Are you happy with your MS3 and is it trouble free?

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beaviss

Member
Are you happy with your Speed3 and is it trouble free?

I just put down a deposit on a 08 Speed3 Sport yesterday and after reading a few different MS3 forums I am scared that I made the wrong choice.
I am reading alot about smoking turbo's, CEL's, oil leaks, doors that develop dents from the inside, and lots of squeaks and rattles. WTF?
I work long hours and live far from the dealer, I don't have time to to keep going to them for warranty problems. I don't plan on any mods for a while, if at all.
Who is completely happy with their car and has had no problems??? I am starting to second guess my choice. I need to hear so good things about the car. Thanks
 
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beaviss said:
I just put down a deposit on a 08 MS3 Sport yesterday and after reading a few different MS3 forums I am scared that I made the wrong choice.
I am reading alot about smoking turbo's, CEL's, oil leaks, doors that develop dents from the inside, and lots of squeaks and rattles. WTF?
I work long hours and live far from the dealer, I don't have time to to keep going to them for warranty problems. I don't plan on any mods for a while, if at all.
Who is completely happy with their car and has had no problems??? I am starting to second guess my choice. I need to hear so good things about the car. Thanks
Click to expand...

Your on a Mazda forum. Your not going to read about the thousands that are not having issues only the few that are! That's why we have the forums to gripe about issues and talk with others that have the same type of car. When I started on these forums I thought the same thing and I had the car in my possesion. I am sure if people took the time to write about the issues they are not having it would make you and I feel better, but this forum would be pretty boring if all we read about was "another day the car is running fine!"

You did not make a bad decision and the car is very reliable. You will have lots of fun with it and do not let these forums distract you from the good things the car has to offer. Welcome to the site and congratulations on the new purchase.....
 
I have had my 07 MS3 Sport for over a year now and have 19600 miles. I haven't had one CEL, absolutely no smoke no matter how long I idle (I have a test pipe and intake BTW), absolutely no signs of oil consumption, no loose swaybar nut, or any other problem you probably read other people having. I do a complete under car inspection and under hood inspection every time I change my oil and have found nothing wrong yet. I'm a helicopter mechanic so my standards of quality and craftsmanship are very high, and the MS3 meets all expectations. I am so happy I bought my MS3 and after test driving the 08 STI, I don't think I will ever get rid of this car.
 
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Like Jam said.. this is a forum and ALL forums tend to skew perceptions given all the "issues" that get listed... couple that with a 1st year production run in 07 and the issue gets compounded even more... if everyone bought and gauged reliability solely on forum posts none of us would buy a car...

Ill walk each of your concerns down:
smoking turbo's: seen by a few and of those few ALL have modded their cars... theories abound about a lot of turbos with weak seals... given you wont be modding your car I dont expect you to run into smoking turbos...

CEL's: 1st year production issue on 07 and early 08's - last I checked all the guilty parts/programming had been adjusted - dont expect you to run into CEL issues as those posted here in forum

oil leaks: Only oil leaks Ive heard of is from DIY oil changes where bolt wasnt torqued to the right setting... if yer going to do your own oil invest in a torque wrench....

doors that develop dents from the inside: ok this is a new one - havent seen this one posted in forum at all which if it was an ongoing issue Im sure it would have floated to the top...

and lots of squeaks and rattles.: well yes it does have squeaks and rattles.. I wont deny that - is it LOTS... *shrugh* - I think it has as many as I would expect from a 20K car... if it was a 40K and above luxury sedan it would bug me more but hell the biggest squeaks come from my radar detector and the crap I throw in the doors...

Get the wild child.. you wont regret it...
 
beaviss said:
I just put down a deposit on a 08 Speed3 Sport yesterday and after reading a few different MS3 forums I am scared that I made the wrong choice.
I am reading alot about smoking turbo's, CEL's, oil leaks, doors that develop dents from the inside, and lots of squeaks and rattles. WTF?
I work long hours and live far from the dealer, I don't have time to to keep going to them for warranty problems. I don't plan on any mods for a while, if at all.
Who is completely happy with their car and has had no problems??? I am starting to second guess my choice. I need to hear so good things about the car. Thanks
Click to expand...

Take a deep breath, relax, and read forums on other cars and see if they are trouble free.

FWIW mine is 7000 mi and I had the engine mount replaced (recall) and the rear stabilizer nut was loose, which I recognized and had fixed on the visit for my free oil change. Otherwise my car has been trouble free (Oh, I just remembered I have the cowl rattle - doesn't bother me). It isn't enough to take away from the beauty of the car. Face it, even the most beautiful and wonderful woman will have her faults (you are a man?).

You could always buy a Camry (I have one for sale).
 
robin2660 said:
Take a deep breath, relax, and read forums on other cars and see if they are trouble free.

FWIW mine is 7000 mi and I had the engine mount replaced (recall) and the rear stabilizer nut was loose, which I recognized and had fixed on the visit for my free oil change. Otherwise my car has been trouble free (Oh, I just remembered I have the cowl rattle - doesn't bother me). It isn't enough to take away from the beauty of the car. Face it, even the most beautiful and wonderful woman will have her faults (you are a man?).

You could always buy a Camry (I have one for sale).
Click to expand...
what symptoms came form that problem.
 
I had lots of cars in the past. 3000gt vr-4, srt-4, acura rl, 1.8t gti, 20001 s4tt, 2006 wrx stage2. The speed3 is 10x better car. No questions asked.
 
I have had my 08 Speed3 GT since the end of September and have just shy of 8k on it... I had one check engine light come on... slightly loose gas cap will do that. Other wise my car is quiet and trouble free. It performs just like it should. I am extremely happy with mine. I also have done no mods either. I do not drive it like a saint and I have no OIL smoke, so she runs like she should when I get down on it.
 
robin2660 said:
I may have mispoken ... perhaps it's called the swaybar linkage?

There is a clunking noise on minor bumps from the rear (left, usually).
Click to expand...

i just ask cause one morning it was like 14 degrees out side and i had some noise come from back there on every bump.
 
Already managed to throw 1500 miles on mine in about 3 weeks, no issues to report here so far - just incredible enjoyment and a goofy grin on my face everytime I turn that key...

Easily the most enjoyable car I've ever driven, worth every penny so far.
 
no real issues..... only non-recall service was @ 200 miles, score on brake rotor due to debris on the pad from the factory. No symptoms, just a good eye to catch it. I'm @ about 8,500 miles with 9 months of ownership

I also said I wasn't going to mod til the warranty went out..... look at my sig.... oops :D
 
I test drove a MS3 last week looking for a car for my wife. She wanted something fast and small. I didnt know the car was this fast and was so tight!!! It drives awesome. Damn. I currently own am 85 RX7 turbo, quick a$$ little car (12.9 et). I used to own a 2003 Protege5 and loved the car. It handled great and was what I think is one of the best looking cars. A real fun car to drive. I traded it in to get an Equinox thinking that I just wanted a 'regular' car. I have regretted it for the past 26 months. Now the lease is up on the Equinox my wife drives so you know what. . . I am going to buy a MS3! And I am going to let the wife use it for a little while until she finds a car. I can't believe that this car is only a few grand more than a regular Mazda3!

Anyway, enough babbling... I was always into the forums with my Pro5 and the RX7 and what these guys (jamjam, mocoso, etc) are saying is absolutely true. Most people like to complain rather than just talk about the good points. People are always eager to point out the negative aspect of things. Besides like jam jam said, it would a boring forum to just point the good stuff. And yes every forum has their whiners. I have seen it many times on previous forums.

Most of the peoples opinions are just that opinions and I found that many nuisences that bug other people were not even a big deal to me. So I am pretty confident that I will not be disappointed and I hope youre not too. I dont plan on modding the car. I just want a genuinely fun car to drive and is reliable. I think this is it.

AHH .. I am looking forward to getting back into the Mazda Forums!!
 
I love my MS3 to death. I haven't had any 'real' issues, just the recalls. I want to have this car the rest of my life, it puts the biggest smile on my face. It's always there for me. I think it's love.

(naughty)
 
Swamp go back to the 'fastest production car ever or you're a bad driver' sig please? That one ******* cracks me up EVERY time.
 
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