Hey everyone,
I am the proud owner of a Cosmic Blue MS3 sport. Bought it in December from Foothills Mazda in Spokane WA for MSRP. Got in it, 10 miles on the odometer, test drove it for 2 miles, bought it and took it home. I live in Hayden Idaho which is about half an hour west of Spokane. I am the previous owner of an 04 Dodge SRT-4. I was in a wreck, car was totaled, no one was hurt and it was not my fault. The other drivers insurance paid me out, I did my research, and chose the MS3 over the WRX (ugly and expensive), the GTI (VW, enough said), or a used SRT-4. I don't ever want any kind of pocket rocket that somebody else has used and abused. I would like to put my 2 cents in on a couple of things... First off the SRT-4 is not "just a Neon", it was truly an awesome car, easy to mod, stong parts (tranny, clutch, brakes, etc.), and really a blast to drive for the 36,000 miles I had it. In my experience, most of the SRT-4 haters I came across were the ones who routinely saw my taillights as I smoked them. Second, if given a choice between a brand new off the lot 04 SRT-4 and my MS3, I would take the MS3 with no hesitation. 1500 miles into it, and I love it with the same kind of passion I had for my SRT-4, I did not think this was possible.
Nothing done to the MS3 yet (is there really much to do to it?), except for Michelin X Ice snow tires on the stock rims, Michelin all weather floor mats, and the Mazda 3 cargo tray. I really do hope Mazda goes to bat for us and brings us the CAI, exhaust, coilovers and rims we have heard about. I want them all! This car is a nice daily driver, and it is a blast to really get on it (the Dodge was a little evil all the time), it does very well in the snow (the Dodge was plain scary sometimes), the build quality is excellent and the interior is perfect for me. My "butt dyno" tells me that the Dodge was marginally faster, but in the real world, where roads have curves and bumps, the MS3 will slaughter it (stock to stock). The potential for the MS3 to really hang with the STI (love the LTD, out of my range) and the EVO (hate it, it looks like a Hyundai and it is not built well enough to justify the cost, did they use a paper clutch or what?) is really there. This car is in a class all by itself. I never had any thoughts about Mazda, I know there is a strong showing on the drag circuit, but all of the Speed versions have been dissapointing to me given their cost and performance numbers (stock). I think Mazda realized this and we have the MS3. I hope they don't continue the model, and I like the hatch better than the sedan. My words of advice to all Speed 3 owners are this: turn the stability control off and drive it like it was meant to be driven!! I even like the DSC off in the snow, the torque management system is enough, without it, this car would be useless for anything but drag racing on a track.
I am the proud owner of a Cosmic Blue MS3 sport. Bought it in December from Foothills Mazda in Spokane WA for MSRP. Got in it, 10 miles on the odometer, test drove it for 2 miles, bought it and took it home. I live in Hayden Idaho which is about half an hour west of Spokane. I am the previous owner of an 04 Dodge SRT-4. I was in a wreck, car was totaled, no one was hurt and it was not my fault. The other drivers insurance paid me out, I did my research, and chose the MS3 over the WRX (ugly and expensive), the GTI (VW, enough said), or a used SRT-4. I don't ever want any kind of pocket rocket that somebody else has used and abused. I would like to put my 2 cents in on a couple of things... First off the SRT-4 is not "just a Neon", it was truly an awesome car, easy to mod, stong parts (tranny, clutch, brakes, etc.), and really a blast to drive for the 36,000 miles I had it. In my experience, most of the SRT-4 haters I came across were the ones who routinely saw my taillights as I smoked them. Second, if given a choice between a brand new off the lot 04 SRT-4 and my MS3, I would take the MS3 with no hesitation. 1500 miles into it, and I love it with the same kind of passion I had for my SRT-4, I did not think this was possible.
Nothing done to the MS3 yet (is there really much to do to it?), except for Michelin X Ice snow tires on the stock rims, Michelin all weather floor mats, and the Mazda 3 cargo tray. I really do hope Mazda goes to bat for us and brings us the CAI, exhaust, coilovers and rims we have heard about. I want them all! This car is a nice daily driver, and it is a blast to really get on it (the Dodge was a little evil all the time), it does very well in the snow (the Dodge was plain scary sometimes), the build quality is excellent and the interior is perfect for me. My "butt dyno" tells me that the Dodge was marginally faster, but in the real world, where roads have curves and bumps, the MS3 will slaughter it (stock to stock). The potential for the MS3 to really hang with the STI (love the LTD, out of my range) and the EVO (hate it, it looks like a Hyundai and it is not built well enough to justify the cost, did they use a paper clutch or what?) is really there. This car is in a class all by itself. I never had any thoughts about Mazda, I know there is a strong showing on the drag circuit, but all of the Speed versions have been dissapointing to me given their cost and performance numbers (stock). I think Mazda realized this and we have the MS3. I hope they don't continue the model, and I like the hatch better than the sedan. My words of advice to all Speed 3 owners are this: turn the stability control off and drive it like it was meant to be driven!! I even like the DSC off in the snow, the torque management system is enough, without it, this car would be useless for anything but drag racing on a track.
