I need quick facts on the mazdaspeed protege, HELP me or lose me to saab...sniffle

[stackz]

GOING TOMORROW MORNING TO LOOK/BUY>>>NEED FAST ANSWERS (dont tell me search dammit! no time!!)

ok guys, here's my story. long time ford co fan. mazda is a part of that.

gf/fiance' has dictated to me she's sick of my projects and wants me to have a steady car (see my signature link for personal projects page heh).

anyway, I've been looking at an MSP last few months and like an idiot I passed one by a few months ago thinking that in ATLANTA of all places they'd be plentiful!!

well...I found another....7 months later....

27k on the clock but its at a small time dealer and I ran a carfax and it's an off-lease/rental car...

what kind of damage should I look for tomorrow?? I've been doing rudimentary searches but all I see is "how do I build my dream MSP" and s*** like that...give me meat...not candy dammit.

1....do these things ALL have an LSD from the factory??

2....does the a/c go bad quickly??

3....door handle trim wear down quickly???

etc, etc?? whats the 2-3 year wear/tear on these things I should look for as clues to abuse? I need answers by 10A.M. eastern time tomorrow.

also, while we're in this thread...whats the stock boost level on the car and what can the stock engine/fuel system TAKE if I toss an apexi-avcR on it?? 10psi? 15psi? 20psi? mmmm or better yet, what horsepower level does the bottom end start to pop loose at and what goes first?? piston/rod/crank/cylinder wall???

Its either an MSP or a saab 9-2x aero with the employee $10K discount TOMORROW...convince me otherwise guys...I dont want to go to GM if I dont have to but I KNOW what the boxer engine in the WRX is capable of...

 

[mazdaowner123]

1.) All MSP's have an LSD. That seems to be a weak link the car, as many people have blown the stock diffs.

2.) My a/c still works fine at 30k, can't really comment on this one.

3.) Door handle trim is fine, too, but if you're asking this question you're probably concerned over little stuff like squeaks etc. This car is the king of noises and squeaks and little problems.

Stock boost is between 5-7ish psi. The engine is a stock protege engine, so it can't take much boost. Some people have run 10-12 psi with no problems, but it's only a matter of time. If you want reliability, stock boost is the way to go. A boost controller for a first/only mod is definitely not the way to go, even though many people here have done that. Many people will say 250whp is the limit for the stock engine, but I'd say above 200-210whp, your affecting the life of the engine in a noticable way.

Good luck! The handling on these cars is AMAZING, definitely will beat a saabaru in that regards any day.

 

[Dexter]

search you lamer.

 

[dominoy2k1]

lol!

 

[thejoker0409]

My a/c is fine till you put the hammer down gets a little warmish
These cars have lots of squeks and such
And like brianmcd said the handiling of these cars is awesome Ill take my msp over
a saabaroo any day

 

[yesiownaskyline]

The weakest part of the car mechanically is the rods, followed by the ECU @ stock boost coming in a close second. Anything over 10psi without proper engine management will be looking for trouble.
The Ecu @ stock boost runs richer than Bill Gates, and can be best described as "finicky". Some mods will adjust the ECU, while others will cause it to give you a big middle finger. Some have found success, however, in uppping the boost slightly to lean it out and reduce some stock hesitation (fairly prevalent in stock MSP's around 3-4K, if going to WOT... fixable).
The LSD, yes has been a problem in the car, but can be fixed and improved by welding a certain area. With this fix, some people are laying down heavy power without issues.
Also, this car squeaks, moans, groans, clunks, gobbles like a turkey, etc... Its normal. We all have THE CLUNK...

And after all of the negatives, I still love the car... For a slightly powerful turn loving road *****, you cant get much better for the price. Will outhandle WRX's and SRT-4s(stock, I'm not starting this war again) pretty much all day.

so good luck, and welcome!

 

[wicked]

pro's
oh,such handling should be a sin
looks great
gas milege is nice(unless your boost happy)
rare car
not a large aftermarket following makes it more respectable to modify
did I mention the handling
nice sound system for factory(exept the sub)


cons
connecting rods can't hold much
LSD tends to break,unless you reweld the factory crap weld
not enough power(fixable problem)
rare=not a big aftrmarket following
the "clunk"(sway bar bushing goes out a lot)
bad tuning from the factory(easily fixable for relatively cheap)
crappy factory intercooler gets heat soaked fast
fac. sub tends to blow



the engine can with stand almost nothing in it's stock form,it needs tuning,rods,and a few bolt ons to rip though.

 

[Matthew]

buy the saab.

 

[wicked]

buy the saab.

no doubt the saab is nice,I would go for the WRX personaly,but I don't get a BIG ASS DISCOUNT like you.

if you get the MSP,you will lose a lot of respect for the ford lineup,actually I'm not sure why you have respect for the fords to begin with.

the only thing ford does better then GM is honor thier warrenty.
the same cannot be said for the MAZDA,thier warrenty is hardly thier,and a lot of the time you have to threaten them to get stuff taken care of,even known problems.

 

[girth]

The MSP definitely has its share of "small" problems...made more of a PITA by the typical Mazda dealerships not honoring the warranty. Depending on price you'd be a fool NOT to get the Saab over the MSP.

 

[noclue119]

Hey if u need help looking at getting a MSP I'm in the Atlanta area. I can help you out with it. Just PM me. I can point out all the problems with it.

 

[msp35]

Isn't GM extending this employee pricing another month anyways?

 

[wicked]

the emloyee pricing just shows how much they are ripping you of normaly.

 

[mspdfreak]

Screw the employee discount. Go in, ask to see the invoice, and offer $300 above that price. If they aren't greedy assholes, they'll agree, and you'll be out of their hair in a couple of hours.

 

[II-Savy]

You mean Saabaru?

There is no such thing as Saab any more. GM has polluted that sweet Sweed brand.

 

[peepsalot]

HELP me or lose me to saab

 

[jurgs01]

27k on the clock but its at a small time dealer and I ran a carfax and it's an off-lease/rental car...

Uhh, an off-lease/rental car that is turbocharged? No thanks. Can you say 87 octane and beat to hell? Get the other car.

 

[skilletrx]

i'd hold off if that was a rental... seriously.. i beat on the corollas they give me, think of what i'd do w/ a rental msp

 

[Dr.Sound]

i dont think MSP would be a rental.
first it's limited as hell, second it's a 5-speed.

it said "off-lease/rental" which is one category to carfax.
i'm 100% sure it was a lease.

 

[jurgs01]

i dont think MSP would be a rental.
first it's limited as hell, second it's a 5-speed.

it said "off-lease/rental" which is one category to carfax.
i'm 100% sure it was a lease.

Even so, some people don't treat a lease that well unless they plan on doing the option to buy.