Hello, and A Little Help, Please?

[C.T.B.B.]

Just saying hi mostly, not sure what questions I even really need answered. Have yet to drive a MS3 or MS6, intend to do both this coming weekend, pick one, and bring it home. I'm a "car guy", been working on em for 35 years for my livelihood, the last 11 years as owner of a nine bay garage.I've driven lots of cars and know what I like, everything I've read about the MS3 and 6 sound great, looking forward to driving em. I've sat in/driven a NON-Mazdaspeed model of each, albeit without a sunroof, so I know the driving position and headroom aren't deal breakers. (I'm 6'4) I live about 2 hours north from Minneapolis, up in the woods, so to speak, and there hasn't been one of either on any of the auto shopping sites close by for me to check out for 3 months, or if so I missed it. Unlikely. I check often. So takin g off next Fri to go down to MPLS, stay the night if need be, and buying a new to me used car. I really like the 6's AWD, especially here with the snow, but I prefer the 3's hatchback body style. Decisions, decisions. I do have other vehicles, so the 6 would stay parked when it got truly snowy, the AWD isn't really a must for me. I would say I'm looking mainly at the 06-07 model years, but if there are major differences into later years, please speak up, I'm flexible. But also frugal.

I see I have a lot of reading to do re mods, I expect cold air, springs, wheels and tires to be my first things, need to study up on ECM controllers and the relation to exhaust and turbo sizes and injector size and dump valves and turbo controlls and all what have you before I decide what direction I want to go beyond that. Any and all suggestions or comments are appreciated.

Found one page showing key changes between a couple years of 3's, but not sure I have it all sorted out.

Hopefully I get a couple howdies back, by then I'll have questions better sorted.

Oh yeah... I will go out on a limb and guess that some of the readers here also check the other popular Mazda forum site I ran across with 3 in the middle of the name?? If so, could anyone give me their take on the difference between that site and this? Is one or the other more technically inclined, or more user friendly, or locks up regularly, loads slower, or anything you can think of that draws you to or steers you away from one or the other? They both appear to have a wealth of information. I am not an online forum novice and know there can be a big difference the way separate sites can cover the same topics.

Thanks again, and look forward to learning a lot fast and posting pics of my new ride by a week from today!

 

[Saskatchewan17]

I really like the 6's AWD, especially here with the snow, but I prefer the 3's hatchback body style.

I would say I'm looking mainly at the 06-07 model years, but if there are major differences into later years, please speak up, I'm flexible. But also frugal.

I see I have a lot of reading to do re mods, I expect cold air, springs, wheels and tires to be my first things, need to study up on ECM controllers and the relation to exhaust and turbo sizes and injector size and dump valves and turbo controlls and all what have you before I decide what direction I want to go beyond that. Any and all suggestions or comments are appreciated.

Found one page showing key changes between a couple years of 3's, but not sure I have it all sorted out.

the other popular Mazda forum site I ran across with 3 in the middle of the name?? If so, could anyone give me their take on the difference between that site and this?

Hello! Welcome to the Mazdas247.com community.

To answer some of your questions:

If you like the 3s bodystyle, I'd suggest going with that and a set of winter tires... they help a lot more in the snow than an AWD system does.

No major differences really. MS3 only comes in 07 and up. I would reccomend getting your hands on a low mileage example though.

Mods is a hot topic here... first mods most everyone agrees on should probably be a:
CAI/SRI
Rear motor mount
Shifter bushings (or short shifter if you can spend the dough)
There are numerous threads on first mod ideas.

Basically for the model year changes in MS3s:
07-08 - cloth seat inserts, red gauge needles, silver dash trim, color options (true red, cosmic blue, sunlight silver, black mica)
08.5-09 - alcantara seat inserts, white gauge needles, piano black dash trim, color options (true red, metropolitan grey mica, crystal white pearl, black mica)

Please don't link to other mazda communities. It's against our rules here. I will say, however, that this site is a very helpful place to ask questions and gain knowledge about your ride.

 

[C.T.B.B.]

Hi, and thanks for the nice welcome.

Snow performance tires are a given right off the bat regardless of model, snow could be here any day now and not leave for 5 months. Helps when you can get em at cost and delivery/mount/balance is free. Same with rims, might just use stock rims for winter rims and get new ones for summer only with their own tires.

I do recall seeing info in the shifter and mount issues somewhere previously, thanks for the reminder, any consensus on whose replacements seem to work/look/install the best?

I hope to look at multiple MS models this weekend, but if you do an Autotrader search around Minneapolis there aren't a whole lot to choose from, see whatof the different trims and model changes I prefer and go from there.

My downtime hobby is accurate music reproduction, the stereo forums all have their own particular strengths and weaknesses, I figured would be the same with car stuff. I do respect and appreciate each individual site for what is is and what it can provide and try to not ruffle any feathers anywhere. I'll be nice, promise.

 

[Speedkid]

Hello welcome to the forums.

 

[BillTheCat]

Welcome to the forums. I also checked out the other forum you mentioned, among others, before deciding that this site would be my go-to for my MS3 thoughts/questions/delusions/etc. It seemed like this site had the best balance of decent attitude and good knowledge, etc. But that was based on probably no more than an hour or two perusing each of the other major sites I found.

The only thing about this site that has bugged me, and this is not a complaint, just an observation, is that it is one of the few I have seen where linking to other sites is disallowed. I understand this is common, but I've not had to deal with it before. I just try & remember to behave myself on that count when perusing this site, and all is well.

I'll throw this in- I cannot speak for the MS6, but the MS3 is available in 2 trim levels: Sport and GT. GT adds the alcantara seat inserts (instead of pure cloth), HID headlights, LED tails, and Bose stereo. (Guys, am I forgetting any GT details there?)

Mechanically, the 2 are identical. No performance differences, just cosmetics.

Also, keep in mind that the MZR engine is not known to handle significant hp increases very well. Basic upgrades like CAI, exhaust, etc. are OK, but the general consensus, as I have seen is no more than about 300whp, tops, without upgrading internals.

Also, there is a certain proclivity for the turbo to smoke which appears to be aggravated by certain mods, such as aftermarket downpipes. You might want to do some searching on this site & others for more info on smoking turbos to make sure you cover all the usual causes.

Also, related to the smoking turbo situation, there's a PCV issue with these engines that seems to be ongoing and somewhat naggy. I've read different reports about the 08.5 & up having an updated PCV, or not. Maybe someone can clarify that for you here.

Aside from those minor issues, the cars seem fun & reliable. My '09 Sport has been a ton of fun, and reliable thus far- 23k+ miles in 13 months, happy as a pig in... well, let's just say mud. Only warranty issue I had was a sticking gas cap, which is also common. My dealer's diagnosis differed from most- said it was a malformed fuel filler neck (as opposed to a bad gas cap) and was replaced without hassle. No issues since.

 

[coololddude]

MS3=Best all round choice. You can haul; People, Stuff, AAASSSSS!!

 

[LaCroix08]

I'll throw this in- I cannot speak for the MS6, but the MS3 is available in 2 trim levels: Sport and GT. GT adds the alcantara seat inserts (instead of pure cloth), HID headlights, LED tails, and Bose stereo. (Guys, am I forgetting any GT details there?)

You forgot rain-sensing windshield wipers! And it's somewhat inferred by mentioning the Bose system, but we also get a 6-cd changer!

Also, welcome to the forums!

 

[BillTheCat]

MS3=Best all round choice. You can haul; People, Stuff, AAASSSSS!!

Been there, done that, got the t-shirts!

 

[Hank3]

Mods is a hot topic here... first mods most everyone agrees on should probably be a:
CAI/SRI
Rear motor mount
Shifter bushings (or short shifter if you can spend the dough)
There are numerous threads on first mod ideas.

Basically for the model year changes in MS3s:
07-08 - cloth seat inserts, red gauge needles, silver dash trim, color options (true red, cosmic blue, sunlight silver, black mica)
08.5-09 - alcantara seat inserts, white gauge needles, piano black dash trim, color options (true red, metropolitan grey mica, crystal white pearl, black mica)

Some other things I wanted to add to Saskatchewan's informative post:

If the rear motor mount is too aggressive, I'd opt for the Corksport motor mount inserts. As for the shifter feel, you have the choice of shifter bushings, short shifter, or now, the short shift plate from jbarone. It's a well-priced alternative to a short shifter.

Also, a few minor changes to the 08.5-09 models are:

• Sun visors are illuminated
• Interior door handles and e-brake button are faux chrome
• Glove box latch is a lighter silver
• 6-disc CD player is MP3 compatible
• Some later models come with FL-22 coolant (120K maintenance interval instead of 60K)

 

[C.T.B.B.]

Thanks to all for the additional info on some of the less glamorous items and the mods. Been hoping for another to pop up as available before this weekend, really don't see the one I want but am impatient and don't want to do the initial/only test drive on snow covered roads a month from now. Have been kicking around different ideas on how to proceed once it's in the garage but need to actually have my butt in the car for a couple days to see what I think needs attention first. Promise when I get something going this will be the first place I tell about it.

Off I go to get more smarter about this here Mazda thingy. Don't be shy if something pops into your head that might be considered inconsequential by most until it hits you that it is either a really great design or idea or something that should have been designed differently, those are the things that don't get noticed till you live with the car for a while.

Thanks again.

 

[zx2man]

Welcome to the forum..The ms3 is a very good choice for someone looking for a practical daily driver that can haul the family around and go camping or shopping and yet still put your foot into the gas and enjoy speeding down a windy road. A stock ms3 is a car that can hang with stock sti's-mustang gt's-dodge charger/challeger RT's and so forth..basicly 0-60 range of 5.4-5.9 sec...and 1/4 mile around 13.7-14.0..yet costs thousands less..so alot of car for the money...and If when you drive conservative this car will get better gas mpg than alot of those cars too...The clutch of this car takes little while to get used to for most drivers,but not a big deal at all. The stock motormounts are fairly weak as stated above...stock shifter has longer than prefered pulls,and if you plan to mod this car like full bolts on's and tune..you have to keep a eye on the stock cdfp, which has known to suffer low fuel psi at even stock boost levels...there few more quirks with this car..but least you get a idea..all in all..the pro's outweight the negatives by alot!..and you really cant go wrong choosing a ms3 as your next car. The folks here are kind and full of valuable information, I myself have learned alot about this car just from the members on this forum....so goodluck with whatever you choose and once again welcome to mazdas247

 

[C.T.B.B.]

I went, I saw, I bought.

07 MS3 Sport, True Red, 50K, Alpine/Boston Acoustics, Mazdaspeed CAI, newer Hancook snow/performance tires. Tomorrow off come the side moldings, make a short throw shift plate as per JBerone (thank you for all the info), and grind off some of the shifter mount bushings. Should have some improovements without spending a dime. For now.

In fact, think I'll go out right now with a flashlight and look at pulling the shift cover and shifter hold-down bolt bushings to grind.

 

[Saskatchewan17]

Congrats man. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[5-4-fighting]

Congrats on the new to you ride. Great color choice! You'll love it. As others have said, some of the first things you'll want to do is to let the engine breath better with either a CAI or the SRI with the TIP. I have the Cobb SRI/TIP combo which made a huge difference right off the bat. Then I did the short shifter, shifter bushings and shifter weight. Shifter feel is perfect now. A rear motor mount is also a must for this engine, really stiffens things up and smooths out shifting dramatically.

 

[CorkSport]

Congrats on your car. I have always been a fan of the Red color.

Check the intake to make sure it has an air straightener in it. If you opt for a turbo inlet pipe check around as there are alot of choices out there for turbo inlet pipes.

-Derrick

 

[BillTheCat]

Congrats on the find! I'm sure you're going to be quite happy with it.