Help with buying a msp?

i found a 2003.5 msp with 78k miles for $7900. clean title, looks like they added a cai. just wondering if someone could let me know if this looks ok just from the pics and also do these cars have any major problems when they start to add on miles...i'd hate to buy this and when it gets to 100k miles need a new trans, turbo or even a new engine ...http://www.pursuitauto.com/shared/p...peed_manual-5663805.html?src=CraigsList&pid=1

 

[theEZV]

that one looks very clean, even the steering wheel is in great shape. its all stock, except for the headunit. with these cars it all depends on how they were treated by the previous owners. doesnt look like its been modified. i would try to bring the price down more.

 

[mzspeed14.0]

looks terrific. I'd say no brainer. Plus I love these in sunlight silver.

 

[tybrenis]

I paid $5000 for mine... with 90k on it. You shouldn't drop almost $8,000 into a MSP with that many miles, you'll need that money for all the problems these cars are prone to.

 

[pierre44]

Yeah I bought mine back in Jan. for $4700 with 127xxx miles and I definitely needed the extra money I saved to fix common problems. Just go thru it really good or even have a mechanic take a look. Does look clean for a used MSP tho. Good luck

 

[hornsfan10609]

That is a clean car, I would buy it just because of the interior.

 

[Guest20182]

You've gotta look at the fact that it's from a stealership. Generally you can expect to pay 2-3k more than a private seller. The car looks good though, I say go for it!

 

[christiansMSP]

that car is gorgous!!!

You could Probably get it down to 7k easy! Cash only! Good Luck!

 

[drummer829]

thanks everyone, what problems did you guys have with yours? or what are your "common problems"??

 

[HondaEat-R]

That's a nice car, I'd try to get 'em a little lower, but overall, that looks to be worth it. Clean.

 

[prdracing]

The problems these cars get are usually associated with how hard they were driven by the previous owner(s) I think. I bought mine with 67K last year and it's got 80K now and I haven't had any problems with the turbo, oil leakage, etc. Maybe it's the angle the photo was taken but it looks like the sub/amp rack is hanging a bit low in the trunk. Mine sits nice and flush and you can't see any of that foam buffer material like in that pic. Not a biggie, but maybe worth looking at. I guess one of the only really common problem with MSPs are the rear sway bar bushings squeaking and clunking. Mine were clunking when I bought it and I made the dealership fix it before taking delivery. In any case, that looks like a really clean specimen and you can always try and get more off the price! If you're looking to get into the MSP scene, that's probably a really good example! Good luck!

 

[drummer829]

ok cool thanks a lot..its between this one and a 2002 focus svt, both around the same price. my dads very good friend is like the head mechanic at a mazda dealership and always helps out if anything goes wrong, so thats the main reason im lookin at those 2 cars. im thinkin about askin the dealership to let him look at it and maybe let him test drive it to make sure its all good

 

[nate0123]

Agreed with the others. Extremely clean compared to most, but I'd still try to get it for less..

 

[christiansMSP]

buy it yet?

 

[solidtrance]

I looked at the car on Saturday and one of my buddies, not the OP came down and picked it up less than an hour later. This car was in very good condition. Completely unmolested, zero mods (they were confused because the intake was made by calloway). The dealer was great too. the car drove like a new car, no pulling even under braking, pulled strong (far an MSP). Don't know what my buddie paid for it, but he got a great car. The rest of their showroom was full of STI's, with a Z4M, 997 GT2 ($161k) and the owners personal collection (996 Turbo S, Cobra replica with all origional 427 and drive train and a few MV Agusta's!).

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, don't shoot the messenger.

 

[theEZV]

msp's that clean and unmolested are getting hard to find. hopefully your buddy will take good care of it

 

[solidtrance]

Saw him Saturday night, all smiles. He is learning how to drive a manual trans, but other than that it is all good. We have plenty of folks around to help, and he should take care of it. You are right, it would be a shame to see one that nice ruined.

 

[prdracing]

Damn! Sorry OP, you just got sniped! Guess it's back to Focus SVT idea...

 

[SprNater]

Forget the focus...Get the GT-R, only 69,900!!!!

 

[drummer829]

yea i checked out the focus last night, andsince my dad has a focus svt as well, hes going to look at it tonight, drives good, so im probably goin with that one if it checks out. asking $7000 for it, but kbb in excellent condition onlysays 5800, so thats what im gonna offer