Looking into 2009 speed3

[dizzydtrain]

Hello all,

I am a civic Si owner and have been tinkering with the idea of moving onto a 2009 mazda speed 3. I have located 2 that i am interested in but would like to do some more research/hear more opinions before pulling the trigger.

The two i have found are both 2009 GT models with 4700 and 7300 miles. With that mileage, both cars are pretty new and the trade in value for my civic Si is right around where it should be to continue with the same payment I currently have.

FYI, i am being offered $17,200 on a Si sedan with 11,000 miles. I have around 13,000 left to pay on the car.

Is there something i should look for in both the 2009's? I have heard stories of blown turbos and issues with the engine mounts. As you can tell, I am fairly new to Mazda's and have never owned one.

The main reason i am trading is because I have purchased a house and would like to use the extra cargo room for transportation from time to time. I am also done modding cars extensively and would much rather use the money for investments and home improvements instead of making my Si faster. The speed 3 is fast enough for me and it looks great without any additons. I would probably just get a dedicated set of winter tires and summer tires and some window tint.

Well, let me know if you have any questions for me and what I should know about the speed 3. It's a fantastic car, I just want to make sure i am not buying a lemon.

Both cars were traded in for entry luxury vehicles (one Infinity and one Acura) by elderly gentlemen.

 

[BigDaddyMS3]

MS3 Opinion

The rear motor mounts are weak. They have been on recall. After market motormounts are inexpensive. The miles on both cars seem low but a turbo is a turbo. Either run the VINs through the dealer computer for service interval records or ask for the previous owners receipts. Of course the obvious smoking turbo upon start up or after a test drive would be obvious trouble. Search the NHTSA for TSBs. My only mod advise would be a MSCAI for warranty purposes. The benefit is little or no turbo lag and a nice sound. This car is by far the most bang for my buck ever!

Have fun with those home improvements and investments!

 

[SallySpeed3]

If you do like the above mentioned and just get a CAI, that will probably be enough for you to want to keep modding it. Just a hunch tho, I never thought I would want to do anything more than an SRI, but that boat has sailed.

 

[slashsnake]

Also test drive it for a while, not a quick 2 mile run. Had a heavily modded 08 MS3 for sale here in Colorado at a dealership, and it wasn't till after 5-6 miles that the turbo started smoking on it.

 

[not yellow]

buying a used car is always a gamble. and, honestly, i'd rather buy from a private party than a dealership. the dealer often knows little or nothing about the car's history and only sometimes has any maintenance records. a carfax can be somewhat helpful, but doesn't tell the whole story. that being said, the cars you are looking at have very low miles so it's probably a better bet. like slashsnake mentioned, take it for an extensive test drive. and don't be afraid to take it to a third party mechanic for an inspection if you are serious about buying the car.

anyway, i've had my '09 GT for about a month and am totally happy with it. granted, i changed the suspension to H&R coilovers... but outside of that all you need is a rear MM and a CAI or SRI. it's pretty damn fun out right out of the box!

 

[lv2boost]

I traded my 06 civic si in for my 09 MS3. You should do the same.

 

[mr_mazda329]

The car is perfect. Keep it stock and dont look back.

 

[leadf00t]

Well lets see if we can get you some useful advice. So far the best has been to try & get the service records, but with miles that low there cant be much I would think. The mounts you're hearing about are from the early 06-07's that had a tranny mount bolt that would break, and there was a TSB for those, but with an 09 it's not going to be an issue. People like to stiffen up the rear mount, because the available power can cause the engine to move around quite a bit, and wheel hop can occur. These mounts range in price & stiffness, you'll have to decide for yourself how stiff you want it to be. There are some smoking turbo issues for people who have removed there cats, and there have been some blown motors, a couple stock that I remember (could be more), but most have been heavily modded. Have you test drove both of these, and did you notice any difference between the two ? Both are going to have the remainder of warranty, so you'll be covered if anything should go wrong. Like any car purchase new, or used you never know what your going to get until you live with it. Since it sounds like you dont intend to go mod crazy, I would just get you maintenance done at your local dealer since Mazda NA can be really picky about fixing modded cars, and you should be ok. Ultimately you'll have to decide if this car,and it's pros & cons are something you're prepaired to deal with.

 

[Saskatchewan17]

Go for it. My only reccomendation would be to upgrade the rear motor mount to ease your mind and if the turbo ever starts smoking you have a warranty to get a new one!

 

[dizzydtrain]

So besides the standard motor mounts (which might not even be an issue for the 09) and the rare turbo break down, is there anything else that the speed 3 would raise reliability issues?

From what i have read, the reliability is good-very good like the standard mazda 3.

 

[Saskatchewan17]

Nope. Treat it well and it will treat you well. I reccomend using only synthetic and changing the oil every 5,000 miles or even less. Just keep on top of the maintenance.

The turbos don't burn out or break down, the PCV system in the car is poory designed and plumbed so that in some cases the oil breaks past the seals in the turbo, causing the car to burn the excess oil. This is usually caused when a catless exhaust is in place making it so that the exhaust gasses are flowing at a higher rate than the engine is intaking and the crankcase pressure becomes higher than atmospheric pressure, causing too much oil to seep into and past the turbo seals, burning off in the exhaust. This is why it only smokes mostly at idle and cruising speeds. When the turbo is in use, these pressure problems become nullified for the obvious negation of the aformentioned pressure balance issue. Left stock, the car shouldn't do this, but it is still a possibility.

The motor mount in this car is s*** by design. It can't handle the amount of torque the car is putting out and really should be upgraded to a stronger, aftermarket alternative. This eliminates unnecesarry and dangerous enigne movement while also making shifts smoother and reducing wheelhop.

 

[blkspeed]

i was like that at once.... plenty of power, no need to mod.but then i got used to the power and want to go faster, louder and lower lol. if you have self control thats awesome. i thought i did but its like a drug

i took a gamble and got a used one with nice audio and ms cai and twm ss, first was the clutch to go, then the starter went bad now i need new front rotors and pads.. o yea its $290 if you crack your GT windshield fyi