MS3 or stay with a 2.3L Mazda3?

[phantomchick3]

Hi,

I'm sure you guys have been asked this question a million times so here it is for a million and one times...

i currently have an 07 mazda3 2.3L MTX with some minor mods, my only complain is that it is to SLOW...

it's about 1/2 paid off and has 15K on it already, i really wanted to get to speed3 to begin with but things didn't work out ---translation: i'm a broke college kid---

should i just give in and buy the speed3 or keep going with my current 3? My only issues with the speed3 are they don't make it in phantom blue and they don't come w/ sunroofs.

 

[Stu C]

You have plenty of time in your adult life to play. There's no point in putting yourself into debt over a car.

 

[oaklandopen]

make sure your priorities are straight before getting a different car. sure the speed is inexpensive for what it is, but it's no yaris. and you don't want to find yourself not eating so that you can scrounge up enough gas money, especially if you're a "poor college kid," cuz that really means keg money

 

[stevekt]

You are a college student and have a relatively new car with 15K miles that is half paid off and you want to get rid of it and sink further into debt because it is too slow?

 

[SwampAss]

Stay with what you have.

 

[jbiird317]

the 3 is plenty quick for everyday use. If you are happy with it, you should stick with it. Down the line (read: out of college) you will be able to afford a much nicer car or house and you will be happy that you stuck with the 3. In the mean time, beef up the suspension of your 3, do little things to keep you happy and make the car more fun!

 

[Shane5425]

yes definatly wait till you are out of college

 

[kneedragger241]

...not to mention the cost of insuring the MS3 when you're a "kid".

 

[Shane5425]

yeah, i am 22, i waited till i was done with college and then i got a MS3 insurance is still a bit high, but not as near what it was when i was 19...

 

[MS3077]

Insurance starts getting better when you reach 25+ yrs of age. The MS3 isn't exactly cheap to insure either.

My 07 Civic si was $129 / month to insure
My 08 Mazdaspeed3 is $171 / month to insure

 

[BlackCherry06]

You're in a lot better shape right now than a lot of other kids in your shoes. I would've killed to have a car like the 3 when I was in college. Believe me...it's misery being saddled with a car payment and insurance premiums that you can BARELY afford. Wait until you're done with school and get the next generation MS3...it's bound to be even better than the current one (I would hope).

 

[Shane5425]

Insurance starts getting better when you reach 25+ yrs of age. The MS3 isn't exactly cheap to insure either.

My 07 Civic si was $129 / month to insure
My 08 Mazdaspeed3 is $171 / month to insure

for a 05 tacoma and a 08 speed3, its 399 a month.. so not to bad..

 

[SwampAss]

399 a month for 2 cars is 5 grand a year. Holy Christ.

 

[Shane5425]

yep... i can thank louisiana for that one... corupt ass insurance and government over here... grrr... about to get married though, so it will drop alot..

 

[MS3077]

399 a month for 2 cars is 5 grand a year. Holy Christ.

+1

 

[Shane5425]

399 a month for 2 cars is 5 grand a year. Holy Christ.

sad thing, i have a clean record, with good driver discounts.........

 

[zoomzone]

Another thing to remember is the SPEED3 requires premium gas, which is hovering dangerously close to $4/GAL. And it gets much lower mileage than the regular 2.3.

So, high insurance + more debt + bigger gas bill = only if you can comfortably afford it.

 

[MS3077]

Bottom line: You might be able to get one for around 22k but it's going to cost you as much as some 30k vehicles in the long run when everything else is factored in (Insurance, gas, maintenance, etc) Also, you're going to want to use a full synthetic oil with the speed 3 which is like twice the price $$ of the conventional stuff. Oh and the tires on this thing aren't cheap either..

I would stick with the Regular 2.3L 3 for now and buy something faster/ sportier later on. Just be patient it will pay off!

 

[mazdaspeedster3]

Buy the MS3. You can go up to a 40 on the tire and there are a lot more available at better prices. You can get 26 MPG average with the MS3 (not bad in my mind) and .20 more per gallon is only 2.40 more a tank. THe insurance will get you a little but if you have a good record and live in a better area you should be ok. I run synthetic in everything I own but do my own oil changes so you pay about the same... Get a SPEED!

 

[phantomchick3]

399 a month for 2 cars is 5 grand a year. Holy Christ.

thanks for all the response yea my 3 is $330 a month for insurance (that's more than my car payment!) and i'm 20...damn Massachusetts!