Looking at buying a MSP and want advice? Post here!

[We Are Ninja]

Some great advice in here. As previously said, treat the car well and it will treat you well.

As far as upping the boost, I wouldn't do it. If the MSP was a giant enemy crab, upping the boost without the proper supporting mods would be akin to hitting it's weak spot for massive damage.

 

[SASK P5]

well a spicy msp came up for sale in my city a couple weeks ago, which is very rare to happen. so i contacted him but he worked weird hours so i wasn't able to look at it right away and then a couple days later he took it down. i called him and he said he wanted to clean it up and get a new fog light before selling it. but i havent seen the ad back up and it's been almost three weeks. now i really want a spicy msp, i love the colour and it doesn't have the 03.5 lip so i can still use my piaa fogs! so now i'm looking at another 2003 spicy msp. i cant really go look at it easily since it is around 6.5 hrs away. it's got 130,000km, i'm happy with that. the only mods are a A/F gauge, boost guage and black vinyl on the hood (so removable) and i am guessing the speakers to with what he listed but i am not to sure on the stock setup in msp's, so fairly stock how i would want it, to start from. the main thing i am wondering about is, he said it needs a new wastegate. since i am new to turbos, i was wondering if it would be best to go oem replacement or get an aftermarket one? he is sending me more pics and info this evening so i will know a little more about it. heres a link to the ad, let me know what you think.
http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2003-Mazda-Protege-mazdaspeed-W0QQAdIdZ232700206

 

[RenesisKing]

Hey everybody, I am interested in buying a winter/dailydriver and a friend of mine is willing to sell his MSP to me. He has 94K on it and is very well taken care of, the car looks mint. Its a 2003.5 gray and I was online looking at reviews and so far the main issues seem to be the head units and sway bar bushings (I did his rears a couple months ago) and thats about it. I was wondering if I can use mid-grade in the car or if I had to use Premium. I have two cars currently that use Premium, and my dad's 626 uses regular but he's in Jersey and is only back on the week days and my DD (RX-8) isn't so great in any wet conditions. I drive to Farmington and will have to drive to Hartford Hospital or New Britain hospital from where I live which is about a good 45min drive so I was curious what people got for fuel economy and what they use for fuel.

He has so far....

Lowering springs, exhaust, boost gauge, afr, some other gauge and somehow some guy in a turbo Miata gave him 15psi of boost which I am not liking. I want it to go back to factory settings.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[o0n8]

91 octane or higher only! it's that way for any turbo'ed cars. i usually get 24-30 mpgs city and highway depending on how much i get into the turbo. I have no truoble in winter with all seasonals. I think they make great daily drivers

 

[RenesisKing]

Ok, thanks a lot.

 

[323]

i got 32mpg last tank and that includes boostin around. i usually get 30. but i like the extra 2mpg

 

[2-8-1]

I was wondering if I can use mid-grade in the car or if I had to use Premium.

Use Premium. Turbo cars can be tuned for use with regular unleaded, but you lose a lot of power, and with the MSP, safety.

 

[RenesisKing]

Safety? I've been looking through the threads and it seems to me that as long as you keep it stock and maintain the general maintenance that these cars need you won't have any other crazy issues. I don't plan on doing anything else with the car if I do purchase it other then get a head unit because his crapped out (which seems to be a reoccuring issue). Am I safe with that assesment or am I being naiive? My only concern is how his car is boosting 15psi on the stock internals. He's not exactly sure how his friend did it but I'd like for it to go back to stock.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

if your buddy is running 15 lbs, I wouldn't TOUCH that car. Its a time bomb.
I usually get 28-32 mpg, when I was doing all freeway driving I pulled a few tanks at 35mpg.

 

[RenesisKing]

He says it initially boosts to 15psi and then drops down to around 12 on his boost gauge. How do I lower boost? It could just be the boost gauge itself but I'll ask him.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

chances are he has a boost controller on it. take it off. like I said, knowing what I know about the internals of these blocks, I wouldn't buy that car.

 

[RenesisKing]

Damn, Its such a nice car. I was told to take the pipe off the turbo and feel the shaft and see if its moving and to see if he's ran low oil in it. I'll find out exactly what may have been done to it. Hopefully it'll shed some light. I'm more of a rotary guy than a turbo guy so it's a bit new to me.

 

[o0n8]

these stock internals can't take much more than 7-8 psi and that's with some supporting mods. i'd be worried about it

 

[Jack The Ripper]

Considering picking up a 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege

Sup everyone?

I'm about to pick up a 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege w/ 144k miles for $5,000. It's got a brand new LSD, new 4 piston F&R brakes, Magnaflow CBE, new axles, forged pistons and rods, and a few other misc things. My only concern is how this car will react and hold up when I start modding. Any suggestions?

 

[Outlawstar98]

It's already forged? That's a good thing. Should hold up to moding

 

[1-killer-msp]

well if you say its got forged pistons and rods then it should be real good to performance mods depending how old that build was and how the previous owner was with the car also considering the fact that whatever mods you do to the car make sure you do your homework and not just throw a bunch of parts in it and expect it to run, so good luck and hopefully youll become another msp enthusiast.........

 

[Jack The Ripper]

Pistons and Rods were forged less than 1k miles ago. I plan on replacing the turbo first. a 143k turbo probably won't last much longer, and I don't think I'd like to rebuild it. Any suggestions on what turbo I should go with?

 

[Outlawstar98]

Gt28 or gt3071r. Also get a steedspeed Mani.

 

[Jack The Ripper]

I've got $700 levway to spend on the car. Any suggestions? I was thinking about buying a BOV and a Test Pipe. That, or buying a full Perrin TBE.

 

[Spiced MSP]

exhaust is an important factor on boosted cars so, TBE and when money permits, steedspeed exhuast manifold and I agree with Outlawstar, GT28 or better