looking into an mp3.. opinions needed

[sicboarder]

hey guys.

so this is the story. I used to own a 2001 honda prelude but untill last monday it has been writin-off (not my fault). so now I have two weeks to find a new car. It took me six months to buy the prelude only because I wanted a car that I don't have to modify and looks great right of the bat. An examle on how picky I am..... I could have bought a cheaper prelude but I wanted one specifically in the blue color and spoilerless (yea I know!).
So this is the dilema. I have three cars in mind.

1) 2002 Civic si (ex in the states)
2) 2000 civic sir (si in the states)
3) 2001 Protege MP3

I like the 02 si except that it lacks power and I know I will have this huge urge to drop it (god those things are high!). But great car for the money and I know hondas like the back of my hand.

The 00 sir is nice too. It has the power, everything I want (ie. p/w, p/l etc)
but its the typical tuner car and they get stolen every five minutes.

The 01 Mp3 is really growing on me. It looks great, has all the power options, and has a little bit of pep to it. The downside is I've never worked on a mazda and I'm not to fond of their reliability.

So the question I have is what do you guys think is a better buy?? hows mazdas relibility? aside from the "clunk" what else is the mp3 plagued with? are parts expensive??

I'm not asking for you guys to make the decision for me but more or less educate me so that I can make the smartest buy possible.

thanks in advance!

 

[Mr. Win]

LOOK up smp3000s in the for sale section he is selling one thats very nice.

 

[DarkZetec]

i'd change you list to 99-00 Si, MP3 or a ZX2 S/R MP3 or S/R being my top 2 choices. The MP3 and S/R will both out handel the Si, and of the MP3 and S/R the MP3 is the best handeling and best luxory, the is best 1/4 (same as a 00 Si) and less luxory.

if it makes you easier to see what i mean

Handeling:
1. MP3
2. ZX2 S/R
3. Si

1/4:
1.ZX2 S/R - Si
2. MP3

Luxory:
1. MP3
2. ZX2 S/R - Si


its hard fro me to chose between teh s/r and mp3, but i'd take an mp3 over an Si anyday

 

[Replica]

Sir, no contest. Although you aren't looking to do mods...the aftermarket and parts for hondas rock. A B16 is a way better motor than the FS-DE. The EK chassis is damn good with simple suspension mods, it probably wont beat a stock Mp3 at an autocross but who cares? Life isn't a continual auto-x anyway. I looked hard at Preludes, fun cars...that H-series tranny is so nice.

 

[Kooldino]

1) 2002 Civic si (ex in the states) - **** that s***. Worthless without lots of mods
2) 2000 civic sir (si in the states) - Good all round car, cheap mods, and they go fast for cheap.
3) 2001 Protege MP3 - Better than the SI except for speed and cost of mods. Downside is that it takes a lot of $ to get power out of them. But if you get a used boosted one, all the work is done for you.

 

[Albino Flash]

I would definitely not consider an EX. The only thing this car has over the MP3 is gas mileage. I hate it. I have never driven an SI. I have owned 4 proteges and never had any problems except for the clunk. I also wanted to let you know that the MP3 does not have cruise control. It never mattered to me but most people love having this option.