Opinions wanted!

[MazdaDryvr]

After a year and a half of dealing with the MSP issues (the latest being my exhaust manifold warping) I have lost faith in the long term durability of this car. I love driving it but I just don't want a car that will be spitting out expensive parts after warranty. It seems to me that Mazda and Callaway did their best on a limited budget to create the MSP but perhaps fell short in what they could have done to make the car more reliable.
So, I am considering trading my MSP in for a Mazda 3 GT 5door. It would actually work out better for me payment wise and I would have a factory designed car. Am I just being overly sensitive or are my spidey senses correct in telling me to bail out now before the next big part blows off the MSP? I welcome the input of this community.

PS I tried to set up a poll for voting but cant figure out how. doh. ( i got it!weee!)

 

[jred321]

i'm not against trading it in, just against trading it for a mazda3 5 door

 

[K-S-W]

Get an Acura!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MazdaDryvr]

C'mon kids, if you vote let me know why!

 

[DigitalHeadShot]

I have thought of the same thing over and over again. Im worried the car will fall apart. I just hate to see this car go away so easy. As much as the world loved it at first it leaveing as quick as it came. But then again with the way mazda is acting with it, they dont care why should we, oh wait were paying for it.... We cant get them worked on now with warrentys good luck without.

Wait now that I think about it, when the warrenty goes away it wont be much diffrent than with it here. :mad:

 

[muohio]

If you don't want the car, then trade it in. I've only had the flash and bushing replaced on mine in the first year of ownership. I'm sure others are not having to do warranty work either. You may just have a lemon or bad luck which can happen on any car. Maybe check out a Mazdapeed Miata as those are collecting dust on the lots or at least around here.

 

[MazdaDryvr]

I still love the car but I dont want a car that will become a money pit. I have had experience with vehicles like that already and that's what is making me twitchy about the MSP. There are many owners on the forum here that have had much worse happen to their speed than I have but enough is enough. I take excellent care of my car. I dont race it, I dont even drive it hard (well occasionally I like to give it a blast but that's what it's made for right?) and yet the manifold went. Look at the forum sections. The MSP section has many threads like " what's this noise" " My MSP is broke" etc. Then go look at the Mazda 3 section. Very few problem threads and certainly none as extreme as in the MSP section. I dunno, like I said , I'm thinking on it.

 

[yashooa]

i'm not against trading it in, just against trading it for a mazda3 5 door

Yes, the 3 is a horrid ugly thing. The more of those things I see the less I would like to see The only current Mazdas I would own are the 6s, the RX8 and of course a Miata. The 3 is a big ZERO in my book.

 

[jonbig]

thats what we all get for buyin a 1st gen. car

 

[orangezoom]

I LOVE MY MAZDASPEED


My car is great no problems at all, I am sorry people have had problems with there car because I enjoy mine completely

 

[FrozenMazda]

Not a big fan of the 3 for one. But also look at it this way, once the warranty expires, you can tweak it the way you want it and not have to put up with the Mazda BS. Besides, the aftermarket is full of stuff to make our car a little more "stable" I know as soon as my warranty expires, hardpipes are going on, new motor mount, bigger side mount or FMIC (can't decide yet), and a new exhaust. I already have the turbo timer in and luckily nobody's bitched about it yet.

If you really need a wagon, personal opinion would be to go with a Prtoege5. Can probably find one with low miles that's not too expensive (easier payment-wise).

Reason there's not that much bitching is that the 3 is still relatively new. Give it another year and let's see if there are any problems.

 

[yashooa]

I LOVE MY MAZDASPEED


My car is great no problems at all, I am sorry people have had problems with there car because I enjoy mine completely

YES YOU *****!
I to LOVE MY MAZDASPEED.
I have had just a few minor problems that were all fixed under warranty by a all too happy to do it dealer. And soon I will be passing the 48k mile mark

 

[muohio]

I still love the car but I dont want a car that will become a money pit. I have had experience with vehicles like that already and that's what is making me twitchy about the MSP. There are many owners on the forum here that have had much worse happen to their speed than I have but enough is enough. I take excellent care of my car. I dont race it, I dont even drive it hard (well occasionally I like to give it a blast but that's what it's made for right?) and yet the manifold went. Look at the forum sections. The MSP section has many threads like " what's this noise" " My MSP is broke" etc. Then go look at the Mazda 3 section. Very few problem threads and certainly none as extreme as in the MSP section. I dunno, like I said , I'm thinking on it.

You do realize that the general Mazdaspeed forum will only have 2 types of posts, either my car is broke or I purchased something for my car today or will. The 3 is such a new car that the owners are wetting themselves and haven't had the car change since first release. We have MP3, P5, and other Protege owners coming over from their previous car so they are past the initial shock and awe. If you look at even the MSP section when the first cars where sold, it sounded just like the 3 section. Secondly, this forum focuses mainly on the Protege so you have far less 3 posters here. The 3 is also a mainstream everyday car whereas the MSP is more of an enthusiast car which draws in people that treat and view their cars differently. For example, my mother like many others has a nice 6s fully loaded, but she views the car as a nice to and from work car. We on the other hand, disect, abuse, mod, and in general mess with our cars so we flock to message boards. If you want, look at any Subaru, DSM, or even SRT4 board and you will see that any car like ours gets a lot of negative posts.

 

[orangezoom]

YES YOU *****!
I to LOVE MY MAZDASPEED.
I have had just a few minor problems that were all fixed under warranty by a all too happy to do it dealer. And soon I will be passing the 48k mile mark

That is a big difference I only have 9000 miles, keep your car it is cool

 

[evolv]

MazdaDryvr - Can you post what problems you have had? I'm curious to see what issues have brought you to wanting to DITCH da car. (I will vote after you reply)

I don't think a Mazda3 is a great choice. Especially the sport, I think they are uglier then hell. (but thats just me). I'd stay away from the 3 because its such a new car.

For me, I look forward to my warranty running out. That's 2.5 years away. This car will be paid off, I'll be onto a new one (hopefully rotary powered) and I can spend my spare money on modding the speed and getting the performance out of it that Mazda should have done in the first place.

 

[Familia323]

trade it in.. if you dont like it, then dont own it.

 

[cosmo420]

I LOVE MY MAZDASPEED


My car is great no problems at all, I am sorry people have had problems with there car because I enjoy mine completely

same here, just turned 14,000 miles and no issues what so ever, hope i didnt jinx, and mostly no complaints at all i drive 60 miles daily m-f i drive it spirtly, and i beat the piss out of it as well(wrc) but not all the time only when i have an open road for a mile or so and no cops,and then i just drive normal but i do change my oil frequently like every 6 weeks or less depending on how much i tach it, and most importantly i been to lazy in buying a turbo timer so i let it cool off for a minute or more before i shut down, i avoid granny driving if i want to i would have bought a S-10 or something along the line.

 

[MazdaDryvr]

I have had the usual run of minor problems ( clunk, windsheild twice replaced from stress cracks, flash, door panels creased under arm rest, coolant leak, crunchy front suspension, alignment) but then the manifold bolts were discovered to be loose and one month later the manifold goes boom. Let me make this clear, I still love the MSP but I dont want a car which is problematic by design. I dont want to mod the car, I want to drive it as it is for a few years without having to worry about major components blowing off of it. I had a 02 P5 for a year before I traded in on the MSP and never had ONE single issue with it. I dont have alot of money to be patching the car up every couple of months once the warranty is up. I guess this latest issue with the manifold has shaken my confidence in the MSP. I do appreciate everyones responses.

 

[Cam2]

srt-4

 

[Dr.Sound]

srt-4

ehh.....no.

mazdadryvr, if u dont like the car - trade it in.
if u feel like u will have problems with it later - trade it in.
if money is the issue and u cant afford payments - trade it in.

i would personally not go with a 3.
Scion Tc, RSX or RSX-s, even a P5.

3 will have its handfull of problems come next year.

the only car i would trade in my Mazdaspeed for is an Evo. nothing else.