks beautiful, oh and I forgot to mention affordable. I love the power that SRT-4s make, but I can't get over the looks and the handling. I might be the first to put one of those engines into a protege! I can't afford a STi or Evolution as much as I would love to have one, at this time. I am thinking about an Evolution after the speed is paid for, but keeping the speed (it is limited edition btw). I had the clunk, just used polyurathane bushings, so no clunk now. I get the front end squeek form the bushings when it is cold only, I am flashed so no hesitation, been boosting 8-9 psi for over a year with the spring mod, I am hoovering around 190 hp with several things waiting to go in, after those I expect to be a touch over 200 until i get my Megasquirt and install these WRX injectors I have sitting here. this car is workable, you just have to do preventative mods to ensure that you don't seriously fubar anything. I know of other cars that are like that and I know there are ones you can slap everything under the sun on it and make great power and still not worry too much about it. I am a Mazda enthusist though so I think these cars are great. The have the sexiest lines besides the S2000 and FD RX7s. good luck with your chioce though, just want you to read about the good and the bad.
(attn) I love mine and try to convince all my friends that are moving away from theirs that they need to STFU and stay with their one true love.goku4658 said:
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speedprotegewi
Member
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- 05 Eurotrash
benzete said:
(werd)(first)
yeah, especially if your "great sense of adventure" is finding out you spun a main bearing while cruising on the highway.
haha, nah, i'm just messing around. this car is great up until something in your mind snaps over the little things. i'll name a few things in my car: cracked windshield, grinding noise in engine bay, missing stud on turbo/s-pipe, warped rotors
haha, nah, i'm just messing around. this car is great up until something in your mind snaps over the little things. i'll name a few things in my car: cracked windshield, grinding noise in engine bay, missing stud on turbo/s-pipe, warped rotors
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- 2003 Subaru WRX Wagon, 2000 Miata
benzete said:
well said.
dirtysouth_msp
Member
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- 2003.5 Blazing Yellow MSP (Forged)
What up easymac? Welcome to the forum. These cars are a lot of fun, but if you are a mechanical newbie, then the MSP may not be the best choice for you. That is, unless you get one with plenty of warranty left and leave it stock. If you have the knowledge and the means and like to tinker with your car, go for it.
I would not get the Tiburon. Hyundai has gotten much better in the last few years, but I doubt that you would be as satisfied. It weighs a couple of hundred lbs more and has a V6 that only makes 170 HP at the crank (seems like a waste of 2 cylinders to me). Also, they do not handle anything like the MSP. So, get the tiburon if you would like to regularly get outrun by 4 bangers, lol.
Really though, if you are too intimidated by the quirks you may experience with the MSP, look around at other makes and models. There are plenty of NA 4 clylinders around that make the same kind of power as the Tiburon.
Of course, this is just my opinion.
I would not get the Tiburon. Hyundai has gotten much better in the last few years, but I doubt that you would be as satisfied. It weighs a couple of hundred lbs more and has a V6 that only makes 170 HP at the crank (seems like a waste of 2 cylinders to me). Also, they do not handle anything like the MSP. So, get the tiburon if you would like to regularly get outrun by 4 bangers, lol.
Really though, if you are too intimidated by the quirks you may experience with the MSP, look around at other makes and models. There are plenty of NA 4 clylinders around that make the same kind of power as the Tiburon.
Of course, this is just my opinion.
Velocifero
Wham Bam thank you Ma'am
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- VRM MS6, Sunlight Silver MSP
I second a lot of what Rob said, the Tiburons look nice but IMO they aren't a good car, I'ver had two friends that had them and traded before a year was up.dirtysouth_msp said:
