Mazdaspeed3 Grand Touring

[Hikaru9]

I understand what you're saying, but when you do that, the dealers work the numbers to look good up front while padding their profit. They LOOOOOOVE when buyers do that. You usually end up getting robbed. Be discreet with what you want to pay per month. And don't be afraid to walk if you can't afford it.

I agree. I think it's good to have the numbers all worked out before even going to the dealership. When I bought my MS3, I had worked out financing with a credit union beforehand, so I knew exactly how much I'd be paying each month.

 

[We Are Ninja]

Yup, GT is heavier than the sport. The only thing that the GT has over the sport that I miss are the HID's. Everything else is just added weight, IMO.

Agreed. The only thing I'd need is the HID's. I could do without all the other options and extra weight.

Sport w/ HID's FTW.(first)

 

[Chrisq0904]

Thanks guys for all the info its rly helpin out and im starting to get an idea as to which model i want to get, which is prob. the sport mainly cuz of my budjet and i don rly need the GT right now and i can jus hav some1 install the HID's for me and hope i don get caught if they are illegal, btw someone i talked to about the HID's said that if i have projectors or something like that they arnt illegal, is that true? and wat exactly are projectors and would i have to buy them and how much are they?

 

[Olestra]

Go here, a huge post by TheMan

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123631466

 

[Hikaru9]

Go here, a huge post by TheMan

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123631466

Yup, that post pretty much sums it up.

One thing I didn't see The Man mention was the leveling feature for the OEM HIDs. Your car should have either an auto-leveling or a manual leveling feature for the HID projectors. More expensive cars get the auto feature while we (Mazda 3/ MS3 owners) get the manual feature --> settings 0 to 3. I'm not sure whether non-projector HIDs have that feature or not. I know my sister's Maxima didn't.

Basically you control the angle of the beam to offset the load (passengers & luggage) in the back since your car will be squatting making your beam point upwards. I don't think aftermarket HID kits, even with projector housings, offer this. One more reason why they are and should be illegal.

 

[Olestra]

I recall someone putting a leveling sensor in that they made themselves. Not quite sure anymore where I saw it. I could be mistaking it with someone making auto intermittent wipers.

 

[We Are Ninja]

Go here, a huge post by TheMan

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123631466

Okay, then. A Sport without HID's...

 

[RPI-Speed3]

Back on topic (great posts about the HID issue BTW). I think getting the GT vs. Sport is purely on use. Since I do about 2500 miles a month for work, I wanted the GT for the extra creature comforts. If you've ever owned a car with HIDs, its almost impossible to go back to a car with halogens. The auto lights/wipers are priceless. I never realized how annoying it was to keep changing the intermittency of wipers before.

However, if this were going to be my track car, I would have gotten the sport, put in Philips BlueVision bulbs, and started my weight reduction modding. Since I have a track car (RX-8), I wanted something comfortable and fun to drive long distances.

 

[Chrisq0904]

Now im starting to understand everything alot better but im pretty sure that now im gonna get a sport cuz i want a car that i can take to the track every now and then. Espically due to money im prob gonna get the sport and use the money saved to but som goodies in it like a CAI or speakers or bigger intercooler(dont kno if i can put a bigger one or not) or mayb a turbo timer and deff some other rims prob 5 or 6 spoke.

 

[knowledge007]

Don't understand why the bose sucks. I think not. I mean it is by far awesome than just some stock regular radio. Don't understand why people have to bash things. Atleast the option is there to have a nice good system. And the weight, please with my CAI and BOV along with my 3" pipes from the mani back 100+ is very well compensated and more.

 

[ReFlex]

Thanks guys for all the info its rly helpin out and im starting to get an idea as to which model i want to get, which is prob. the sport mainly cuz of my budjet and i don rly need the GT right now and i can jus hav some1 install the HID's for me and hope i don get caught if they are illegal, btw someone i talked to about the HID's said that if i have projectors or something like that they arnt illegal, is that true? and wat exactly are projectors and would i have to buy them and how much are they?

If the sport is what you want go for it...But the HID's later on will only make you wish you went projectors...the HIDs only blinds people while you drive and its a cost as well, and if you get a ticket add that to the cost too...Overall you will being paying out of your pocket, so if i was you go for the GT, not to mention all of the extra goodies you get with it...GT all the way

 

[$inCitySpeed3]

100 pounds is a tenth of a second...give me a break about the weight crap...up the stock boost to 16.6

 

[nondual]

I love my GT, but if you don't care for the HIDs, auto wipers, and the Bose system, you should definitely save $$ and go with the sport.

Bose system is all right, but it's no Mark Levinson. It's not as good as my Alpine system in my RSX; nevertheless, as factory systems go, its sound should satisfy most people. (no mp3 CDs >_<) So... like the others have said, you should think of it as a small extra, but your decision shouldn't be based on the stereo.

Rain-sensing wipers are simply awesome, and they really do work great. I think it should be the standard feature on all cars in the market.

I also like the HIDs. Sure, it looks nice, but being able to see much better at night is such a benefit especially for a car like the MS3 (zoom- zoom!). IMO, aftermarket HIDs don't perform well compared to the OEMs. (not to mention it's illegal).

The trip computer (correct me if Sport has it, too) is dumb. Its fuel calculations are always off by like 2mpg (so much for its "computing" accuracy), and the live-fuel consumption display is just silly. Will I really get 99.9 mpg while coasting in 6th gear? I think not. ^_^

Again, I like my GT, but if you couldn't care less about those things, go with the sport. Hope this helps. *^_^*

I like the auto-headlights, but I can't remember if that's a GT-only feature. I hate that my dealer's service techs shut off the auto lights because it'll be more than half dark before I remember I have to turn them back to auto.

 

[MadOzodi]

I like the auto-headlights, but I can't remember if that's a GT-only feature. I hate that my dealer's service techs shut off the auto lights because it'll be more than half dark before I remember I have to turn them back to auto.

Ya, I noticed my dealer's service techs turn the nob down to the OFF position also after I picked up my car. It's prolly b/c our HIDs blind everyone when they pull the car into the garage.

(rockon)